Blog
Garmin Approach S44 Review: An Entry-Level Golf Watch Contender
As a seasoned vet on the course, I’ve reviewed my fair share of golf watches. But for testing the Garmin Approach S44, I tried to step into the shoes of someone new to the game. Or, at least new to golf watches.
Think Father’s Day morning: you unwrap the box, charge the device, pair it to your phone, and hit the course by noon. That was the scenario I imagined, and the S44 didn’t just meet expectations, it surpassed them.
With a $299 price tag and a comfortable fit, Garmin is pitching the Approach S44 as a next-generation entry-level GPS watch, and I think that’s an accurate assessment. From the moment I strapped it on to the final hole of a tough back nine, this lightweight, easy-to-use device proved to be a thoughtful companion for casual and improving golfers alike.
But it’s not without its drawbacks, particularly if you’re looking to consolidate your smartwatch and golf watch into one device. In my Garmin Approach S44 review, I’ll explain where it excels… and where it falls short.
Garmin Approach S44: Cheat Sheet
- What is it? A budget-friendly golf smartwatch.
- Who is it for? Golfers on a budget who only want golf features and not smartwatch functionality.
- What does it cost? The Garmin Approach S44 costs $299.
Garmin Approach S44: The Ups
From its comfort to well-made features, the Garmin Approach S44 has quite a lot going for it. It’s not perfect, but for golfers on a budget, it’s a good choice.
Comfort and fit
Right out of the box, the Garmin Approach S44 impressed me with its modern, lightweight design. It weighs just 42g and comes with a standard black silicone band that is surprisingly comfortable, even during hot, sweaty rounds. The 43mm watch face sat snugly on my medium-sized wrist without feeling bulky, and Garmin says it’s designed to fit wrists between 125 and 202mm. I appreciated that it didn’t shift around during my swing and felt secure throughout the round.
Visually, it’s a clean and streamlined device. The 1.2-inch AMOLED touchscreen is both sharp and bright, boasting a resolution of 390×390 pixels that stays perfectly visible even in full sunlight. The watch even has a large numbers mode that makes green yardages big and bright for clear reading.
The S44 is also incredibly responsive. I had no problem tapping or swiping through options on the course. While it’s not going to turn heads like a high-end luxury watch, the S44 gets major points for being thoughtfully built for the golf course without sacrificing comfort or usability.
Great features for amateurs
The Garmin Approach S44 setup process was refreshingly simple. After charging the watch and scanning the included QR code, I downloaded the Garmin Golf app and was ready to play within minutes. On the course, I hit one button to set up golf mode, selected my tee box, and I was off. The S44 comes preloaded with 43,000 golf courses, and during my testing, I played nearly a dozen with zero hiccups. Distances to the front, middle, and back of the green were no problem to find, as were hazards, doglegs, and layups.
Garmin’s Autoshot tracking and scorekeeping features worked remarkably well, too. The watch would often log my shots before I did, giving me a running scorecard that I could reference or edit at any time. Features like the PinPointer, which helps you line up shots on blind holes, feel like premium perks, not entry-level expectations.
In the following rounds, I put the watch through its paces. I activated stat tracking in settings to achieve a better understanding of how I lose strokes during a round based on fairways hit, or too many three-putts. With the watch tracking which direction your tee shots miss, I was actually shocked to learn that more of my tee shots missed to the left as a fader of the ball. Not only did this have me rethinking my aim strategy, but using the custom target feature, I was able to add hazards that weren’t preloaded on the course download. I now know the exact yardage to that pesky boxwood that I too often end up in on 18 — but more importantly, I know better how to avoid it.
As for battery life, the Approach S44 is rated for 15 hours in GPS mode, which equals a little less than four rounds, but it made it through four full rounds for me. This meant I could leave the charger at home for a tournament weekend or golf trip with no concerns.
Good entry-point to the Garmin Golf ecosystem
When using any Garmin Golf product, it’s not necessarily about what a single gadget can do on its own, but the benefits of having multiple Garmin gadgets paired together. Call it an ecosystem, if you will.
For example, I paired my Garmin Approach Z30 rangefinder to the watch and app, so I could identify the location of the pin easily and then reference it on my wrist. With Approach CT10 tracking sensors that adhere to your clubs and sync with the swing data collected from the S44, the Garmin app can provide greater insight into average club distances, too. This often assists me in making better choices when selecting an iron.
Paying $10 a month for the Garmin Golf membership adds pro-level knowledge to your round, including more comprehensive hazard mapping and detailed green contours or slope information. This works seamlessly with the watch, but I find it a bit tedious for my game. That said, if you’re looking to take your game to the next level, I think it could be worth trying it out.
Garmin Approach S44: The Downs
The lack of style and inability to replace a full smartwatch are drawbacks, but not enough to ruin the experience.
Not very stylish
While the Approach S44 earned points in my book for comfort and functionality, I wouldn’t exactly call it a looker. It doesn’t necessarily look like a golf watch, but it also doesn’t blend that well into my everyday wear, either. The standard silicone band is fine, if a little uninspired. You can order separate bands if you’d like, though — the straps are simple enough to swap out.
I did try wearing it out in social settings, but it just didn’t have the kind of fashion-forward sense that’s more prominent in some of Garmin’s higher-end watches. The Garmin Approach S42, by contrast, was an eye-catching timepiece with premium-feeling accents. Garmin itself doesn’t sell it anymore, but you can find it on Amazon.
Not a smartwatch replacement
The S44 tries to wear two hats, but it’s really a golf-first device. While you can receive texts, emails, and alerts from your phone, there’s no way to reply or interact meaningfully with notifications. It offers some other basic smartwatch tools like weather updates, calendar sync, and even a “Find My Phone” feature, but again, all very basic features that are pretty much standard on any GPS watch.
Most glaringly, it lacks a heart rate monitor, which is essential to me for tracking my overall fitness. While I appreciated its GPS accuracy for biking and walking, the lack of more advanced activity data means it can’t quite replace my Apple Watch for day-to-day fitness tracking. If you’re someone who wants a single wearable for both life and sport, the S44 falls a little short. You’d be better off spending $100 more for the Garmin Approach S50 if you were hoping to use your golf watch as a daily driver, too.
Garmin Approach S44 review: Verdict
All things considered, the Garmin Approach S44 ranks highly among other entry-level GPS golf watches I’ve tested. It’s a breeze to use and offers a suite of smart, game-enhancing features that make it an ideal pick for newer golfers. Though I found that seasoned players who want to keep things simple can appreciate it, too.
It may not be a smartwatch replacement or win fashion points off the course, but when it comes to performance and value, the Approach S44 delivers.
