- Updated: March 7, 2024
Garmin Approach S70 GPS Watch Review
Garmin Finally "Cracked the Code" of GPS with a Long Lasting Battery
Ryan Heiman
Founder and head author at Independent Golf Reviews
I wore the Garmin Approach S70 GPS Watch for 8 rounds of golf and most days off the course for about a month. I was blown away with how good the GPS watch is for both golf and daily use. This watch is loaded with features for health, productivity and golf and it has super long battery life.
This is the definitive Garmin Approach S70 GPS Watch Review for 2023.
Team GPS?
Are you team laser or team GPS? There seems to be a divide of alliance between golfers that rely on laser rangefinders and those who love GPS. Each one has advantages over the other which means golfers gravitate toward one or the other. I’ll admit, I’ve been team laser for a long time. It probably boils down to one main reason; battery. I can install a new battery in my laser at the beginning of the golf season and won’t need to replace it until the next season. While the Garmin Approach S70 GPS Watch still doesn’t have that kind of battery life, it has the longest battery life of any GPS I’ve ever used and since it functions so well off the course as a watch, I charged it once a week and that was all it need to stay ready for 18 holes.
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AMOLED Touchscreen Display
The Garmin Approach S70 GPS Watch starts with the best display I’ve ever seen in a watch. For a while Apple has made touchscreen displays that were rarely replicated by other brands. Garmin’s new AMOLED touchscreen display is as good as that if not better. The colors are amazingly bright and the touchscreen works flawlessly. You can scroll, pinch, zoom, adjust on the watch screen like we’ve become acustom to. The display is backlit in a way makes it easy to see in full 115* AZ sun, and at night in the dark. The colors don’t get washed out nor does it get too bright, but excellent in all lighting conditions. It comes in 3 color options and 2 styles. I went with the black 47mm, but ladies might like the 42mm size better.
GPS Golf Mode
The Garmin Approach S70 GPS Golf Watch is designed to be the best GPS watch you can buy. It comes preloaded with 43,000 golf courses which means the course you are playing is probably in it. It finds the GPS satalite quickly when you get to the course and gives you all the details of a hole view, yardages, lay ups, hazards, distance hit, hole, green view, pin placement, etc. If you’ve seen a features on a GPS, this one has it. If you want to take it to the next level, pair it with the Garmin App on your smartphone and now you have weather information, plays like, virutal caddie, etc. It has all the information you’ll ever need to make wise club selections on the course based on the information you need. I was impressed with the accuracy of the GPS. This has been a knock on GPS too that sometimes it is off, if you are not in the middle of the fairway. The Approach S70 was even accurate from a fairway over. Scrolling from features to feature and using the buttons was easy, but took a few times to remember which button does what.
Health Features
The Garmin Approach S70 GPS Watch is more than just a golf watch, it is a fully functioning smart watch. I like the health features of this watch too which can track you heart rate, oxygen levels, steps, etc. I appreaciated being aware of how I was feeling and what my body was doing, especially with the stress that comes with the AZ summer heat. It is nice to know what your levels are before it is too late and you start crashing under the burning sun. It tracks your sleep too which golfers are learning more and more how important that is. You can use it for Yoga, Running, Swimming or working out. It also can be used to log information so you keep track of your hydration too. It is a fully features health and fitness watch along with golf GPS.
Wearing a Watch All Week
The Garmin Approach S70 GPS Watch is not just to be worn for 18 holes of golf, but can and should be worn every day of the week. It has a 16 day battery life of regular wear or 20 hours of GPS golf wear. I found in combination I got 1 week of battery life out of the watch. I would charge it over night on the weekend and it was good to go for another week. It is waterproof so I didn’t need to take it off while showering in the morning. It can literally stay on my wrist 24/7. I think this is how Garmin “Cracked the Code” because so many GPS units or watches need to be recharged all the time which often led me to forget to charge it. I haven’t been a watch guy for years, but Garmin changed my mind and I wear this thing regularly. It is always ready for a round of golf too.
Summary
The Garmin Approach S70 GPS Watch is the best golf and health watch on the market. It offers everything a golfer wants on and off the course. The only reason that might hold a golfer back from this watch is the price. It is the same as a new driver. Considering all the golf benefits and health features, it is pretty much the market price for a watch with these features and attention to details. While I will probably still have a laser rangefinder on my bag, I’ve been “converted” to team GPS with this Garmin watch. I really like wearing it off the course for all of the health features included in the watch. If you want a GPS watch that is always ready for golf that you can wear every day, the Garmin Approach S70 GPS Watch is the best there is.
For more information: Garmin Website
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About The Author
Ryan Heiman – Founder and Head Author of Independent Golf Reviews
Ryan has over 10 years of experience testing and writing golf reviews of nearly every brand out there.
HCP: 3
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