10 Best Golf Watches 2024 in the United States

In the past, you probably would have thought of a golf watch as an unfair advantage. Just as there are companies that make fitness trackers for swimming or jogging, there are fitness trackers and watches with special features for golf.  Just like you have facilities like driving ranges and putting greens to help you practice, a golf watch can give special pointers, like how to negotiate around hazards or to tackle layups or doglegs. It can help you improve your game tremendously.

You can also find golf watches with additional features. Most have maps of thousands of golf courses, and you can download more if the golf course you’re playing doesn’t appear--that’s “par for the course”. They’ll also display the distance to the tee, or to the front, middle, and back of the green, keep score without a scorecard, and record and track your progress. Some give you tips on how to improve your swing--and some will even nudge you to get moving if you’re idle for too long!

We’ve composed this buyer’s guide to help you make the right decision when selecting a golf watch. It'll help you:

• Choose the right type of golf watch,

• See useful tips about that particular type of golf watch,

• Read reviews of different golf watches, and what customers are saying,

• Select the right brand of the best golf watch, and

• Compare prices and find the best deals.

• Prefer a thin, light watch: Since you’ll be wearing a golf watch while actually golfing, some prefer a thinner, lighter model, so that it doesn’t weigh down your arm. An example is the Garmin Approach X40, which weighs only 1.6 ounces and measures 2.5” x 0.5” x 0.8”.

Garmin Approach X40

• No subscription fees: Companies such as Garmin and Callaway will provide support for their golf watch long after you have made a purchase. You can download information about other golf courses from their website, without having to incur any additional subscription or download fee.

• Charger problems: You should prefer a golf watch that can recharge using a USB cable. Some customers were disappointed with the Callaway golf watch, which needs a special recharger. If the recharger burns out, then you’ll need to get a new recharger that is specific for that device.

• Protection from the elements: Your golf watch should be able to withstand some rain, but won’t be waterproof against falling in water. The Garmin Approach S10 is waterproof to 5 atmospheres. That’s enough to protect from splashes or showering, but not for something like scuba diving.

• What to expect when you turn the device on: When you turn on a Garmin golf watch, for example, the device’s GPS will find the golf courses in your location. After selecting the correct golf course, it will display information about the current hole, par for that hole, and the distance to the front, middle, and back of the green. When you take a shot, it will also measure the shot distance, and store the information if you so desire. It will also give you the option of entering the score manually as well. Most golf watches have auto-hole advancement, giving you the data about the next hole automatically. And when you complete a course, it will display summary information, as in the Garmin Approach S20.

Garmin Approach S20

• Handicap calculation: For amateur golfers, the handicap is a means of letting weaker players go against stronger players. It’s an average of how much a player goes above par over their last few rounds of golf. There are golf watches that can make the calculation for you, such as the Garmin Approach S10. Along with tracking your progress and stats, it will also calculate your handicap.

• The number of golf courses preloaded: You’ll notice that different watches have different numbers of golf courses stored inside. The Garmin Approach S10 has 41,000 golf courses and allows you to download even more. The Callaway Golf GPS sports watch has 30,000 pre-loaded golf courses--which is still an astounding amount!

• Help with challenges: Golf watches will give much-needed assistance with the challenges along the way on a golf course. For example, the Callaway Golf GPS sports watch will tell you the layup distance (= what distance to hit the ball to avoid a sand trap or body of water), and doglegs ( = a hole that bends to the left or right).  

• Time and date are automatically updated: Just as there is a GPS providing you with a map of your golf course, it will also update the time and date automatically. That’s convenient for people who travel often and might change time zones frequently.

• Battery life: The battery life of your golf watch is also an important factor since you don’t want your watch to die in the middle of a round of golf. The Callaway Golf GPS watch can last from 8-12 hours when operating in GPS mode, and up to 90 days when operating in time mode.

• Activity tracker as well: Most golf watches will be good for other sports as well. The Posma Triathlon Sport GPS Watch will help you set goals when running, cycling, and swimming. It will tell you the distance that you have gone, your time, speed, pace, steps taken and calories burned.

• Callaway Golf Company is a maker of golf equipment, including golf balls, golf clubs, and numerous golf accessories, such as golf bags, gloves, GPS and rangefinders, and more. The company was founded by Ely Reeves Callaway, Jr. in 1982, and their present headquarters is located in Carlsbad, California.
• Pyle is a maker of audio equipment, founded in 1960 with its headquarters in New York City. They make speakers and car audio, speakers for home theater, musical instruments, headphones, DVD players, cameras, smartwatches, and more.
• Posma Sports are developers and manufacturers of sports equipment and GPS products for sports-related purposes.
• Garmin has been making GPS products and wearable electronics since their founding in 1989. They are famous for their fitness trackers and smartwatches. They also have a division of aids for golfers, including golf watches, handheld golf GPS devices, and laser range finders that are accurate to within 10 inches.