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REVIEW: Garmin Approach S1 (long)


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So I decided to pull the trigger on the new Garmin Approach S1 golf watch. After tearing open the packaging I grabbed the watch and immediately placed it on my wrist. It is remarkably light (less than 2oz), and barely noticeable on the wrist as a casual watch. The Approach S1 appears to be single construction made out of a rubber compound. The β€œall one piece” adds to the water resistance and over all look. I took it off to let it charge overnight and flipped through the small booklet that came with it. Nothing to note here other than everything is super self explanatory. The charger is a cool stand, which looks like a wide clothes pin with a USB plug on the other end. That USB attaches to a wall plug adaptor. The β€œwide clothes pin” stand has 4 small metal nipples which line up with the slots on the back of the watch, which are the contacts for charging.

After a full charge I decided to fire it up. I pressed the β€œlight/power” button and walked outside and in about 20 seconds the satellites were acquired and the time and date were displayed. The black numbers are large and very easy to read against the grey background even in the bright sunlight. The two buttons on each side are easy to push, but they are placed so the wrist will not cause accidental pushes. The buttons to the right side (the wrist side for me as I wear a watch on my left arm) are covered with the same rubber compound as the rest of the watch.

The menu button will cycle through a menu allowing setting changes, such as language, meters/yards and a 12hr or 24hr clock. This watch also has an odometer (which I turned off since it uses battery power).

Now to why you all are here. I headed to the golf course to try the Approach S1 and see just how accurate it is. After checking in at the pro shop I pressed the menu button and highlighted β€œStart Round” within 20 seconds the course was found (over 15,000 courses) and I made my way to the first tee. The hole number displayed as well as the number of strokes to par. Showing the par is sort of neat, but not needed in my opinion

On the tee box I stood on the marker and looked at the S1. The S1 was one yard shorter than the tee box marker. Excellent!! I hit my drive and went to locate it via the cart. The yardage changed on the fly and settled as I walked to my ball (course was cart path only). After hitting my approach shot, I walked to the sprinkler head and checked the accuracy. The center reading was dead on, although the front and back were off by one and two yards respectively. Not a big deal for me as a high handicapper, but could be for some of you. Hole two is a par 3 and it matched up again no issues. Hole three I decided to try the β€œshot measure” feature. Under β€œmenu” select β€œshot measure” and go to the ball. Again sort of neat to have, but a bit of math does the same thing. Not sure I will use it again, unless I really crush one. Back to the readings. The Garmin Approach S1 did a fantastic job, most holes were right on, but occasionally they would differ by one yard or so.

Final thoughts:

The Garmin Approach S1 is a great piece if you are like me and hate having to keep up with things on the golf course. A rangefinder or GPS device is not my thing. I either leave it in the cart or have it in my pocket and that drives me nuts. If you do not mind having them around, they give you more information, but if you are like me and want minimalism and want just yardage to the green… this is it. If you have not worn a watch while golfing before, even with its light weight it takes a bit of getting used to (after two rounds with it now I do not notice it).

Where I found the S1 to be super helpful was off the fairway. Yes, I admit that I am not the best golfer. When off in the trees or in another fairway it gives a good reading (good luck finding a sprinkler head reading in those areas). The other spots were on par 5s when the sprinkler heads are either blank or have some β€œcute” remark like β€œjust hit it” or β€œwho do you think you are?” The S1 allows me to know where I want to place the ball or near the 100 marker or where ever I choose to lay up.

Retail price on the Garmin Approach S1 is $249.99. I bought mine for $199.99 from an internet dealer, and at the time of this review the average price from US online dealers is $239.99. With that price point the Approach S1 is just a little cheaper than the handheld units which show a lot more data. If that data is what you are looking for than the S1 is not for you. All the Approach S1 does is give you the distance to the front/middle/back of the green, as well as show what hole you are on and what par is on the hole. The S1 does not keep stats or anything either. No big deal there, again I am a minimalist. I have a scorecard for that.

After taking the Approach S1 off the charger at 6:30am and teeing off at 9am, playing 18 holes, I still have better than half a battery left (according to the battery meter). While in my opinion that is pretty nice, only time will tell if the battery life decreases over time. Garmin claims that the S1 has over 8 hours of GPS and 3 weeks of watch mode between charges. Again, only time will tell. A car charger could be a good investment. My biggest question mark for this piece is the durability of the watch itself. While it does appear to be as water resistant as possible and well built, the strap is the issue. I understand why Garmin had it built the way they did. It was all about making it as light as possible. But with so many buckle slot grooves, I cannot help but wonder how much wear and tear the strap can take. This would not be that big of a deal if the S1 did not appear to be all one piece construction. I say appear because there are small screws on the case back of the watch, but I have no intention of taking the S1 apart.

So Double Bogey, in your opinion is it worth $250. In a word, Yes. I have spent more money or much worse things, but I am assuming in that answer that the watch band will not break and the battery life continues to allow more than 18 holes of golf to be played without dying. If you have the extra dough lying around want all the β€œextras” that come with the Approach G5 or want a Laser Finder your money might be better spent elsewhere. Although we all know how technology is… wait a year and things can be had for half price :)

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 months later...

I just received an S1 as a birthday present, and here's my quick review.Β Β Β  I'll skip explaining the features, as others have already done that well.

In short, I found the S1 perfect for what I wanted.Β Β  I've been using a Golf Logix for a few years, and I like a simple device.Β Β  I don't really care for color graphics, maps etc. - just give my the basic yardages. Β Β  And while the Golf Logix works fine I've found a handheld GPS to be a bit of an inconvenient pain.Β Β  I don't like one hanging on my belt, and don't like having to remember always pulling it off the bag or out of the cart when walking to the tee or my ball.

But the S1 solves all this.Β  It's very lightweight so I didn't even feel it during my swign, and I really liked the simplicity of a quick glance at my wrist to get the important yardages.Β Β Β  Battery life was good; I got two rounds on a charge with still about 1/3 charge showing.Β Β  The "how far did I hit it" feature was simple to use and worked well also.Β Β Β  In short, I find the S1 to be a great device doing exactly what I want from a GPS.

It can also be bought quite cheaply.Β Β  My wife used a $50 off coupon from Golf Galaxy, and Garmin is doing a $50 rebate right now so the S1 only cost $150.Β Β Β  Even at full price I'd buy one and recommend it, and at the discount it is a terrific deal.

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After seeing the latest post I thought I would chime in with a 45 or so day follow up. Β My biggest worry was durability... no issue there. Β The watch "band" seems to be holding up very well. Β As a matter of fact I cannot even tell which hole I use. Β It also is not as much of a "sweat magnet" as I thought it would be. Β We have had some days in the upper 90s already this season, and the S1 has not caused me any issues. Β Battery life has been very good as well. Β I played 36 holes a couple of weeks ago and the S1 finished with almost half showing on the meter.

The biggest flaw I see is that if you are playing in a 9 hole league (as I do) and you start on the backside, I cannot figure out a way to make the S1 know that I am on 10. Β I normally have to wait until hole 13 on my home course and restart it. Β That is a flaw in my opinion and so far is the only one I can find.

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Originally Posted by Double Bogey

After seeing the latest post I thought I would chime in with a 45 or so day follow up. Β My biggest worry was durability... no issue there. Β The watch "band" seems to be holding up very well. Β As a matter of fact I cannot even tell which hole I use. Β It also is not as much of a "sweat magnet" as I thought it would be. Β We have had some days in the upper 90s already this season, and the S1 has not caused me any issues. Β Battery life has been very good as well. Β I played 36 holes a couple of weeks ago and the S1 finished with almost half showing on the meter.

The biggest flaw I see is that if you are playing in a 9 hole league (as I do) and you start on the backside, I cannot figure out a way to make the S1 know that I am on 10. Β I normally have to wait until hole 13 on my home course and restart it. Β That is a flaw in my opinion and so far is the only one I can find.


Sounds good to me! Can't you use the up/down to scroll through holes?

SWING DNA
Speed [77]Β TempoΒ [5]Β ToeDown [5]Β KickAngle [6] Release [5] Mizuno JPX EZ 10.5Β° - Fujikura Orochi Black Eye (with Harrison ShotMaker) Mizuno JPX EZ 3W/3H - Fujikura Orochi Black Eye Mizuno JPX 850 Forged 4i-PW - True Temper XP 115 S300 Mizuno MP R-12 50.06/54.09/58.10 - Dynamic Gold Wedge Flex Mizuno MP A305Β [:-P]

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Originally Posted by Double Bogey

Well, I have no idea... that would be the simple solution and yet the one I have not tried.


ROFL.

SWING DNA
Speed [77]Β TempoΒ [5]Β ToeDown [5]Β KickAngle [6] Release [5] Mizuno JPX EZ 10.5Β° - Fujikura Orochi Black Eye (with Harrison ShotMaker) Mizuno JPX EZ 3W/3H - Fujikura Orochi Black Eye Mizuno JPX 850 Forged 4i-PW - True Temper XP 115 S300 Mizuno MP R-12 50.06/54.09/58.10 - Dynamic Gold Wedge Flex Mizuno MP A305Β [:-P]

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Originally Posted by MiniBlueDragon

Sounds good to me! Can't you use the up/down to scroll through holes?


Exactly!Β Β Β  One of my rounds started us on the back nine, and just pushing the up/down button took me to the right hole.

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Originally Posted by Clambake

Exactly!Β Β Β  One of my rounds started us on the back nine, and just pushing the up/down button took me to the right hole.



Well then, it is official... I am a dumb ass

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Nah I'm just excessively logical. Glad it works though! I may put one of these on my Christmas list. :)

SWING DNA
Speed [77]Β TempoΒ [5]Β ToeDown [5]Β KickAngle [6] Release [5] Mizuno JPX EZ 10.5Β° - Fujikura Orochi Black Eye (with Harrison ShotMaker) Mizuno JPX EZ 3W/3H - Fujikura Orochi Black Eye Mizuno JPX 850 Forged 4i-PW - True Temper XP 115 S300 Mizuno MP R-12 50.06/54.09/58.10 - Dynamic Gold Wedge Flex Mizuno MP A305Β [:-P]

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How many button presses does it take to get to the shot measuring screen?Β  I have the G3 and, while I love it, I find it ridiculous that they put the shot measuring widget on a separate screen that takes a couple button presses to get to when it could have been a little annotation to the main map screen.

In the bag:
FT-iQ 10Β° driver, FT 21Β° neutral 3H
T-Zoid Forged 15Β° 3W, MX-23 4-PW
Harmonized 52Β° GW, Tom Watson 56Β° SW, X-Forged Vintage 60Β° LW
White Hot XG #1 Putter, 33"

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A couple I think. Β I have only used it once. Β I don't think I will get back to the course until Thursday, if no one has replied I will let you know then

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Originally Posted by zeg

How many button presses does it take to get to the shot measuring screen?



Press the menu button twice to put the S1 in shot measuring mode, then press it once more when you get to the ball.

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  • 1 month later...

@ Stonecold - Yep, loving it. Β When I leave it at home or in the car I feel a bit lost. Β It is fantastic, and the battery life has been as it was new. Β I have used it at approximately 8 courses and have been within a yard or two of sprinkler head yardages.

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Similarly, I'm still loving mine.Β Β  I've used it for about 15 rounds now and it has worked flawlessly.Β  It's very lightweight and I don't even feel it on my wrist.Β  Β Β  Battery life has been fairly impressive too.Β Β  A week ago I played 36 on Saturday with a long lunch break in between and it lasted the whole day just fine.Β Β Β Β  I really like the simplicity of the design and not having to dig out a separate handheld device - just a quick glance at my wrist and I know where I'm at.

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Note:Β This thread is 3180 days old. We appreciate that you found this thread instead of starting a new one, but if you plan to post here please make sure it's still relevant. If not, please start a new topic.Β Thank you!

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