REVIEW: Garmin Approach S1 (long)

[saturday]

I recently saw a commercial for the Garmin Approach series of watches; does anyone use these or know anyone who does? They seem to be pretty cool and they appear to have a lot of potential of being useful, but I don't know if anyone has had any great success with it actually helping their game.

This entire thread just talked about it....

[teed off]

Has anyone compared the S1 to the Bushnell Neo X?

[etf-]

Did the commercial show the watch strap with tape holding it together? I'd avoid the S1 at all costs until they either change the design so the strap can be replaced or they beef up the watch strap material they use.

[njcanderson]

Originally Posted by saturday

This entire thread just talked about it....

I realize that now, I didn't post in here originally, I made a separate thread for it, and my post got moved here.

[Jim Platt]

I have been trying to get Garmin to answer my e-mails and would like to know how to talk to a real person??  I bought my wife a Garmin S1 for her birthday July 27th 2013.  She has tried the Garmin 3 times and I have once, we both have laser's and find them very accurate within 1-3 yards.  Her S1 is not even close to being accurate- as much as 25 to 30 yards off.  I did see where Garmin can sometimes update courses and wonder if our course Glendale Golf and Country Club, Bellevue, WA might need an update??

[Spitfisher]

My s1 works perfectly, yes there is sometimes a variance of a few yards when you measure it against sprinkler heads, or fairway markers or stakes. I trust the s1 yardage. simply the markers are often measured not as the crow flies , but down the center of the fairway and ten to the center of the green, most fairways I play can have some jog or slight curve of the fair way as it approaches the green.

The second reasons is the measuring devices, including the personnel can make mistakes or be inaccurate. Garmin does their calculations with satellite and claims accuracy within 1 foot for 300 yards

I chose the s1 because some of the feature sets in the s2 and s3 just are not important to me. Just way too much information is given to you- most you already know from your own eye sight. IMO

[Klarkus]

I was going to get this watch for xmas/birthday. Reviews I have heard are very good and looks smart.

The only thing putting me off is people say it suffers from bad condensation. Has anyone had this problem and if so how bad is it?

[etf-]

And the durability of the straps is an even bigger issue. Avoid at all costs from my experience unless Garmin improve:

-the quality of the strap/or make it replaceable

-their customer service.

Both of the above ranked a poor 1/10 for me and many others have posted similar problems/experiences.

[Klarkus]

And the durability of the straps is an even bigger issue. Avoid at all costs from my experience unless Garmin improve:

-the quality of the strap/or make it replaceable

-their customer service.

Both of the above ranked a poor 1/10 for me and many others have posted similar problems/experiences.

How tight do you wear the watch?

Do you sweat much when playing?

Do you have big wrists?

The shop near me has a demo one so I am gonna try it on before I buy.

[tucsondivots]

I have had my S1 for over a year. No issues with the strap or condensation. The only issue is a rather clunky setup for charging and you can only get one round of golf on a full charge. Shot distance measurement is easy, easy to read and accurate distance. When this one dies, I would seriously consider the Neo X. It has hazard/layup yardages and better batter life at a lower price.

[Klarkus]

I have had my S1 for over a year. No issues with the strap or condensation. The only issue is a rather clunky setup for charging and you can only get one round of golf on a full charge. Shot distance measurement is easy, easy to read and accurate distance. When this one dies, I would seriously consider the Neo X. It has hazard/layup yardages and better batter life at a lower price.

I have been looking at the Neo X (neo plus in UK) and the battery life seems to be a lot longer than the s1.

Does anyone know if the S3 battery life is any better?

[BrianM]

Hi there - don't suppose you can remember the instructions when you had the 'no courses near' message?

Thanks

Brian