With modern technology constantly updating, golfers are experiencing better and more sophisticated ways to go around the golf course. There are ultramodern gadgets to help you find the best golf club for each shot. Before, you have to manually measure the distance in the putting green to estimate your shots. But now, you have golf watch to help with the distance and other workarounds in the green.
So what is a golf watch and how do you know if you really need one? In this article, you will learn how GPS golf watches work and why they are one of the best investments that a golfer can make today.
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What Is A Golf Watch?
A golf watch is a device designed to help golfers determine the front, back, and middle distance on their approach shots for 18 holes. Wherever you are on the golf course, a golf watch can adjust and inform you about the hole from the three critical distances so you can choose the right club to use. Remember, it’s important to control your distance in order to play well.
While some golfers deem golf watches as luxury items, they can help you score well. It’s like you’re using a rangefinder, making it a nice addition to your golf arsenal. Rangefinders tell golfers the distance to the pin while they are also useful in bypassing hazards and landmarks to estimate lay-up distances.
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Golf watches are worth your money because they give you all the essential information needed to advance your golf game. In addition, they also provide much more information compared to rangefinders. Getting a golf watch means you can benefit from valuable measurements including distances to hazards and greens. More importantly, these advanced devices can map out your shots taken as well as the distances traveled on every hole.
Generally, golf watches are not made equal as some models may have some flaws. You should consider the pros and cons of a golf watch before buying one because it can be expensive depending on the brand. There are smartwatches that offer tacked-on features while other models are exclusively designed for golf.
Why You Should Get A Golf Watch?
Getting a golf watch doesn’t mean buying the most expensive, the shiniest thing on the market. Instead, you should focus on your lifestyle needs and some budget-friendly models. Golf watches are not only used when playing golf, but they are also useful in tracking your fitness activities such as workouts, footsteps, and even your sleep activities.
In other words, you can depend on your golf watch in terms of keeping your body fit and healthy so that you can perform well in your next game. On the other hand, smartwatches with some golf features and specialized golf watches are still two different devices. These shiny pieces of tech have unique functionality and it’s best to decide whether you’re buying for golf or for your lifestyle.
If golf functionality is the most important for you, then you can go for GPS golf watches that offer a lot of features that will benefit golfers. And if you also want some fitness tracking features, most golf watches today also offer these features. Some models even have extra storage space so you can listen to your playlist through your AirPods without using your smartphone. Keep in mind that getting all the features you need is the best way to get your money’s worth.
Most golf watches on the market either offer general features or high-end functionality. Although both of these options are golf-specific models, your choice will depend on your personal preferences. If you’re looking for a good model, choose the one that has a larger display and offers more precise details that can enhance your golf performance.
However, golfers who are on a budget can safely choose generic smartwatch models as long as they have the features they need. To determine which model suits you best, study the features and compare your options. The golf watch that offers balanced abilities and features is the best choice for you.
Is It Legal to Use a Golf Watch?
Golf watches can be used in non-professional and club-level golfing events, but with limited uses. For instance, it’s legal to use golf watches if you only need to measure distances instead of factors like wind, slope, temperature, and terrain. In the PGA tour and other professional competitions, GPS golf watches are prohibited.
For weekend golfers who just want to pass time and join their local club’s small competitions to have some fun, you don’t breach any rules if you’re using your golf watch to determine gradient and wind data. The rules become a little bit fuzzy when it comes to higher competitions such as inter-club championships because measuring distances is okay, but additional data is slightly not embraced by people.
Unless you’re a professional golfer at a world tournament, using your watch to measure distance as you play in a more serious weekend club competition is a good strategy. Both amateurs and pros should take advantage of golf watches as they give accurate numbers. If you’re aware of the front, middle, and back distance, you can reduce your score while hitting iron shots more precisely.
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Which Golf Watch Suits You Best
Currently, most golfers are choosing the Sky Caddy LX5 and the Garmin Approach S62 golf watches. Each model offers great features that players at any level can benefit from including having a large, high-definition display to easily view golf data during each round. Now, let’s talk about these two popular golf watches to help you decide which one to get.
The Sky Caddy LX5 has a larger display with1.39 inches of full-color LED screen, known to be the “biggest and brightest” among the latest models in the market. In addition, this high-end smartwatch provides golfers with more data in the hole map including the best green map that you can get from a golf watch.
On the other hand, the Garmin Approach S62 offers almost similar features and size to LX5, with only 0.09 inch smaller display. The virtual caddy is a luxury element of the Approach S62, it suggests which club you should use based on your previous distance data, shot shape, and wind direction. Regardless of your player level and commitment, these top two on-wrist caddie golf watches are worthy of an investment.
Perhaps, you’re wondering if you can use your Apple Watch when playing golf. Not all golfers know this, but Apple Watch offers a wide selection of apps that give essential data including the ability to keep scoring, distances to the front, middle, and back of greens, and lay-up yardages. On the other hand, the golf apps on Apple Watch are made by third parties, so they are not as smooth as the golf watches apps.
This doesn’t mean that Apple Watch won’t give you good features just like your on-course yardage device. However, the only issue is that they don’t develop dedicated apps for golf that Apple can control. If you have an Apple Watch, you can take advantage of some features to improve your next round of golf.
Main Advantages of Golf Watches
Professional golfers use caddies to make sure they get accurate distances needed to ace each round. Meanwhile, amateurs now also have access to this important information to choose the right club and be confident in putting green. Here are the key advantages of using a golf watch during your game:
- Get lay-up distances
- Front, middle, and back yardages
- Be more confident during each shot
- Time-saver throughout all rounds
Golf watches are truly a game changer for what they can do. As you approach your driver, you can take advantage of the necessary information to improve your shots. From the green you’re about to hit, you have the numbers including the distances to the front, the middle, and the back. You would even appreciate it more if you’re playing golf for the very first time and you’re not familiar with the course.
As a golfer, the distances are really helpful and essential. Specifically, the information is useful when there’s a front bunker on holes. Golf watches inform you right away when there’s a hazard on your line of shots while giving you the distance in order to carry that hazard or stay short of it. You can save up to three shots by avoiding the hazards and ensure you’re keeping the golf ball in play by making some solid swings.
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Imagine hitting the ball perfectly, but since you got inaccurate distances, you hit it not far enough or too far from the hole. This is what you should avoid when choosing a golf watch to invest in your time and money. It’s important to consider the reliability and quality of the golf watch you want to buy, so you can access the right information while you’re playing on the course.
Key Takeaway
With the continuous improvement of the golf game, golf watches also continue to provide more advanced features to level up your game. For most golfers, they are no longer a luxury item that is expensive and extra. Today, these pieces of technology are gaining momentum as they catch up with the tracking abilities of rangefinders.
Whether you’re still working on your shots or maintaining good standing on the green, a reliable golf watch can help you achieve the best shots. Hitting a bad shot can be improved when you know the distances around the green as well as the potential hazards on your way. So, how do you think golf watches will perform during your game?