Top 5+ Golf GPS Watches & Handhelds

How many times have you walked up to your ball, grabbed the perfect club, and ended up 20 yards long or short of your target? I’m sure you know the feeling, but guess what, having a GPS to give you the yardage can solve your problem.

If I were in the market for a new golf GPS, these are the ones I’d consider (I’m currently using Shot Scope). Not all of them have the most features, but they’re some of the best options at different price points.

You can click one of the links above to jump to a specific device. You can also click here to jump to the section on how to pick the right GPS unit.

Which GPS units have you used in the past and what did you like or dislike about it? Let us know in the comments below.

Best Watch: Garmin Approach S70

If you’re in the market for a new golf watch, price isn’t a big factor, and you want the most features, the S70 is the one for you. It’s the best GPS currently on the market and also comes with features you can use off the course.

What I like about it is that it actually looks like a real multisport watch. The way it looks and overall quality means it’s something you’d be comfortable wearing away from the course.

Features like heart rate, stress and sleep tracking, and fitness apps are included. If you’re a fitness/tracking guy, you should find these things useful.

When it comes to the course, the S70 will do pretty much whatever you want. You’ll get the distance to different parts of the course, it has some performance tracking features, and best of all, comes with full hole maps.

One of my favorite features is Playslike, which takes into account elevation when giving you yardage. It’ll also give you club suggestions based on your own personal performance.

The performance tracking is pretty good, but it’s not the best (short-game stats). You can pair the S70 with the Garmin CT10 sensors to get the most accurate info.

Buy From: Amazon or PlayBetter

The Pros:

• It’s the highest-quality golf watch
• It comes with features for on and off the course
• It does almost everything you’d want on the course

The Cons:

• The price
• The Garmin app isn’t the best

Watch #2: Garmin Approach S42

If you don’t want to spend a fortune on a golf watch and also want to use it off the course, this is probably the one for you. Compared to some golf-specific watches, the S42 actually looks nice and is something you could wear out to dinner.

It’s Garmin’s middle-of-the-range model, which comes with most of what you’d need on the course. It’ll show you course yardages and you can also track your game stats and club distances in the Garmin app (the tracking is manual if you don’t use the CT10 sensors).

What’s cool about this watch is that it comes with some basic off-course features. Things such as a timer and stopwatch, phone notifications, step counter, and running/cycling profiles are included.

The main difference between the S42 and S70 is the amount of features they come with. The S42 doesn’t come with full hole maps, Playslike distances, or club suggestions.

Read Our Review: Garmin Approach S42

The Pros:

• The watch quality is high
• It gives you all the essential features you’d need
• No annual fee

The Cons:

• You need the CT10 sensors to track your stats well
• You have to manually select what club you hit

Best Handheld: Garmin Approach G80

If you’re looking for a GPS that comes with the most additional features, this will be the one for you. What’s different about this is that it also comes with a built-in launch monitor.

You can use the G80 to see the distance to any part of the course. You can also use it to see stats about your game like:

• Clubhead speed
• Ball speed
• Carry distance
• Smash factor
• Virtual round

One of the features that separates the G80 from a lot of the other units is PlaysLike. This takes into account elevation and will give you a more accurate distance. 150 yards uphill will play more like 160 yards.

Another cool feature is Swing Tempo & Tempo Training. It’ll basically tell you how fast your downswing is compared to your backswing.

Those are great and all, but the main reason you’d get the G80 is because of the launch monitor. This is what you can use at the range to get a lot of useful data.

The main downside to the G80 is the price. It’s only going to make sense if you don’t care about price or you’ll actually use the launch monitor often.

Read Our Review: Garmin Approach G80

The Pros:

• The screen is easier to read compared to a watch
• It has everything you’d want on the course
• Can be used at the course and range

The Cons:

• The price
• A watch is more convenient to carry around

Handheld #2: SkyCaddie SX400

If you’re in the market for a handheld GPS but don’t care about having a launch monitor, this could be the perfect option for you. It’s one of the more advanced units on the market and the price is pretty reasonable.

Personally, I’d rather not carry things around with me on the course (I’d probably end up losing it). Some people really don’t like wearing watches, so if that’s the case, this is probably the way to go.

The SX400 will tell you pretty much all you’d need on the course and you can also use it to track your club distances and game stats. It’s not going to be as streamlined as the Shot Scope and Arccos systems, but it’s pretty solid.

Read Our Review: SkyCaddie SX400

The Pros:

• You can see the distance to every part of the course
• The battery life is better than the watches
• The courses are mapped in person

The Cons:

• It requires an annual fee
• The club tracking isn’t automatic

Best Tracker: Arccos Caddie Smart Sensors

If you’re someone who doesn’t like to wear a watch or you don’t want to carry another device around, this will be the one for you. What’s cool about it is that it’s also a game analyzer.

Just like with the Shot Scope, you’ll attach sensors to each of your clubs and it’ll send data to the app. You’ll need to download the Arccos app on your phone or watch to get the GPS feature.

It’s definitely one of the best golf products I’ve ever seen. The app itself is smooth and seamless and I think it provides the most accurate data about your game.

Here are some of the key features:

• GPS data that takes into account elevation, temperature, and wind
• Automatic shot tracking
• Caddie advice (what club to hit and your optimal strategy)

The main downside comes if you’re going to be using your phone (not an Apple watch). You’ll either have to carry your phone in your front pocket or buy the Arccos Link as well.

The second downside is that it requires an annual fee. The first year is included but you’ll have to pay to keep the game analyzing features.

Other than that, these sensors are just as good as the other two units. If you really don’t like wearing watches and you want stats about your game, these will probably be the best option.

Read Our Review: Arccos Caddie Smart Sensors

The Pros:

• The initial setup cost is reasonable
• The best game analyzing data
• Comes with advanced GPS data

The Cons:

• It has an annual fee for the full features (after the first year)
• You’ll need cell data and will have to carry your phone (without Link)

Tracker #2: Shot Scope X5/V5

If you’re looking for a golf watch that’ll give you 80% of what you’d want on the course, and you also want to track your club and game stats, this will be the one for you.

It’s the one I’ve been using recently because the price can’t be beaten, it came with a lot of features, and I didn’t have to worry about carrying a handheld unit around.

I had used the Arccos system in the past because it gave me GPS data as well as tracking features. The main reason I decided to switch is that it doesn’t require an annual subscription and I don’t have to pull my phone out anymore.

What I like about Shot Scope is that it automatically tracks my distances for all clubs. I pretty much always guessed my distances and I wondered why my distance control was inconsistent. Some units do this and some don’t.

The second benefit is that it tracks fairway and green stats and you can actually see where all your shots went (on the app). This gives you a good idea of where you need to improve the most. Most watches don’t let you do this.

Here are some additional features:

• Shot distance
• Distance to front, middle, and back of the green
• Distance to hazards
• Club distances
• Common misses
• Putt count
• Round walkthrough

The watch itself isn’t quite as good as the Garmin watches and the app isn’t as polished as the Arccos app. That said, it’s the least expensive option and they continue to work and improve their products (which I haven’t seen from everyone).

Shot Scope has 2 different watches to pick from, the X5 and V5. Both of them are similar but they have a couple of differences. The X5 is a touchscreen while the V5 uses buttons. The X5 has personalized hole maps while the V5 is cheaper.

I went with the X5 because the V5 wasn’t released yet. If I were buying today, I think I’d save some money and get the V5.

Read Our Review: Shot Scope X5

Pros

• What you get for the price is top-notch
• Comes with more than just GPS info
• Automatically records club distances

Cons

• There are a few features not available (slope, hole layout, scorecard)
• The watch isn’t as good as the Garmin watches
• The app isn’t as good as Arccos

How To Pick A GPS Unit

There are a number of factors that go into picking the right golf GPS. There are a bunch of good options on the market, but the choice comes down to your price point, what features you’re looking for, and what type of device you prefer.

For me, I wanted a GPS unit that could also track my performance stats. I didn’t want to carry my phone on the course and I didn’t already have a smartwatch. I also didn’t want to spend a fortune or pay an annual fee.

That’s why I landed on and went with Shot Scope.

That said, it’s not going to be the best choice for everyone. Here are some things you should consider when buying a new unit.

Golf GPS vs Laser Rangefinder vs Golf App

According to most golfers, having a GPS is more useful than a rangefinder. The ability to get instant yardages to different locations and the additional features are what differentiate the two.

I went back and forth myself. Each has its pros and cons and I’d say that any of them are better than nothing.

Apps are a great place to start because a lot of them are free. If you don’t have anything, download a free app and see if you find it useful and will actually use it.

Rangefinders are great because they’re the most accurate option (~1-2 yards) and they’re super easy to use (point and shoot). If you’re technically challenged, they might be the better choice.

Watches/Handhelds give you the most info and are generally more accurate than a free app. You also don’t have to carry your phone, which is what a lot of people want.

You can see the full differences between them HERE.

Golf Watch vs Handheld GPS

Golf watches are the most convenient of the two and is why it’s the most popular option. Handheld units are a good choice for golfers who don’t like wearing watches.

The good news is that watches and handhelds do pretty much the same thing. You can get super basic options or you can get ones that’ll do everything for you but hit the ball.

I was never really a watch person and was leaning towards a handheld GPS at first. I know people who are the same way and that’s completely fine. There are a lot of good options out there.

What I didn’t like about handhelds was that it’s another thing to carry around. I actually forgot it in the cart one time (I remembered in time, don’t worry).

That’s what made me suck it up and learn to deal with watches. It’s strapped to my wrist and can’t go anywhere. Not only that, but all I have to do is look down to get my numbers.

If you’re worried about losing your handheld, you can always attach it to your bag. That’s probably what I’d end up doing, but the choice is completely up to you.

Available Courses

Obviously, one of the most important things is that the GPS has the courses you’re going to be playing. I don’t know about you, but I don’t really need a wrist ornament out on the course.

All of the devices on the market have tens of thousands of courses on them. All of the devices had full-sized courses in my area on them.

Out of all the companies that make golf GPS units, Garmin seems to have the most courses mapped. They currently have somewhere over 43,000 courses from around the world mapped, but what was cool was that Shot Scope mapped one of my courses within about 5 days.

If you want to double-check if your course is one of them, you can head over to the company’s website and have a look.

Ease Of Use

The next thing I looked at was how user-friendly the GPS was. I’d say I’m a pretty tech-friendly person, but some were a lot harder to use than others.

Not just navigating through the different features, but also glitches and freezing issues. Out of all the ones I tried, Garmin, Shot Scope, and Arccos seemed to be the easiest to use.

There are some multi-sport watches out there that do more than golf. Those are great if you’re into other stuff, but they have a ton more features and it’s not going to be for everyone.

Accuracy

If the thing isn’t accurate, we’re pretty much back to square one. We’ll be back to blasting it over the green and getting wet. Not ideal.

For the most part, all of them were pretty solid when it came to accuracy. They aren’t quite as good as a laser rangefinder but they’re close enough.

Battery Life

As long as the battery lasts a full round, that’s the main thing that matters. Most people don’t play two rounds back to back and will be able to charge it back up.

The good news is that they all last somewhere between 2-3 rounds. I normally charge things up between rounds, but the longer it lasts the better.

Features

The amount of features really depends on the price of the GPS. More expensive units will come with more features. Kind of expected.

What we did though was compare devices in similar price ranges. If there are two watches that are 100 bucks and one of them has 12 different features while the other has 3, it’s a no-brainer.

Most of the entry-level units will give you the distance to the front, middle, and back of the green. They’ll also show you hazards, doglegs, and some layup spots.

Middle-of-the-range units will come with a color display and will let you track stats such as club distances and fairways/greens in regulation.

The higher-end models will let you see the distance to any part of the hole and green. Some even take into account elevation levels to really dial things in.