Garmin Approach S70: One minute review
The Garmin Approach S70 is the brand’s top-tier flagship golf watch and has all the features and performance to match that mantle. Channeling all that makes Garmin watches great for sport, the golf-centered features of the S70 go a long way to put it apart from its competition.
Coming in at $649.99 / £549.99 / AU$1,099 for the larger 47mm model and $699.99 / £599.99 / AU$1,199 for the slightly smaller 42mm, it does have a considerable price of admission, but I broadly think it represents good value and is worth it for those golfers looking to get the most out of a companion watch.
Its design is immediately recognizable as a Garmin watch, and the slick black ceramic of the 47mm size I tested makes for a chic aesthetic, with its sleekness and pop of color provided by the red accenting. The 1.4-inch screen means everything on the watch is easy to read and digest at a glance or in more detail, while the three buttons make it easy to navigate and get around the menus, apps, and features.
The features on offer are excellent too. From the 43,000 pre-loaded courses, to the virtual caddie recommending clubs, all the way to the Enhanced PlaysLike Distance feature which takes into account weather, wind, and topography, players will find plenty to both help their game and get their teeth into to get more out of their game. You can even unlock more features, like green contour data, by subscribing to Garmin Golf. Presented on that beautiful AMOLED display and with fully full-color maps, the watch is a joy to use on the course.
As a pure golf watch, the S70 is, simply, the best golf watch I have ever used. Its suite of features, on top of its wonderful display and established Garmin excellence in golf means that the S70 performs brilliantly. The yardages were accurate (I compared it with another golf watch I find to be accurate too), the new PlaysLike feature is incredibly helpful, and the virtual caddie is super after it’s learned and racked up a bunch of data from your shots.
The battery life is also very strong with the S70. I was able to easily complete two full rounds of 18 holes in GPS mode as well as two weeks’ of day-to-day usage on one charge.
All in all, the Garmin Approach S70 is absolutely one of the best golf watches money can buy right now, and should be at the top of your list if you’re after something that will give you the most bang for your buck, from golf features to battery life, to display.
Garmin Approach S70: Specifications
| Component | Garmin Approach S70 (42mm / 47mm) |
| Price | $649.99 (42mm), $699.99 (47mm) / £549.99 (42mm), £599.99 (47mm) / AU$1,099 (42mm), $AU$1,199 (47mm) |
| Dimensions | 42 x 42 x 12.6mm / 47 x 47 x 13.4mm |
| Weight | 44g / 56g |
| Case/bezel | Ceramic |
| Display | AMOLED, 390 x 390px / 454 x 454px |
| GPS | GPS+GLONASS+Galileo |
| Battery life | Smartwatch mode: 10 days / 16 days; GPS mode: 15 hours / 20 hours |
| Connection | Bluetooth, ANT+, Wi-Fi |
| Water resistant | 5ATM |
Garmin Approach S70: Price and availability
- List price of $699.99 / £549.99 / AU1,199 (47mm) / $649.99 / £499.99 / AU1,099 (42mm)
- Premium end of the market but discounts becoming more common
- Launched in May 2023
Given its punchy list price, the Approach S70 is one of the more expensive options on the market and its price tag is formidable; likely putting it out of range for most golfers. However, for those who can afford it, I believe the S70 goes a long way to justify the price tag and offers robust value for those looking at the top end of the golf watch spectrum.
It’s also worth noting that it still costs comfortably less than those super-premium models like the TAG Heuer Connected Calibre E4 Golf Edition and Garmin’s own MARQ Golfer (Gen 2) watch. Thus, as a member of the top-end club, it still comes in much more affordably than those. Equally though, it comes in considerably higher than some excellent budget golf watches such as the Garmin S12 and the new S44.
Even though we’re seeing new watches from Garmin in the S44 and S50, the Approach S70 remains the premium model of the Approach lineup. However, it is also seeing more regular price cuts and discounts, making it even more attractive.
Garmin Approach S70: Design
- 1.4-inch AMOLED screen is crisp, bright, and clear
- Two sizes and three colorways available
- Smart and chic aesthetic overall
The Approach S70 very much looks like the best Garmin watches right out of the box, and is a symphony in black ceramic and red trim. It’s a subtle and very agreeable aesthetic for a golf watch. It’s not quite as subtle as a conventional smartwatch, especially alongside the likes of the best Samsung smartwatches – the S70 looks like a chunky sports watch, for sure.
However it is worth noting at this point, that only the 47mm model that I tested comes in this colorway; the smaller 42mm variant comes in either a grey and peach or black and yellow unit, both with a grey strap as opposed to the 47mm’s black strap.
The three buttons on the right side of the S70 make navigation easy, and the screen of the S70 is beautifully crisp and clear making engaging with the features on the course, as well as choosing apps, functions and viewing messages simple.
Garmin’s proprietary charging port remains on the rear of the watch face which I think is a continuing weak point in the design of Garmin watches. This means you’ll always have to have the watch face down on a surface while you press in the connector and leave it to recharge.
Combine this with a cable that never feels quite long enough, and it’s rather an inelegant charging solution, not really befitting the price tag – even if the change to USB-C at the other end of the cable is welcome.
Garmin Approach S70: Features
- Extensive golf features are superb
- Garmin’s suite of fitness trackers present
- A monthly fee can open up more features
The golf features on offer on the Approach S70 will help out almost every type of golfer, and be incredibly useful. From simply navigating a hole shot-by-shot, to learning more about your game through tracking distances keeping score and marking where to hit shots, to incorporating real-time weather data to help your next shot, the feature-set on offer here is exquisite. The addition of the Enhanced PlaysLike Distance feature is the standout on the S70, meaning you can get accurate assistance on what shots are actually like, given the conditions.
If you want even more out of the Approach S70, you can access further features if you commit to the Garmin ecosystem with a Garmin Golf membership ($9.99 / £9.99 a month). The headline feature you get here is the green contour data you can get, adding further insight and assistance.
On top of the golf-specific stuff, you’re also getting Garmin’s superb range of fitness and sports tracking apps that mean the S70 can turn its hand to a whole host of other activities and workouts.
Throw in some good solid but unspectacular smartwatch functionality, and the S70 does go a long way to tick all the boxes and offer the full package in one watch.
Garmin Approach S70: Performance
- Wonderful on-course performance and features
- Great battery life
- Smartwatch performance is just OK
In short, the Approach S70 is the best golf watch I’ve ever tested and used. Its suite of golf features and functions are nearly second-to-none and translate into exceptional use out on the course – and considering it comes preloaded with 43,000 tracks from around the world, you’re going to be able to use it pretty much wherever you go.
Garmin’s excellence in distance accuracy and help with yardages is present once again, with the hole map providing a clear image of what shape the fairway and green are, as well as what hazards are on the hole, and how far away, well, everything is.
After playing some rounds, the shot tracking data is wonderful too, and the virtual caddie element of the watch will be able to provide some help in terms of suggesting clubs. You can also team it with the Garmin Golf App to record all your scores, penalties, and shot types too, as well as mistakes and successes.
Elsewhere, I particularly enjoyed the Enhanced PlaysLike Distance feature that gives you accurate yardage based not only on distance, but also topography (if you’re above or below the hole), wind direction, and weather. I have a good grasp on my yardages generally, but the extra assistance when it comes to external factors was really useful.
I’ve briefly mentioned the battery life above regarding two weeks’ worth of use, and Garmin’s claims largely hold up. I used the Approach S70 for two weeks, as well as every day as a smartwatch, and threw in two 18-hole rounds of golf in GPS mode, and still had 9% of the battery left. Exceptional.
Practically, however, charging the watch is a little awkward, and is mainly due to Garmin’s proprietary connection. While the USB-C connection is welcome, the oval-shaped connector for the back of the watch is still subject to coming loose – and it also requires the watch to be on its face, all with a cable that never feels as long as it could or should be. I hope this informs future premium models as having a pad-like charging solution like Samsung smartwatches, or even a smart dock like my TAG Heuer has would feel more appropriate for the price tag and experience. Folks will have paid a lot of money for this, after all, so sticking a cable in the back, and awkwardly keeping it face down close to a socket feels a bit cheap.
As a golf-first watch the S70 excels, naturally, but this also shows in its use as an everyday smartwatch and I prefer my TAG Heuer or Samsung Watch3 as a daily smartwatch driver by some distance. One example of my gripes with the S70 as a smartwatch is that my WhatsApp messages wouldn’t be displayed with the most recent one first, so if I received a few messages in a group in quick succession (or even not so quickly) then I was unable to stay on top of the conversation at a glance.
It’ll be interesting to see in the future how the S70 stacks up against its new brethren in the S44 and S50, but the fact remains that it is an excellent golf watch and one that you’ll not regret going for.
Garmin Approach S70: Scorecard
| Category | Comment | Score |
| Price | One of the most expensive golf watches, but it goes a long way to justify this price tag and offers good value. | 4/5 |
| Design | The S70 has a great design and build quality that inspires confidence on the course and in everyday use. | 4.5/5 |
| Features | Chock full of brilliant golf features and tools, as well as Garmin’s trademark fitness and sports trackers. | 5/5 |
| Performance | The S70’s performance on the course is second to none; all functions of the watch are easy to use, provide great data, and really can help golfers around the course. | 4.5/5 |
| Total | Nearly the perfect mix of excellent golf features and applications and reliable smartwatch functionality. | 4.5/5 |
Garmin Approach S70: Should I buy?
Buy it if…
Don’t buy it if…
Also consider
| Component | Garmin Approach S70 (42mm / 47mm) | TAG Heuer Connected Calibre E4 Golf Edition (42mm / 45mm) | Garmin Approach S62 |
| Price | $649.99 (42mm), $699.99 (47mm) / £549.99 (42mm), £599.99 (47mm) / AU$1,099 (42mm), $AU$1,199 (47mm) | $1,750 (42mm), $1,950 (45mm) / £1,500 (42mm), £1,700 (45mm) / AU$2,500 (42mm), AU$2,800 (45mm) | $499 / £479 / AU$799 |
| Dimensions | 42 x 42 x 12.6mm / 47 x 47 x 13.4mm | 42 x 42 x 14.2mm / 45mm x 45mm x 15.3mm | 47 x 47 x 14.8 mm |
| Weight | 44g / 56g | 50g / 59.4g | 61g |
| Case/bezel | Ceramic | Titanium Sand-Blasted/Fixed Bezel Ceramic | Ceramic |
| Display | AMOLED, 390 x 390px / 454 x 454px | AMOLED 454 x 454px | 260 x 260px |
| GPS | GPS+GLONASS+Galileo | GNSS | Unspecified |
| Battery life | Smartwatch mode: 10 days / 16 days; GPS mode: 15 hours / 20 hours | Smartwatch mode: 2 days; GPS mode: 1 day (18 holes plus smartwatch use) | Smartwatch mode: Up to 14 days; GPS mode: up to 20 hours |
| Connection | Bluetooth, ANT+, Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC | Bluetooth, ANT+ |
| Water resistant | 5ATM | 50m | 5ATM |
How I tested the Garmin Approach S70
I used the Garmin Approach S70 over the course of several months, using it for summer and winter golf rounds – and for more rounds than I can remember to put an actual number on. I put all the features to the test in all my rounds and relied on it solely as my only GPS or virtual caddie assist.
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rob.dwiar@futurenet.com (Rob Dwiar)
