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Shot Scope G6: One minute review
The Shot Scope G6 is a splendid budget-friendly GPS golf watch. Offering a robust feature set, accurate yardages, and an easy-to-use control scheme, it’s a GPS watch that’s comfortable in its own skin, offering no more and no less than what it does – all for an attractive price.
Sitting firmly in the entry-level end of the best golf watch market, it does have some strong competition for company in the form of the Garmin Approach S12, for example. However, the G6 stands firmly on its own two feet with what it offers over the S12 in the form of colored maps and visual hazard and layup distances, to name but two.
Out on the course, the G6 is easy to use with a simple four-button input system that means you can quickly and cleanly navigate holes and manage your way around courses. Yardages are wonderfully accurate based on our testing, and a robust battery life that gets you comfortably through two full 18 rounds nicely rounds out a strong feature set for a budget-friendly GPS golf watch.
While a proprietary charging system and port, a slightly small display, and a distinct lack of shot tracking and even score recording through the (otherwise decent) companion app do frustrate, this is a fine GPS-only, entry-level golf watch that is easy to recommend if you’re shopping in the sub-$200/£200 range.
Shot Scope G6: Specifications
|
Component |
Shot Scope G6 |
|
Price |
$179.99 / £179.99 (around AU$370) |
|
Dimensions |
1.7 x 1.7 x 0.39in/44 x 44 x 10mm |
|
Weight |
1.48oz / 42g |
|
Case/bezel |
Brushed steel |
|
Display |
176 x 176px; Daylight readable MIP |
|
GPS |
GPS L1, Galileo E1, Glonass L1 |
|
Battery life |
GPS Mode: 2+ rounds of golf / Watch Mode: 4 days |
|
Connection |
Bluetooth 5 |
|
Water resistant? |
Not stated |
Shot Scope G6: Price and availability
- List price of $179.99 / £179.99 (around AU$370)
- Entry-level pricing offering good value for money
- Launched in March 2025
The Shot Scope G6’s price point puts it firmly in the entry-level end of the golf watch market. However, it does punch nicely above its price tag with what it offers – as I’ll talk about in the rest of this review.
Generally, though, the Shot Scope G6 is attractively priced in the entry-level end of the market, but still faces some robust competition in the form of the Garmin Approach S12. The latter watch, a budget model in Garmin’s excellent Approach line of golf watches, features a lot of what makes that brand’s devices excellent, and while a few years old now, it still holds its own in the market and sells for the same price as the Shot Scope G6.
With that being the case, it’s wise to temper ones expectations in terms of what the Shot Scope G6 will offer you as it, as expected, doesn’t feature more premium features that you might see on the likes of the Garmin Approach S70, of course, and even those on its older sibling, the Shot Scope V5.
What it does offer, though, is simplicity in a golf watch that certainly means you get great bang for buck value.
Shot Scope G6: Design
- 44mm watch face housing a clear screen, and button labels
- Loads of different straps to choose from
- The screen is smaller than the watch face
The Shot Scope G6 doesn’t throw up any surprises when it comes to its design. It’s a simple circular watch face with two dimensions and four buttons placed on the outer edge equidistantly. Simple. The four buttons are a microcosm of the G6’s simplicity in themselves, operating only one function each: up, down, back, and select, respectively.
One major thing to note is that the display is not the same size as the watch face – in fact, it is comfortably smaller, and a black band runs around the face. This almost acts like an on-screen bezel you’d see on a monitor, and means there’s a chunk of watch face that houses only the G6 model typeset, and the four buttons’ names before the display part actually starts or resides. It’s still clear and crisp when it needs to be, but it’s not a watch that prioritises its screen real estate as a result.
There’s a range of wristbands to choose from if you’re keen to customise your watch, all of which are easy to attach and detach from the watch itself.
Like the Garmin watches I’ve used over the years, the charging point on the G6 is a point of annoyance for me. It’s a proprietary connection, comes with a wire that’s never quite long enough, and the port is on the rear of the face. As a result, you’ll have to charge the watch face down all the time, and at a place sufficiently close to a socket or USB port. While it’s an entry-level watch, it still feels a bit clunky and inelegant for a golf watch in 2025.
Shot Scope G6: Features
- Robust golf GPS features – but no shot tracking or score recording
- Simple and intuitive on-course features
- Bright and easy-to-view color screen
On board the Shot Scope G6 is a robust feature set that is befitting of its GPS golf watch proposition and entry-level pricing – with a few caveats.
Pre-loaded with 36,000 courses, you’d be hard pushed to find a course not on there (even in the face of competing brands offering 40,000+), and each of the courses’ holes is displayed in crisp and clear colorings, which makes glancing at the watch for navigation easy.
There is a companion app, though it is rather ‘separate’ from the watch, with no sending of data or scores from the watch to the app, which holds back the overall functionality somewhat. However, on a broader note, I have found the Shot Scope app itself to be excellent, particularly in the way you can build your bag using specific brands, models, and lofts of clubs.
Relatedly, having grown used to watches that will track shots and also send back completed rounds to a companion app in order to build a bank of scores for a handicap, or give you data on your clubs for future rounds, the Shot Scope G6 does feel a little lacking in this particular area of its feature proposition. Especially when its competitor, the Garmin Approach S12, does at least offer the ability to send rounds back to its app.
It will keep score for you during the round, don’t get me wrong, but there’s no facility for that score to be sent ‘back’ to the app and for it to be recorded that way. I know we’re swimming in budget golf watch territory here, but in 2025, that seems like a winning feature to include if at all possible.
Shot Scope G6: Performance
- Accurate yardages and hazard maps
- Robust battery life
- No score recording or shot tracking holds it back
In short, the Shot Scope G6 is a simple and robust GPOS golf watch and one that performs to a level on the course that makes it easy to recommend.
Yes, recognising that there’s no shot tracking and score recording is key, but what the G6 does offer you, and what it does do, is excellent. The yardages are accurate, and the presence of distances to hazards, doglegs on holes, and several different layup points is incredibly welcome, and complements the front, middle, and back green distances it offers very well indeed. Golfers can also adjust their own lines on the watch to navigate holes as they see fit.
Across all my rounds, at home and abroad, the Shot Scope G6 was reliable, clear, had really accurate yardages, and was a genuine help around the course from shot to shot. The hazard and dogleg information were particularly useful for course management.
It functioned quickly, too – I found the GPS to find my course and kick into gear to be operating quicker than a Garmin Approach S70 and my Tag Heuer Connected Calibre E4 Golf Edition, both of which cost upwards of three times the price of the Shot Scope G6.
It was also easy to use during rounds, even when wearing gloves (I wear two), but the buttons do take some getting used to, especially so when you engage the lock screen as I did regularly to avoid accidental pushes.
As mentioned above, the app doesn’t truly work in tandem with the watch, but it is a nice extra thing to use adjacent to it. It allows me to put in each and every individual club type, brand, model, and loft. However, the lack of a feature that sends back rounds and scores from the watch to the app does hold it back from achieving more in my eyes.
As for battery life, I found it to be pretty much in line with Shot Scope’s own assessment, though I was in dire need of charging it after my second round of 18, plus a bit of ‘on time’ before and after rounds. As a result, perfectly acceptable and robust enough to work, and forgiving enough if you forget to charge it after one round.
Within its limitations as a GPS watch only, it is a fine device and one I would happily use again and again. If that’s all you’re after, then it’s a great golf watch to go for.
Shot Scope G6: Scorecard
|
Category |
Comment |
Score |
|
Price |
This is a very attractively priced entry-level golf watch that offers robust bang for buck value if you’re after a GPS watch. |
4/5 |
|
Design and screen |
Intuitive controls and a plain but functional design make for an easy-to-use watch, despite the small screen space. |
3.5/5 |
|
Features |
While it’s a shame there’s no shot tracking or score recording (beyond an in-round scorecard), the GPS accuracy and in-course info, such as hazards, make for a robust feature set. |
3.5/5 |
|
Performance |
Within its limits as a GPS-only watch, the Shot Scope G6 is a great watch that performs very well, and it never let me down in terms of accuracy and on-course assistance. |
4/5 |
|
Total |
If you’re looking for an entry-level watch that’s ideal for on-course assistance and companionship, rather than to analyse data, then the Shot Scope G6 is an excellent choice at its attractive price point. |
4/5 |
Shot Scope G6: Should I buy?
Buy it if…
Don’t buy it if…
Also consider
| Row 0 – Cell 0 |
Shot Scope G6 |
Garmin Approach S12 |
Shot Scope V5 |
|
Price |
$179.99 / £179.99 (around AU$370) |
$199.99 / £179.99 / AU$299 (launch prices) |
$249.99 / £239.99 / AU$429.99 |
|
Dimensions |
1.7 x 1.7 x 0.39in / 44 x 44 x 10mm |
1.72 x 1.72 x 0.45in / 43.7 x 43.7 x 11.5mm |
1.69 x 1.69 x 0.47in / 43 x 43 x 12mm |
|
Weight |
1.48oz / 42g |
1.2oz/34.1g |
1.76oz / 50g |
|
Case/bezel |
Brushed steel |
Lightweight fiber-reinforced polymer |
ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) |
|
Display |
176 x 176px; Daylight readable MIP |
175 x 175px; ?????????? |
240 x 240px; 1.2in / 30mm Daylight readable MIP |
|
GPS |
GPS L1, Galileo E1, Glonass L1 |
Unspecified |
GPS 1, Galileo E1, Glonass L1 |
|
Battery life |
GPS mode: 2+ rounds of golf / Watch mode: 4 days |
GPS mode: up to 30 hours / Watch mode: up to 10 weeks |
GPS mode: 2+ rounds of golf / Watch mode: around 5 days |
|
Connection |
Bluetooth 5 |
Bluetooth |
Bluetooth |
|
Water resistant? |
Unspecified |
Yes, 5m |
Unspecified |
How I tested the Shot Scope G6
I used the Shot Scope G6 over the course of a couple of months, using it for a host of rounds at my home course in Somerset, as well as multiple rounds on holiday around the course of Belek in Turkey. I used all of its features, from checking yardages to hazard information, and found it a reliable and easy-to-use watch while on the course.
I was able to directly compare the G6 to other golf watches I had access to, including the Garmin Approach S70 and my TAG Heuer Connected Calibre E4 Golf Edition. While these are much more premium golf watches, the comparison still enabled me to appreciate what the G6 offers for its entry-level price and what could be added to improve it further.
First reviewed May-July 2025
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rob.dwiar@futurenet.com (Rob Dwiar)
