Latest / PlayBetter's Golf Tech Weekly / What are the best Golf GPS Watches in 2026?
Transcript
- speaker-0: For years the question was simple, range finder or golf watch. Lately that's flipped into something more interesting. The watches have gotten so good with full color hole maps, virtual caddies, plays like distances that factor in wind and elevation, club recommendations, that the real question in 2026 isn't whether to wear one, it's which kind. A dedicated golf watch, a multi-sport watch that also happens to play golf. Or a simple no-frills device that gifts give you a number you can trust. Today we're walking the whole lineup from a $150 workhorse to a four-figure do everything watch and figuring out which one belongs on your wrist. I'm Mark Shaforgian, he's Daniel Fitzpatrick, and this is Golf Tech Weekly presented by Play Better. ⁓ Daniel, ⁓ last week we talked rangefinders and I know you use one of those on the golf course and have for a long time. ⁓ wondering if you if you ever play golf with a watch and if so, what kind of advantages ⁓ a watch provides for you that ⁓ maybe you don't get out of your rangefinder? speaker-1: Yeah, Mark, ⁓ honestly, like like we talked about last week, like I I use a rangefinder for every round. I I have for probably twenty plus years. I mean, since I was a junior golfer, I've always used a rangefinder. but as of recent, probably within the last ⁓ probably three months or so, I've I've joined the watch gang. you know, I use a multi-sport watch, but the b the ability to have some GPS distances, especially while I'm walking and playing. ⁓ or even when I'm not near my golf cart and and maybe don't have a GPS available. It's nice to just have it right there on your wrist and and also get some fitness data while you're playing too. So I found some huge benefits to it. I'm I'm becoming a big fan of using it and ⁓ I'm finding more features almost every time I play ⁓ of how it can help me around the course. speaker-0: Yeah, you know, when I initially ⁓ started wearing ⁓ a golf watch and and ⁓ I was also using a rangefinder at the same time and ⁓ I kind of still play golf that way. ⁓ initially felt a little bit odd doing that. And the more I ⁓ the more I do it, the ⁓ the more other golfers I see doing the exact same thing, just because there are kind of distinct and distinct advantages between those two kind of sectors of technology and if you have access to both. You really get the full picture. so we're gonna walk through ⁓ a lot of those features. ⁓ not every golf watch gives you the same sorts of advantages. ⁓ and so ⁓ as we kind of sort through all of the options in 2026, much like it is with the RangeFinder class, ⁓ same thing with the golf watch class. It's a matter of ⁓ kind of what makes sense for your game, obviously what makes sense for your budget. ⁓ the good news is is that there are not just one option for ⁓ each type of golfer but but multiple options. And so we've kind of sorted through and and picked what we think are the best options in twenty twenty six and that's what we're gonna share today. ⁓ before we kind of get into the specific watches, ⁓ Daniel, do you wanna walk us through maybe what you look for ⁓ in a golf watch. speaker-1: Yeah, it's similar, ⁓ honestly to the rangefinder episode we had last week. ⁓ but I think my most important ⁓ feature of this, I mean obviously accuracy is important, but I think when we're dealing with a golf watch, I think ease of use or user friendliness is a huge point of emphasis for me. ⁓ you know, especially for users who may not be the most technically savvy, you know, as long as it's easy to use, ⁓ is a is a big selling point in my opinion. And then the battery life right after that. I mean, does it, you know, is it gonna have to be charged after every round of golf? Is it something that will last multiple days? ⁓ so those are kind of the big three I think. Accuracy, ease of use, and then battery life. after that, I think, you know, maybe like the display quality, how detailed the the the mapping is on the watch, which You know, obviously it's a watch face, so it it can only go so much or else then it might become a little too difficult to see. so I think that's that's important. ⁓ the comfortability of it on your wrist, is it bulky? Do you notice it's there, the weight? and then, you know, what what features come with it, like shot tracking, is there an ecosystem involved, like Garmin where you can pair so many things with it? ⁓ blue tees with the speakers and stuff like you know, how does that all work? So I think those are kinda, you know, important. It's like I said, it's kind of very similar to the rangefinder categories that I look in. but obviously, you know, you wanna make sure that it's not something that you're gonna affect your your round of golf, right? It wants to be you want it to be an accessory or an enhancement to your round, not a not a drawback. speaker-0: Yeah, yeah, great points, all of them. well, you know, last week when we talked range find rangefinders, ⁓ very clearly Bushnell is still leading that race. ⁓ but there are a lot of brands that are nipping at their heels and ⁓ it's a it's a fairly tight race if you're going to call it that. ⁓ on the golf watch side of things, the lead that Garmin has over the pack is I think ⁓ even greater than what Bushnell enjoys in the in the rangefinder world. ⁓ that's not to say that there aren't ⁓ great non-Garmin options, especially for people interested in a value play. And ⁓ and we're gonna highlight a a few ⁓ specifically. ⁓ but let's just call it like it is. When we're talking golf watches, the conversation starts and stops with Garmin. It really does. They offer really the best technology, they offer the most robust and connected ecosystem. ⁓ they offer the best build quality by and large. ⁓ and they offer the most complete range of options. ⁓ so they have quite a number of of watches now available to everybody. ⁓ but we've picked out kind of specific ones that that include ⁓ golf functionality and the ones that we think are are maybe the best overall for a golfer. ⁓ one interesting thing in in 2025 Garmin kind of cleaned up their their golf specific watch line. ⁓ used to be a little bit messy as far as ⁓ which watches included golf features, kind of the distinctions between the various options. And they came out with the S44 and the S50 in in 2025. And those two watches kind of complemented the Garmin Approach S70 to to kind of round out what I like to think of as a good, better, best line of products in in the in the golf specific watches. And we're going to talk multi sport here in a minute. But talking golf specific, let's start with the S seventy, which would still be their flagship ⁓ best golf specific watch. ⁓ walk us through a bit of what that includes at a price of either six fifty for the forty two millimeter option or seven hundred dollars for the forty seven millimeter option. speaker-1: So starting with the S seventy, you know, it's it's like the Rolex of their golf watches, right? So it has all the major features, but the biggest thing, you know, is the ammo led display in my my opinion, you know, it it looks beautiful. ⁓ it has the most detailed GPS graphics. ⁓ I mean you can you can really see the details of every hole on it in comparison to the the S forty four and the S fifty. ⁓ You know, I I believe it it really is an impressive golf watch, but it has more non-golf features as well. ⁓ I mean you can use it for a lot of more, you know, more fitness things. You can do sleep tracking with it if I'm not mistaken. It's it's really more of an all-around watch. That's their Rolex of golf watches. ⁓ and it looks that way too. You can tell just by the ⁓ by the design of it and stuff. It's it's meant to be, you know, maybe more of an everyday watch that's really the best of the best golf watch out there at the same time. speaker-0: Yeah, it's ⁓ I've I've worn the S seventy ⁓ basically every single day for like the last two and a half years. ⁓ one thing I'll say about it that's very interesting is ⁓ you know, the the battery life is rated at at ⁓ up to sixteen days in in smartwatch mode and up to twenty hours in GPS. In my experience I've actually found it to be far, far better than that. I charge this thing very infrequently and I'm somebody that plays golf with it all the time. I mean I'm playing golf ⁓ at least once a week in the off season wi with this watch. ⁓ and in the in the peak season I'm playing closer to once a day with it. And still I may only charge this thing once a week during the golf season. And honestly, sometimes I go up to like three weeks between charges if I'm not using the GPS ⁓ functionality ⁓ very often w which is something worth bringing up, I think, because ⁓ When one thinks about something like an Apple Watch, y you mentioned sleep tracking. The Garmin S seventy absolutely has some really, really advanced sleep tracking. ⁓ I wear it at night. the the Apple Watch is something you gotta charge like every day. And so ⁓ it it's certainly capable of sleep tracking as well, but the most logical time to charge it is most likely at night, ⁓ which makes it difficult to track your track your sleep. So I do think that's a kind of a sneaky advantage that Garmin has over Apple. ⁓ as you mentioned, it's a very, very robust suite of ⁓ fitness and lifestyle features, pretty much tracks every kind of activity ⁓ short of some of the things that ⁓ the top of the line in Garmin's multi-sport watches do, ⁓ which will which we'll talk about in just a moment. But ⁓ all of your basic ⁓ exercise, fitness, lifestyle, ⁓ sorts of features and functions are all loaded on this thing. ⁓ as far as a golf watch, right out of the box you get a full, full virtual caddy. It it learns your shot dispersions, it learns your strengths and weaknesses, it recommends clubs to keep you out of trouble. ⁓ it factors in wind speed and direction, weather and barometer and your plays like distances. it's got the most, as you said, detailed and interactive maps, touch targeting. comes in two sizes, 42 millimeter and 47 millimeter. And if there is a knock, I would say that. It's a bit of a large watch. ⁓ this is the forty-seven millimeter ⁓ option. And I I think for some tastes or styles, ⁓ it's a little bit of a bulky big look on the wrist. ⁓ so that might not be for everybody. Maybe you'd want the forty-two millimeter option ⁓ for something a little bit more sleek. There again, though you would you would sacrifice a bit of the ⁓ the screen size. ⁓ one one call out, ⁓ Playbetter's got a refurbished Forty seven millimeter black option for, I believe like a hundred sixty dollar discount. ⁓ just a reminder that those are fully refurbished, fully ⁓ bench tested by Garmin, ⁓ backed by warranty products, really pretty much as good as new. So that is a killer, killer option for somebody interested in a really, really badass golf watch. Okay, let's talk about the the S fifty. It's a it's a four hundred dollar watch that ⁓ that kind of comes in at the at the sweet spot of the of the Garmin line. As I as I mentioned earlier, Garmin kind of repurposed their golf watch line. They had the S twelve, they had the S forty two, ⁓ they had the S sixty two, and they kind of phased those products out in favor of keeping it nice, clean, and simple. The S forty four, the S50, and the S70. We just talked about the S seventy. The selling point for the S50 and the S forty four over the outgoing models is that it includes that same AMLED display that you get with the Garmin Approach S70, which is just amazing, really an incredible display. And now you're getting it at a $400 price point. The the real story is the off course features that the S50 adds. You get a heart rate monitor which unlocks sleep tracking, stress tracking, a body battery ⁓ it comes very, very close to matching the S 70 as a health tracker for $250 less. ⁓ and for that reason, it's a very, very attractive option. ⁓ now if you want some of the more advanced S70 golf performance, ⁓ you do have to pay the $99 a year or $999 a month ⁓ Garmin Golf membership. ⁓ if you do, you get very close to a full-blown S70 golf watch. So if you do the math, you're looking at ⁓ I guess kind of that that price gap is about two and a half years of of subscription between the S50 and the S seventy. so that ⁓ that's kind of ⁓ maybe the the calculus to do. ⁓ does not have the built-in caddy or or wind ⁓ right out of the box the way the S 70 does. ⁓ but for somebody that wants to get all the way there with the option of paying up to really get Very, very close to all the way there. The S fifty is a very, very nice option. ⁓ anything to add there, Daniel? speaker-1: Yeah, I think it's ⁓ you know, while it's a little more basic in in certain aspects, ⁓ it it's also more lightweight and less bulky on the wrist. So I think if you're a player who wants to almost notice like something isn't there but still get the features, this is a great option. I even think you know, female golfers it might be a little better for too, just because of the size and and it's a little easier on the on the wrist to kind of play and have it have it still on you. speaker-0: Totally agree with that. ⁓ interesting note on the S fifty is that it comes with the ⁓ their nylon comfort fit band as opposed to the the plasticky ⁓ rubberized kind of band. ⁓ which I think is a nice advantage. It's actually a a pretty nice feeling band. one quick thing I will say is if you do shower with the watch, which you certainly can, you can go swimming with it, all of that. ⁓ That nylon band does take a little time to dry out, so it's a little wet on your wrist initially, whereas the silicone is the word I was looking for. ⁓ the silicone band is gonna is gonna dry out pretty much immediately. ⁓ small little quibble. ⁓ I think just as you said, that that S50 makes that that comfort fit band and the the smaller size makes for a really, really nice ⁓ kind of fit for somebody that doesn't want something quite as bulky. ⁓ then we've got the Garmin Approach S44, which which I would rate as the the good option. ⁓ You can find that for anywhere between 250 and 300 bucks, so about 100 bucks less than the S50. ⁓ And I would say this is kind of the entry point for somebody that's interested in getting into a serious golf watch without really, really stepping up to ⁓ a very serious golf watch. ⁓ Also, for somebody that wants a serious golf watch, without the need for a very serious health tracker. Now the S44 also includes an AMLED display, ⁓ which at you know under $300 is a first for Garmin. ⁓ So that that is a big advantage over the old outgoing S42. ⁓ It's also the same price as as the the old S42 was. ⁓ It's a two-button ⁓ functionality plus touchscreen. comes with the vivid full color maps. You've got scorekeeping, you've got ⁓ the option to to sync with the app, you get smart notifications, but you don't get the virtual caddy, you don't get a heart rate monitor, you don't get sleep tracking, you don't get plays like distances ⁓ unless you pay for the membership. ⁓ And so it's you know it's maybe perfect for the golfer who wants a Garmin golf watch but doesn't care about the the off course life tracking. You think that's fair? speaker-1: Yeah, totally fair. ⁓ again it's it's small and sleek and lightweight. ⁓ but it just keeps getting more basic. But with that the pricing gets better too. I mean, if you're looking for a gift for somebody, ⁓ you know, even Father's Day coming around, you want a basic golf watch, again, very, very user friendly. The S forty four is a a great entry point and honestly almost like a gateway drug because I think once they use it, they'll think, ⁓ man, I you know, maybe I want more features along the way and and down the road may upgrade. But It's a great entry point, honestly. It it still has a lot of good features and a and a few smartwatch features too where you know, 'cause the battery life without golf is still I think around like ten days. So even if you do use it just as a normal like watch and and some basic stuff, you you can get you can get more out of it than just golf, but golf wise it's it's a great entry point watch. speaker-0: Yeah. For people that are interested in learning more details on on those, the S forty four, S fifty, and S seventy, we have reviewed ⁓ each of those products ⁓ very, very extensively, ⁓ lived with them, played quite a lot of golf with them. ⁓ and so go to playbutter.com, ⁓ search any of those products ⁓ and review and and you'll find ⁓ what we think is maybe the most complete set of information and and really can kind of tell you everything you might want to know about them. ⁓ a product that I am looking forward to reviewing that I haven't got my hands on yet other than at the PGA show. ⁓ I know the same for you, is the Garmin Approach J one. Tell us about this watch, 'cause it's it's it's a one of one. It really is in a class of its own. speaker-1: Yeah, it's it's the first junior golf watch ⁓ that's ever been designed. So it is meant for kids, ⁓ basically to help them get into golf or learn golf. And there's a lot of cool features that are very kid specific, obviously, with that. So ⁓ they actually have a way where they can create tea boxes for your for your kid based on their skill level, right? So ⁓ after you play a few rounds or give it some data and stuff, it'll it'll actually suggest maybe instead of starting from the red Ts, they start from 130 yards out on this hole or a hundred and seventy. And as you build up skill level, those T's will get longer. So in my opinion, it's it's very similar to how Operation Thirty Six works and how you know they basically start you close to the hole and as your skill level advances, you get further from the hole and and maybe Maybe they do tee off in the red tease, but instead of it being a par five, maybe it's a par seven or or something like that. So they have a lot of different ways to make the game fun ⁓ and more enjoyable for juniors, which is what is really important and making sure that they enjoy the game first and the competition comes later on. but it's ⁓ it's a really cool and unique idea because as far as I'm concerned, there's no other junior golf specific watch out there. So You know, maybe it's something where you're getting into golf and maybe you grab an S forty four and you know, maybe if you have a son or daughter who plays with you a lot, now they can have a a golf watch and you can kinda, you know, join the ecosystem at the same time and track stats at the same time. It's it's a really, really cool and i and and unique ⁓ device that's out there. ⁓ just came out at the P GA show, so speaker-0: Yeah, yeah, exactly. Three hundred dollars, ⁓ Garmin approach J one, ⁓ just as Daniel said, the first junior specific golf watch, which also means that the size of the watch is meant for a smaller wrist, right? And so, you know, you might say, Well, geez, I'll just get the the ⁓ a different golf watch for my kid. ⁓ well for one thing, ergonomically it might be too bulky, it might interfere with the back of their hand or their wrist, or they find it too heavy as they're swinging. ⁓ the J1 is is purpose built for a junior. ⁓ I think the target kind of user is like a ⁓ a 12 year old or a a 10-year-old, if I'm not mistaken. And then as you said, Daniel, it's got these really, really junior specific features like a tee off guidance to to take you to an appropriate distance to start the whole, and personal par where you can set the par ⁓ you know, a par four might be a par six for you. I I I actually could use could use this J one. ⁓ in in I ⁓ it just as you said, makes the game enjoyable with with removing some of the pressure, allows for some success, you know, so they don't have to ⁓ beat their brains in, they can they can maybe enjoy some success, make some pars, make some birdies. Then the other cool thing is as they do, the watch celebrates with them. So as they make, you know, a par or a birdie or an eagle, they get little celebrations or they get badges or they kinda things to keep them motivated or interested. ⁓ just a great way to be introduced to the game, to grow into the game, ⁓ possibly a sneaky Father's Day pick for a wife maybe interested in buying a a ⁓ a watch for their golf playing husband who also also has ⁓ a kid that they're interested in maybe introducing the game to might be a fun option. ⁓ yeah. ⁓ so let's move into kind of the top of the line for for Garmin. You know, Daniel, you're not you're not slumming it with the rest of us here with just a just a golf watch. You're you you you've you've taken it big time. ⁓ tell us what's on your wrist, ⁓ why you bought it and and what it does. speaker-1: Yeah, so I actually just took it off so I could show it to the camera here. ⁓ but I actually use the ⁓ the Garmix the Garmin Phoenix Pro. ⁓ I have the forty seven millimeter, so a little bit larger. ⁓ I actually got the forty two size for my wife and honestly for a normal size wrist they're they're perfect. ⁓ you know, we live a pretty active lifestyle, so We do a lot of biking and walking and honestly the reason we went with the Phoenix options is because we also do some recreational diving and snorkeling. ⁓ and because we're in salt water a lot, we wanted something that would be able to kind of check all those boxes. And then I sneakily also wanted some golf capabilities out of it too. you know, we've had Apple watches in the past and while they're great for people who are in Apple ecosystems like we are, It just I got honestly so annoyed with having to charge it every day or two, just like you talked about earlier. Yeah. ⁓ this Phoenix, it's like every fifteen to eighteen days. I mean, it's insane. And w and I use it for a lot of stuff, like you said. I mean, I play golf at least two or three times a week with it. ⁓ you know, I'm out doing biking and and stuff all the time. ⁓ it connects to the chart plotter on my boat, so I can see data from my chart plotter. It can navigate me back to the boat when I'm diving, so it's It's got a lot of really, really impressive features. ⁓ I I got it because, you know, I'm I I wanted something to track my health. You know, I'm getting to the point where I'm in my mid 30s now and I wanted to see kind of scary at times what my sleep scores are and stuff like that. but it's nice to be able to kind of regulate some things and then also get some golf capabilities out of it. ⁓ I was kind of never thought I'd even wear it. While I played golf, to be honest with you, but the first week I had it, I thought, ⁓ let me just try it. And I used it way more than I thought I would. like I said, it is a little bit more on the bulky side in comparison to like the the S series watches are. ⁓ so I still do wear it and it's nice because when I'm walking I have front, center, back. ⁓ when I'm out in the fairway and my partner drops me off, you know, I don't have the The tour hybrid bushnow. I use the V seven shift a lot like we talked about last week. So I shoot the flag, I look on my watch, I can see front, center, back, or even when my plane partners are, I wonder how far it is to the front. I can look at my watch, I can tell ⁓ right away. Yep. So it's it's got a lot of really good features that just make my daily life simpler and smarter at the end of the day. So ⁓ and my w my wife has the same watch, like I said, she has the the forty two, which is probably better for females, a little smaller face. ⁓ Or even just gentlemen with smaller wrist sizes, it it works good. They even go all the way up, I think, to fifty two. I think they have three sizes of the Phoenix now. So all around, I think it's probably one of the best smart watches that's out there. It doesn't have the best integration with the Apple ecosystem, like to send text messages and stuff. But for me that wasn't important. So ⁓ if you're an Android person, it's like a knockout of the park. It's like the coolest smartwatch you can probably have. ⁓ but overall it's It it like I said, it just makes my life better, honestly, and I never thought I'd say that about a watch. speaker-0: Yeah, no, I mean it is just an incredible piece of technology. I'm a bit envious of of of you. I mean it's pricey, right? It's it's ⁓ it's it's it's all the way up to like thirteen hundred bucks, I believe. But boy, for what you get, ⁓ just as you said, so much more than just golf. And I think it's worth noting that these multi sport watches that Garmin has, you know, they don't often market that these things are f are loaded with all of the same golf features that the S seventy includes. ⁓ that's something that's almost like a a a little bit of a lesser known ⁓ point, but something like the Phoenix Eight, ⁓ the Phoenix E, the the the venue series, ⁓ some of these multi sport watches that Garmin has, they have the the golf the the full blown ⁓ golf suite, the same suite that you get in the S seventy ⁓ in those watches, but then just as Daniel said, so much more than that as well. speaker-1: I love the ⁓ what I'm playing too. I didn't mention this. I love that it shows me the wind data. ⁓ not only like the speed of the wind, but the direction and then also like what that shot plays like, right? So those caddy features. So I think that's really cool because down here where we play, the wind changes a lot. And so having that on the fly is is nice. Not in competitions, obviously, but you know, playing our Saturday Skins game, I kinda got a little bit of an edge on everybody. speaker-0: Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Then you go out and do some diving ⁓ after the round. ⁓ don't forget to drink your water. Yeah, yeah. ⁓ well so as we said, you know, Garmin is is is is the king. Let's let's just face it. ⁓ they are. That's not to say that they're the only ones in the game. ⁓ let's talk about some of the other non Garmin options. And and often these are for ⁓ the user that speaker-1: Totally, yeah. speaker-0: that Garmin is not adequately serving. That that being somebody that's maybe interested in something more ⁓ in the budget tier, ⁓ somebody that's more subscription averse, ⁓ or somebody that has ⁓ interest in a very specific strength. ⁓ so those Garmin watches tend to be kind of all around monsters, but you pay for them. And ⁓ and for many of their products, if you want everything that they can do, in addition to paying that premium price, you also have to pay a subscription. ⁓ but there are alternatives. ⁓ and one that jumps to mind, actually the oldest one on our on our list of recommended products today, is the Bushnell Ion Elite. now this is a ⁓ you can get this now for what, under two hundred bucks, right, Daniel? ⁓ speaker-1: Yeah, one hundred eighty nine right now. speaker-0: one eighty nine, which is which honestly is a really, really sweet price. ⁓ not only is it a ⁓ is it a very capable golf watch, but it it comes in either white or black. Obviously this is the white option. ⁓ it's a very nice looking golf watch. probably a pretty nice looking daily wearer honestly. ⁓ it is relatively basic compared to some of the other options that we've ⁓ that we've mentioned. But it does the fundamentals very well. So you get front, middle, back on thirty eight thousand plus courses, you've got a t a color touch screen, you've got hole overviews, you can manually move the pin. ⁓ I think you can get up to six hazards or layups per hole. ⁓ yeah, I mean, who who do you think would be interested in something like this, Daniel? speaker-1: Yeah, again, I think it's entry point, ⁓ first golf watch users. ⁓ I think it's great ⁓ for even like senior level golfers because it is pretty basic at the end of the day, but still, ⁓ you know, battery life is pretty good. ⁓ it comes like you know, like the the Garmin watch, it comes preloaded with so many golf courses. And I think almost all of them in these categories do anymore. ⁓ but it's it's nice it's a nice looking watch. Like I think when you held it up to the camera earlier, I hadn't actually seen one in person. And that was my first reaction. Is that that's a sharp looking smartwatch at the end of the day. A golf watch, really. It's not a smartwatch, but a golf watch. Right. And it's you know, maybe not quite as aesthetically pleasing from the button side of things. The buttons are a little bit more looking on the cheaper side. ⁓ but the resil, I think, is really pretty. ⁓ I I think it's overall a really solid, solid golf watch for people who want something golf specific again. Bushnell makes good products at the end of the day. speaker-0: Exactly. ⁓ I think you bring up a good point that it's a it's a Gulf specific watch. It's it's it's limited in terms of off the course smart features. You know, well the the Garmin line that we talked about can do so much when it comes to, you know, keeping track of, you know, you can get your emails, your text notifications, your calendar, ⁓ and th those are really just very basic features that it can do. It can go far, far deeper than that. ⁓ whereas something like the Bushnell IN Elite, it's a little bit more limited. ⁓ but For $189, ⁓ very, very capable and a a really, really nice option either as a standalone piece of technology or as a compliment to somebody that has a rangefinder. And it's Bushnell. So it's built like a Bushnell. ⁓ It's backed like a Bushnell. ⁓ So a nice ⁓ as you say, a nice ⁓ entry-level option. Another one in that kind of maybe that same kind of tier is the Shot Scope G6. ⁓ I believe you can get that thing for as cheap as a hundred fifty bucks on sale. ⁓ certainly a very nice value slash data play. ⁓ tell us ⁓ tell us what you know about that product. speaker-1: Yeah, it gets even a little bit more basic. ⁓ you know, ca and obviously with ⁓ with the pricing on it. It it does show some some three D GPSing, or not really three D a two D GPSing over the top, ⁓ with front, center, and back. But a lot like the other ⁓ Shotscope products, they don't they don't do the subscription thing. So it's a it's a basic buy, easy smart ⁓ golf watch to use. Again, has all the courses preloaded. ⁓ so if you're looking for literally a device that'll do front, center and back, ⁓ some layup stuff and you don't want subscriptions and a really easy price, then then Shot Scope, I mean they they've made a name off themselves for with no subscriptions on every product they do. So speaker-0: Right. Another ⁓ another advantage to shot scope, ⁓ just right along with those that no subscription point is ⁓ is the shot tracking capabilities ⁓ that you can get ⁓ with a lot of their watches. However, the G six is not one of those. So that is the kind of the limitation for the G six, just bringing that up because you've got other options in the line, like the ⁓ the V five ⁓ the X5, some of the other watches that that can interface with their ⁓ their shot tracking tags ⁓ that come with the watch for free. ⁓ and so that's an alternative to like the Garmin line where you've got to pay additionally for the the Garmin C ten ⁓ tags or C one tags, and then you've got to pay a subscription if I'm not mistaken. All of that is included with the shot scope line. ⁓ not to confuse things here. Again the G6 is not ⁓ interactive with the shot tracking tags, but just bringing that up because there are other products in the shot scope line that just as you say require no subscription and really deliver a lot at the end of the day. ⁓ I will say, just to be fair, ⁓ and this is reflective in the price, you know, the general usability, the lack of lagginess, those sorts of things that are really, really standouts with Garmin are slightly clunkier with something like the like the shot scope line. ⁓ just trying to be very fair here and and and candid and transparent. But for the price that you're paying, make no mistake, the experience is outstanding. ⁓ and the and the quality of the data and the accuracy is outstanding. And so ⁓ I I I think that's those are fair points to include. ⁓ another nice point on the G six is it's button navigation on purpose. ⁓ some people don't like the touch screen, you know. ⁓ you got sunscreen on your fingers, you get you know sweaty, whatever it is. ⁓ touch screen can be a pain in in some some scenarios or for some people. And so if you like a button navigation watch, ⁓ that's another option or another reason to maybe look at the Shotscope G six. speaker-1: Yeah. And even like, you know, my Phoenix has touch screen on it. I rarely use it, especially in the golf portion of things. I'm honestly kind of button navigation just because it sometimes it's hard like your hands get sweaty, like you talked about, or even just like at times, like I I have big hands, so it just it makes it tough sometimes just to move things around or touch different things without touching the wrong things. So button navigation I think I I think you're right there, Mark. I think that's a bigger point than people realize. Like not only it's not always great to have touch screen on the watch at all times. speaker-0: Yeah, yeah. And that's another, you know, just jumping back to the Garmin line, like the kind of the further up the line you go, the more navigation options you get, the more buttons you get, and the more opportunity to kind of dance between touch screen and button per your preference you get. So when you talk about something like the S forty four, it's ⁓ it's fairly straightforward, fairly limited. ⁓ the further up you go, up to ⁓ Daniel's world, ⁓ you got you know, you got an option to to play and and use the watch. Pretty much however you prefer, which is which is really cool. ⁓ Blue Tease ⁓ came out with their first golf watch ⁓ I believe last year. the Blue Tease Playmaker Plus. ⁓ this is ⁓ this is one not to sleep on. ⁓ this is another, I would say, tech curious budget pick. ⁓ Daniel, what what do you what do you know about that one? speaker-1: Yeah, I think it's it definitely looks different right off the bat 'cause it has a kind of a unique shape. ⁓ it almost instead of it being that standard round shape you'd see from a watch, it is more of like an oval ⁓ shape, which kind of does fit your wrist a little bit better, honestly, as you're as you're playing golf. You kind of notice it's there less, I would say. It almost it almost has the shape of like a whoop band, ⁓ which obviously doesn't display anything. But the blue teas one, it it has a a pretty nice display, honestly, for the price. I mean it's it's an ammo led display. ⁓ Less than two hundred dollars. And it has quite a bit to it. I mean, shot tracking, ⁓ front center back of greens, GPS map. I mean, honestly, it's it's pretty loaded for two hundred dollars at the end of the day. speaker-0: Yeah. Yeah, you're right. And and as we kind of touched on last week, ⁓ with products like the their new ⁓ Captain Pro and Captain Air rangefinders and and the upcoming Rainmaker launch monitor, that whole ecosystem is getting built out more and more and it's all connected, including with the player the Playmaker Plus. ⁓ and so ⁓ you know if you if you own a Rainmaker ⁓ launch monitor ultimately you're going to be able to get Club recommendations on your watch based on that launch monitor data, which is ⁓ kind of amazing. ⁓ just as you said, man, you know, automatic shot tracking at ⁓ at a $199.99 price point is very, very interesting. ⁓ includes a one year advanced analytics membership, ⁓ which gives you like post-round dispersion, ⁓ kind of your performance with each of your clubs. ⁓ Really pretty aggressive pricing here. I mean to come in at the two hundred dollar price point with an AMLED screen and all of those features, ⁓ yeah, yeah, that's a nice one. ⁓ speaker-1: Yeah, and it does like I said, it doesn't it doesn't really seem like it's there because it is more sleek and and probably not maybe not something I'd wear every day, ⁓ type of watch, but definitely from a golf watch standpoint. Man, with everything that comes with it and its capabilities, it's the value. I mean, Blue Teas has always had such great value with everything they do. And this is right up there with it again. I mean, this might honestly, as far as value goes, this might be their their highest value product for what you get out of it for less than two hundred dollars. speaker-0: Yeah, yeah. Another ⁓ another value play, especially at the current price, I think it's down to one ninety-nine ninety five for the Sky Caddy LX five. tell us about a little bit about the Sky Caddy brand. This is this is a brand that as a as a longtime golfer, ⁓ you've been kind of tracking this brand from afar for for many years, right, Daniel? speaker-1: Yeah, I mean I even remember just post high school, ⁓ when I was in college level and just starting to get really, really serious into golf. ⁓ we didn't have smartphones that gave us GPS of any kind. I mean, pe Sky Caddy was really one of the only handheld GPSs. I mean, it had an antenna, it was like a full touch screen thing. And they I think they were like a couple hundred bucks. They might have even more than they might have been four or five hundred dollars at that time. But They were the cleanest GPS handheld option you could find. ⁓ because not every golf course at that time even had GPS in their carts. It still isn't that way, but you know, the major golf courses they now have it in the carts. Before they didn't even have it in their carts. So, you know, the only way to get GPS was to get like a sky caddy device. I remember they even had commercials where they had guys that would go out and physically mark the golf courses, right? So this I mean, they have a long history in GPS tracking is kind of my point here. And you can tell it when you look at the watch face. ⁓ the details of the GPS mapping, everything is there. It honestly is a really impressive device. And it you know, it it looks good too. It's not just a, you know, cool looking GPS functionality, just the actual aesthetics of the watch itself. Yep. It looks like a a techie GPS type watch. I mean it it looks like a good smart watch at the end of the day in my opinion. speaker-0: Yeah, you're right. You're right. ⁓ the display on the the Sky Caddy stuff, just as you said, is is really beautiful. This one comes with a one point three nine inch ⁓ display. You get your full ⁓ hole views, ⁓ color. ⁓ you know, the knock here I suppose is there's there's no shot tracking, there's no club recommendation, there's no wind. ⁓ you're not getting things like sleep tracking. the battery life is a little less on this one, ⁓ about ten hours. and so, you know. Those are some limitations, I suppose, but ⁓ for a watch that's coming in at around two hundred dollars with such a beautiful display and as you said, with a a really strong company track record of doing exactly this kind of stuff, that's an interesting pick. It's also a cool pick, I think, if you wanna kinda stand apart from everyone else. If you don't wanna wear a garment because everybody else is wearing the exact same thing. ⁓ it just as you said, it's a nice looking watch and it's a little bit of a different option. So ⁓ Yeah. speaker-1: I I think from GPS aesthetics, like when you're playing the round of golf and the way that it looks on the whole I think it's the most aesthetically pleasing, honestly, that's probably out there. I mean I the Garmin, high end Garmin ones are really good, but I just the way that they show everything on the Sky Caddy, it it reminds me so much of the of the handhelds that they have and they've they've pushed that into the watch. I think overall it's it's a really good value play again. ⁓ again if you're just wanting something that's that's more golf specific. But you could still wear it every day as a as a time telling watch and get some some basic stuff, it's just not gonna be as multi sport as some of the the Garmin stuff is. speaker-0: Right. Just kind of recapping ⁓ the options that we've gone through. as we said about the rangefinders, these aren't the only golf watches available in twenty twenty six, but in our estimation, this kind of covers the span of best options ⁓ for every different type of golfer. ⁓ the Garmin S seventy is the best no compromise golf specific golf watch in in Garmin's line. ⁓ the Garmin S fifty is likely the sweet spot for most golfers. ⁓ the Garmin S44 is kind of the good option. ⁓ you get an AMLED screen for less than $300. ⁓ probably the entry point for a very serious ⁓ Garmin Golf Watch without stepping all the way up to something like the S50 or S70. ⁓ the Garmin J1 is the only watch built specifically for junior golfers. ⁓ if you want to be as cool as Daniel, you go with the ⁓ the Garmin Phoenix 8 Pro. ⁓ which gives you everything. I mean truly everything. It's truly an amazing, amazing golf watch and an amazing everything else watch. the Bushnell IN Elite is a is a trusted name. It does the fundamentals very well. The Shot Scope G6 is ⁓ is the cheapest I think potentially on our list. no fees, no ongoing subscriptions, button navigation, ⁓ the Blue Tees R Playmaker Plus, you get ⁓ automatic shot tracking, you get an AMLED display at a very, very budget price. ⁓ and then the Sky Caddy LX five is potentially the best screen. it's ⁓ it's a focused golf watch. It's not an all around golf watch, but it's ⁓ it's around two hundred dollars and we think it belongs on this list. ⁓ Daniel, any ⁓ any last thoughts? speaker-1: No, I think you know, these watches continue to advance themselves. I think I think too we've we've seen a lot of growing trends. You know, we talked last week about how Bush Nell kinda sets the standard and and a lot of the other companies kind of follow them. I think it's that same way in the wearables, ⁓ with Garmin kinda setting the stage and everybody else kinda trying to match that that quality and that that ⁓ value at the end of the day. ⁓ so it it's a different category and we've got, you know, different leaders But we are seeing more companies jump into that ⁓ into that category more and more, which is exciting. ⁓ you know, the more options we have, the more the consumer wins. speaker-0: That's right. That's right. ⁓ remind everyone to check out last week's episode on Range Finders. We went through what we think are the best rangefinder options in 2026 to complement this, the best golf watch options in 2026. ⁓ we'll likely dive into some other categories in upcoming episodes. but next week we're going to be visiting with the guys from Golfbusters, ⁓ YouTube ⁓ content creators and Most likely talking mostly golf launch monitors. They'll have some very, very interesting and entertaining thoughts to share. ⁓ they've got strong opinions on ⁓ on all of the current tech in twenty twenty six and ⁓ so I encourage everybody to check that one out next week. And until then, ⁓ thank you everyone for listening and watching. This is Golf Tech Weekly presented by Play Better.