Garmin Approach S12 review

The Garmin Approach S12 is the company's entry level golf GPS watch. That means a more basic display without color or touchscreen and no smart notifications or advanced auto tracking features, like on the S42 and S62 models.

But that also means this watch has a stonking battery life compared not only to the top end models but most of the competition out there too. If battery life and storage of games is what you're after, you'll be hard pressed to find a better golf GPS watch, at all.

Who’s it for?

The Approach S12 is for all golf lovers, from beginner to pro. That said, the need to manually enter data is perhaps a little distracting and time consuming for those that play regularly at a high level and might not have to record shots themselves.

For anyone that wants a no distractions game, the fact this watch only connects to a phone when you manually do so makes for a great way to be left alone to focus on your game while still tracking all the necessary data.

Should I buy the Garmin Approach S12?

The Approach S12 is a great option that's priced low compared to the other models in the range. That said it's a jump up from the S10 so there could be deals to be had on that older model. That's presuming you don't mind the drop in screen resolution and battery life which that represents.

Garmin Approach S12: Competition

The major competition comes from the same brand. Garmin is leading the way here. That said, for Apple Watch and Wear OS users, an app based alternative might be enough and is ideal if you already have one of those watches.

Garmin Approach S62

The Garmin Approach S62 is the company's top-end golf watch. This offers a virtual caddie that takes in data like wind speed and direction too as well as smart contactless payments, bloody oxygen with pulse and other sports tracking – all with a longer battery life.

This lasts for 14 days in standby and manages 20 hours in GPS mode all while offering the same size, but colour 1.3-inch display. But this is a larger watch in general, thanks to all those extra sensors, which isn't for everyone so that's worth keeping in mind.

Hole 19 + Apple Watch / Wear OS

Hole 19 is a free app, available on both Apple Watch and Wear OS devices which helps to track your game. This won't automatically track shots, and it requires a phone to offer hole maps, similar to the S12 in that way.

This uses GPS to track distances off the tee and to the pin, without the need for a phone. But for strokes, putts and fairway shots you'll need to input that manually. This then syncs to the connected phone so you can analyse your game afterwards - again very similar to the S12, only way cheaper.

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