# Garmin S1 Approach "wristwatch" GPS



## Smiffy (Apr 21, 2011)

Having now used the above for three rounds of golf I feel qualified to post a review on this great piece of kit.
If you need to know how far it is to a bunker/hazard off the tee, the Garmin Approach is no good for you. 
If all you need to know is distance to front/middle/back of green from anywhere on the course, how far you have walked during your round, or the length of your occasional "biggie" then this will fit the bill.
I normally wear a wristwatch when I play anyway, so wearing the Garmin unit is no big deal. It's very, very light and after a while you forget you've even got it on.
A doddle to set up and use, the unit comes pre-loaded with over 5,000 courses so no downloading to do prior to playing a strange course, which is great.
When you get to your chosen course, all you need to do is press the "OK/Menu" button and it will bring up a list of actions..."Start round/Odometer/Alarm/Setup/About/Cancel"
Pressing "Start round" will then see the unit start searching for satellites...and it locks on pretty quickly I must say. No more than about 20 seconds in the 3 or 4 times I have used it.
Once it has locked on it has worked out your location, and will give you a choice of courses to choose from based on the information it has received. It will start at the nearest course to you and will then list all the courses available up to about a 50 mile radius.
Selecting the course you want will see the unit start loading the data and will immediately show the hole number and distance from the centre of the green.
If you are starting from a different hole than the 1st, just use the "up/down" buttons to scroll to the correct hole. Once your game is under way, it automatically moves on to the next hole as you progress through the round.
As you walk down the fairway, just a quick glance at the easy to read screen gives you the information that you need.
No faffing around having to look at a GPS unit attached to your bag, or hidden in your pocket. It's instant!
I played yesterday and hit a horror slice off the 17th tee. Ended up to the right of a big copse of trees on an adjacent fairway, and although I could see the pin I had no real idea of how far out I was. Glanced at the Garmin and it confirmed I was exactly 184 out to the middle of the green. I had a perfect lie in the semi rough, little bit of breeze behind. I absolutely flushed a 6 iron and my ball finished pin high just on the fringe. Two putts later and a 4 was on the card. I don't think I would have clubbed right had it not been for the Garmin.
The unit comes complete with a mains charger, a usb connection cable for downloading any map updates (which are free by the way) and an instruction manual, but it is so easy to use, the manual is not required.
It can be a bit of a faff to get the four connection tabs to locate onto the back of the unit when charging up, but you soon get the hang of it.
When not being used as a golf GPS the Garmin can be used as a wristwatch, giving date and time in large numbers, and has an alarm function.
All in all a great bit of kit and well worth the money if you are looking for a cheap alternative to a Skycaddie etc. and only want "basic" functions.
I got mine from here, which was the cheapest I found, and it was delivered withing a couple of days....
http://www.snaintongolf.co.uk/product/4828/garmin-approach-s1-watch

Highly recommended
Rob


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## USER1999 (Apr 21, 2011)

I have heard a few complaints about accuracy on these units. Have you matched the yardages with any one elses gps/lazer?

Not sure how looking at a watch is any less faff than looking at something clipped to a bag? Looking is still looking.

How long does the battery last / take to charge? Will it do 36 holes in a day?

184 with a 6i? Was it downhill? Are you sure it isn't telling you the distance in feet?

Nice review, hope you are very happy with it.


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## bobmac (Apr 21, 2011)

The problem I see with this product is that confusion and senility walk hand in hand here.

Me. "How far is it smiffy?"
Smiffy "145".
Me "Looks more like 220 to me?"
Smiffy "Oops".
Quarter to two


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## Smiffy (Apr 21, 2011)

184 with a 6i? Was it downhill?
		
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Very slightly


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## samesh (Apr 22, 2011)

Garminâ€™s Approach S1 GPS wristwatch is meant for those who love spending time on the greens, as it is capable of displaying precise yardages to the front, back and middle of greens while boasting more than 14,000-plus courses pre-loaded.


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## RGDave (Apr 22, 2011)

Garminâ€™s Approach S1 GPS wristwatch is meant for those who love spending time on the greens, as it is capable of displaying precise yardages to the front, back and middle of greens while boasting more than 14,000-plus courses pre-loaded.
		
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Is it? I'm fascinated. Buying one of these will increase my time on the greens? Wow.


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## grumpyjock (Apr 23, 2011)

The problem I see with this product is that confusion and senility walk hand in hand here.

Me. "How far is it smiffy?"
Smiffy "145".
Me "Looks more like 220 to me?"
Smiffy "Oops".
Quarter to two


Click to expand...

been there done that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## golfboyuk (May 11, 2011)

I purchased one of these things and think it's fantastic. I treated myself to one of them and in comparison to the Skycaddie SG5 which I have had for sometime i much prefer it.

Yardage is always correct with it when taking both of them round the course and the battery lasts throughout.

I got one from golfgps.org.uk within a couple of days and plan to use them for the future. 

I must admit I'll still keep hold of my SG5 too though!!


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## Soco11 (May 13, 2011)

With the garmin, like the handheld devices can you add your own hazards that haven't been pre-loaded, or will this be done upon connecting it to your PC through an update?


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## THJahar (May 13, 2011)

With the garmin, like the handheld devices can you add your own hazards that haven't been pre-loaded, or will this be done upon connecting it to your PC through an update?
		
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There's no hazards on this just front/middle/back to the green.
Go here http://gbr.garmin.com/approach/approach-s1-golf-watch/approach-s1-golf-watch.html and take a look at it.


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## THJahar (May 13, 2011)

P.S If anyone has got one of these like me, there's a new software and map update that came out in April for it.


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## Smiffy (May 14, 2011)

P.S If anyone has got one of these like me, there's a new software and map update that came out in April for it.
		
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And for some reason, I can't download it.
Keeps taking me to the wrong page once I've put it in my "basket".


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