New Garmin Approach S20 and G10

Another ‘don’t get too excited message to start off a post of little interest to most runners/triathletes’

Today Garmin announced a new golf watch – the Approach S20 as shown in the press release below. Quite a neat idea where you download a course profile and then you are told how far away the tee is and what hazards are in the way. I had a play with the equivalent TomTom. The GPS-concept is by no means novel or new for a golf watch.

Of interest here is the move towards a rectangular display, changing from Garmin’s recent circular golf watches. This form factor could be used elsewhere. Looking at the images and some others on the web I’m still not impressed by the screen resolution which, for one thing, is holding back of simple things like half-decent looking IQ watch faces.

Also announced is the TRUSWING stroke mechanics analyser. This is a golf-dynamics type thing like we have the running and cycling dynamics.

Of interest here might be that some swimming equivalent must have at least been thought of by Garmin

A 3rd announcement was something to do with a training device for professional sport-dog handlers.

A 4th announcement was for the G10 (below) a mini-golf-belt type thing.

Introducing the Garmin Approach S20: the golfing partner that doubles as an everyday watch

ApproachS20

Today we are announcing the Approach S20 GPS golf watch. Stylish, sleek and lightweight, this versatile watch comes preloaded with more than 40,000 courses around the world, plus daily activity tracking and connected features like smart notifications and automatic updates. The new AutoShot feature records the location and distance of every shot automatically, then data is uploaded to the recently updated Garmin Connect mobile app for post-round analysis. The S20 provides information like yardages to the green, hazards and more, and is compatible with the new TruSwing golf club sensor to provide in-depth swing metrics. The Approach S20 is being announced in conjunction with the PGA Show in Orlando, Fla., and will be showcased at the Garmin booth #1313, as well as the Demo Day at Tee 2U-15.

 

The Approach S20 boasts the new AutoShot round analyzer feature, which automatically records the location and distance of every shot and uploads it to the user’s Garmin Connect account for post-round analysis. Additionally, the S20 can be paired with the new TruSwing sensor to provide the user with in-depth swing metrics to improve their swing consistency. Through CourseView auto updater on the Garmin Connect mobile app, Approach S20 users can have updates to the courses they play the most sent to their watch automatically, making sure they always have the most up-to-date course data.

Stylish and comfortable with a full-hinged watchband, the Approach S20 is suitable for everyday wear. In addition to the golf features, the S2 boasts daily activity tracking1 which monitors and records daily steps, calories burned, distance and sleep, with move alerts to keep users active throughout the day. The S20 also receives smart notifications from compatible smartphones2, so users can stay connected with notifications for call, texts, emails and more right on their watch.

Approach S20 on turf

The Approach S20 uses high-sensitivity GPS and comes preloaded with data for more than 40,000 courses around the world with no additional fees or subscriptions. It measures precise distances to the front, back and middle of the green in large, easy-to-read numbers on a sunlight readable display. Additionally, the Approach S20 measures distances to course targets like sand traps, water hazards and more, as well as layups and doglegs. Golfers can use the Green View feature to see the outline of the green on each hole, where they can manually position the pin to that day’s location in order to get the most accurate measurements

In addition to the digital scorecard that can be used in each round, the Approach S20 can also track individual stats like fairways hit, greens in regulation and putts per round. With a compatible smartphone, data will automatically be uploaded and stored in the Garmin Connect mobile app, so golfers can track their progress over time and share with friends. Within Garmin Connect, S20 users can access all their stats, like average score, total putts and more. When using the AutoShot feature, S20 users can gather even more data like the average distance for each club, longest drive per round and overall. They can even see all their shots overlaid onto one map to see their own personal trends and tendencies, so they know what to work on for the next round.

The Approach S20 can get up to 15 hours of battery life in GPS mode and up to 8 weeks in watch mode with activity tracking. It boasts a 5 ATM water rating, so it can easily withstand the elements, whether golfers get caught in a sudden rainstorm or are sweating on a hot day.

The Approach S20 will be available in February 2016 in black, white and midnight teal. The S20 will have a suggested retail price of $199.99.

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Also announced a smaller, Approach G10

 

ApproachG10

Today we are pleased to announce the Approach G10, a sleek, pocket-sized golf GPS device that fits almost anywhere. The Approach G10 boasts a compact design; with a high sensitivity GPS that provides golfers with information like yardage, hazards and more in a convenient form factor with built-in clip. Preloaded with more than 40,000 golf courses around the world with lifetime updates and no additional fees, golfers will have access to yardages and Green View at their fingertips on an easy-to-read screen. Additionally, the Approach G10 doubles as a digital scorecard, so golfers are able to track their progress using Garmin Connect. The Approach G10 is being announced in conjunction with the PGA Show in Orlando, Fla., and will be showcased at the Garmin booth #1313, as well as the Demo Day at Tee 2U-15.

“We’re excited to offer our golf customers a new, take-anywhere device,” said Dan Bartel, Garmin vice president of worldwide sales. “The Approach G10 offers golfers the data they need at a great value. It’s totally versatile with a clip-on design, so it gives golfers an advantage on the course, no matter where in the world they play.”

Compact, lightweight and user-friendly, the Approach G10 comes preloaded with data for more than 40,000 courses right out of the box, with no additional fees or subscriptions. The G10 measures precise distances to the front, back and middle of the green in large, easy to read numbering on a 1.3” sunlight readable display. It also displays distances to course targets like sand traps, water hazards and more, as well as layups and doglegs. Golfers can use the Green View feature to see the outline of the green on each hole, where they can manually position the pin to that day’s location in order to get the most accurate measurements. Additionally the Approach G10 can measure individual shot distances and calculate yardage for shots played anywhere on the course.

Approach G10 on belt

The Approach G10 acts as a digital scorecard throughout each round played, and can track individual stats like fairways hit, greens in regulation and putts per round. Data is uploaded and stored in Garmin Connect, so golfers can record their round and review it in Garmin Connect. Within Garmin Connect, G10 users can access all their stats, like average score, total putts and more. G10 users can also do a full course analysis to see hole-by-hole details, as well as trends and tendencies to work for the next round. Additionally, the Approach G10 as a built-in odometer, so golfers can see how much distance they covered during each round.

Lasting up to 15 hours of battery life in GPS mode, the Approach G10 can get through multiple rounds of golf on a single charge. Despite its lightweight and compact design, the G10 is also rugged with an IPX-7 water rating, so it can withstand the elements if golfers get caught in a sudden rainstorm.

 

 

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2 thoughts on “New Garmin Approach S20 and G10

  1. Its an interesting thought, but there’s no mention of Ant+ which I’d have thought would be necessary for a new Swim. This also includes a lot of storage and GPS, neither of which would suit a Swim. Curious that it’s 5ATM rated though, that might be down to Ray banging the drum in every review that this is the minimum or it might be that they have further plans. I’d love to see a small swimming watch with Bluetooth upload which includes the HRM-Swim but it’d have to be cheap, and for this, cheap would be less than the RRP of the HRM-Swim which is crazy expensive.

    1. well there’s a new FINIS which does that.
      Also the new small garmin G10 golf watch that I’d not mentioned has a similar form factor to the tiny edge 25. I just don’t think they would create a new form factor (S20) unless either 1. they were going to re-use it 2. it’s a big market. I guess golf is a big market, but could be the former.

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