Garmin unveils the Approach S20 – a new wearable for golfers
Garmin has announced a new addition to its range of watches designed to help golfers perfect their game. The Approach S20 GPS golf watch, as it is called, comes preloaded with more than 40,000 courses, records the location and distance of every shot automatically and provides a wide range of statistics on the watch itself and the Garmin Connect app.
Rather conveniently, the watch also doubles up as an activity tracker and has connected features such as smart notifications to alert you to calls, texts and emails. The S20 will provide you with information such as yardages to the green, hazards and more, and is compatible with the new TruSwing golf club sensor to provide in-depth swing metrics.
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Approach S20 users can have updates to the courses they play the most sent to their watch automatically via the Garmin Connect mobile app, making sure they always have the most up-to-date course data. This means, whether you’re leisurely playing with friends on your favorite local course or teeing up on that amazing resort course you’ve always wanted to play, Approach S20 knows on which golf course you are — and how far you are from the next green.
“With the S20, we’re excited to announce a new entry-level golf with distances to hazards,” said Dan Bartel, Garmin vice president of worldwide sales.
“With a stylish look, the new AutoShot feature, TruSwing compatibility and activity tracking, the Approach S20 takes golfers seamlessly from the links to everyday life.”
According to Garmin’s website, the Approach S20 measures precise distances to the front, back and middle of the green, distances to course targets like sand traps, water hazards and more, as well as layups and doglegs. On the high resolution display, 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.
S20’s AutoShot feature automatically detects every swing, measures your shot distance and records each shot’s location for post-round analysis on your Garmin Connect™ account, allowing golfers to further dissect and improve upon areas of their game. You can even see all your shots overlaid onto a map to find out your own personal trends and tendencies. Those using the TruSwing golf club sensor will get additional information, such as more detailed swing metrics for seeing and improving consistency.
Approach S20 also keeps track of your score throughout your round. When you’re done, you can save, review and use the Garmin Connect™ Mobile fitness app with your smartphone to upload and share that great round with your golfing buddies online.
Garmin Approach S20 Golf Watch |
The watch can be worn on and off the course as it offers daily activity tracking. This includes counting steps, calories, distance, measuring sleep and giving you an occasional nudge to keep you active throughout the day. You can easily get in a whole weekend of golf as the watch can run for 15 hours while in GPS mode, and an impressive 8 weeks in watch mode with activity tracking. It is water resistant up to 50 metres, which means you will be fine if you get caught in a sudden rainstorm while playing golf.
The Approach S20 will be available from February 2016 in black, white and midnight teal.