Garmin Approach S42 GPS Watch Review

Garmin Approach S42 GPS Watch - Specifications

Garmin Approach S42 GPS Watch Review

If you head to any golf club on a busy day, you’ll be hard pressed to find more than a handful of groups in which there are no GPS watches in use. And most prevalent among them will likely be a Garmin. Unquestionably one of the best golf watches on the market, we recently put the Garmin S42 Approach to the test and weren’t disappointed. 

Set up was refreshingly straightforward. We downloaded the Garmin app and paired it easily with an iPhone allowing us to see the benefits of the shot tracking. The watch is still very usable without the app however. 

Slotting in between the Garmin S12 and the premium S62 options, we tested the S42 watch on a sunny (but cold) day at Essendon Golf Club. Having never played the golf course before, the watch came in extremely handy. At the set-up stage, it offered us the option of course A or B, which confused us initially, but goes to show the level of detail involved. We've since had it out on several other occasions, allowing us to form an opinion based on things like accuracy, functionality, ease of use, style and value.

Starting with the usual features, yardages to the front, middle and back of each green were accurate and helpful, particularly at a course we’d never played before. On more than one occasion, the shot we were facing looked significantly shorter than it was in reality, so having that reassurance really was great. Additionally, when off the beaten track, it's great to have such easy access to accurate numbers. This is definitely an advantage when compared to a laser device.

The 1.2-inch color screen is also extremely clear, adding to the ease of use. In fact, just this feature alone we think makes it a worthwhile investment. And what’s more, it actually shows you the true shape of every green, rather than just the generic - a feature that we thought alone was worthy of placing in our 2023 Editor's Choice.

But it doesn’t stop there. As well as more than 43,000 preloaded courses worldwide, there is also the option to pair it with the Approach CT10 club sensors for automatic club tracking. When used in conjunction with the Garmin Golf app, this allows golfers to take advantage of the AutoShot round analyzer that records shot distances and plots your way round the course. Once finished, you can look through your scores and review various performance stats that help to target potential areas of improvement. It is features like this that separate watches from the best golf rangefinders, which purely involve zapping the flag in a matter of seconds. 

Away from the course, it’s a sleek and stylish watch that can easily be worn in social settings and also comes packed with fitness and wellness benefits. For example, the S42 can be used to track steps, sleep productivity and even calories. 

Another important thing to highlight is that we barely noticed we had it on. People can often be reluctant to try a GPS watch because they think it'll interfere with their swing but this is absolutely not the case. Other than checking yardages, you wouldn't know it was there.

One thing we would say is that it takes maybe five or so rounds to really get to grips with all the features and get the most out of what’s on offer. And although it comes in at a loftier price point than more basic models, based on our testing, we would certainly recommend seeing this process through as it’s worth it. It is definitely one of the best Garmin golf watches currently on the market.

More Garmin reviews

• Garmin Approach S70 Golf Watch Review
• Garmin Approach S62 GPS Watch Review
• Garmin Approach S12 GPS Watch Review
• Garmin Approach R10 Launch Monitor Review

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