Name: Garmin Approach S3
What it is: A GPS device in a watch for golfers. It enables players to determine their distance to the hole, the shape of the green and keep score all in a watch with a touch-screen face that looks sporty and is relatively easy to use. It comes loaded with more than 27,000 golf courses around the world, and it can tell you how far you have hit the ball — to keep those boastful golfers honest.
The good: An alternative for golfers playing a course without GPS carts or a handheld GPS device, a watch with GPS capabilities — and Garmin says this is the first touch screen GPS watch for golf — is very handy indeed. You don’t have to pull it out of your pocket or a holster as you walk to your ball; it’s just right there on your wrist ready to eliminate the uncertainty walking golfers sometimes feel on poorly marked courses.
The bad: It’s a watch, so the screen is small, though the yardage numbers are fairly large. What’s more, if you’re a dew-sweeper — often the first out in the morning — it can be a tough to make out some of the finer features such as the shape of the green, even though it lights up. And it won’t help your swing.
Cost: $349.99
Available from: garmin.com and numerous other online retailers
