Best Golf GPS Watches & Handheld Devices (For 2021)

Color Touchscreen Display

The 1.2-inch color touchscreen display is easy to read and very stylish. Scrolling through the many apps and widgets on the watch is simple and fun to use.

Another outstanding feature of the S42 is the backlight display. Even in the most blinding sun imaginable, you’ll still be able to see the numbers on the screen with color and clarity. 

Green View

One of the best features on the watch is Green View. As you get closer to the hole, the watch displays the true shape of the green, allowing you to drag and drop a pin to provide accurate distances from your ball. 

If you like to play a strategic game, the Green View is a priceless feature for helping you hit the zones on the green for the best putting opportunities.

Along with the Green View, the watch also displays the front, center, and back distances of the green, providing plenty of data to help you choose the right club for your upcoming shot.

While the S42 might not reach the heights of its big brother, the S62 and its flashy features, the S42 remains the best overall option for amateurs looking to get into the GPS game at an affordable price.

Auto Course Recognition

Along with the lack of subscription fees, the ULT-G also instantly recognizes the course you are playing on with its internal GPS tracker. Once you step on the first tee and engage the display, the watch uploads the course information providing crisp, clear readings that offer wonderfully accurate data.

The watch also offers premium water-resistant performance, allowing you to get the yardages you need, even in light or heavy rain. Very reliable, this watch offers enough battery power to last for up to 2.5 rounds without the need for a recharge.

38,000 Preloaded Courses

Working with the auto-recognition feature, the watch comes preloaded with 38,000 courses. The TecTecTec course database is routinely updated with new courses and redesigns, giving you the latest layout data for accurate distance reading that help you choose the correct club every time.

With all of these features, the TecTecTec remains one of the best value purchases for golfers looking for a low-priced GPS device for the course. Great for beginning golfers and high handicappers, the ULT-G watch delivers exceptional accuracy along with a clean display that gives you the essential information you need to stick your next shot close to the cup.

Color Display

Easily the most eye-popping feature on the S62 is the 1.3-inch color touchscreen. Larger than previous Approach models, the new touchscreen allows you to focus on the distance and upcoming hole with startling accuracy.

Another cool benefit to the touchscreen is that Garmin has loaded their Connect IQ Store with custom watch faces, apps, and widgets to help you customize your S62 to best help your life.

Virtual Caddie

Garmin’s Virtual Caddie software comes with the Approach S62, offering golfers the ability to get assistance with every shot based upon their previous history. After five rounds with the S62, the Virtual Caddie will gain a dynamic understanding of how you play the game.

The software accumulates data from these previous rounds including your distance with each club, then takes that information and looks at the upcoming shot as it calculates wind, elevation, and hole location to provide you with the ideal club.

Featuring a rechargeable battery that lasts up to 20 hours, the Approach S62 delivers a first-rate luxury golfing experience that you carry on your wrist to your next tee time.

Bushnell Golf App

The Neo Ion 2 works in unison with the Bushnell Golf App (just like the Bushnell Wingman GPS Speaker). This application is an advanced app that gives you such amenities as a 3D flyover of holes as well as an overhead angle that provides yardage distances to all areas. 

The app also gives you wireless updates of new or updated pre loaded courses and sends them to the watch via your Bluetooth connection.

Large Display

Once we were on the course, we were impressed with the Neo Ion 2’s bright and very accurate readout featuring large numbers and easy to cycle through information. Not only is your shot distance just a click away, but you also get precise yardage to the front, center, and back of the green, along with the distance to any upcoming hazards for a complete view of the hole in front of you.

When using with the app, you should have a full view of what lies ahead on the hole and what club you’ll need to use to get there.

Advanced Display

A golfer might look at the X40’s display and immediately think that it is too small. But they’d be missing how the company has maximized the space on the screen to provide a tremendous amount of information. 

Golfers have instant access to yardages from anywhere on the hole as well as a look at the shape of the green.

A Touchscreen that Pairs with Smartphone

The display also pairs with your smartphone to provide email, text message and other critical alerts so you’ll never miss a chance to respond. 

The X40’s screen utilizes a touchscreen so you can get information faster so you’ll never hold up your playing group as you look over your next shot.

Pre loaded Courses

The X40 comes with thousands of pre loaded courses, and through the Garmin Connect system, the watch will continue to get lifetime updates for free. 

Each course you play will give you the opportunity to see yardages from a variety of tee locations as well as a glimpse into the shape and break on the green.

Dynamic Color on Display

One of the details that sets the GB9 apart from other watches is that the touchscreen features rich color to enhance your experience. 

With a slight touch from your finger, you can access the overview of a hole, the distances to the front, back and center of the green and the pin’s location. 

The color of the GB9 gives crisp contrast while you plan your next shot so you can see potential hazards and avoid those pesky bunkers.

Long Lasting Battery

With the demand on the watch via the advanced graphics, we were pleasantly surprised to see that the watch lasted over eight hours on a single charge. 

While this probably won’t get you more than a round per charge, it does allow plenty of power if you want to stick around for another nine holes.

Smartphone App

While GolfBuddy’s smartphone app will keep your courses up-to-date with free updates, it won’t do more of the advanced features like keep the statistics you’ll find on the Garmin and Bushnell watches we reviewed earlier.

38,000 Preloaded Courses

The technology incorporated on the Phantom 2 is entertaining and helpful for your game. The device comes preloaded with over 38,000 courses, and when paired with the Bushnell Golf App, you can quickly track your round and find the distances for every shot you’ll face on the links.

The Phantom 2 also comes with auto course recognition that immediately finds your course and assists with auto hole advance so you are always on the right hole.

A shot distance calculator is also installed to provide accurate readings for your drives and entry shots into the green.

Advanced Data Readings

The Phantom 2 can also provide up to six yardage readings for hazards and layup zones on the hole. These quick distances help you craft your strategy for the upcoming shot.

The same holds true for the green as the device also features greenview with a movable pin placement. If you are wanting to land the ball in certain locations on the green, the pin can provide accurate distances to help you choose the right club.

With over 18 hours of battery life, the Phantom 2 will last several rounds before you need to recharge, making it a great GPS device for golfers that are on a budget and need to maximize value with their equipment.

Easy-To-Use Interface

The Voice 2 is remarkably easy to set up and use. Once you choose a male or female voice to guide your round, the Golf Buddy devices provide automatic course and hole recognition. 

We recommend that you show up early to allow the device to load the course you are playing, but overall, the Voice 2 is painless and straightforward to operate.

Multiple Yardage Readouts

Not only will you get the distance of each shot after it happens, but the Voice 2 will get you ready for your upcoming shot with accurate yardage to various areas of the green. 

You shouldn’t have a problem picking the right club when you see how precise the yardage is using the Voice 2.

Dynamic Green View Technology

Once you are close to the green, the Voice 2 is going to give you a complete look of the shape and slope of the surface. You’ll be able to see where you need to play your shot for the easiest birdie putt. 

Beginning golfers who use the Voice 2 commonly see their average improve dramatically in the following rounds after using this golf GPS device.

Detailed Green View

One of the best features of the G10 is the precision yardage to the green through the manual pin placement. All you need to do on the course is spot the location of the pin and adjust the screen to match. After you finish placing the pin, the G10 will automatically recalculate the yardage and give you a new reading.

Although yardage to the pin is important, the Garmin G10 also provides the measurement to the front, center, and back of the green. This feature is especially useful when looking to avoid a ridge in the green that might cause a tough putt.

Accurate Yardage to Green and Hazards 

One of the most essential features of any golf GPS is the accuracy of the measurement it gives to the golfer. The last thing a golfer wants is a poor reading that costs them a precious shot by hitting too far or too short.

The G10 not only provides outstanding accuracy on shots to the green, but also performs well when judging the distance to hazards. If you are worried your drive might reach the bunker, then you give the G10 a look right before the shot for very precise yardage to help you avoid trouble. The same goes for water as the Approach G10 GPS from Garmin helps you steer clear of losing a golf ball by giving you an accurate reading.

Advanced Readouts of Greens and Fairway

The 5000 does a terrific job of providing the distance to the front, back, and center of the green. It also gives the golfer a precise location of upcoming hazards and doglegs to help the user avoid trouble.

The advanced color display is clear for easy reading and detailed enough to get a sense of where the trouble lies on each hole.

New Course-Specific Technology

Although the Swami doesn’t have the app integration that we love with our golf GPS devices, the 5000 does have a very simple to use interface that provides on the spot shot distance, distance to the pin, and allows you to keep score for your last ten rounds upon your device for later analysis.

With over 30,000 courses at your fingertips, you won’t have to worry that the Swami won’t know where you are playing the day’s round.

Simple Audio Golf GPS Device

One of the largest charms of the VoiceX is how small yet smart it is for the beginning golfer. The automatic hole recognition makes it a simple device to learn and use. 

For older golfers who have trouble seeing smaller letters and numbers, the VoiceX’s audio feature will come in very handy during your round.

Water Resistant

One of the highlights of the VoiceX durability is the fact that it is water resistant. If you are a young player participating in tournaments, the VoiceX is ideal because it can withstand wet weather during a round.

Precise Yardage Readouts

The VoiceX also provides multiple yardages on each hole so you can avoid water hazards, bunkers and flying the green with your second shot. 

We found that the large yardage numbers contrasted well within the display. Also after each drive, you’ll be able to see your shot distance for immediate feedback during the round.