The best golf watches in 2024 from Garmin, Bushnell, more

The best golf watches are like having a caddy on your wrist. They can factor in data like wind speed, distance, hazards and more to help you choose the right golf club and plan your shot no matter what course you're on or what the weather conditions are.

While there's no shortage of options on the market right now, not all golf watches are created equal. Not only do golfers need to check which features a golf watch offers, but also how accurate its data is. To help you find the best golf watch with the features you want and the accuracy you need, we've rounded up the top golf watches in 2024 for every budget.

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Best golf watch overall: Garmin Approach S70

The Garmin Approach S70 isn't your ordinary watch. It's a golfer's best friend, with cool features like automatic course detection that uses GPS to accurately detect which of the over 43,000 course maps to display on your watch. So you won't have to waste a second searching through the database for the right map.

While playing, it automatically delivers accurate distances to the hole as well as bunkers, trees and hazards. It provides regular weather updates (when paired with the smartphone app). It tracks your shot distance, analyzes your swing, and acts as a digital scorecard.

From your wrist, you can check wind speed and direction, green contour data, elevation, environmental conditions and more to help make the best decisions about each shot. Use the "Plays Like" feature to let your watch automatically account for how all of those factors will affect your shot. It can even give you personalized golf club recommendations based on your swing data and the detailed "Plays Like" data.

Off the course, it's also a fully functional smartwatch with text and email alerts, Garmin Pay, health monitoring, activity tracking, sleep tracking and more. For the golfer who also has a life off the course (we've heard they exist), this is the golf watch that does it all.

Get the powerful Garmin golf watch while it's on sale at Amazon for $658. You can also order it from the PGA Tour Superstore for $700.

Top features of the Garmin Approach S70:

This watch features more than 43,000 golf course maps.
The touchscreen offers superior brightness even on sunny days.
Get on-wrist course analysis, shot tracking, hazard info and precise green distances.
It can also analyze your swing and give you personalized golf club recommendations.
As a smartwatch, the Garmin Approach S70 tracks blood oxygen levels, stress and energy levels, while also monitoring sleep and HRV status.
This smartwatch is lightweight and can help track wind conditions to establish the perfect shot.

$658 at Amazon $700 at PGA Tour Superstore

Best alternative to the Garmin Approach S70: Bushnell Ion Elite

The Garmin Approach S70 is feature-packed and versatile, but it's also $700. If you want comparable functionality on the course without the price tag, try the Bushnell Ion Elite. It offers almost as many golf features as the Garmin on an easy-to-read display.

You'll get access to maps of over 38,000 golf courses around the world and the ability to assess slope-adjusted distance with almost the same accuracy as a rangefinder. You'll also be able to check hazards, hole maps, and track your score--all from your wrist.

The tradeoff is that the Bushnell Ion Elite is light on non-golfing features that other smartwatches (including the Garmin) have. Aside from telling the time, it's not going to do much for you off the course. But if your top priority is accurate and detailed mapping, measuring and tracking, this golf watch does it all, does it well and does it for hundreds less than the Garmin Approach S70.

You can get the Bushnell Ion Elite for as low as $189 at Amazon or buy it at the PGA Tour Superstore for $200.

Top features of the Bushnell Ion Elite:

With moveable pins and slope functionality, this golf watch is the closest thing to a rangefinder that fits on your wrist.
Use HoleView to see the layout of the hole as well as any upcoming hazards.
Auto course recognition uses GPS to automatically detect which course you're on so you don't have to search for the right map.
Scorekeeping, shot tracking, and tons of other features are accessible from the watch while even more detailed analysis is available in the app on your phone.
You can toggle the slope functionality off as needed to make this golf watch competition legal.

$189 at Amazon $200 at PGA Tour Superstore

Best golf watch for training: Voice Caddie Hybrid T9

The Voice Caddie Hybrid T9 is like having a rangefinder and golf simulator packed into one lightweight watch on your wrist. With automatic shot and putt tracking, this golf watch keeps track of your score so you don't have to. You'll also get precision rangefinder features like touch pin placement and slope-adjusted distance. And don't worry, there's a tournament mode you can toggle on to disable the slope functionality when needed.

At home or the driving range, you can turn on swing tempo practice to hone a consistent swing tempo. When the watch face turns red, you're swinging too fast. When it turns yellow, you're swinging too slowly. When it's blue, your swing tempo is just right.

In the Voice Caddie app, you'll be able to review a log of past scorecards, shot tracking data, round statistics and more to review your performance and figure out what you need to work on.

This is a great golf watch for the golfer whose main goal is gathering data they can use to optimize their practice sessions. While it's useful during a round, it's not as robust as the Garmin or Bushnell golf watches on this list. But its powerful tracking and analysis features are accurate and detailed enough that you can definitely use this to improve your swing and identify the skills that need work.

Get the Voice Caddie T9 for $350.

Top features of the Voice Caddie Hybrid T9:

With a responsive touchscreen, it's easy to place pins where you need them.
It offers accurate slope-adjusted distance to the pin.
It's easy to turn Tournament mode on and off to disable the slope and GPS functionality as needed.
Swing Tempo Practice mode helps you hone a consistent and controlled swing tempo.
Robust shot and putt tracking data is stored in the app so you can review past games to pinpoint what skills you need to practice.

$350 at Best Buy $350 at PGA Tour Superstore

Best golf watch on a budget: Shot Scope G5

The Shot Scope G5 is the best golf watch you'll find under $150. It's lightweight, easy to navigate and packs just enough features to help golfers improve their game. More than 36,000 golf course maps are preloaded on the watch. Though, there's no automatic course detection so you'll have to select the right map yourself.

During the game, you'll get an on-wrist scorecard and detailed shot tracking so you'll have all the data you need for a post-mortem after the game. You'll also be able to see hazard information, distance and other essential data to help you plan your shot.

While it's a bit more basic than the other golf watches on this list, all of the essentials are there and the price point is hard to beat. So if you want a budget-friendly option that still packs enough features to be useful, the Shot Scope G5 is the golf watch for you.

Right now, the budget-friendly watch is on sale at Amazon and the PGA Tour Superstore. Get it for $130 instead of $150.

Top features of the Shot Scope G5:

More than 36,000 golf course maps are preloaded onto the watch.
This golf watch has all the essential features golfers need, like hazard information, distance, shot tracking and a digital scorecard.
It's lightweight and sporty enough to wear as your off-course watch.

$130 at Amazon $130 at PGA Tour Superstore