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Best golf GPS watches and wearable devices for 2022

It’s almost like wearing a caddie on your wrist … almost.

Whether you choose a GPS or a rangefinder, you’re making the correct choice. Playing without one leads to inconsistent play throughout your round.

Without knowing your number, you’re pretty much lost on the course.

Having a GPS in your pocket or on your wrist is almost like having Stevie Williams, Ted Scott, and Bones MacKay with you every time you tee it up … almost.

While you won’t get the expert analysis that a top-tier looper brings, you will get a bigger picture of the information that you need to hit the best shot possible.

Throughout the month of August, Golfweek is compiling some of the best training aids, putting aids, health and fitness, and other devices to help you get better at the game you love.

We occasionally recommend interesting products, services, and gaming opportunities. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. Golfweek operates independently, though, and this doesn’t influence our coverage

Best rangefinders for 2022

The difference between thinking you have the right club and knowing you have the right club.

Using a rangefinder is a near necessity nowadays. Rangefinders can be found at your weekly four-ball, junior golf, and all the way up to the PGA and LPGA tours.

Knowing your yardage is an essential part of getting better. The difference between thinking you should hit a 7 iron and knowing you should is huge. It could even be the difference between breaking 80 and hanging your head after yet another 85.

Golfweek is here to help push your game in the right direction. Whether it be putting, fitness or anything in between, we have exactly what you need to hit your goals.

Garmin Approach Z82 GPS laser rangefinder

Garmin’s newest distance-measuring device blends the accuracy of a laser with game-enhancing GPS features to help you play smarter golf.

Gear: Garmin Approach Z82 GPS laser rangefinder
Price: $599.99
Available: April 23

Garmin has been one of the most popular makers of GPS devices for cars, boats and aircraft for years. Using satellites orbiting the Earth that power the Global Positioning System, the company’s devices can pinpoint your location and overlay it on maps, provide you with directions and more.

The company has also made several GPS-enabled watches and devices for golfers too, like the new Approach G62. Two years ago, Garmin ventured into the laser rangefinder category with the Z80. That unit relied on a laser to reveal how far you are from the hole, but then provided extra information based on an internal GPS system.

Today, Garmin has launched the Approach Z82, an updated model that is more accurate and offers more game-enhancing features.

Garmin Approach Z82 GPS laser rangefinder. (Garmin)

According to Garmin, the Z82’s laser and internal systems can now measure a flag’s distance to within 10 inches from up to 450 yards away. You will see your targets more clearly in the Approach Z82 because the high-resolution OLED display has been improved and colors are more vivid.

To help make hitting the flag with the laser easier, Garmin has improved the ranging function, which means when you press the button on the top of the device and slowly pan from side to side in the direction of the hole, the Approach Z82 does a better (and faster) job of distinguishing the flag from trees and other objects in the background. When you hit the flag, the unit buzzes in your hands and the distances you see in the viewfinder blink.

What really sets the Approach Z82 apart from nearly every other distance measuring device, however, is how it blends the laser and GPS data together.

The Garmin Approach Z82 shows a laser-measured distance to the hole plus GPS-gathered distances to other areas. (Garmin)

After turning it on, the Approach Z82 determines your location using GPS and lists which of its 41,000 pre-loaded courses you are near. After selecting the course and starting your round, when you look inside the viewfinder and hit the flag with the laser, you see the hole you are playing and the yardage to the flag. At the same time, using GPS, the Z82 also displays the distance to the front, center and back of the green. To the left of that information, you can also see an illustrated overhead view of the hole, complete with views of bunkers and hazards, and a yellow arc that shows the distance to the flag.

If you link the Approach Z82 with your smartphone, it can also show wind speed and direction. The unit also has a slope function that determines if your target is uphill or downhill, then provides a PlaysLike distance. In Tournament mode, slope function and PlaysLike are disabled, but the laser still works.

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Play smarter and have more fun with the latest high-tech gear

The newest electronic golf accessories are making the game more fun and helping golfers shoot lower scores.

Old Tom Morris never could have dreamt that someday golfers would enjoy things such as laser rangefinders, GPS measuring devices and Bluetooth speakers. The newest electronic golf accessories are making the game more fun and helping golfers shoot lower scores.

Bushnell Wingman GPS Speaker, $149.99

Shaped like a tennis ball can, this Bluetooth speaker wirelessly connects to a smartphone to play music on the course, and it has a few hidden surprises. Pressing a button on the detachable remote control, which is the size of a silver dollar, decreases the music’s volume, and the Wingman will announce the distance to the front, middle and back of the green on the hole being played. There is also a powerful magnet on one side that securely attaches the unit to the side of the cart, which improves sound. The battery lasts 10 hours, and the Wingman also can be used as a smartphone charger.

Flight Scope Mevo+, $1,999.00

When considering that top-of-the-line launch monitors can cost as much as $25,000, the price tag of the Mevo+ seems like a bargain given everything it can do. Using Doppler radar, Mevo+ can measure basic things such as swing speed, ball speed, launch angle and spin rate, as well as compute landing angle, roll out and spin axis. It creates a Wi-Fi hotspot for fast connections to a smartphone or tablet, comes installed with five courses to simulate playing while on the range, and includes skill challenges to focus on distance control and accuracy.

TecTecTec ULT-G GPS watch, $119.99

Known for inexpensive laser rangefinders, TecTecTec branched into GPS watches with the ULT-G. The device uses satellites to automatically determine the course, the hole and precise location on more than 38,000 courses around the world. It provides yards to the front, middle and back of the greens, as well as hazards and doglegs. The ULT-G is water- and dust-resistant, and the company said a full battery charge lasts 45 holes.

Garmin S62 GPS watch, $499.99

The new S62 is the same size as last season’s S60 GPS watch, but Garmin enlarged the color display to make it easier to see, even in bright sunlight. The S62 has a battery that lasts 20 hours in play mode and comes preloaded with more than 41,000 courses. The unit displays distances to hazards as well as the front, middle and back of the green. When paired with a smartphone, the S62 can make caddie-style club suggestions based

on a player’s shot history and the conditions. On approach shots, the Green View provides an accurate image of the green’s shape for added confidence.

Voice Caddie SC300 launch monitor, $499.99

Easy to set up on the range or indoors, the SC300 launch monitor uses Doppler radar to measure launch angle, ball speed, shot apex and carry distance. It also audibly announces the distance of each shot, so it doesn’t interrupt the flow of a practice session. When paired with a smartphone or tablet using Bluetooth, the SC300 can also reveal spin rates and show representations of shots in real time. A practice mode and target mode can help hone distance control and feel.

Precision Pro NX9 Slope laser rangefinder, $269.99

The 6X magnification provides a clear look at the course when peering through the laser rangefinder, which makes hitting targets and spotting distant flags much easier. As the name implies, the unit has a slope function that calculates playing distances based on the measured yardage and whether a shot is uphill or downhill. The numbers and text in the viewfinder are bright, while the magnetic grip can be attached to a cart for easier access. The unit has a range of up to 400 yards, vibrates when it finds the flag and is water resistant.

SkyCaddie SX400 GPS, $299.95

The SX400 has many of the popular features found in the 5-inch SX500 but in a full-color, 4-inch touchscreen. Pre-loaded with more than 35,000 courses that SkyGolf measures and ground verifies for accuracy, the SX400 provides up to 40 reference points per hole to make finding the perfect carry and lay-up distances easier. The view of the green shifts to match a player’s perspective, and the RangeView with Club Ranges feature learns how far a player hits each club and then shows where each club’s average distance would go on the hole being played.

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