Golf season is already underway in many parts of the country. Thanks to a warm winter in lots of places, the clubs are getting pulled from the garage, dusted off, and duffers are looking to supplement their old gear with new tech and gadgets that can help improve the game.
Timely then that Garmin has just released three new golf gadgets that can help detect, measure, and analyze your stats, your swing, and even count your strokes.
Garmin S20 Golf Watch
Sports watches or even golf watches may not be anything new, but Garmin’s S20 (left) comes loaded with new features that make golfing with this watch fun, comfortable and easy.
AutoShot: a built-in round analyzer will track your shots and distances automatically. My biggest problem when I golf is that I tend to forget shots (probably because I take so many).
With the S20, after a round, I could pair it up with the Garmin Connect App and get my score, with no memory mistakes. The AutoShot Round Analyzer automatically detects every swing and measures the shot’s distance. This information is automatically recorded along with each shot’s location for post-round analysis on your Garmin Connect account.
Hazard Identification: Know where sand and water is hiding on the course with hazard identification right on your wrist. Information is displayed about size adn location of hazards right on the device.
TruSwing Compatability: The S20 watch works with Garmin’s new TruSwing sensor to analyze your swing in real time, displaying the info you need right on your wrist. (More on TruSwing below)
The S20 also has a 1.3 inch high resolution display that remains easy to read even in bright sunlight, and of course there’s GPS built right in. The high-sensitivity GPS receiver knows where you are and how far you are from the pin. Armed with this distance information you can make that next swing with confidence. The S20 can also calculate distances to hazards, doglegs, and layups.
The device also boasts activity tracking features; it’ll count steps, calorie intake, and sleep, all of which contribute to overall health, and (hopefully) a healthier, happier golfer. Plus the device also tells time, which can be handy all on its own.
The watch itself comes in three colours, and features an open, breathable design that’s slim and unobtrusive. Garmin calls the S20 the ‘golf caddy’ that doubles as your everyday watch. With 40,000 courses pre-loaded into the device, you can get accurate course information wherever you play, even if that course is Augusta National, the site of the annual Masters.
Garmin also has an online golf community that lets you share and compare your scores and other data with others. You can track your own scoring and progress from round to round and even use the device and the app to combine your best scores for each hole on that course so you know what your best 18 looks like; and what you should be aiming for.
The Approach S20 is compatible with iOS or Android mobile devices.
TruSwing Sensor
Golf swing sensors can help improve your game by giving you real time feedback on what you’re doing wrong, and what’s going right. Garmin’s TruSwing sensor snaps to your club with a strong but easy to use clip.
It delivers data instantly, like:
- swing speed
- swing tempo
- club path
- loft
- shaft angle
- shaft lean
- direction of club face to target
The device will even display 3D animations of the ball’s path on the free app, accessed via a compatible smartphone. The sensor is small and light so it won’t interfere with your grip or your game.
The TruSwing sensor will tell you everything you need to know about the mechanics affecting your ball’s flight path, and your shot overall. That in turn can help with swing consistency and form, since it measures critical metrics that affect ball flight and shot results. TruSwing uses Bluetooth technology to send the data to your mobile device, letting you analyze your swing at the range or on the course. As you’d want for a sports gadget like this, it’s water-resistant and dustproof.
Garmin Approach G10
The G10 is the golf watch for athletes who don’t like watches. This sleek and slim clip-on tracker gives you many of the capabilities of the S20, but in a package you can keep out of the way. Whether it’s clipped on your belt, inside your golf bag, in your pocket or stashed in the cup holder of your power cart, the G10 is always at the ready.
The Garmin G10 monitors:
- GPS stats
- scoring info
- distance to greens
- hazards like sand or water
- layup distances
- green view
- yardages; to front, middle or back of greens
- scorecard and course information for more than 40,000 courses
The G10 will run for 15 hours on a single charge, even in GPS mode, so it’s perfect for even a 36 round marathon. The G10 is available at Best Buy.
Golf can be a frustrating game. Hank Aaron once said, “It took me seventeen years to get three thousand hits in baseball. I did it in one afternoon on the golf course.” Why not find more to love in the game by leaning on technology to help understand and improve your golf game? New gear from Garmin can help.
I recently picked up some new tees I’m dying to try. They’re wedge tees! What new gear are YOU excited to get out on the course with? Tell me in comments below, or via Twitter or Instagram @ErinLYYC
