I've worn Garmin watches for years - this is the best one I've used for golf

I'll admit it - I'm a bit of a Garmin loyalist. I've worn the brand's watches for years and these days my Venu X1 rarely leaves my wrist. It comes with me on runs, dog walks, gym sessions and the golf course.

So an offer to test the Garmin Approach S70 presented an instant question: could this similarly priced watch tempt me away from the one I already wear every day?

The Venu X1 already offers GPS golf features, course maps and plenty of useful information on the course, so I was intrigued to discover whether Garmin's flagship golf watch really delivers enough extra to justify moving to a dedicated golf watch.

The Approach S70, priced £499.99, certainly looks the part. Choose from black, white or grey in 42mm or 47mm. I tested the smaller white version.

It feels every bit as premium as you'd expect from Garmin's top golf watch, with a bright AMOLED touchscreen that's easy to read even in bright conditions.

Like the Venu X1, it doubles as an excellent fitness watch, tracking activities, sleep, heart rate and overall wellbeing. If you're already part of the Garmin ecosystem, setup is quick and all your data syncs seamlessly through the Garmin Connect app - an app I spend far too many hours checking!

Battery life deserves a particular mention. Garmin says the 42mm model can last up to 10 days in smartwatch mode and up to 15 hours using GPS, while the larger 47mm version stretches that to up to 16 days and 20 hours respectively. In real-world use, I've found it excellent. Even with long rounds of golf putting the GPS to work for several hours at a time, mine has lasted well over a week before needing to be charged.

But it's once you arrive at the first tee that the S70 begins to show why it sits above Garmin's more general smartwatches.

What I love about the Garmin Approach S70

The Approach S70 is preloaded with more than 43,000 golf courses and presents each hole with crisp, detailed mapping that's incredibly easy to interpret. Distances to the front, middle and back of the green are available at a glance, while hazards, bunkers and lay-up points are clearly displayed without cluttering the screen.

I love how intuitive everything feels. Information is available exactly when you need it without endless menu diving, and the touchscreen remains responsive during a round. That's a noticeable improvement on my Venu X1, where I've sometimes found the course map can be laggy and a little unresponsive on the fairways. On the S70, navigating the map feels faster and smoother.

The Virtual Caddie is also noticeably more sophisticated than the golf assistance available on my Venu X1. Rather than simply providing yardages, it factors in your previous shots and club distances to suggest the best club.

Features such as PlaysLike distance also prove useful on hilly courses, adjusting yardages to reflect elevation changes.

What I don't like about the Garmin Approach S70

The biggest drawback is fairly obvious: the price. £499.99 is a substantial amount to spend on a golf watch, particularly when Garmin's more general smartwatches already offer capable golf features.

There's also a learning curve if you want to get everything possible from it. Features such as Virtual Caddie become more useful once the S70 has collected enough information about your game, so you don't necessarily get the full experience straight out of the box.

As an everyday smartwatch, I'd still give the edge to the Venu X1. Features including phone calls, voice commands and an integrated LED torch make it more versatile away from the golf course. It's also slim and comfortable, meaning I rarely think about taking it off.

Instead, the S70 is built for golfers who want as much relevant information as possible during a round. Every menu, every shortcut and every feature feels designed with golf in mind.

If golf is your main passion, the S70 is in a different league. This is where Garmin stops adding golf features to a smartwatch and starts building a watch around the way golfers actually play.

Garmin has also introduced the new Approach Z10 laser rangefinder. Compact enough to slip into a pocket or attach to a golf bag using its built-in magnetic mount, the Z10 uses 6x magnification to lock on to the flag and give you an exact distance to your target. It can measure up to 350 yards and also offers PlaysLike Distance, which takes elevation changes into account, while a tournament mode lets you switch off features that aren't permitted in competition.

What I love about the Garmin Approach Z10

I still find myself reaching for a rangefinder even when I'm wearing a GPS golf watch. It's particularly useful when I want a distance to something very specific. If there's a brook crossing the fairway, for example, I can range a tree sitting alongside it to get a very good idea of how far away the trouble is.

That's where combining the two technologies makes sense. The Z10, £259, provides the exact distance to the flag or another target, but the really clever bit is Garmin's Range Relay feature. Once you've ranged the flag, the Z10 can send that measurement directly to the compatible Garmin watch on your wrist.

On the S70 watch, that distance is then placed into the wider context of the hole, with a laser range arc showing what else is in play at that distance. So you get the pinpoint accuracy of the laser alongside the front and back of green distances and broader course information from GPS.

I found the combination super useful. When a pin is tucked towards the front or back of a green, for example, I can see exactly how much room there is beyond it rather than simply knowing the number to the flag.

It's a genius bit of technology that blends the pinpoint accuracy of a laser with the broader course awareness of GPS.

One of my favourites is Find My Garmin. Pair the Z10 with the Garmin Golf app and it can show the rangefinder's last known location if you leave it behind. It isn't live tracking, but it could prove considerably more useful than trying to remember which fairway you last used it on.

What I don't like about the Garmin Approach Z10

The main drawback with the Z10 is that it's very much an additional purchase rather than something every golfer needs.

The S70 already provides an enormous amount of information, so if you're happy working from GPS distances to the front, middle and back of the green, a laser may feel like a luxury.

It’s also another gadget to remember. The magnetic mount is extremely useful on a buggy, but it also makes the Z10 very easy to leave attached at the end of a round. Find My Garmin is a clever safety net, but I'd still rather not have to use it.

None of those things would stop me wanting the Z10 in my golf bag. But I'd describe it as an excellent extra rather than an essential purchase. The S70 gives you an extraordinary amount of information on its own; the Z10 adds another layer of precision when you want it.

Verdict

The Approach S70 isn't simply a Venu X1 with a few extra golf features. It's a purpose-built golf watch that just happens to be an excellent smartwatch as well.

I play two or three times a week, and for me the difference is significant enough that I'd choose the S70 for golf.

Add the Approach Z10 and the package becomes even more impressive. You certainly don't need both, but Range Relay makes them feel like two parts of the same system rather than two gadgets doing the same job. The S70 gives me the bigger picture; the Z10 gives me the precise distance when I want it.

I'm still keeping my Garmin Venu X1 as my everyday watch. It’s the better all-rounder for me away from the course. But that's no longer the same thing as saying it's my favourite Garmin for golf. For golf, I'd choose the Approach S70.

Will either make me hit the ball any straighter and further? Sadly not.

But if I still put it in the bunker after the S70 and Z10 have given me practically every piece of information imaginable, at least I can't blame Garmin.