Garmin’s new Approach S72 golf smartwatch is built around the idea that the person wearing the watch deserves as much attention as the clubs in their bag. Available in 43mm and 47mm sizes, with prices starting at $799.99, the Approach S72 combines on-course information and swing measurements with health and fitness tracking that continues long after you leave the course.
For health-minded golfers, the appeal starts with connecting those two worlds.
The S72 tracks heart rate, stress and sleep, while Garmin’s Body Battery feature provides an estimate of energy reserves. Preloaded activity profiles, including running, cycling, strength training and swimming, support workouts away from the course. On the course, a new Driving Range activity also logs
practice sessions in Garmin Connect, allowing them to contribute to fitness tracking.
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None of that guarantees improved fitness, but it could encourage golfers to pay closer attention to sleep, exercise more and focus on recovery habits so they arrive at the first tee ready to play.
The watch also brings heart-rate information into the round itself, allowing players to see their heart rate before and after shots and look for patterns alongside their scoring. To be fair, an elevated heart rate doesn’t prove nerves caused an approach shot to find the pond or a tee shot to sail into the woods, but the information could provide a useful starting point for understanding how you respond to different situations.
There is plenty here for equipment enthusiasts, too.
Gyroscopes and sensors in the watch can measure metrics such as hand speed, backswing length and wrist rotation. The Driving Range mode tracks individual swings, giving golfers data that can help identify tendencies and evaluate changes.
A new green-reading feature uses contour data to help golfers find an aim point once the pin location is set. Available on select courses, it requires an active Garmin Golf membership, as do aerial hole images and post-round putting analytics. Those analytics provide insight into speed bias, directional bias and make rate.
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The hardware suits the premium price: an AMOLED display, titanium bezel, sapphire lens and ComfortFit fabric band. A speaker and microphone enable phone conversations and voice commands, while a built-in flashlight can help locate something buried in a golf bag.
Garmin quotes up to 20 hours of battery life during golf use and up to 16 days in smartwatch mode with GPS off for the larger model.
The S72’s most interesting promise is helping golfers understand more about themselves. Knowing the yardage matters. So does having enough left in the tank to hit the shot.
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David Dusek is a Golfweek senior writer and writes primarily about golf equipment, technology and PGA Tour analytics.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Garmin Approach S72 connects golf performance with health tracking
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