Garmin Approach X40 GPS Watch

Overall, if you’re in the market for a new GPS, are someone who golfs quite a bit, and are committed to improving your game. It has a lot of cool features and is something that can definitely improve your game.

We're big fans of the Approach X40 and it's become our go-to golf watch. While elements of the shot tracking and advanced scoring are too fiddly and ended up turned off in the long term, the breadth of golf data in such a lightweight form-factor make it a firm favourite at Wareable. Added workout modes, all-day activity tracking and smartwatch features make the X40 the first golf device that's genuinely useful away from the course, and as such, highly recommended.

The Approach X40 appeal is based on what you want from a device on your wrist. If you are a health fiend who wants a fitness tracker that links to your phone to get message notifications or control the music volume, then again this is Garmin's area of expertise as the functionality and data syncing is slick. The AutoShot system works well to track your shots, but what they do with the data and the lack of editing and analysis tools is not its strong point, so if you are looking for a game tracker then one of the dedicated systems from a golf technology company would offer more in this area. However, if you are a golfer who wants a quality GPS watch that you can wear off the course, does distances and keeps score then the Garmin Approach X40 is a worthy choice.

When compared to the higher Approach models the Garmin Approach X40 is a stripped down, sleek and has all the features that are necessary on the golf course. I personally really like it despite the fact that there are one or two features that I don’t use very often. I would give the design a solid B as it is lightweight, slim and doesn’t affect my swing in any way. It would garner an A+ if the screen weren’t so finicky. Still I am really happy with this watch because it gets down to the bare bones of what a golfer really needs on the course. I would definitely suggest giving Garmin Approach X40 some serious thought if you are in the market for a GPS enabled golf watch and you don’t like a lot of technical and physical clutter.