Premium golf GPS watch with caddie features at an all-time low price

Is the Garmin 010-02200-00 Approach S62 worth buying? Yes — at £324.99, which is 68% off the £999.99 list price and the all-time lowest recorded price, it offers a strong mix of premium GPS golf features, a 4.4/5 rating from 2,538 reviews, and enough course data to help serious golfers make better decisions.

First impressions

The Approach S62 looks and feels like a premium bit of kit rather than a basic yardage watch. The 1.3-inch full-colour touchscreen is 18% larger than the Approach S60, and the scratch-resistant ceramic bezel gives it a more durable, higher-end finish. Garmin also includes interchangeable QuickFit bands, which matters if you want one watch for golf and everyday wear. With 41,000+ full-colour course maps worldwide, it is clearly aimed at golfers who want more than front-middle-back yardages.

What do the key features actually do on the course?

The headline feature is Virtual Caddie. It suggests a club based on the distance you typically hit that club, then factors in wind speed and direction, and even indicates where the golfer should aim. That is useful because it pushes the watch beyond raw data into decision support. For players who already know their carry numbers, this can speed up club selection and reduce second-guessing.

PlaysLike Distance is another genuinely useful tool. It accounts for uphill and downhill shots, which is especially relevant on hilly UK courses where a simple GPS number can be misleading. Hazard View lets you scroll through each hazard on the map, and PinPointer helps with blind shots by showing the direction to the pin. Those are the kinds of features that help with course management, not just convenience.

Battery life is also strong: up to 20 hours in GPS mode and 14 days in smartwatch mode. That means it can handle long rounds and regular use without constant charging. For golfers who play multiple rounds a week, that is a practical advantage.

How does it perform for improving your golf?

This is the sort of watch that can help better golfers make better choices, but only if they use the information properly. The yardages, hazard mapping, and PlaysLike Distance are most valuable when paired with a consistent understanding of your own distances. The Virtual Caddie feature is only as good as the data you feed it through your typical club distances, so it works best for golfers who already track their numbers or are willing to build that habit.

For practice, the watch is less about swing analysis and more about on-course strategy. If you want launch monitor-style club fitting metrics or exportable shot data, this is not that kind of device. It is a course management tool, not a simulator or radar monitor.

Build quality and usability

The ceramic bezel and scratch-resistant construction are good signs for longevity, and the large colour touchscreen should make the watch easier to read in a hurry. Garmin’s interface is generally built around quick access to key yardages and course information, which suits golf better than a cluttered smartwatch approach. The interchangeable bands also add flexibility if you want to wear it away from the course.

Is it good value for money?

At £324.99, this is much easier to justify than the original £999.99 RRP. The current price is also the all-time lowest, and it sits well below the £461.31 white version of the same watch. Compared with the Bushnell Tour V5 Patriot Pack Jolt rangefinder at £260.07, the Garmin costs more, but it offers more course intelligence, a smartwatch mode, and a broader feature set. Compared with the Garmin Approach S12 at £169.00, the S62 is a far more advanced option, but the S12 is better if you only want simple GPS yardages and longer GPS battery life at up to 30 hours.

What should buyers watch out for?

The main warning is that this is premium pricing for a golf watch, even at a discount. If you only want basic distances, the cheaper S12 makes more sense. Also, the Virtual Caddie and mapping features are useful, but they do not replace knowing your own yardages, and they will not help much if you do not trust or use the data.

How does it compare to alternatives?

Against the Bushnell Tour V5 Patriot Pack Jolt, the Garmin wins on feature depth and wearable convenience, while Bushnell is cheaper and highly rated at 4.6/5. Against the Garmin Approach S12, the S62 is the more advanced product by a wide margin, but the S12 is the value pick for golfers who do not need mapping, caddie suggestions, or smartwatch functions. If you want the most complete golf-specific experience in this comparison set, the S62 is the strongest all-rounder.

The Approach S62 is best for golfers who want a premium GPS watch that helps with strategy, not just distance. If you want basic yardages for less money, buy the S12; if you want a rangefinder and nothing else, the Bushnell remains the cheaper route.