Garmin Method S44 GPS Golf Watch
What We Like
Slim, fashionable smartwatch – sufficient options with out overwhelming you
Nice AMOLED show, customizable watch faces
Serviceable – for essentially the most half – GPS
What We Don't Like
GPS doesn't mechanically advance to the subsequent gap periodically
No full gap mapping until you purchase the annual subscription ($99/yr)
Shot monitoring perform misses pictures, including them in post-round modifying shouldn’t be straightforward or intuitive
Stats and analytics package deal could be very primary
The Backside Line
It’s an excellent good look ahead to the worth. Nonetheless, the GPS perform has glitches, and the shot monitoring perform is mediocre at greatest. There are much better GPS and shot-tracking choices obtainable in the identical value vary.
Examine Worth$299.99
Garmin Method S44 GPS Golf Watch
Examine Worth $299.99
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What We Tried:
There may be a variety of cool gear within the golf world that doesn’t all the time match into Most Needed Checks or Purchaser’s Guides. You continue to wish to know the way it performs. In our We Tried It collection, we put gear to the check and allow you to know if it really works as marketed.
Garmin Method S44 golf watch
Your approachable timepiece tester
John Barba – The one MyGolfSpy staffer sufficiently old to recollect sundials
We Tried It: Garmin Method S44 GPF golf watch
We have to perceive one thing proper off the bat. Buddies, there are a LOT of GPS golf watches on the market. They vary from low-cost and easy to that Megatron Garmin watch Connor reviewed a few weeks in the past. That’s a variety and the brand new Garmin Method S44 is about as within the center as you may get.
We have to put the S44 into the proper place in Garmin’s space-time continuum. The Garmin Fenix 8 is the Lamborghini of sports activities watches. I imply, it has a freaking flashlight. It additionally sells for almost $1,100. It’s additionally not on the prime finish of Garmin’s golf watch providing. That may be the MARQ® – Carbon Version that goes for $3,100.
On the opposite finish of the continuum is the Method S12 which prices $199. It’s feature-rich for the worth however it has a black-and-white display screen with primary performance.
The S44 ($299.99) and its working mate, the S50 ($399.99), are Garmin’s efforts to bridge the hole between the essential S12 and the top-end Method S70 ($649.99-$699.99).
After utilizing it for a couple of rounds of Florida golf and sporting it as a look ahead to the previous month, I can say two issues concerning the S44.
First, it’s a dandy wristwatch. It’s lighter and extra compact than the S70 and it seems to be higher in your wrist.
Second, it’s solely a so-so golf watch.
Garmin S44 (proper) vs S70
So-so? How so?
The Garmin Method S44 GPS watch, for the worth, does offer you some glorious options. It does all of the belongings you’d count on from a smartwatch like rely steps, remind you to get off your ass and transfer and provide you with a warning to texts, emails and cellphone calls. The S44 additionally tracks primary exercises like strolling, working, biking and swimming. It does different stuff like maintain a calendar, inform the climate, monitor energy burned and some different niceties.
Oh, it tells time, too.
Inform you what: for $299, it’s most likely price it proper there.
In terms of golf, nevertheless, it’s lower than regular Garmin requirements.
The place the S70 provides you full gap mapping on its AMOLED show, the S44 provides you an abbreviated look. It’s serviceable however different units in the identical value vary provide the total gap view. You do get the fundamentals: entrance, center and again distances plus layup and carry distances for hazards and doglegs. It additionally has an easy-to-use scorecard system.
You should buy an improve package deal for the S44 that can present with inexperienced maps and “plays like” distances which take elevation, wind and different components under consideration. That runs $99 per yr.
All that’s nicely and good however the place the S44 fell down on the job for me was on the course.
On-course struggles
In its primary activity of telling me how far-off I used to be from the place I wished to go, the S44 labored nice – till it didn’t. On consecutive rounds, I had the identical situation: the watch wouldn’t advance to the subsequent gap. After seamlessly leaping from the inexperienced view to the scorecard to the subsequent gap for 9 or 10 holes, the S44 would, for causes I haven’t discovered, keep on inexperienced view for the earlier gap. On a few events, I didn’t discover it till I used to be on the golf green, a 140-yard method and the watch telling me I’m over 250 yards from the inexperienced.
The issue isn’t distinctive to Garmin. I’ve had this occur a time or two with the Shot Scope X5 as nicely. The on-course adjustment isn’t laborious. You go to the primary menu and again out of the outlet you’re caught on. Then you choose “Change Hole,” scroll to the proper gap, press the button and, voila, you’re again in enterprise.
There are two points, nevertheless. First, it messes up your scorecard. That’s annoying however the place it will get problematic is with shot monitoring.
The Garmin S44, S50 and S70 watches all provide sensor-free shot-tracking capabilities. The watch detects a shot at influence after which asks you what membership you hit. You choose the membership utilizing the contact display screen and the data is saved. After the spherical, you join the watch to your pc by way of the USB-C charging twine. It’ll sync up with the desktop app and add all the data.
In concept, it’s an important system. There are, nevertheless, a couple of drawbacks.
Glitches are sure to occur, however …
Tee to inexperienced, the Garmin Method S44 GPS watch works high quality. It picks up most pictures with out utilizing sensors. Nonetheless, if you wish to monitor putts and chips, you’ll want to purchase a set of Garmin CT10 sensors ($79.99 for 3, $299.99 for 14).
Now, I don’t care whether or not you utilize Arccos, Shot Scope or Garmin, any shot-tracking machine will miss pictures. I discovered Arccos unusable on this respect whereas Shot Scope has been essentially the most dependable. The Garmin S44 missed extra pictures than you’d count on. Moreover, with Shot Scope and Arccos, you may simply add missed pictures in post-round modifying. The Garmin app makes including missed tee pictures nearly not possible.
If you add in the truth that the S44 tends to get misplaced on the course and never advance to the subsequent gap, you get shot-tracking information that appears like this:
I’ve used the S70 on among the identical programs because the S44 and didn’t expertise any of the identical quirkiness. Sure, it could miss the occasional shot however not almost as many because the S44 and it by no means as soon as acquired misplaced going from gap to gap.
Is the Garmin Method S44 GPS watch a superb worth?
This will sound loopy after the final a number of paragraphs however I’m going to have to offer it the massive ol’ “it relies upon.“
The Garmin S70 is in each means a superior watch however beginning at $649.99, it could be extra watch than you need. For those who’re on the lookout for an excellent smartwatch with serviceable GPS features and primary shot-tracking however with a unusual character, the S44 isn’t a foul selection.
The Garmin S44 (backside) in comparison with S70
If, nevertheless, you’re on the lookout for GPS with full gap mapping, shot monitoring and a stout analytics package deal, the Shot Scope X5 ($299.99 with contact display screen) or V5 ($249.99 no contact display screen) are much better selections. There’s additionally no annual subscription price. Neither Shot Scope watch, nevertheless, works nicely as an on a regular basis smartwatch.
If I have been selecting between the S44 and an Apple Look ahead to on a regular basis use, it’s a more durable resolution. As I stated, the S44 is a dandy smartwatch that doesn’t overwhelm you with options you would possibly by no means use. It’s a $50 premium over the essential Apple Watch SE however is $100 cheaper than the bottom mannequin Sequence 10 and $500 lower than the Extremely 2. You probably have an Apple Watch, paid-for GPS apps like Golfshot are higher at GPS and significantly better at shot monitoring.
The Garmin Method S44 GPS watch: The ultimate phrase
To be honest, at this very second as I write this text, I’m sporting the S44. I’ve been sporting it daily for the previous month. It’s a extremely good smartwatch in a a lot sleeker package deal than the extra highly effective S70. The battery has been going for 2 weeks and remains to be at about 20 p.c energy and it simply now jogged my memory to stand up and transfer these outdated bones round.
So, earlier than I’m going stroll the canine, let me depart you with this. If you need an excellent on a regular basis smartwatch that’s a serviceable GPS machine and a mediocre shot tracker for below $300, you could possibly do worse than the Garmin Method S44. If you need a far superior GPS and shot-tracking expertise for below $300, you may’t do significantly better than the Shot Scope V5 or X5.
Nonetheless, For those who hit the lottery, go for the S70 or see if Connor will promote you his Fenix 8.
The put up Why The Garmin Method S44 GPS Watch Is Variety Of A Disappointment appeared first on MyGolfSpy.
