Garmin Approach S72: I Tested the New Golf Features on the Course

The Garmin Approach S72 has arrived, bringing some significant new features to Garmin’s flagship golf smartwatch. But with a price tag of £699.99/$799.99, is it really worth considering, particularly if you already own the excellent Approach S70?

I’ve now played 36 holes of golf and spent time on the driving range with the new S72, testing its putting analytics, aerial course maps and swing mechanics features.

And while one of those features has genuinely impressed me far more than I expected, another has left me feeling a little disappointed.

These are my early impressions of Garmin’s latest golf watch, including what’s changed, what hasn’t, and whether I think it’s worth upgrading.

This isn’t my full in-depth review. I’ll be spending considerably more time testing battery life, GPS accuracy and the broader health and fitness features before reaching a final verdict.

Design and Display: A Familiar Watch With Some Welcome Improvements

At first glance, the Approach S72 doesn’t look dramatically different from the S70. However, Garmin has made some subtle improvements that give the watch a cleaner, sharper appearance.

The slimmer titanium bezel makes the 47mm model appear to have a larger screen, although the actual display size remains the same as the previous S70. Garmin has confirmed that the new display is slightly brighter, though.

Interestingly, the smaller 43mm version does benefit from a slightly larger display than its predecessor.

Another welcome upgrade is that the 43mm S72 now features dual-band GPS, something previously missing from the smaller S70. Both S72 sizes now benefit from this technology, which can improve positioning accuracy in more challenging environments, such as under tree cover.

I’ve been testing the larger 47mm model, and despite generally preferring smaller watches, I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how comfortable it is.

It’s lightweight, doesn’t feel intrusive on my wrist and hasn’t interfered with my golf swing.

The new ComfortFit fabric strap is also exactly what its name suggests: comfortable. Whether I’d prefer it to a traditional silicone strap for everyday wear is another question, but on the golf course, I’ve had absolutely no complaints.

The Core Golf Experience: Very Similar to the S70

If you’re coming from a Garmin Approach S70, you’ll feel right at home using the S72.

The fundamental golf interface remains largely unchanged, with front, middle and back yardages displayed alongside a graphical representation of the hole.

You still get Garmin’s excellent PlaysLike distances, which can factor in elevation changes and environmental conditions, along with detailed hole maps, hazard information and touch targeting.

Virtual Caddie also makes a return, suggesting clubs based on your previous performance and the situation you’re facing. It’s a feature I’ve always appreciated, particularly when it suggests playing more conservatively rather than automatically trying to reach the green.

Automatic shot-distance tracking and club tracking are also still available.

However, one important difference is that the S72 can now associate individual tracked shots with the new swing mechanics data. That means you can review a particular shot after your round and investigate what your wrists and swing were doing when you hit it.

It’s a clever addition, which I’ll explore in more detail shortly.

Otherwise, the fundamental on-course experience remains very similar to the S70.

New Putting Analytics: The Feature That Surprised Me Most

Of all the new golf features, this is the one I’ve enjoyed using far more than I expected.

Previous Garmin watches have offered green contour maps through the Garmin Golf subscription, but I’ve never found them particularly essential.

They’ve occasionally helped me decide where to aim an approach shot, particularly when playing an unfamiliar course, but I’ve rarely used them to help read putts.

The S72 introduces something rather more interesting.

How the new putting feature works

When you reach the green, you walk up to the flag and press the button to mark its location. You then return to your ball, where the watch can display two useful measurements:

• The percentage of uphill or downhill slope.
• The percentage of left-to-right or right-to-left break.

Alongside the familiar green contour map, this gives you a much clearer indication of what a putt might do.

And after playing two rounds with it, I’m surprisingly impressed.

Testing on exceptionally fast greens

My first round was at The Shire in North London, where the greens were reportedly running at 14 on the Stimpmeter.

Yes, 14!

They were comfortably the fastest greens I’ve ever played, and if you’ve played The Shire before, you’ll already know how challenging those putting surfaces can be.

On several occasions, the S72 highlighted breaks that I genuinely hadn’t noticed myself.

For my second round, I returned to my home course at Romford Golf Club, where the greens are considerably more subtle.

Here, I started to learn a little more about interpreting the percentages. Personally, I found that I wasn’t paying too much attention to readings below 1%, as the actual break could be very slight.

There were also a few occasions when the ball broke in a slightly different direction from what the watch suggested.

So, it’s certainly not something I’d rely on completely.

However, for more significant slopes, and particularly when judging uphill or downhill putts, I found the information genuinely helpful.

Having a better understanding of the slope before making a stroke can only be a good thing, particularly when you’re trying to judge pace.

The downside: You’ll need a subscription

Unfortunately, the new putting analytics are part of Garmin’s paid Golf membership.

And while I appreciate what Garmin is developing here, I’m still not particularly enthusiastic about paying an additional subscription for golf features on a watch that already costs £700.

That’s especially true when other manufacturers offer green contour information without ongoing subscription fees.

Nevertheless, judged purely on its usefulness, the new putting feature has been my biggest positive surprise so far.

Aerial Course Maps: Impressive on Paper, Less So in Practice

The new aerial course maps were one of the headline additions when Garmin announced the S72.

In Garmin’s promotional images, they look fantastic, displaying realistic overhead imagery of the golf course rather than the traditional graphical maps.

Unfortunately, my experience so far hasn’t quite lived up to those expectations.

First, I actually prefer the appearance of Garmin’s traditional maps.

The graphical versions have stronger contrast and more vibrant colours, which I find easier to read quickly when standing on the golf course.

The aerial imagery, by comparison, can look a little dull.

More importantly, I’ve also noticed some lag when loading the aerial maps. The imagery can take a moment to appear, which makes the experience feel slightly less responsive than I’d hoped.

It’s not a major problem, and certainly hasn’t ruined my experience with the watch. However, considering the price, I expected things to feel a little snappier.

This is something that could potentially improve through future software updates, although there’s no guarantee.

For now, I suspect I’ll continue using Garmin’s traditional graphical maps.

It’s also worth highlighting that the aerial maps are another feature requiring a Garmin Golf subscription.

Swing Mechanics: Lots of Information, But What Does It Mean?

The new swing mechanics functionality is arguably one of the most technically interesting additions to the S72.

The watch uses its sensors to record measurements relating to your golf swing, including hand speed, swing length, wrist rotation, swing plane and transition.

During a round, the watch can associate those measurements with individual tracked shots, which can then be reviewed afterwards in the Garmin Golf app.

You can’t inspect that information on the watch during your round, but I can understand the reasoning. The last thing golfers need is another reason to spend several minutes analysing information between shots!

Testing swing mechanics on the driving range

I think the dedicated driving range mode is where this functionality could prove most useful.

Once you’ve selected the club you’re hitting, the watch detects your shots and displays swing mechanics information after each swing.

The presentation is excellent. The displays are clean, clear and easy to navigate.

But there’s an important distinction between being able to read the numbers and knowing what to do with them.

I went to the driving range, started hitting balls and quickly realised I wasn’t entirely sure how to interpret some of the measurements.

For example, I could see information relating to my wrist rotation and the difference between my backswing and downswing measurements.

But was a particular number good or bad? What should I actually be trying to achieve?

That’s where I felt the feature currently falls a little short.

There are explanations of the measurements within the Garmin Golf app, but I would have liked more guidance directly on the watch.

And, of course, a measurement of your wrist movement or swing plane doesn’t necessarily tell the whole story of your golf swing.

Who will benefit from this feature?

I can see this being incredibly interesting for golfers working with a coach, particularly if they’ve been given specific swing changes to work towards.

For example, if your coach wants you to change your wrist position at the top of your backswing, having a measurement you can monitor during practice could be genuinely useful.

Equally, being able to review swing measurements alongside individual shots after a round could help you identify patterns.

But for somebody like me, turning up at the driving range without a specific technical goal, the information initially felt a little overwhelming.

The potential is certainly there. I just think the watch could do more to help golfers understand how to make use of that information.

One positive worth mentioning is that the swing mechanics functionality isn’t locked behind Garmin’s subscription.

Will the New S72 Features Come to the Fenix 9 or S70?

This was one of the most common questions following my original S72 announcement video.

I had the opportunity to speak with Garmin representatives about whether the putting analytics, aerial maps and swing mechanics might eventually appear on other Garmin watches.

Unfortunately, Garmin couldn’t confirm or deny any future plans.

However, my understanding is that features such as the putting analytics and aerial maps could potentially be introduced to the Fenix range in the future.

Garmin has previously launched new golf features exclusively on particular devices before making them available more widely, so it wouldn’t necessarily be unprecedented.

The swing mechanics functionality is a different question, as I’m less certain whether it relies on sensors or hardware specific to the S72.

As for the older Approach S70, I think those updates are less likely.

Garmin explained that technical improvements within the S72 help enable the new functionality, particularly the real-time green-reading calculations.

That suggests there may be hardware limitations to consider with previous models.

To be absolutely clear, none of these potential future updates has been confirmed by Garmin. These are my interpretations based on the conversation and the technology involved.

I certainly wouldn’t purchase another Garmin watch assuming that these features will eventually arrive.

Battery Life and Everyday Smartwatch Features

It’s still too early for me to provide a definitive battery-life assessment, but I can share one initial result.

During an 18-hole round involving plenty of interaction with the watch, including filming and testing its features, the battery dropped from 100% to 80%.

That was with the always-on display disabled.

I’ll be testing battery life much more extensively over the coming weeks.

An unexpectedly useful LED flashlight

One of the smaller additions I’ve already found surprisingly useful is the built-in LED flashlight.

The red light was particularly handy when going to bed without wanting to wake my wife, while the white flashlight also proved useful when reading my son’s bedtime story.

He found the watch rather amusing. Unfortunately, I don’t think it was my storytelling!

It’s one of those little features that might not sound particularly exciting on paper, but can prove genuinely practical.

Better iPhone notification controls

Another welcome improvement is the ability to customise which individual app notifications appear on the watch when using an iPhone.

Previously, I’ve found Garmin’s notification settings on iOS rather frustrating because I couldn’t easily choose individual apps.

Now I can receive WhatsApp notifications while disabling alerts from other applications.

For me, that’s a genuinely useful improvement to the everyday smartwatch experience.

The S72 also introduces more sophisticated navigation functionality, similar to what Garmin offers on its Fenix watches, although that’s something I’ll explore further in the full review.

Garmin Approach S72 vs S70: Is It Worth Upgrading?

This is probably the biggest question for existing Garmin golf watch owners.

And after my initial testing, my answer is fairly straightforward.

I haven’t yet seen enough to suggest that every S70 owner should rush out and upgrade to the S72.

There are some excellent new features here. The putting analytics have impressed me, the swing mechanics have plenty of potential, and the watch itself feels extremely comfortable.

However, the fundamental golf experience remains largely unchanged.

Front, middle and back yardages, PlaysLike distances, hole maps, hazard information, Virtual Caddie and shot tracking are all familiar territory.

If you’re happy with your S70, I think there’s a very reasonable argument for keeping it, particularly given the S72’s asking price.

On the other hand, if you’re coming from an older S62, or you particularly want Garmin’s latest golf technology, the S72 becomes a much more compelling proposition.

The Fenix 9 presents a slightly different decision. The S72 is very much designed with golfers in mind, whereas the Fenix offers a more rugged design and broader outdoor appeal.

Which is right for you will depend on what you want from your watch beyond the golf course.

Early Verdict: Is the Garmin Approach S72 Worth £700?

After 36 holes and a driving range session, I’ve come away feeling positive about the Garmin Approach S72.

The new putting analytics are the standout addition for me so far, delivering more practical value than I expected.

The swing mechanics are promising, especially for golfers taking a structured approach to improving their swing, although I’d like to see more guidance about interpreting the data.

The aerial maps have been my biggest disappointment, mainly because I prefer the clearer traditional graphics and have noticed some lag when loading the imagery.

And while I’m pleased Garmin continues to develop its premium golf watches, I’m still not convinced about locking additional golf features behind a subscription on such an expensive device.

Ultimately, the S72 feels like an evolution of the S70 rather than a revolution.

That’s not necessarily a criticism. The S70 was already an excellent golf watch, and Garmin has built on that foundation with some interesting technology.

But £700/$800 is a considerable investment. That’s a lot of golf lessons or a meaningful contribution towards a new set of clubs.

If you already own an S70, I wouldn’t feel pressured to upgrade just yet. If you’re using an older Garmin watch, or you’re particularly interested in the new golf features, the S72 is certainly worth considering.

I’ll be spending more time with the watch before making my final recommendation.

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