The Golfbuddy W10 GPS watch has a lot of nice features and design elements which make it worth considering if you’re in the market for a new golf watch, but it does depend on the price you can find it for.
I’ve used the W10 for several rounds, so in this review I’ll let you know not just the technical feature of the watch but also what it’s actually like to use out on the golf course!
If you’d rather watch my video review instead, I’ve included it here for you.
Before I go any further in this review, I want to talk about the price of the unit. The RRP on the Golfbuddy website is £250. At this price, it feels a little steep, as although the watch has a lot of nice features, it’s far from perfect. However, you can pick it up on on Amazon UK for £199 here, and for $178 on Amazon US here.
So the watch has a 1.3″ full colour touchscreen LCD display. I was really impressed with the sharpness of the screen, and I had no problems seeing the details while out in the sun. The touch screen is responsive enough, it’s not setting any records and doesn’t feel quite a smooth as an iWatch, but it didn’t cause me any issues either.
The watch comes with 40,000 courses from over 170 countries, and can be updated via bluetooth connection to you phone.
The screen has various options while on a hole. You can either have it showing you the front, middle and back yardages to the green, or you can have a hole map, showing you the layout of the hole and any hazards you may want to avoid. you can also zoom in on the hole if you need some more detail.
The hole layout view also has a dual arc system which is a nice feature, as it shows you where you’ll be if you it your shot 200, 150 or 100 yards, as well as where you need to be to have 200, 150 and 100 yards in to the green.
Another feature of the watch is that is can provide a detailed green view, specifically highlighting the undulations using a colour system – red for high spots and blue for low spots. However, this isn’t available for every course so it depends what GPS data is available for where you play. I wasn’t able to test this feature myself.
The watch has a digital scorecard, allowing you to track your score and number of putts. However, although the unit does have bluetooth connectivity to allow for updates, there’s no way to get your scores off the watch. So it’ handy to keep your score as a back up, but you can’t track any stats from it which is a little disappointing.
The watch itself has a modern design, but is a little bulky on my skinny wrists (I have to use the iWatch 38mm due to my tiny child-like wrists), so it will look fine on most people. However the plastic material used for the bezel does feel a little cheap. Personally I wouldn’t really want to use the watch off the course.
The strap however does feel of good quality. It has a red white and blue textured design, with a rubber backing. While I like the sporty look for the watch, it doesn’t lend itself for being worn off the course. Also, if you have skinny wrists like me, you’ll need to create your own strap hole with a punch, as the watch just spins on my wrist when on the smallest setting.
The battery claims it will be good for 11 hours of continuous use. I used it for 2 rounds in a row with a charge and it was absolutely fine. The watch is also IP67 rated so suitable for use in heavy rain.
So for £200 what are you not getting? Well the main things you might miss are the ability to record the distances you hit your shots, as well as the ability to suggest which club you may want to hit based on previous shots. If you’re paying full price for this watch, I’d probably suggest spending the little bit of extra money for something like a Garmin S40 for £234 (click here for UK Amazon or here for US Amazon), or even a refurbished Garmin S60 for £239 (click here for UK Amazon or here for US Amazon).
Overall, I was quite impressed with this watch. So long as you can buy it from under £200, I think you’re getting a fairly good watch for your money. It doesn’t come with every feature you could wish for, but it certainly does it’s job well out on the course, and at an attractive price point
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