Virtually all Garmin GPS golf watches are highly accurate and provide owners with maps for the same great library of tens of thousands of regulation golf courses located around the world. Garmin GPS golf watches generally come in two types – Very affordable or very costly. A Garmin Approach X40 review of its features versus its very affordable price shows.
The more affordable Garmin GPS golf watches generally sacrifice display resolution and styling to keep the price low. The costlier models offer a lot of additional functions as well as detailed map views in full color. The Garmin Approach X40 manages to do both
The Approach X40 looks and wears more like a cool-looking bracelet and has a very user-friendly touchscreen instead of input buttons. The only button is a flush-mounted elliptical power button located beneath the LCD display. The X40 has a very cool and comfortable black silicone band that contains the actual GPS unit and display. Smooth lines and a touch of texturing make it a truly stylish golf watch that gives you a high degree of accuracy to within about a yard of the target.
Pros:
- Contains GPS maps of 40,000+ golf courses around the world.
- Accurate to within about a yard.
- Comfortable and easy to use.
- Shot-tracker tracks distances and suggests clubs.
- 10-hour charge is good for 36 holes or more.
Cons:
- No overhead view of holes or flyovers.
- Watchband requires a bit of work to replace if it breaks.
Garmin Approach X40 Reivew: Golf Mode
When you arrive at one of the more than 40,000 included regulation golf courses, the Garmin X40 review of your GPS coordinates automatically loads the correct one. It will take a few minutes to sync with the satellite and load all 18 holes, but once done, it auto advances from one hole to the next.
You should turn on the golf mode as you arrive at the respective golf course so that the correct map and hole are ready when you reach the tee at the 1st or 10th holes to start your round. The initial data shows you the hole number, its par and the front, middle and back distances to the green.
The display shows data in gray letters, numbers and figures against a black background. You can read it easily in bright sunlight and get a full picture of any hazards or the green by using the appropriate function.
The hazards screen will show you the shape of each hazard and the distances to water hazards, sand traps, bunkers, doglegs and layups. You can get the best data on what areas to avoid and how far you need to send the ball to reach a safe landing spot and set up a good lie or easy putt.
When you get to the green, the green view will show the shape of the green as well as the front, middle and back distances. Unlike laser rangefinders that only give you one distance. You can manually adjust the pin for each hole so that it accurately reflects the cup’s location for that day. The GPS unit will adjust the numbers and tell you the distance to the pin as well as the front and back of the green.
A shot-tracking feature will tell you how far you hit each shot. An electronic scorecard lets you manually track your score and records the distance of each shot and club that you used. That data gets stored using the Garmin Connect app that comes with the Approach X40. It can suggest clubs based on the distance of the shot you need to make and your average distance with each club or iron in your golf bag.
Garmin Approach X40 Review: General Dimensions and Build Quality
The Garmin Approach X40 is designed to fit and work more like a fitness tracker instead of a conventional watch. The fitness tracker design enables it to fit more sleekly and comfortably while staying out of the way of your golf swings and other activities. It weighs about an ounce, and its black polymer body measures 2.5 inches tall by 0.8 inches wide by a half-inch thick.
Water resistant Approach X40 has a monochromatic LCD touchscreen that measures 1 inch tall by about a half inch wide. A power button is located and the underside and shows the battery power level. A USB connection lets charge the battery and upload data and download new golf course maps. So does Bluetooth and
The internal lithium battery takes a full charge via an included USB cable that lets you use any USB port to charge the battery. The Garmin X40 review of the battery shows it gives you up to 10 hours of power from a single charge while in GPS mode and five days while in fitness mode.
Garmin Approach X40 Review: Multisport Functions
In addition to the golf functions, a Garmin Approach X40 review of its multisport capabilities shows that it also works as a cardio monitor and activity tracker. The activity tracker gives you data on your current and recent levels of activity. That helps you to know when you are being too sedate and maybe need to get active and stay in better general health.
Garmin’s Elevate heart rate technology detects your pulse at the wrist and tells you how many beats per minute your heart is working while playing golf, running, cycling or doing other strenuous activity. It also tells you your average heart rate while you are resting.
The Approach X40 enables continuous cloud connectivity via Bluetooth and enables you to receive and read messages while on the golf course or engage in other activities. While some golfers might get annoyed at messages during a round, it does help you to stay connected in case of a family emergency or other critically important matter suddenly arises. It also helps you to tell others when you will be available after your round while also sharing your great scores.
Garmin Approach X40 Review: Why Should I Buy a Garmin Approach X40?
The Garmin Approach X40 review of features shows that it is a very compact and comfortable golf GPS unit that smartly is based on the fitness band design more than a conventional watch. It gives you very good distance data that helps you to make the best club and swing choices on virtually any golf course included among the more than 40,000 in the Garmin library.
The accuracy is excellent, the hazards and green views really enable better shot selection, and it is a very affordably priced unit that you will be happy to keep handy. If you participate in other sports or fitness activities, the fitness features really come in handy and make the Garmin Approach X40 an even better value for its owners.
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