Golf Buddy WTX vs Garmin Approach s60 – GPS Golf Watch Comparison

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Looking for an accurate and reliable device that gives you exact yardages every time?

Want a tool that you can wear – instead of carry – on the course?  During your entire round?

Do you want a golf watch that is lightweight? How about one with built-in GPS that is so small and comfortable that it will not UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES interfere with your swing?

If you’ve been trying to make a decision about which GPS golf watch to buy you came to the right place.

If this sounds like you, check out my GPS Golf Watch Comparison Guide below before you decide!

Tale of the Tape

Golf Buddy WTX	Garmin Approach s60
HIGHLIGHTS	HIGHLIGHTS
1.2″ Screen (Face) Bluetooth compatible 240 x 204 pixels Comfortable Silicone Band Lithium Battery Powered Charger Item Weight: 1.8 ounces Over 38,000 pre-loaded golf courses Extremely Affordable	1.2″ Screen (Face) Bluetooth compatible 240 x 204 pixels Comfortable Silicone Band Lithium Battery Powered Charger Item Weight: 1.6 ounces Over 40,000 pre-loaded golf courses Much More Expensive
OVERVIEW	OVERVIEW
The Golf Buddy WTX GPS Golf Watch offers both Golf GPS and Smart Watch features in a fashionable package. The Golf Buddy WTX can be worn on or off the course. This watch is Bluetooth compatible, which allows the user to update software and sync courses using GolfBuddy’s smartphone app. The WTX also comes with full target and hazard information, Dynamic Green View, and Pin Placement features.	The Garmin Approach S60 GPS Golf Watch gives you the most important information you need for your round — displayed on a large, 1.2-inch sunlight readable color touchscreen — and it is extremely accurate. The QuickFit band allows for quick changing without any tools to save you valuable time. The s60 quickly gets your location using GPS to show precise yardages to any target on full-color course maps.
INCLUDES	INCLUDES
1 Lithium Ion Battery Instruction Manual	1 Lithium Ion Battery Instruction Manual
PROS & CONS	PROS & CONS
PRO: Easy-to-use PRO: Very Comfortable Silicone Band PRO: Over 38,000 pre-loaded golf courses PRO: Very AffordableCON: Less Crisp Display	PRO: Crystal-clear LCD Display PRO: 10 Hours of battery Life PRO: Over 40,000 pre-loaded golf courses PRO: Easy to useCON: More Expensive
Read Customer Reviews on Amazon	Read Customer Reviews on Amazon

My Take

If I had only a few words to describe how I felt when using the Golf Buddy WTX versus the Garmin Approach s60, I would say that the yardages and feel of the Garmin Approach s60 were superior to the Golf Buddy WTX. Both GPS golf watches were very comfortable to wear and provided yardages to the pin, hazards, and other targets with accuracy that wasn’t quite as precise as a high-end golf rangefinder like the Bushnell X2 – but very close.

This is certainly not a knock on either the WTX or the s60 Approach. I don’t think that most users would expect a wearable GPS device to be quite as accurate as a laser rangefinder. The problem is that one of these watches is just as expensive!

Going in – I knew that the s60 was a couple hundred dollars more than the Golf Buddy WTX – so I had expectations of the s60 that were, perhaps, unrealistically high – in order to justify the significantly higher price-point of the Garmin Approach.

The cool thing is that after about 2 – 3 rounds with each of these GPS watches, I was able to dial in my yardages and understand exactly what feedback I was getting from each device pretty smoothly. I learned how to interpret the data, as well as to know – immediately – what adjustments I needed to make before hitting my next shot.

Both watches were easy to use, but I felt that I became familiar with the various settings and user  interface of the Garmin s60 Approach a little more quickly than I did with the GolfBuddy WTX.

The backlit display of each watch was a really nice feature, but I liked the ultra-crisp in-your-face LCD display of the Garmin a little more. I also felt that the display of the s60 was super-easy to read in even low-light conditions. Its display was especially vivid in bright sunlight, as well.

But the question still remains: Is the Garmin s60 Approach that much better when compared to the Golf Buddy WTX that it justifies the almost $200 price difference?

Read on to find out!

Major Differences Between the Garmin s60 and Golf Buddy WTX GPS Golf Watches

For convenience, I have highlighted the differences between these two wearable GPS devices in the comparison chart above, but let’s talk about specifics in this section of the article.

As I’ve already mentioned (and you KNOW if you’ve been shopping for a GPS Golf Watch for awhile) the biggest difference between these two items is the price. The last time I checked, the Garmin s60 Approach cost around two-hundred dollars more than the GolfBuddy WTX.

Now that that’s out of the way, here are a few of the more subtle distinctions between these two wearable GPS devices.

The first is the weight of each. Both weigh less than 2 ounces – so neither will cause any type of fatigue or interfere with your golf swing at all! The Garmin s60 Approach weighs about 1.6 ounces, while the Golf Buddy WTX is only very slightly heavier at 1.8 ounces.

It’s not the difference in weights that makes really any difference to the user – it’s the quality of the craftsmanship and the robustness of the technology that separates these two GPS watches.

The WTX and s60 both have intuitive user-interfaces that respond to touch very quickly. Both watches allow the user to update golf course data via Bluetooth through their respective Smartphone apps. Both watches display the layout of each golf hole, along with player position in a clear and easy to understand format.

Both GPS Golf Watches claim to provide accurate distances to the pin and to various hazards on any given hole. Both devices claim to be among the most accurate golf watches available on the market today. Both come pre-loaded with more than enough golf courses to last a lifetime. My thoughts are that one is definitely better at dialing up distances and looks a little more stylish, while the other gets the edge at a more intuitive user interface.

Read on to see which one of these does certain things better.

Conclusion

When I first started researching the most popular GPS Golf watches for this review, I expected that the Garmin s60 Approach would be one of the finalists due to its popularity and hundreds of positive reviews on Amazon, but I was somewhat surprised that the other golf watch that I liked a lot was the Golf Buddy WTX.

I found the GolfBuddy information to be reliably accurate within 5-6 yards of what top laser rangefinders provide. The WTX comes with a ton of pre-loaded courses and it looks nice and feels comfortable when wearing it all day long. One negative that I can’t overlook is that the display of the WTX, which is supposed to be activated when my arm is raised and automatically shut off when my arm was lowered, wasn’t always reliable.

However, I was able to manually activate the display by touching the screen lightly. I was also able to easily change the default setting to keep the display on constantly while playing my round.

Connecting the WTX to a smart phone or other blue tooth device definitely REDUCES battery life so it’s important to be conscious of this when playing your round. The good news is that the battery recharges quickly.

Of the various display screens on the Golf Buddy WTX, the Hole Layout is my absolute favorite  screen. It displayed my precise location on a pre-loaded map of the fairway. It also showed the distances from 200, 150, and 100 yards out to the center of the green.

The Hazard Information screen is also useful and easy to understand. Changing from one display to another was accomplished by swiping my finger either up and down or from side to side on the face – something that anyone who uses a smartphone or tablet will understand immediately.

In addition to playing a couple rounds with the Golf Buddy watch, I also played 2-3 rounds with the Garmin s60 Approach. The feature I was most excited to try out was the shot tracking. Having the ability to review my entire round and being able to visually see all of my shots and where they ended up was something I didn’t even realize was possible with a GPS watch.

The shot tracking feature, as well as reviewing my shots worked without a hitch. The functions on the s60 Approach are so intuitive I felt like I didn’t even need the instruction manual.

Yardage readings were extremely accurate and I felt that the accuracy of the Garmin, as well as the intuitive nature of this watch, is what gave the edge to the s60. However, the question still remains: Is a few yards of added accuracy and a watch that’s slightly easier to use worth two-hundred dollars more?

For a high-level competitive golfer the answer is YES. For myself and other beginners, I’d rather save the money and buy an awesome new golf driver instead!

As I mentioned above, another thing that set the Garmin Approach s60 apart was that its LCD display is perfectly visible in direct sunlight. Another neat feature is that the s60 displays the yardage of each shot automatically, without having to switch screens or press anything.

Finally, there are over a hundred different digital watch faces to choose from, so you can easily change the appearance of the s60 anytime you like.

Another thing I really liked about the Garmin s60 Approach was the availability of additional apps. This watch really provided immediate and accurate yardages, while ALSO tracking all of my shots during the round for review. It was very comfortable and had a longer battery life than the WTX.

So, ultimately, it comes down to the decision whether some of the additional features of the Garmin s60 Approach are worth the considerably higher price-point. That really depends on your budget.

Even though I’m declaring the Approach s60 the winner in my comparison of these two GPS Golf Watches, I would rather save the extra money and just get the Golf Buddy WTX – you won’t be disappointed no matter which device you choose!

Winner: Garmin s60 Approach (if you can afford it)

Happy Golfing!