Garmin Approach S70 vs Apple Watch Ultra 2 for Golf: Which Wrist GPS Wins?

This comparison comes up constantly, and I get why. You’re already wearing an Apple Watch every day. It has golf apps. It has GPS. It costs $799. Why would you spend another $600-700 on a Garmin that only does one thing?

Fair question. And the answer might surprise you depending on how seriously you take your golf game versus your daily tech needs.

Let’s cut through the marketing and figure out which one actually helps you play better.

GPS Accuracy: Not Even Close

The Garmin Approach S70 has 43,000+ preloaded courses with full-color CourseView maps rendered directly on the watch face. You see the entire hole layout — fairway shape, bunker positions, water hazards, green contours — all from your wrist. Distances update in real-time as you walk, and PlaysLike distance automatically adjusts for elevation changes.

The Apple Watch Ultra 2 relies entirely on third-party apps like 18Birdies, Golfshot, or Hole19. These apps pull course data from their own databases, render basic front/middle/back distances, and use the watch’s GPS for positioning.

Here’s where it falls apart: third-party golf app GPS accuracy on Apple Watch is noticeably less precise than Garmin’s dedicated system. Independent testing shows Apple Watch golf apps can be off by 5-10 yards on approach distances, especially on holes with significant elevation change. The Garmin is consistently within 1-2 yards of laser rangefinder measurements.

Five yards doesn’t sound like much until you’re between clubs on a 165-yard approach over water. Then it’s everything.

Course Features: Garmin’s Unfair Advantage

This is where the comparison becomes almost unfair.

Garmin S70 gives you:

• Full-color hole maps with drag-to-target for any point on the course
• Wind speed and direction overlay (pulled from local weather data)
• Virtual caddie that recommends clubs based on YOUR shot history
• Hazard distances — every bunker, water hazard, and OB stake
• Green view with pin placement adjustment
• PlaysLike distance factoring in elevation and wind
• Shot tracking with automatic club detection (with Approach CT10 sensors)
• Round stats, strokes gained analysis, and handicap tracking

Apple Watch Ultra 2 gives you:

• Front/middle/back distances (via third-party app)
• Basic shot tracking (some apps)
• Score entry
• …that’s about it

The Garmin is a caddie on your wrist. The Apple Watch is a yardage book with a battery life problem.

Battery Life: The Dealbreaker Nobody Talks About

The Garmin Approach S70 gets 15+ hours of GPS golf mode on a single charge. You can play 36 holes, forget to charge it, and still have juice for another round the next day. In smartwatch mode, it lasts up to 16 days.

The Apple Watch Ultra 2 gets roughly 4-5 hours with a GPS golf app running continuously. That’s one round. Maybe. If your round takes 5+ hours (and let’s be honest, if you’re playing a busy public course on a Saturday, it will), you might not make it to 18.

And you can’t exactly pause the golf app to save battery — you lose your round data. So you’re stuck watching your battery percentage tick down while you wait on the group ahead.

For a $799 device, that’s honestly embarrassing in a golf context.

The Daily Wear Factor

Here’s where Apple fights back, and it’s a legitimate argument.

The Apple Watch Ultra 2 is the best smartwatch on the planet. Notifications, calls, texts, Apple Pay, workout tracking, sleep tracking, health monitoring — it does everything, and it does it beautifully. You wear it all day, every day. Adding golf is just one more thing it does.

The Garmin Approach S70 is… a golf watch that also does some smartwatch stuff. It’ll show you notifications. It tracks basic fitness. But nobody’s buying a Garmin S70 to replace their Apple Watch for daily use. The interface is clunkier, the app ecosystem is tiny, and it doesn’t integrate with your iPhone the way Apple Watch does.

If you refuse to wear two watches — and that’s a completely reasonable position — the Apple Watch keeps you connected to your entire digital life while giving you adequate golf GPS. The Garmin gives you exceptional golf GPS while giving you adequate everything else.

The Hidden Cost Problem

Apple Watch Ultra 2: $799 for the watch, then $50-100/year for a golf app subscription to unlock full features. Over 3 years, you’re looking at $950-1,100 for a mediocre golf GPS experience.

Garmin Approach S70: $600-700 for the watch. Everything is included. No subscriptions. No in-app purchases. Every feature works out of the box, forever.

The “premium” Apple Watch actually costs more for a worse golf experience. That math doesn’t work.

What About a Rangefinder Instead?

Real talk: if your primary goal is accurate yardages, a $200 rangefinder paired with your existing Apple Watch gives you laser-accurate distances AND a great smartwatch. The Bushnell Tour V6 Shift destroys both watches on pure distance accuracy.

The Garmin S70’s advantage over a rangefinder is convenience (glance at your wrist vs. pull out a device) and the course management features (wind, virtual caddie, shot tracking) that a rangefinder can’t replicate.

But if you’re choosing between “Apple Watch + rangefinder” vs “Garmin S70 alone,” the first combo probably wins for most golfers.

The Verdict

If golf is your primary reason for buying a wrist GPS: Garmin Approach S70, and it’s not close. The course mapping, virtual caddie, wind data, and battery life create a gulf (pun intended) that no Apple Watch golf app can bridge. Read the full review here.

If you want ONE watch for everything and golf is a nice bonus: Apple Watch Ultra 2 with 18Birdies or Golfshot gives you passable GPS distances while being the best smartwatch money can buy. Just bring a portable charger.

The honest play for serious golfers: Keep your Apple Watch for daily life. Buy a Garmin S70 (or even the cheaper S44 at $350) for the course. Swap watches in the parking lot. Two watches sounds ridiculous until you realize it gives you the best of both worlds.

The budget play: Keep your Apple Watch. Buy a Precision Pro NX10 rangefinder for $200. Better distance accuracy than either watch, and you’ve saved $400-500.

Shop Garmin Approach S70 on Amazon → Shop Apple Watch Ultra 2 on Amazon →