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Garmin Approach S44 · Photo source

Garmin Approach S44
Photo 1 of 34

Garmin Approach S44 · Photo source

Garmin · Approach

Approach S44

Released January 2025

Approach S44 is a 43 mm AMOLED golf GPS watch with green yardages, hazard view, automatic shot detection and a silicone band.

Type
Smart and sports
Sizes
43 mm
Movement
–
Power reserve
–
Display
OLED
Battery
10 days
Water
50 m
GPS
Single-band
Weight
42 g

What reviewers say

Reviewers liked the bright display, slim fit and straightforward controls. Plugged In Golf found distances close to course markers and its laser, and appreciated the simple scorecard and notifications. MyGolfSpy agreed on comfort and display quality but encountered repeated failures to advance holes and missed shots, with awkward editing afterwards. Both noted that fuller golf features cost extra through membership. Their on-course reliability findings differed, so the reported glitches should not be treated as a universal result.

From pluggedingolf.com and mygolfspy.com

Specifications

Report a wrong or missing spec

Display

Case sizes
43 mm
Panel
OLED
Always-on display
Yes
Display detail
30.4 mm (1.2 inch) AMOLED touchscreen, 390 x 390 pixels; optional always-on display, ambient-light sensor and large-font option. Two physical buttons.
Screen protection
Corning Gorilla Glass 3 lens.

Health and fitness

ECG
No
Blood oxygen
No
Skin temperature
No
Sleep apnoea alerts
No
High blood pressure alerts
No
Body composition
No
Fall detection
No
Crash detection
No
GPS
Single-band
Water resistance
50 m
Sensors
GPS, GLONASS and Galileo; compass, gyroscope, accelerometer and ambient-light sensor. No multi-band positioning or wrist heart-rate sensor. Do not infer a heart-rate sensor from generic heart-rate alert wording in the cycling table.
Health features
Step counting, move alerts, automatic daily step goal, calories, distance and intensity minutes. No wrist heart rate, Pulse Ox, sleep/stress monitoring or Body Battery; these belong to the S50. The current maker table and October 2025 guide document activity tracking beyond the step-only description in an April 2025 review.
Fitness features
Over 43,000 preloaded golf courses; front/middle/back green distances, hazards, layups/doglegs, Green View with manual pin position, PinPointer, digital scorecard, handicap scoring, statistics, Swing Tempo and custom targets. AutoShot detects shots and measures distance without tags; it does not detect putts, and some chips may be missed. Club Prompt records the selected club. Optional CT1 tags require tapping the watch before each shot; CT10 sensors add automatic club tracking, and the Z30 laser range finder shares measured distances. Full vector CourseView maps, touch targeting, green contours and elevation-adjusted PlaysLike distances require Garmin Golf membership. Tournament mode disables non-permitted features. Current UK activity profiles include running, indoor track running, biking, indoor biking and golf. The exact owner guide additionally documents pool swimming; the current web profile list omits it. No open-water swimming claim.
Safety features
Incident detection in supported outdoor activities and assistance require Garmin Connect, a paired compatible phone with data service and network coverage. They message emergency contacts; they are not standalone emergency communication.

Battery and connections

Battery life (maker's claim)
Up to 10 days
Mobile data option
No
Works with
iPhone and Android
Storage
4 GB
Battery life detail
Built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery. Up to 10 days in smartwatch mode with gesture wake-up, or 15 hours in GPS mode with always-on display while golfing. October 2025 owner guide describes the 15-hour claim as all-satellite-systems typical use. Actual life varies with settings and notifications.
Charging
Garmin proprietary four-contact plug to USB-C charging/data cable. Owner guide specifies operating/storage -20 to 60°C and charging 0 to 45°C. Battery capacity, fast-charge wattage and charge duration are not published.
Connectivity
Bluetooth LE with iPhone and Android; Garmin Golf and Garmin Connect. Phone notifications, calendar, weather, find-phone/find-watch and smartphone music controls. Text response, rejecting calls by text and notification images are Android-only. No standalone cellular connection, Wi-Fi, downloaded music or Garmin Pay. The manual’s 13.56 MHz radio entry and CT1 tap function do not establish payment support.
Storage
4 GB for preloaded golf/course data and activity history; no offline music storage capability.

Design

Weight (lightest version)
42 g
Software
Garmin
Case materials
Anodised aluminium bezel and fibre-reinforced polymer case; silicone band. Swiss exact-model datasheet labels the buttons as plastic.
Size
43 x 43 x 11.4 mm; 42 g including the silicone band. Fits wrists 125–202 mm.
Water resistance detail
5 ATM, pressure equivalent to 50 m; this is not a dive-depth rating. Do not press buttons under water.
Reference and release detail
Available now in Garmin’s US and German 21 January 2025 announcements; exact UK first shipping day was not specified. Current UK standalone and CT1-bundle SKUs are sellable. No explicit maker predecessor relationship found.
Bands
20 mm industry-standard quick-release bands; not QuickFit.
Colours
Silver aluminium bezel with Black or Twilight silicone band; Black also sold with 16 CT1 club tags.
In the box
Approach S44, USB-C charging/data cable and documentation. Black CT1 bundle additionally includes 16 club tags; the tags are not included with the standalone watches.

Pros and cons

Pros

  • AMOLED touchscreen with two physical buttons
  • Preloaded golf courses and automatic shot distance measurement
  • Up to 15 hours of GPS battery life

Cons

  • Enhanced maps, touch targeting and PlaysLike distances require membership
  • No wrist heart-rate sensor, offline music or Garmin Pay
  • Only one case size

Closest rivals

Model
TypeSizesMovementPower reserveDisplayBatteryWaterGPSWeightReleased
GarminApproach S50
Smart and sports43 mm––OLED10 days50 mSingle-band29 gJan 2025
Garminvívoactive 6
Smart and sports42.2 mm––OLED11 days50 mSingle-band36 gApr 2025
GarminApproach J1
Smart and sports43 mm––OLED10 days50 mSingle-band29 gJan 2026

Sources

  1. garmin.com/en-GB/p/1604358
  2. garmin.com/en-US/p/1604358
  3. support.garmin.com/en-GB
  4. www8.garmin.com/manuals/webhelp/GUID-14344AFC-1A32-40CD-B46D-5B98A32929B6/EN-GB…
  5. mnd-assets.mynewsdesk.com/image/upload/f_pdf,fl_attachment/vsnt6nnwaq112a8myy0p…
  6. garmin.com/en-US/newsroom/press-release/outdoor/level-up-your-golf-game-with-vi…
  7. mynewsdesk.com/ch/garmin/pressreleases/approach-s44-und-s50-neue-smarte-golfuhr…
  8. mynewsdesk.com/de/garmin/pressreleases/approach-s44-und-s50-neue-smarte-golfuhr…
  9. mnd-assets.mynewsdesk.com/image/upload/f_pdf,fl_attachment/59gpex8v4qr2ksmz0uco…

Photo: mnd-assets.mynewsdesk.com

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