Garmin S70 Health and Tracking - 2024 Forum Review

[GolfSpy_APH]

 

Last year, we had a Forum Testing Opportunity for the Garmin S70 watch, which received great results for its high-end feel, look, and of course, performance. For this member testing opportunity, we are taking a different angle and combining the Garmin S70 watch with the Garmin Approach CT10 sensors for a full on and off-course tracking experience.

A Different Kind Of Member Test

The Garmin S70 Life Series member test is going to take performance and tracking to a new level. While we still want to know how the products perform for our selected testers, this opportunity is just as much about how these products set you up to perform at your best. The selected testers will go through this long-term testing opportunity (8 weeks) tracking their Body Battery, Sleep Score, and HRV (heart rate variability) throughout the testing period. They will take these measurements before rounds, after rounds, and even on off days to see how they can help prepare their bodies for success, but also see the effects of their preparation (or lack thereof) on the scorecard. Combined with the Approach CT10 tracking sensors, the selected testers will have access to a full suite of data, stats, and more.

Please welcome and congratulate our testers! 

@revkev 

@cburins 

@Corentin Vadillo 

@NubianRugby

[revkev]

The Review 5/25/2024

Garmin S70 Health and Tracking

(With Garmin Approach CT 10 sensors)

Official MGS Forum Review by Kevin Loughran

Intro

 

 

Good afternoon, evening, morning, or middle of the night whenever it is that you are reading this review.  My name is Kevin Loughran, better known as revkev to many here on the MGS forum as well as at several Tampa Bay area golf clubs.  Thanks to our forum moderators and the folks at Garmin for selecting me as a part of the testing team for the Garmin S70 health and tracking project along with the Garmin approach CT 10 sensors.  Garmin has a reputation as the leader amongst distance tracking and directional devices.  In this review we will put the above to the test.

 

As my screen name suggests I am the Senior Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church and School in St. Petersburg, FL – Go Wildcats!

 

I’ve been serving at Grace and living in the greater St. Pete area since 2006.  When I arrived in Florida, I was a fairly fit 49-year-old who sought out and found ways to compete through a league and occasional money game at the local Muni, Mangrove Bay.  As you can imagine Tampa Bay is a highly competitive area for golf.  Accordingly, it was not until I turned 55 and became a “senior” player that I was able to truly compete in anything of significance. By that time, we had joined a local country club.

 

Since then, I’ve struggled with my weight and heart health, I have a condition called SVT, super ventricular tachycardia, a very fancy word for a heart rate that at time surpasses 200 beats per minute.  Thankfully, it is under control.  I am currently working on weight loss and fitness with my doctor’s guidance.  I use my phone to track my fitness activity, food consumption and weight. 

 

Now at the age of 67 and playing to a 9 handicap I’m looking to work hard on my game and increase my fitness level with the goal of shooting my age.  Below is a picture of my family.  Our youngest child, Penelope, is disabled. She is a great fitness incentive.  She needs a healthy Dad to care for her.  Our other children, Justine, Matt and John are married and have a total of nine children between them.

 

We’ve recently changed country clubs.  My new home course, Seminole Lake, has lots of dog legs and greens that sit at odd angles to the fairway. I use a shot scope v. 3 watch which struggles to give me accurate yardages there. It is consistently off by as many as 7 yards in measuring the “middle” of the green.  I’m interested in seeing how the Garmin does on those holes, as well as how I perform on days when my fitness is off, how my fitness levels compare in rounds when I walk verses rounds when I ride, morning rounds as opposed to afternoon or evening ones.  Please feel free to ask any questions at any point during this test.

First Impressions

 

As I teased in the thread my watch arrived Thursday afternoon.  I’m going to handle the first impressions with separate comments on the watch and sensors.

 

As you saw and read in the introduction, I am a guy in my mid 60’s.  Typical of people my age who do not work in the field I am not techy.  At work I am blessed with a Parish administrator who knows her stuff (and owns a Garmin smart watch.) At home I have access to our art teacher who is a neighbor as well as a son who is a former Navy Nuke either of whom are available to help when needed.  The long and the short of this is, they weren’t.  This watch is intuitive and simple to set up.  I had the golf app downloaded and the watch on my wrist in no time flat. 

 

The reason why I had yet to purchase a smart watch is that I know that they can receive messages and emails.  I get those things 24/7 and have no desire to have yet another device that receives them, particularly one that I intend to use on the golf course.  Golf is my stress release.  From last year’s reviews I knew that if I didn’t opt in for those messages in the setup, I’d be free from worry.  I’m happy to report that this works.  As of yet I’ve received no messages other than the phone itself telling me that I reached my step goal and also with a high heart rate alert.

 

Ah the sensors.  What can I say but my first impression is disappointment.  Their price point of $299 seems excessive to me.  I just purchased a new set of Ping irons which would qualify me for free ARCCOS.  Many other OEMs have similar deals.  I’m struggling with this one.

 

I currently use a shot scope watch for GPS and tracking.  The shot scope sensors, the smaller ones in the picture above were a simple installation.  They are club specific with a couple of x factors added in.  When you pair them with the watch you get them by name – ie. Ping G430 7 iron, Ping s159 54 degree wedge.  I do not know why Garmin doesn’t offer that feature.  Instead, I needed to figure out how to fit my clubs into the names they offered.  With 5-7 wood, 26 degree hybrid and 5 so called wedges it was a complete misfit.  Currently, the 50 degree wedge is in the 5 iron slot.  Not good.

As an addition to this part of the review I

sat down after church tonight and did find I had the option to name my clubs in the app. I unpaired all of the sensors and repaired them in a bit more logical manner - still my 7 and 9 woods are in hybrid spots, hybrid in the 5 iron spot, 7 is in the 6 iron spot, SW is not actually my sand iron, LW is. 
 
Also, I went to the practice green before church. Over 100 heat index loosened the putter up and I was able to get the sensor all the way in.

Originally I felt like I should have deducted more than 2 but given this newer development I am confident that the current score of 8/10 is accurate for my first impressions. 

 

 

While the pairing process was laborious installing the sensors themselves was easy enough.  A few were a bit more difficult to screw in than others but that’s always been true of any sensor group that I’ve installed.  What is also true and extremely frustrating is putter.  Shame on grip makers and putter OEMs for not addressing this. Shame on tracking system OEMs for not addressing it either. Someone in their R and D departments must know that people use sensors like this to track putts.  Why can’t they develop a grip that is receptive to these sensors without taking a drill to the end of them or vis a versa? The putter sensor seems secure enough for now, if it is really needed to track putting, I will address the gapping that you see in the picture above, later.

First impression score:   8/10

I took two points off for the issues surrounding the sensors. Perhaps they will redeem themselves later. 

 

Edited June 2 by revkev
Added first impressions and pictures

[cburins]

Hello MGS!

I want to first express my gratitude to MyGolfSpy and Garmin for this amazing opportunity to be a tester! I look forward to sharing my data and thoughts throughout this testing.

Little bit about me! I am 25 years old and currently live in Toronto, Canada. I work in the post production industry doing music and sound design for commercials and other media content. When Im not working I spend my time playing guitar, putting for hours and hanging out with my partner and puppy.

As far as golf goes, I started playing at 9 years old with my Grandpa. I love spending time with him and golf was the best way for us to bond. My grandpa is currently 93 and can’t golf anymore, but I plan on taking him to the course this summer and letting him drive the golf cart! Once I was in high school I fell out with golf and other hobbies picked up. It wasn’t until covid where I fell back in love with this game. The goal for me is to get to a single digit handicap and eventually scratch. I currently sit at an 11 handicap, and this year I decided to challenge myself and compete on a golf tour! I play on the GTAAM Tour, which is a handicap based tour in Ontario, Canada. My next tournament is June 24th and I look forward to updating you on the Garmin Products in Tournament conditions.

My playing style is very simple, I like to play smart golf. Im the guy to layup and play to my misses. Very rarely am I going for the green in two unless there's no hazards and It's gettable, taking my medicine and chipping into the fairway instead of hitting the tour pro stinger through 4 trees with a 4ft window through them. My best part of my golf game would be putting and ball striking. Very rarely am I 3 putting and for the most part I am finding the centre of the club face. When I'm 125yds and In, 8/10 times I'm getting on the green, which is great for scoring and scrambling. I struggle off the tee, my chipping can be hit or miss at times and I can't hit a 3 wood to save my life! Im sure a lot of you can relate to my playing style and I hope you can benefit from my testing. 

Overall, I am extremely excited to test these products out. I’ve watched many reviews prior to being selected as I was in the market for a new rangefinder or smart watch. The thing that stuck out the most to me about this watch is that it’s not just a golf watch, it has so many other amazing tracking features and benefits that can improve my golf game. My approach to this testing will definitely be golf driven, (Yes, I know that is the point of this testing) but I also want to showcase the other day to day features that I use! 

Right now I use the free version of SwingU to keep my score and as a gps/range finder. I will be comparing the two throughout my testing to see if the Garmin will overtake this as my new gps/tracking tool. For the Garmin to replace SwingU I’m looking for seamlessness on the golf course. I find SwingU can be slow at times and I have to wait for it to recalibrate and give me the proper yardages. Also, I find the yardages can be off and the pin placements are never accurate. If the Garmin provides precise accuracy and yardages I can definitely see this being in the bag. Also, having the extra data of physical well-being will definitely add an extra edge to my golf game and provide useful day to day data.

I have extremely high expectations for this product, just from watching reviews I can tell this is a high end efficient golf product. I hope the Garmin exceeds my expectations and stays in the bag to benefit my golf career! 

First Impression/Unboxing(8/10)

First Impression

First off this package couldn't have arrived on a better day - My Birthday!  When opening the packages it's very straight to the point, no extra plastic or garbage. Both boxes come with everything you need to get started. Charger, Manual and the CT10 sensors came with a handy tool for seamless removal/installation, which is a helpful feature. Overall, I am very pleased with presentation and practicality. 

Unboxing

Garmin S70

At first glance this watch is very modern and flawless. Ive never been a watch guy, but this has set the bar high. The box comes with the basic necessities to get started being the charger and user manual. When opening the box there is a sticker on the watch face prompting you to download the Garmin Golf App. The setup was a bit redundant as you need 3 phone apps to get the watch up and running: Garmin Golf App, Connect IQ and Garmin Connect. (-1 point) Once you have these downloaded the setup was fairly easy and straight forward. You scan a QR code on the watch face from your phone to link with the Garmin Apps, then after a short system software update the watch is ready to be explored! 

CT10 Sensors

Similar to the Garmin S70 the CT10 sensors arrive with everything you need: User Manual and installation tool I mentioned prior. Setup was user-friendly, but tedious. For pairing/setup I used the Garmin Golf app to create my golf bag. The app comes with a default golf bag that you can add or subtracts clubs. Once my bag was adjusted, I followed the prompts on the watch face for pairing. This took all of 10 minutes and the clubs were paired and ready to go!

The one downside to these sensors is the lack of putter grip versatility. (-1 point) I use the Super Stroke Pistol 1.0 and there is no designated putter sensor or attachment to equip my putter. I know Arcoss has a designated Super Stroke attachment. I might have to modify a sensor to fit my putter, but that will be for a later post. 

Aesthetics (9/10)

Garmin S70

I received the grey and green accented version of the Garmin S70. The watch immediately reminded me of a modern Ben 10 watch in a good way! 

I'm glad I selected the 42mm over the 47mm as I have smaller wrists. I really enjoy the feel of this watch, I can barely tell I'm wearing it which was a concern prior to receiving it in hopes it wouldn't interact with my swing. The watch band is made out of a durable plastic that is very light and comfortable. From first wear it does seem very sturdy/tough, but I will update the state of the watch throughout the testing. The screen is very reactive and crisp, no delay while using the screen and over all consistent. The watch itself feels very modern and high end, which led me to ordering screen protectors for the watch face. I'd rather be safe than sorry considering this is a lifestyle/golf watch.

Customization on the watch is done through the Garmin IQ App. It's very user-friendly and fun to do as there's lots of watch faces and widgets to choose from. In the picture above I created a custom MyGolfSpy watch face! 

CT10 Sensors

Prior concern to receiving the CT10 Sensors I was worried about the fluidity and interaction with the grips as I use a combination of midsize/standard grips. Once the sensors were installed I was actually very pleased with the results. They don't add any sort of weight or visual interruption during setup of the golf swing. I think they look very flush and coherent with the grips. From a far you can't tell its not apart of the grips, but up close you can tell they're separate. I don't mind this as long as it doesn't affect my golf setup or visualization. 

The overall durability of these don't seem that strong. (-1 point) They are made from thin plastic, and the part that goes into the grip is a flimsy/rubbery plastic. My concern for this is that these will be rattling around my golf bag all day on the course and I'm not sure the thin plastic is enough to keep the sensors safe. Again, only time will tell and I will update throughout the testing process. 

Conclusion(9/10)

Well, the Garmin S70 and CT10 Sensors have definitely exceeded my expectations. As a first time smart/golf watch user this is quite a nice toy to start with. Besides the initial watch setup/Garmin App situation and the non-versatile putter grip sensor, I am very pleased with what these products have provided so far. With the seamlessness of both products, I have high hopes for the improvement of my golf game and overall well-being! I look forward to putting these to the test and can't wait to share my testings.

 

 

Edited June 5 by cburins
First Impression/Unboxing

[CorentinV]

Hi MGS Community!

First off, I thrilled to have the opportunity to participate as a tester, thanks to MyGolfSpy and Garmin! I can't wait to dive in and share my experiences and data with all of you during this process.

Introduction :

Personal Background
My name is Corentin, I’m 29. I currently play out of Québec City, having moved here from France in September 2022. Working from home as a Sales Manager in the Tech Industry and hitting the gym on non-golfing days, I strive for a balanced lifestyle that includes significant dedication to golf. I'm married, no children, and I cherish the flexibility to explore various golf courses as a nomad golfer. My wife joined me on this golf journey early May this year.

Golfing Profile
I'm a casual golfer with a competitive mindset. I started golfing seriously over a year ago and I'm dedicated to continuously improving my skills and understanding of the game. I'm currently an 18 handicap golfer and have been diligently working with a coach for the past few months to achieve my end-of-season goal of reaching a 10/12 handicap. I’m always seeking to get better and find a way to improve myself which make this testing opportunity a perfect match for me.

My golf strengths are my short game and shots off the tee. My weakness is my accuracy with approach shots, I’m quite struggling with a push hook on some shots. My Swing tempo is pretty agressive with an average driver swing speed around 105 mph. My average ball flight is a draw with a high flight trajectory.

Product Testing Strategy
In the past, I’ve used Garmin products for running and, despite switching to an Apple Watch due to some issues with the Garmin's health metrics and Bluetooth stability making the phone connection quite laborious, I’ve always regarded Garmin as a top-tier tech brand in the sports industry.

For this test, I’ve chosen the 42mm watch due to my stature (5.6 ft) and thinner wrists. I plan to rigorously test the S70 and CT10 sensors against my current setup with Arccos and Golfshot, looking for seamless integration and at least equivalent if not superior functionality. I intend to provide detailed data collected by the Garmin S70. I will evaluate everything from user interface and data accuracy to the practical benefits of the health tracking features.

With a golf tour coming up with a friend around Montreal and Québec, where we’ll play about 10 rounds in 13 days, it’s the perfect scenario to test the Garmin S70 watch and Approach CT10 sensors.
The review will include data from regular rounds, practice sessions, and from the mentioned golf tour.

Expectations and Excitement
I am particularly excited to see how the Garmin products can track not just my shots but also my health metrics like Body Battery, HRV, and Sleep Score. These features could provide profound insights into how physical and mental readiness impact my game.

I’m intrigued to see how improvements in my Body Battery might correlate with performance on the course, potentially leading to better scores and more efficient practice sessions. I’ll also add a focus on how a golf session, on course or at the practice range, is affecting my Body Battery.

Criteria for Retention
For the Garmin S70 watch and CT10 sensors to earn a permanent spot in my bag, they must not only match but exceed the functionalities of my current devices. They need to offer comprehensive, actionable insights that genuinely enhance my strategic approach to golf, backed by reliable and user-friendly technology. The daily usage will be also an important criteria to replace my Apple Watch. The connection with my phone and the notifications should work perfectly to avoid any annoyance.

First Impressions (7 out of 10)

Packaging and Presentation
The Garmin S70 and CT10 sensors arrived in a well-protected bubble wrap envelope, ensuring the boxes were in perfect condition with no apparent damage. The packaging is simple but effective, presenting the contents in a neat and organized manner. Each box includes the equipment and user guides, which are straightforward and easy to understand.

Unboxing
Opening the box, the first thing that stands out is the sleek, modern design of the Garmin S70 watch. The CT10 sensors are well-packaged, and Garmin provides a small black tool to help attach the sensors to the clubs easily.

Setup
Setting up the watch is relatively straightforward but requires downloading several apps (-1 pt) for a complete experience: Garmin Connect, Garmin IQ, and Garmin Golf. The initial setup process is user-friendly, with clear instructions provided in the user guides. 

Sensor Installation and Pairing
Attaching the sensors to the clubs is easy with the provided tool. Each sensor should be securely screwed into the grip. The pairing instructions, however, are somewhat cumbersome (-1 pt). The process is tedious, especially if you have a large number of clubs to pair. For instance, I have five wedges (43º, 48º, 52º, 56º, and 60º), which the app does not account for. This required renaming and re-categorizing each club accurately, which took several attempts (-1 pt).

Initial Impressions
Despite some initial setup hurdles and no specific putter sensor, the Garmin S70 and CT10 sensors offer a promising start with promising features. 

Technological Advances
Garmin claims several technological advances with the S70 and CT10, including enhanced health metrics like Body Battery, sleep tracking, and heart rate variability (HRV). The CT10 sensors provide comprehensive tracking of your golf game, offering detailed statistics and performance insights. These features aim to help golfers improve not only their game but also their overall health and fitness.

Aesthetics (8 out of 10)

General Shape / Size / Fit
The Garmin S70 watch has a sleek, modern design. The 42mm model fits perfectly on my wrist, feeling light and comfortable (+1 extra pt). The display is crisp and clear, with excellent contrast that makes it easy to read in various lighting conditions. The rear sensor is slim and non-intrusive, adding to the overall comfort.

Customization
Customization options are somewhat limited but effective (-1 pt). The watch face can be customized via the Garmin IQ app, allowing you to choose from various designs and layouts. The CT10 sensors do not offer much in the way of customization (as expected) however their height and not wide enough design are quite an issue as they de interfere with your clubs' aesthetics (see comparison vs Arccos putter sensor above) (-1 pt).

Durability or Build Quality
The build quality of the watch is excellent, with a robust design that feels premium. The plastic band, however, feels a bit low-quality compared to other premium watches (-0.5 pt), such as the Apple Watch. The CT10 sensors are made from a durable plastic, but their quality does not feel as premium as the Arccos sensors. The sensors fit reasonably well but do not match the grips perfectly (-0.5 pt)

Storage Cases
The packaging does not include dedicated storage cases for the watch or sensors, but the provided boxes are sturdy enough for safe storage when not in use.

Long-term Durability Prediction
Given Garmin's reputation for high-quality, durable products, I expect the S70 watch and CT10 sensors to hold up well over time. The watch's design and materials suggest it will withstand regular use, while the sensors, despite their slightly less premium feel, should also prove durable with proper care. 
I still have concerns about the band aging but Garmin offers the possibility of changing it (around 50-75 USD)

Conclusion (7.5 out of 10)
Overall, the Garmin S70 and CT10 sensors make a strong first impression. The setup process, while somewhat cumbersome, is manageable, and the initial performance of the watch and sensors is promising. With robust features and a sleek design, the S70 and CT10 have the potential to significantly enhance my golf game and overall health tracking.

Find more details and pictures about my unboxing experience in a detailed post here.

Edited May 28 by CorentinV
Unboxing & First impression

[NubianRugby]

Greetings and salutations! Many thanks to MGS for allowing me to take part in this test.

I've been playing golf off and on since I was 9 years old. My first time on a golf course, my father made me caddy for him. That was my introduction to the game; humping a bag and wiping down clubs. It was the 70's and that's how things were done back then. Over the next 15 years I played as much as circumstances allowed; for two years we lived on a golf course and I played a lot and got some instruction during Sumer golf camps; otherwise I played pretty sparingly. Once I started working a regular, full time job I started playing golf again all over the DC, MD, and Virginia area. I had jobs where I traveled for a few years and was fortunate enough to be able to play in Puerto Rico and Okinawa, Japan as well as a bunch of random military bases and the surrounding areas. Over the course of next 20 years of marriage, children, and rugby I only played a handful of times a year but always enjoyed the game.  

Last year I got fit for new clubs and since then I've played 9 holes a couple times a week after work and about once a month me and the boys get it together to go somewhere nice to play a proper round. I've played Bulle Rock and University of Maryland already this year and have plans to play Musket Ridge and/or Whiskey Creek in the next few weeks.  

I don't have a proper handicap, but a couple of dozen rounds playing the "Top 12" on the range has me at about 18.6, which feels right so we'll go with that. I'd put my average driving distance at 240-250 and lately I've been working more on chipping and putting practice as opposed to only bashing balls at the range. I'm working to improve my game but I'm by no means a serious golfer. 

Testing, Review, and Comparisons

Since this is going to be taking biometric information about rest and what's going with your body on top of being a golf aid, I'm going to be interested to see how resistance training affects my golf game when I have hard data to use for comparisons. In addition to using this watch on the course I'll be using the sports apps, (duh) to time rest breaks when I lift, and maybe for sleep tracking too. 

I've been using the Bushnell golf app along with their Bluetooth speaker for on course distances since last October and I've liked it, so that's going to be my baseline for comparison. Not having to dig in my pocket to enter scores or check for more detailed information already gives the S70 a leg up over using an app on my phone. When I'm playing more high end places that have GPS built into their carts I'll be comparing distances given between all three sources at my disposal. I’m not deep enough into golf to have a sim or a launch monitor, so I can't wait to see what these sensors have to say about my swing.  

How Not to Get Voted Off My Golf Island

I want performance upgrades on the course, in the gym, and in life. What gets measured is what gets done, so if the additional measurements provided by the S70 help me improve in any of those areas I'll continue to use it after the testing period. The big thing for me with the sensors is I don't want to know they are there, if they change the weight/feel of my clubs that's a big no for me.

I'm very interested in user centered design and will be looking for evidence of that in the UI, if it's too difficult to use or gives a bunch of intrusive alerts that are hard to turn off those are things that will get the watch left in my dresser drawer. 

Anticipation

What's not to be excited about? A kick a$$ GPS watch that will help me play better and does fitness tracking too is some seriously futuristic Dick Tracy/Tom Swift $hit for someone who is old enough to remember when TV went off at night. 

Smart watches always seemed like a bit of an extravagance to me, so I haven't paid any attention to what they're supposed to do or how. I know that it has 43k golf courses pre-loaded into and there are additional fitness apps too, but what kind of stats it's tracking or how you even interact with the watch are a mystery to me until it arrives. 

I'm expecting a purpose built device that does the golf/GPS part extraordinarily well and the other things kind of so-so. For example, phone free music listening on my watch who asked for that? I'm concerned that there will be an explosion of companion apps necessary to get full functionality out of the device and I have some privacy concerns too.  

First Impressions/Unboxing

Dateline: Bozeman, MT

My package arrived about 20 minutes before I left for the airport to go to my nephew/godson's high school graduation on Wednesday. It was just enough time to throw the S70 on the charger to wake it up, do the bare minimum setup, and put the thing on my wrist. Because I'm on "vacation" with my family at a family event I haven't spent much time getting into the higher brain functions of the watch, nor have I been able to slip away for any golf despite my in-laws house being on the fifth hole of Bridger Creek golf course. So my first impression is strictly how the S70 functions as a smart watch/lifestyle accessory.

This is my first "smart" watch and consequently, it's a little mind blowing how much they're able to fit into such a small package now. User interface is pretty intuitive, a few pokes at the buttons and I was able to figure out how to navigate around, get rid of things I didn't like, and add things I did. Right off the bat I decided I didn't want this thing syncing with my calendar, because does Garmin really need to know when my kids have doctor's appointments and what my old lady's schedule is? I'm also not loving the notifications; so far I haven't been able to get the notifications pared down to text messages only. It insists on giving me notifications for Instagram (I rarely use it) and missed calls/voice mails which only serves to give an excessive amount of notifications that I don't care about.

[Editor's note: looks like I'm going to be able to play golf RIGHT NOW, so I'll continue with this later]

OK, I'm back. I played 9 holes on Monday for my inaugural round with the S70 but I was playing with someone else's clubs and didn't have the sensors installed but that may be a good thing because it gives another data point. First beef is that they claim there's 43k golf courses pre-loaded but you still have to wait for the GPS to locate you and show the courses near your location. It only took a minute, but when something is advertised as "pre-loaded" I don't expect to have to connect to anything before I get started.

I've been using the Bushnell Wingman Mini and the associated app for distances and scoring and I fired it up to compare distances and features with the S70. Distances were all with ~5 yards but it's a little easier to see the entire hole on your phone than on your watch, but that's just a screen size issue. What's great about the watch is that I'm not constantly digging in my pocket between holes, I can quickly/easily enter my score without looking like a jabroni on the course fooling around with my phone. Score one for the Garmin.

Another plus for the Garmin is that I don't have to do anything to measure my shot distances; it knows when I've hit a ball and automatically measures the distance when you hit your next shot. The Bushnell app makes you specifically tell it to measure a shot and then you have to tell it to stop measuring and also doesn't seem to keep that information anywhere. 

I played a very mediocre 51 for 9 holes at Bridger Creek on Monday and a horrible 52 on the front 9 of my home course on Tuesday when I got home and installed the sensors on my clubs. Installation was a snap, no tools necessary and I was able to get them on my clubs and synced with the watch in 15 minutes. Obviously I'll have to play more rounds before the Garmin will be able to tell me what club I should be using based on historical averages but my big takeaway from Tuesday's round was that I'm hitting my 3-wood as far as my driver. Best drive of the day was a 3-wood I absolutely smoked 280 yards. Look at the evidence! 

Sorry about the lack of unboxing pictures, I was in a hurry when the package arrived.

Edited June 6 by NubianRugby
I went to play golf, seriously.

[MGS-Forum-Mod]

Placeholder

[Knight017]

Looking forward to this as I use this watch every day and love it

Sent from my SM-G780F using Tapatalk

[sirchunksalot]

Congratulations testers!

[Northern Monkey]

Congrats testers

 

[Coulter]

Congratulations! This will be a fun one for sure!

[Cmra1]

Congrats to the testers

[Pep]

Congratulations, will be waiting for your inputtd 

 

[ChaosReigns]

Congratulations testers! Can’t wait to read the reviews and I’m hoping one of yall have an ion elite to test against. 

[TJ Hall]

Congratulations testers!

[Willie T]

13 hours ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

 

Last year, we had a Forum Testing Opportunity for the Garmin S70 watch, which received great results for its high-end feel, look, and of course, performance. For this member testing opportunity, we are taking a different angle and combining the Garmin S70 watch with the Garmin Approach CT10 sensors for a full on and off-course tracking experience.

A Different Kind Of Member Test

The Garmin S70 Life Series member test is going to take performance and tracking to a new level. While we still want to know how the products perform for our selected testers, this opportunity is just as much about how these products set you up to perform at your best. The selected testers will go through this long-term testing opportunity (8 weeks) tracking their Body Battery, Sleep Score, and HRV (heart rate variability) throughout the testing period. They will take these measurements before rounds, after rounds, and even on off days to see how they can help prepare their bodies for success, but also see the effects of their preparation (or lack thereof) on the scorecard. Combined with the Approach CT10 tracking sensors, the selected testers will have access to a full suite of data, stats, and more.

Please welcome and congratulate our testers! 

@revkev 

@cburins 

@Corentin Vadillo 

@NubianRugby

This one will be a great one to follow as I use the S20…this is definitely next level.  Congrats to the testers!  

[Bad Golfer]

Congratulations Guys! I'm looking forward to this test to see how much improvement there is from a S62 to a S70.

[Jean D]

Congratulations to all the testers on this one!!!

[TJ24]

Congrats 

[ZJeb67]

looks like a good one 

[rkj427]

Congratulations to this great group of testers.

As a Garmin Epix user myself, looking forward to the comments and reviews of the S70 and accessories.

[Sanjeev Thakur]

Congratulations to all the testers. Enjoy the product. I personally like it

[ScramblinMan]

Congratulations testers. Looking forward to your analysis/feedback of the new Garmin S70…

[Colbygrant]

Congrats testers; jelly much! ATB

[TK_]

Good luck testers! 

[3Putt4Double]

Congrats testers!!

[MattWillGolf]

Congrats Testers. The electronics are always cool.

[Parshooter36]

Congrats to the testers. I look forward to following along with this one.

[Rob Person]

Congratulations testers!  Maybe your reviews will push me to start getting on the golf tech bandwagon 

[TSauer]

Congratulations, gang! Have fun with the process!

[JFish350]

Congrats Fells, Looking forward to your reviews. I'll be following along as this is a purchase I made just this week. I should have mine by Thursday.