Garmin S44 Golf Watch Review: Best Watch Under £250

By James Langmead on September 9, 2026

Garmin S44 Golf Watch Review: The AMOLED Watch That Does It All

Overview: What the Garmin S44 Golf Watch Really Is

Golf watches used to force a choice. You either bought a simple, subscription-free distance watch with a plain screen, or you spent serious money on a premium multisport device you would never fully use. The Garmin S44 Golf Watch lands neatly in the middle, and that is exactly why it sells.

The headline is the screen. A 1.2-inch AMOLED touchscreen at 390 x 390 pixels looks more like a modern phone than a traditional golf watch, with an optional always-on mode. Hazards, doglegs and green shapes are genuinely easy to read, which matters more than any spec sheet number when you are standing over a shot.

Underneath sits the full Garmin golf toolkit: 43,000+ preloaded courses, front, middle and back yardages, hazard and layup views, Green View with manual pin positioning, PinPointer for blind shots, and AutoShot automatic shot distance tracking. If you are still weighing up formats, our guide to GPS golf watches and our roundup of the top 5 golf GPS devices are useful companion reads.

In this Garmin S44 Golf Watch review, we explain the technology in plain English and finish with a full Garmin S44 vs Shot Scope X5 comparison. If you are shopping the wider range, the Garmin golf collection is a good place to start.

Key features: What the Garmin S44 Golf Watch Gives You

These are the features golfers use round after round, not the ones that look good in a brochure and never get touched.

The technology: AMOLED, Triple GNSS and AutoShot Explained

You do not need to understand any of this to use the watch, but knowing what the specifications mean makes it easier to judge whether the Garmin S44 Golf Watch is worth the money.

The practical upshot is a watch that behaves like a proper smartwatch off the course and a proper golf computer on it. Our guide to golf shot tracking covers how to read the numbers without drowning in them.

S44 vs X5: Garmin S44 Golf Watch vs Shot Scope X5

The most common cross-shop for the Garmin S44 Golf Watch is the Shot Scope X5. Both are premium-feeling touchscreen golf watches with colour displays; both carry more than 42,000 courses, and both work without your phone in your pocket. They differ in screen technology, battery life, and how much data you want.

Both watches offer full hole maps, hazard yardages, movable pin positions and a digital scorecard, and both conform to the Rules of Golf. Tip: scroll the table sideways on mobile to see all columns.

Display and Readability

This is the clearest difference between the two. The Garmin S44 Golf Watch runs an AMOLED panel at 390 x 390 pixels, so course maps look genuinely detailed and text stays crisp at a glance. The Shot Scope X5 uses a 240 x 240 colour MIP screen with a glare-resistant finish, which is easy to read in harsh sunlight and sips power, but never looks as rich.

Neither is a bad screen. If you like scrolling a hole map and picking a landing area, the S44 rewards you. If you simply glance down for a number, the X5 does that job well and saves you £40.

Battery Life and Charging

Shot Scope quotes 3+ rounds per charge for the X5, and its low-power MIP screen is the reason. Garmin quotes up to 15 hours in GPS mode with the display always on for the S44, which is roughly three rounds, plus up to 10 days in everyday smartwatch mode. In practice, both need charging once a week if you play twice, and turning off always-on stretches the Garmin considerably.

Data, Tracking and the App

The Garmin S44 Golf Watch tracks shots automatically with AutoShot, and pairs with optional Approach CT10 club sensors if you want club-by-club data without touching the watch. Scores upload to the Garmin Golf app for handicap calculation and stat history.

The Shot Scope X5 takes a simpler approach: last-shot distance, a digital scorecard, an overhead round map, and a free web dashboard with no hidden fees. We have a full Shot Scope X5 guide, and the simpler Shot Scope G6 is worth a look on a tighter budget.

Everyday Wear

Off the course, the gap widens. The S44 adds smart notifications, music control, weather, calendar, activity tracking and incident detection. The X5 offers customisable watch faces and in-round step counting, and is happy to be worn daily, but it does not pretend to be a smartwatch. At 42g against 50g, the Garmin is also the lighter of the two.

Ratings: How the Garmin S44 Golf Watch Scores

Here is how our PGA professional team rates the Garmin S44 Golf Watch across the areas that actually change how you play.

Ratings reflect hands-on assessment by our PGA professional team, not customer reviews.

Who it is for: Three Golfer Profiles

Product details: Full Specification and Box Contents

FAQs: Garmin S44 Golf Watch Questions Answered

Is the Garmin S44 Golf Watch legal for competition golf?

How long does the Garmin S44 Golf Watch battery last?

Does the Garmin S44 Golf Watch track shots automatically?

Garmin S44 Golf Watch vs Shot Scope X5: which should I buy?

Do I need my phone with me on the course?

Is the Garmin S44 Golf Watch waterproof enough for British weather?

Why Purchase Your Garmin Approach S44 from The Golf Shop Online?

Verdict: Should You Buy the Garmin Approach S44?

The Garmin S44 Golf Watch does the difficult thing well. It gives you a phone-quality AMOLED screen and a proper smartwatch feature set without turning golf into a menu-diving exercise. On the course, you get the yardages, the hole layout, the green shape and a movable pin, and AutoShot quietly records what you actually did with each swing.

Buy the Garmin Approach S44 if you want one watch that works for golf and everyday life, value a display you can read at a glance, and like the idea of your scores and stats building automatically in the Garmin Golf app. At £239.99 with a 2-year Garmin warranty, it is our recommended golf watch at this price. ★★★★☆

Consider the Shot Scope X5 instead if you want to spend £40 less, prefer a subscription-free ecosystem, or simply do not want notifications buzzing on your wrist mid-backswing. Both are excellent watches, and in the Garmin S44 vs Shot Scope X5 debate there is no wrong answer, only a better fit.

Complete Your Setup: GPS & On-Course Essentials

• Garmin S50 vs S70 – see what stepping up to Garmin’s premium watches actually buys you.
• Bushnell Tour V6 Shift – pair your watch with a laser rangefinder for pin-perfect approach numbers.
• Bushnell Pro X3 – the tour-level laser option if you want slope and full weather compensation.
• Golf Bags – a well-organised bag keeps your charger, tees and valuables exactly where you left them.
• Golf Umbrellas – your watch is rated to 5 ATM, but you probably are not.
• Best Electric Golf Trolley – walk further, hit more shots and let the trolley do the carrying.

Because the Garmin Approach S44 can be switched to Tournament Mode, it conforms to the Rules of Golf for distance measurement and suits most competitions. For the definitive position on distance-measuring devices, refer to the governing body of the game, The R&A.

Disclaimer: Prices, specifications, and availability are accurate as of publication but may change. All Garmin and Shot Scope products featured are genuine products from an authorised retailer. Product performance may vary based on individual use and care. 60-Day Returns Policy: If you are unhappy with any product, you may return it — unused, unopened, and in its original packaging — within 60 days for a full refund.

Free UK Standard Delivery: Every order over £30 from The Golf Shop Online comes with free standard UK delivery. For the most current pricing, availability, and product specifications, please visit our website or contact our team on 0800 3681097. The Golf Shop Online has served golfers since 2002, with award-winning customer service backed by 29,000+ verified reviews across Reviews.co.uk, Trustpilot, and Google.

 

About James Langmead

The Golf Shop Online takes immense pride in its extensive selection of high-quality branded golf equipment, all available at exceptionally affordable prices. In addition to this, the shop offers valuable insights and guidance from PGA professional golfers. Their team is led by the esteemed resident professional, James Langmead. James previously earned the prestigious title of Callaway club fitter of the year and was a vital member of the Callaway CFS testing panel. At The Golf Shop Online, customers can expect not only top-notch products but also expert advice from seasoned professionals in the golfing industry. Whether you're a seasoned golfer or a beginner looking to refine your game, their knowledge and expertise are readily available to assist you in making informed choices for your golfing needs.