Garmin just announced the Approach S60 – a new GPS golf watch with a sunlight-readable color touchscreen display designed to be worn both on and off the pre-loaded 40,000 golf courses from around the world.[referenced url=”https://gizmodo.com.au/2016/10/speed-golf-finally-makes-the-worlds-most-boring-sport-exciting-to-watch/” thumb=”https://img.youtube.com/vi/cYaxsIqyPU4/0.jpg” title=”Speed Golf Finally Makes The World’s Most Boring Sport Exciting To Watch” excerpt=”Here’s an idea for a sport. What if a bunch of poorly-dressed athletes wandered around a grassy park for four hours casually hitting balls with a long stick? Here’s a less boring idea. What if those athletes were instead racing the clock to put the ball in the hole as quickly as possible? That’s the basic idea behind The Fastest Hole of Golf.”]
The course info comes with lifetime updates, and can be viewed in full-color. Garmin says the watch gives you quick access to “critical information” you might need during a round – like precise yardages to greens, hazards and doglegs – all designed to help you master your game.
It’s got a QuickFit watchband – that can be interchanged without tools and is available in a bunch of colours and materials like silicone, leather or stainless steel. The bands can also be interchanged with other Garmin watches.
The Approach S60 is compatible with the new Garmin Golf app that lets you compete in weekly leaderboards on any golf course. You can set up your own tournament event and invite multiple friends to compete, plus you can chat and post your results for others to see. You can also use the app the app for live scoring, since your watch will automatically sync with it.
Other features include AutoShot game tracking technology for reviewing, mapping and analysing your shots, SwingTempo to measure the relationship between upswing and downswing, and TempoTraining that uses a 3:1 ratio and givesyou vibrations to synchronise your swing mechanics and fine-tune their swing tempo. It also doubles as a regular activity tracker counting steps, calories, distance and sleep.
You can get smartphone notifications on it, too – right down to weather forecasts. You’ll get ten hours of battery life golfing and up to ten days in watch mode with activity tracking. There’s a 5 ATM water rating, too.
You’ll be able to pick one up from this month in black or white for $579. A premium version with a scratch-resistant ceramic bezel and black leather band will also be available for $699.
[referenced url=”https://gizmodo.com.au/2016/10/golf-balls-are-basically-indestructible/” thumb=”https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/t_ku-large/p4odrd5iedmo8opyru0f.gif” title=”Golf Balls Are Basically Indestructible” excerpt=”Video. Don’t bother holding your breath while you wait for this golf ball to explode under the extreme weight of a stream roller, because it somehow survives being crushed. Apparently the magical rubber compound inside a golf ball that gives it incredible bounce is also incredibly durable.”]