The Garmin Approach X40 – Is it Right For You?

As mentioned in previous reviews that I’ve done, I’m always on the lookout for gadgets and things to help take my golf game to the next level. Because of the tendency on my part to go “low-budget” on these items, I wind up very often not being entirely happy with the product and wishing that I had spent a little bit more.

A perfect example of the aforementioned ‘golf scope creep’ is the category of just that – golf scopes. Specifically, the whole genre of golf rangefinders, GPS locators, and anything else used (compass? sextant?) to judge the distance from the woods where my ball currently is sitting to the actual hole that I will never get near with the next shot.

To begin with, I realize that there is a Coke vs. Pepsi debate in this field as well – with some diehards coming down on the GPS side, and others coming firmly down on the laser finder approach. Golf Digest recently published a brief poll on this and determined that 37% of golfers rely on laser finders, 22% rely on GPS, 19% on sprinkler heads and 22% on eyesight. For me, I have always found that the GPS method was much more efficient simply because the unit is normally smaller and more convenient than a rangefinder. I also felt that the whole measuring process with a GPS was smoother and quicker than with the rangefinder rand took much less time to operate – a key factor in limiting 5 hour rounds.

I started several years ago with a Callaway uPro MX+ GPS locator. I chose this for several reasons including not needing a subscription to any additional services, the convenient size, and last but certainly not least – the mass availability of them on eBay leading to a very reasonable price (see “low-budget” discussion above). It was serviceable and did for the most part what it was supposed to do. It did have some drawbacks – including very low battery life – that stopped me from using it more than occasionally.

My next foray into the bargain bin for the ultimate golf solution was the smart phone app ‘GolfLogix’. For a small fee of $30 per year I had complete access to all golf courses and GPS shot tracking. Again, it did a passable job but I hated carrying my phone with me everywhere – and my phone had definite glare issues being seen in the sunlight. That tends to put a damper on the golf game when you have to walk away from your ball looking for a shady spot to see the screen.

So where does that bring us? I had enough of bargain hunting – so when I heard that Garmin was coming out with a ‘Fitbit-like’ GPS golf device in June I was immediately intrigued. I honestly didn’t like the size or look of other watches out there so had never seriously considered this genre but this could be a game changer! One well-placed hint, one wonderful wife, and a fantastic Father’s Day brought me the brand-new Garmin Approach X40. For a low, low cost of $249.50 would I finally have the device I’ve been looking for?

In a word: Yes.

Let me state right up front that I’m not going to give you a technical review with lots of specs. There are plenty of reviews out there already listing all of those things. I’m just here to give you my thoughts as I see them – and believe me my thoughts don’t often veer into the technical specifications. This is a common man with a common sense review.

My X40 stays plugged into my computer at all times – so when it’s time for a round of golf I unclick the watch from its charger and put it on my wrist immediately. It’s very comfortable – lightweight with a rubber watch band. Even on the hottest day I have not had the least bit of discomfort wearing the device. I get to the course, turn it on, and put it into GPS search mode looking for nearby courses. It has never failed to quickly determine the course – including finding very small, remote courses in Northern Ontario where I was visiting this summer.

Once the course is selected, the next question posed by the watch will be if you want it to keep score. While sometimes it’s nice to do that to keep a record once downloaded through the app, just as often I find myself saying no and just using it strictly as a GPS. Additionally, I have the option to have the watch record my shot distances. This feature can easily be turned off as well and frankly, while it’s really slick to see your round in the app later, there are definitely issues with the recorded distance at times. When shot tracking works well, it’s incredible. However, it doesn’t always work perfectly – especially from the tee box.

With those two features turned on/off – I’m off to the first hole. I will proudly say that I have not had a single issue with the GPS tracking in approximately 25 rounds I’ve played with it. It registers as accurately as any rangefinder it has been put up against and provides solid, accurate data throughout the round. As mentioned above, you can manually record your score after each hole and in case you forget to pop in your score in the excitement of nailing that birdie, you can always scroll back through the virtual scorecard and add the strokes in later. Very seamless and very easy.

One of the main strengths of the range finder approach is to find the exact distance to the flag. Of course this won’t do that, and no GPS device will do that. However, I find knowing the front, back and middle of the green distances is more than sufficient to determine the best club to use. Additionally, the X40 allows you to place the pin exactly where the pin actually is that day, giving you an accurate representation of the exact distance to the flag. This watch will also give you distances to bunkers and other hazards and while the display takes a little getting used to, it has already paid off several times for me in my rounds.

The last thing I want to cover in this review is the aforementioned app. I use an Apple iPad and have downloaded the companion app for the watch. While this is not necessary to use the watch, a simple Bluetooth connection between the app and watch provides you access to a wide range of data. After a round, sync up the data and you are saving for posterity the details of your round (and any other rounds you’ve played).

Are there other functions of the watch that I haven’t used yet? Absolutely – you can also track your steps, distance, calories burned, heart rate and activity intensity. All of these features have not been used on my watch as of yet, but they are available. You can also receive vibrating smart notifications for incoming calls, texts and other alerts. Perhaps most amazing is that it is also compatible with the Garmin TruSwing club sensor to access real-time, 3-D animations and other useful swing metrics to see how your mechanics affect ball flight and shot results. Pretty amazing and you can BET that my lovely wife mentioned above will be getting lots of hints for that neat little $149 device in a few months. Add to all these great features the free yearly updates on courses via their website and you have basically a rocket headed to Mars right on your wrist.

So it should be pretty obviously by now that I absolutely love the Garmin Approach X40. It is everything that I could have asked for and hoped for. I haven’t even begun to use a lot of the features that are available but if you are in the market for a new GPS device, I would highly recommend you check one of these little devices out. It has helped my game immensely and continues to provide amazing service every single time I use it.

Run, don’t walk, to your nearest golf store. The next time you’ll be able to track your steps.