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Approach S3, S4, S5, or S6 Rebooting or Freezing

If a Garmin Approach® S3, S4, S5, or S6 golf watch is freezing or rebooting there are a number of troubleshooting steps that can be performed to resolve the issue.

Turn the Approach Device Off and Back On

If the device is frozen, attempt a reset by either of the following methods:

  • Press and hold down the Power button for a few seconds until the watch face asks if you want to power off the device. Then choose Yes to power off the device. Press the Power button to power the device back on.
  • Press and hold down the Power button for approximately 12-15 seconds or until the watch face goes blank. Press the Power button to power the device back on.

Continue to the next steps if the Approach device continues to reboot or freeze after a reset. 


Remove Corrupt Files

Delete potentially corrupt files from the Approach device. To prevent the loss of scorecards and other data, first sync to the Garmin Connect™ account withGarmin Express™ software.

  1. Open the device as a storage drive on the computer.
  2. Open the Garmin folder.
  3. Open the Data folder.
  4. Delete the Scorecards folder.
    • Make sure to empty the Trash if using a Mac computer.

Force a Connection to the Computer

Follow these steps to force a connection to the computer if the Approach device is not recognized as a drive.

  1. Ensure device battery is fully charged.
  2. Disconnect Approach from computer.
  3. Power the Approach off.
  4. Press and hold Measure.
  5. Plug the Approach into computer and continue to hold Measure.
  6. Wait until the device is recognized by computer; it may take up to 30 seconds for device to be recognized as a drive.
  7. If prompted, install USB device drivers.
  8. Release Measure.
  9. Upload scorecards to your Garmin Connect™ account with Garmin Express™ software to back them up.
  10. Delete the Scorecards folder.
    • Make sure to empty the Trash if using a Mac computer.
  11. Safely eject the Approach from the computer.
    • Windows: Right-click on Approach's drive and click Eject.
    • Mac: Drag the drive to the Trash.
  12. Disconnect the Approach from the computer.
  13. Power on the Approach.

Restore the Default Settings

If the Approach is still not functioning properly, you can attempt to perform a master reset on the device. A master reset will delete all user data and restore default settings to the Approach.  

  1. Power off device
  2. Press and hold Score button
  3. Press the Power button
  4. Release all buttons when the screen displays "Clear user data?"
  5. Select Yes

If done properly, the initial setup screen will appear shortly.