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Resolving Inaccurate or Incorrect Distances on an Approach Series Watch

As with any GPS product, distance to a certain geographical location is important. This is especially true when using a Garmin® golf watch to determine yardage. If you are experiencing inaccuracies, it is important to understand what can affect GPS accuracy and yardage readings.

Inaccurate distances should be compared against course markers. Course markers generally measure to the center of the green, not the hole. This is important to remember because it can mean the difference of 20 to 30 yards on some shots. The golf watch will measure to the center of green by default.

GPS Drift and Environmental Factors


What is GPS Drift?

GPS drift, in the most practical sense, is the difference between your actual location and the location recorded by a GPS receiver. Consumer grade GPS receivers (such as the ones Garmin makes) are not 100% accurate, this will usually cause a difference between your actual location and your recorded location. 

The GPS location accuracy of Approach® watches is around 3 meters (10 feet), 95% of the time. This means, at any given time, your watch will save your location within 3 meters of your actual location.


What are Environmental Factors?

Any outside influence on the accuracy of your watch is an environmental factor and can cause degraded GPS signal. Common environmental factors that impact GPS accuracy include trying to acquire a GPS connection while indoors or under a dense tree canopy. Using your watch to record GPS in those types of environments can prevent the watch from receiving a GPS signal. You can think of environmental factors as things that interrupt the signal path of a GPS satellite to your watch.


Golf Course Remodels

If you notice yardage inaccuracies exist with a specific hole or course, it is possible the course has been remodeled and the Garmin course database needs an update. A Golf Course Report can be submitted to report an error on an existing course when renovations have been made.

As with any consumer grade product GPS inaccuracies will exist. Therefore, a yardage discrepancy of 5 yards or less is more than acceptable and would not be considered an issue.


Incorrect Unit of Measurement

Another common cause of inaccurate distance readings occurs when unit settings are set incorrectly to either metric or yards. If your local course measures distance in metric, but your watch is set to yards, the distance will consistently be off. The golf distance units can be checked directly on your Approach® watch.


Approach S1 | Approach S2

  1. Hold OK/Menu.

  2. Select Setup.

  3. Select Units.

  4. Select Yards or Meters.


Approach S3 | Approach S4 | Approach S5 | Approach S6

  1. From the time, touch Menu Button.

  2. Select Setup.

  3. Select Units.

  4. Select Yards or Meters.


Approach S10

  1. Press OK.

  2. Select Settings.

  3. Select Units.

  4. Select Yards or Meters.


Approach S12

  1. Press OK.

  2. Select Golf Settings.

  3. Select Golf Distance.

  4. Select Yards or Meters.


Approach S20

  1. Press OK.

  2. Select Settings.

  3. Select Units.

  4. Select Yards or Meters.


Approach S40 | Approach S42

  1. Press and hold the Button.

  2. Select Settings.

  3. Select Units.

  4. Select Golf Distance.

  5. Select Yards or Meters.


Approach S44 | Approach S50

  1. Press and hold the Top Button.

  2. Select Settings.

  3. Select Golf Settings.

  4. Select Golf Distance.

  5. Select Yards or Meters.


Approach S60

  1. Press Menu Button.

  2. Select Settings.

  3. Select System.

  4. Select Units.

  5. Select Distance.

  6. Select Yards or Meters.


Approach S62

  1. Press Menu Button.

  2. Select Settings.

  3. Select System.

  4. Select Units.

  5. Select Golf Distance.

  6. Select Yards or Meters.


Approach S70 - 42mm | Approach S70 - 47mm

  1. Press Menu Button.

  2. Select Settings.

  3. Select Golf Settings.

  4. Select Golf Distance.

  5. Select Yards or Meters.


Approach X10

  1. Press the Device Key.

  2. Select Gear Icon.

  3. Select Units.

  4. Select Yards or Meters


Approach X40

  1. Press the Device Key.

  2. Select Gear Icon.

  3. Select System.

  4. Select Units.

  5. Yards or Meters.


Other Possible Causes of Inaccuracy

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