Garmin S62 Vs Shot Scope X5 Golf Watch Comparison
Not all golf watches are made equal.
Take a look at what I mean in the following Shot Scope X5/Garmin Approach S62 comparison.
Garmin S62 Overview
“The Garmin S62 has a ton of golf and fitness tracking features including profiles for running, cycling, swimming and gym training.”
These are all features that the Shot Scope X5 doesn’t have. The S62 can also display notifications from your smartphone which is handy when you’re on the course.
Speaking of the course, the S62’s golf features include pin positioning, green view, plays like distances, 43,000 preloaded courses, layup/dogleg distances, hazard distances, custom target distances, swing tempo training and more.
Another thing I liked about the S62 compared to the Shot Scope X5 was the battery life. The S62 battery life in GPS mode lasts about 20 hours compared to about 9 hours for the Shot Scope X5.
Shot Scope X5 Overview
“The Shot Scope X5 has your basic golf features like green distance readings, shot distance readings, 36,000 preloaded courses, automatic GPS course tracking, individual club stats, hazard distances and a digital scorecard.”
Plus it functions as a pedometer and comes with different watch faces.
The Shot Scope app is also very useful as it records your course data and breaks down your stats so you can see exactly how you performed and how you can improve.
But the Shot Scope X5 comes with club trackers that you attach to your grips and can be pretty finicky. It also has trouble picking up putts.
“If you’re looking for a golf watch with advanced tracking features and accurate GPS, the Garmin S62 is the better choice.
If you can do without the advanced features,the Shot Scope X5 is the watch for you.”
Garmin S62 Golf GPS Watch – First Impressions
The Garmin S62 has an awesome set of features and the first thing you have to notice is the large 1.7″ color touchscreen and the sleek design of the watch.
The watch comes in white, black or charcoal color and the bands are quick change so you can have a different look and feel every time you leave the house. There is also downloadable watch interfaces that can suit the bands you chose on the day.
When you arrive at the course, the course name will pop up on the screen to be paired and it does that considerable faster that competitors watches.
Key Features:
The features of the watch are immediately apparent and navigating the screens could be a bit tricky for older and less tech savvy players.
The virtual caddie calculates slope and wind, making a club selection on your behalf based on the data you have built up in the free Garmin App. If you connect the CT10 sensors to each club, you can also gain more valuable insights into your game that build up over time.
You can pick any position you want on each hole to gain masterful insights on how you are going to approach your course strategy including layups on doglegs and avoiding any hazards. You also have the option of manual pin positioning for exact distances.
The heart rate monitor is excellent and there are separate profiles for sports like running, walking, cycling and even swimming.
The Garmin pay feature on the watch is also excellent, you can pay in the clubhouse or in your local shop when wearing the watch which is easily stylish enough to wear at all times.
Shot Scope X5 Overview
When I unboxed the Shot Scope X5 and slapped it on my wrist, one word came to mind: comfortable.
It immediately passed the first test which is, “how does it feel on the wrist?” Again, it was comfortable.
It comes with a black silicone strap that matches the black ceramic bezel.
It isn’t too heavy and the 1.2” color display isn’t so big that it pinches my wrist when I bend it – a problem I have with bigger watch faces.
The Shot Scope X5 features a touchscreen display that allows you to swiftly swipe through all the watch face options.
There are a couple of buttons on the side of the watch face that you use to toggle through all the different modes.
The touchscreen glass Gorilla Glass. Instead it is referred to as “hardened mineral glass.”.
Still, it seems durable enough to last a long time as long as you don’t abuse it.
I liked that the color display was fully visible in direct sunlight and that the brightness automatically adjusted to different lighting conditions.
The Shot Scope X5 comes with 16 tracking tags that you stick into the butt of your grips so it can track club info.
The tags pair with the watch and automatically collect vital club stats.
Inside the box you also get a USB charger. The battery life for the Shot Scope X5 in GPS mode is about two rounds of golf and it takes about 1.5-2 hours to charge.
The Shot Scope X5 costs $299 and there are many other colors available including midnight blue, prestige white, steel gray and more.
Now let’s get into the important features.
Shot Scope X5 Key Features
GPS Locating
Like any good GPS golf watch, the Shot Scope X5 will be able to detect which course you are on automatically.
The Shot Scope X5 comes preloaded with over 36,000 courses from around the world.
Once you’re on the course, simply go into the golf mode (the “Play Golf” option), hit “GPS Track” and wait for the GPS to find which course you’re on. It takes about 10 seconds to pull up your course.
The only thing I didn’t like about the GPS was that it automatically assumes you’re on the first hole of each course even if you’re not.
But it’s easy enough to cycle through the holes to find the one you’re actually on.
Distances
Once you have your course and hole pulled up, the display shows you your distance to the green – front, middle and back.
You can also swipe to see distances to hazards and doglegs and also to see exactly where the pin is placed.
You can also use the touchscreen to manually move the pin to its exact location for the day.
The distances were accurate and more importantly, informed me of which club I should be using.
App Stats
If you have the free Shot Scope X5 app downloaded, all of your course data is stored and available for viewing on your phone.
The app goes in-depth with all your stats and tracks things like rounds played, fairway in regulation percentage, GIR percentage, average scores for each hole you play, a map of your shots plotted for each hole and more.
It also shows you your yardage with each club you used in any given round.
And if you are taking lessons from a Pro, you can link your stats so that your instructor can see how you’re doing.
Scorecard and Pausing
The Shot Scope X5 also has a digital scorecard feature.
The scorecard can be edited pretty easily if need be. Throughout my testing, the Shot Scope X5 failed to pick up only two or three swings but it was easy to go into the app and edit the info manually after.
So what about your practice swings? The Shot Scope X5 allows you to easily pause tracking so you can take as many warmup swings as you need without errantly impacting your score.
Shot Distance and Step Tracking
As a GPS device, the Shot Scope X5 is able to calculate the distance of each of your shots based on how far you walk to your next shot.
The distance calculations were accurate overall.
The Shot Scope X5 also tracks your steps on and off the golf course so it serves as a basic pedometer.
Who Are The Garmin S62 Watches For
The Garmin S62 is for anybody that is in the market for the very best watch in the market. It is for someone who wants all of the premium features along with laser like accuracy, outstanding battery life and top shelf performance.
This is also for somewhere with considerable budget that perhaps wants to wear the watch at all times, although the watch has recently dropped in price to around $400.
This is not for somewhere who just wants the basic features and accuracy without spending a fortune.
Garmin S62 Pros And Cons
Pros:
- 1.7″ large Color Touchscreen
- Pinpoint Any Position On The Course
- Fast, Accurate And Effective
- Virtual Caddie
- Heart Rate Monitor
- Compass To The Green
- Excellent Value With Price Reduction
- Connection To Excellent Garmin App
- Quick Change Bands & Faces
Cons:
- Not For Technophobes
- More Expensive Than Basic Watches
- Slope Makes It Illegal For Tournaments
- Little Bulky For Skinny Wrists
Overall Score: 98/100
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Shot Scope X5 Pros & Cons
Pros:
- It’s very affordable
- It gives you more data than you need to improve your game
- Includes leaderboards from many courses around the world
- It sits comfortably on the wrist
- The screen is responsive
- Free firmware updates
- Syncs with iOS and Android devices
- 30-day money-back guarantee and 2-year limited warranty
Cons:
- It has trouble picking up putts
- The club tags are tricky to pair with the watch
- It lacks advanced features like “plays like” distance
Is it Worth it?
If you’re looking for a basic golf watch that can provide you insight on how you can actually improve your game, at $299, the Shot Scope X5 is absolutely worth it.
It lacks some advanced features and you may spend time fiddling with the club trackers/editing your rounds; but I think those are small prices to pay for such an affordable golf watch.
Besides, the distances are accurate which is what’s really important.
Overall Score: 95/100
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