Shot Scope X5 Vs Garmin Approach S70 Golf Watch Comparison
They look similar but there are some pretty important differences you should know about.
Find out what they are in the following comparison overview.
Shot Scope X5 Overview
“The Shot Scope X5 features a 2.1” color touchscreen display with a ceramic bezel and silicone wristband.”
It’s a comfortable watch and the display is readable in direct sunlight. And the Shot Scope X5 gives you all the basic tracking options including shot distance, distance to the front, back, middle of the green, distances to layups and hazards and manual pin positioning.
It’s loaded with 36,000 courses and automatically detects which course you’re on.
You can also sync it to the Shot Scope app and have all of your hole/round data stored including GIR percentage and hole maps with your shots plotted over them.
Garmin S70 Overview
“The S70 has a 1.4” color display with sharper resolution than the Shot Scope X5.”
The S70 has all the golf features that the Shot Scope X5 has and more including full vector maps, swing tempo tracking, virtual caddie, wind speed readouts, “plays like” distances and more.
It also has more fitness modes. Whereas the Shot Scope X5 only has a step tracker, the Shot Scope X5 has tracking modes for yoga, running, cardio training, pilates, cycling, swimming and more.
You can also get notifications from your smartphone on the S70 and even control your phone’s music player from the watch.
“The Shot Scope X5 is a bare-bones golf watch and not so much a lifestyle watch like the Garmin S70. But the Shot Scope X5 costs $300 compared to the S70 which costs $700.
So if you don’t need all the periphery features, the Shot Scope X5 is fine. But the S70 does have more use off the golf course if that’s what you want.”
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.
Garmin S70 GPS Watch – First Impressions
The beautiful Amoled touch screen of the Garmin S70 coupled with the improved design, upgraded battery life and enhanced features have knocked the S62 off the top spot in theGolg GPS market.
This one comes with 1.2″ or a 1.4″ display and will suit female golfers as well as males.
The graphics look much crisper and brighter on the new screen which also helps to save the battery which now lasts 20 hours instead of 15 in the S62.
We now have got 43,000 courses and it’s even going to pick up the backwater courses you mightn’t expect it to.
We can get the distance to any point on the green, we can now see the contours on the green and we can always see the distance and direction to the green, even on blind approaches.
The Playlike distance now shows the calculations right on the screen, inspiring more trust in the figures and they are very accurate.
The virtual caddy now suggests a club for every shot and gives you your expected average strokes when laying up or “going for it”.
It also shows where your mishits end up and how accurate you are with the big stick historically.
It also keeps the scorecard and calculates your handicap in the Garmin Golf App.
The health and fitness features are also next level now, Heart rate monitoring over extended periods, deep sleep monitoring and profiles for every sport you can imagine, the S70 has taken the strengths of the s62 to the next level.
Overall, the best watch in the market for many years to come.
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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Who Is The S70 GPS Watch For
The Garmin s70 is the new top golf GPS watch in the game and the price tag reflects the quality and features.
This is for anybody who wants the best golf watch and has the cash available to buy it.
It’s for anybody who is serious or becoming serious about the game and wants to knock strokes off their round with quality course management.
If you are a golf and fitness fanatic, the s70 will certainly offer a ton of value, once you are ok with the higher price point.
With two display sizes, the s70 is a perfect fit for any golfer.
If you only get out on the course once per month, the s70 may not represent the best value in the game.
Pros And Cons Of The S60
Pros:
- Awesome AMOLED Touchscreen
- Improved Graphics
- More Intuitive Design
- Fits Any Sized Wrist
- Green Contouring
- Pinpoint Any Point On The Course
Cons:
- Expensive
- Complex For Less Tech Savvy
- Not Legal For Tournaments
Overall Score: 99/100
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