Approach S72
| Approach S72 | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Approach S72 47 mm (Carbon Gray with a black ComfortFit band) showing hole yardages | |
| General Information | |
| Manufacturer | Garmin |
| Type | Premium AMOLED Multisport Golf GPS Smartwatch |
| Series | Approach Series |
| Announced | October 6, 2026 |
| Release Date | October 9, 2026 |
| Discontinued | No |
| Price | $799.99 (43 mm and 47 mm) |
| Predecessor | Approach S70 |
| Sizes Available | 43 mm and 47 mm |
| Colors | Four launch combinations; see Models and Pricing |
| Display | |
| Size | 1.4 in (35.41 mm) on the 47 mm; 416 × 416 on the 43 mm |
| Type | AMOLED touchscreen, optional always-on |
| Resolution | 416 × 416 (43 mm) / 454 × 454 (47 mm) |
| Touchscreen | Yes |
| Physical | |
| Case Size | 43 × 43 × 12.93 mm / 47 × 47 × 13.5 mm |
| Weight | 41 g (43 mm) / 48 g (47 mm), with ComfortFit band |
| Bezel Material | Titanium |
| Lens Material | Sapphire crystal |
| Band | ComfortFit fabric (included); QuickFit 20 mm (43 mm) or 22 mm (47 mm) |
| Strap Width | 20 mm (43 mm); 22 mm (47 mm) |
| Water Rating | 5 ATM (50 m) |
| Battery Life | |
| Smartwatch | Up to 10 days (43 mm) / up to 16 days (47 mm) |
| GPS Only | Up to 15 hours (43 mm) / up to 20 hours (47 mm), golf activity |
| Features | |
| HR Sensor | Elevate Gen 5 optical heart rate; Garmin ECG app; skin temperature |
| GPS | Multi-band GPS with SatIQ; QZSS and BeiDou added versus the S70 |
| Sensors | Multi-band GNSS, Elevate Gen 5, Pulse Ox, barometric altimeter, compass, gyroscope, accelerometer, thermometer, ambient light, skin temperature |
| Storage | 64 GB; 43,000 preloaded courses |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth, ANT+, Wi-Fi, NFC; speaker and microphone |
| Music | Yes |
| Maps | Preloaded golf courses and off-course road and trail maps |
| Flashlight | Yes (LED, white and red, variable intensity, strobe) |
| NFC (Garmin Pay) | Yes (Garmin Pay) |
| Key Features | Swing metrics; driving range activity; green reading; aerial imagery; golf heart-rate view; speaker and voice commands; LED Flashlight; sapphire and titanium; ComfortFit band |
| Related | Approach S70, Approach S50, Approach S44, Approach CT10, Approach CT1 |
The Garmin Approach S72 is a premium AMOLED golf GPS smartwatch announced on October 6, 2026, as the successor to the Approach S70. It comes in 43 mm and 47 mm, both listed at $799.99, and goes on sale October 9, 2026.[1][2] The 47 mm keeps the S70's 1.4-inch 454 × 454 AMOLED panel and the same 16-day, 20-hour battery. The update is the rest of the watch: an Elevate Gen 5 heart-rate sensor, a titanium bezel, a sapphire lens, a speaker and microphone, 64 GB, off-course maps, and a new set of on-course tools.[3][4]
The newsroom release described the watches as available now. The product page says they are available to order on October 9.[1][2]
Susan Lyman, Garmin vice president of consumer sales and marketing, said the watch runs "from biometric data and swing metrics to advanced golf features and everyday smartwatch tools."[1]
What's New
Compared with the Approach S70, the S72 keeps the 43,000-course CourseView database, Virtual Caddie, PlaysLike, AutoShot, PinPointer, green contours, swing tempo, and the 47 mm battery rating. The case grows by a tenth of a millimeter on the 47 mm, and the smaller size moves from 42 mm to 43 mm.[3][2]
New Hardware
- Elevate Gen 5 — The S70 uses Elevate Gen 4. The S72 adds skin temperature and the Garmin ECG app on top of wrist heart rate and Pulse Ox.[2][3]
- Titanium bezel and sapphire lens — The S70 uses a ceramic bezel and Corning Gorilla Glass 3. Both S72 sizes use titanium and sapphire.[3][2]
- ComfortFit band — The included band is ComfortFit fabric. The 47 mm is 48 g with that band, against 56 g for the 47 mm S70. The 43 mm is 41 g.[2][5]
- Speaker and microphone — Garmin's first golf smartwatch with phone calls and voice commands.[1]
- LED Flashlight — White and red light, variable intensity, with strobe and a distress pattern in the manual.[1][6]
- 64 GB — Storage is 64 GB, up from 16 GB on the S70.[3]
New Software
- Swing metrics — On-wrist hand speed, backswing length, wrist rotation, and swing plane, during a round and in a new driving range activity.[1][6]
- Green reading — On mapped courses, with a Garmin Golf membership, the watch shows which way a putt breaks and the slope once the player has walked to the pin.[1][6]
- Aerial imagery — A photo of the hole on the map, also with a Garmin Golf membership.[1][6]
- Golf heart-rate view — After a round, heart rate is lined up with the score, split into first shots, time on the hole, and the walk between holes.[1][2]
- Scoring formats — Scramble, Stableford, and a scorecard for two players. A lost-ball search timer and next-hole directions are in the golf menu.[6][3]
- Off-course maps and the broader training set — Preloaded road and trail maps, on-watch routing, daily suggested workouts, and the newer health tools (sleep alignment, breathing variations, health status, evening report) that the S70 sheet leaves blank.[3][6]
Historical Context
The Approach S62 (2020) was the last MIP flagship and the first Approach watch with wrist heart rate. The Approach S70 (May 23, 2023) moved the flagship to AMOLED, in 42 mm and 47 mm, and brought the broader health suite onto a golf watch. The S44 and S50 followed in January 2025 as the mid-range AMOLED pair. The S72 is the next flagship: same 47 mm panel and battery as the S70, with the case, sensor, and golf tools updated, and the smaller size moving from 42 mm to 43 mm.
Models and Pricing
Both sizes are $799.99. That is $100 more than the 47 mm Approach S70 ($699.99) and $150 more than the 42 mm S70 ($649.99).[2][3]
| Part | Size | Bezel | Band | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 010-04147-00 | 43 mm | Carbon Gray / Heritage Bronze DLC titanium | Pebble Gray ComfortFit | $799.99 |
| 010-04147-01 | 43 mm | Soft Gold / Blush Pink titanium | French Gray / Blush Pink ComfortFit | $799.99 |
| 010-04148-00 | 47 mm | Carbon Gray / Red DLC titanium | Black ComfortFit | $799.99 |
| 010-04148-01 | 47 mm | Silver / Citron titanium | Fog Gray / Citron ComfortFit | $799.99 |
The 43 mm uses QuickFit 20 mm bands. The 47 mm uses QuickFit 22 mm, the same lug width as the 47 mm S70.[2]
Design and Build
The 47 mm case is 47 × 47 × 13.5 mm, a tenth of a millimeter thicker than the 47 mm S70 (47 × 47 × 13.4 mm). The smaller S72 is 43 × 43 × 12.93 mm, replacing the S70's 42 × 42 × 12.6 mm case. Included-band weight is 41 g on the 43 mm and 48 g on the 47 mm. Garmin lists the 43 mm ComfortFit for wrists from 130 to 200 mm and the 47 mm ComfortFit for 154 to 229 mm.[2][3]
The manual documents a START button and a BACK button. Holding the flashlight control turns the LED on or off. Holding START until the watch vibrates three times requests assistance. Button holds can be reassigned.[6] The touchscreen scrolls glances, opens the app list, and locks from the controls menu. Covering the screen with a palm returns to the watch face and dims it.[6]
Water rating is 5 ATM, the same as the S70. The manual says the watch withstands pressure equivalent to 50 m, and tells the owner to avoid pressing the buttons under water. Operating temperature is −20 to 55 °C (−4 to 131 °F). Charging uses the included proprietary cable in a USB-C port or a USB-C adapter rated at least 5 W. The USB charging temperature range is 0 to 45 °C.[6]
| Spec | 43 mm | 47 mm |
|---|---|---|
| Case | 43 × 43 × 12.93 mm | 47 × 47 × 13.5 mm |
| Weight with ComfortFit | 41 g | 48 g |
| Resolution | 416 × 416 | 454 × 454 |
| Display | AMOLED | 1.4 in (35.41 mm) AMOLED |
| Bands | QuickFit 20 mm | QuickFit 22 mm |
| Wrist, included band | 130–200 mm | 154–229 mm |
| Bezel / lens | Titanium / sapphire | Titanium / sapphire |
| Water | 5 ATM | 5 ATM |
| Smartwatch battery | Up to 10 days | Up to 16 days |
| Golf battery | Up to 15 hours | Up to 20 hours |
Display
Both sizes use an AMOLED touchscreen with an optional always-on mode. The 47 mm panel is the same 1.4-inch, 454 × 454 resolution as the 47 mm S70. The 43 mm panel is 416 × 416, up from 390 × 390 on the 42 mm S70.[3][2] Big Numbers mode enlarges the yardages on the hole view.[6]
The manual treats image persistence as normal AMOLED behavior and tells owners to avoid leaving a static image at high brightness. The screen turns off after the selected timeout. Wrist turn, a tap, or a button wakes it.[6]
Golf Features
The course database stays at 43,000 preloaded courses, with free course updates for the life of the watch, full-color CourseView maps, front/middle/back yardages, layup and hazard distances, touch targeting, PlaysLike, Virtual Caddie, AutoShot, PinPointer, and a digital scorecard.[1][3][6] Layup dots on the hole map are color coded: red 100, white 150, blue 200, yellow 250, in yards or meters.[6]
Swing Metrics and the Driving Range
Swing metrics are wrist-based. They do not require a club sensor.[7] The manual defines five of them:[6]
- Hand speed — Maximum hand speed, where on a clock face the hands were traveling fastest, and speed at the top and at impact. The manual says maximum speed should come before impact.
- Backswing length — From address to the top of the backswing, also drawn on a clock face.
- Wrist rotation — How far the lead wrist rotates from address through the top and into impact.
- Swing plane — The angle of the hand path on the backswing and downswing, plus the transition angle between them. Garmin's comparison sheet lists this row as hand plane.[3]
- Tempo — Backswing time divided by downswing time. A 3.0 ratio is the reference the manual cites from studies of professional golfers. Tempo and tempo training were already on the S70.[3]
The driving range activity is for the range or a net. After each shot the wearer swipes through the metrics, can set a favorite metric for the on-course data loop, and can run tempo training. Range sessions log to Garmin Connect.[6][1]
Green Reading, Contours, and Aerial Imagery
Green contours were already on the S70, behind a Garmin Golf membership. The S72 keeps them. With contour shading on, a heat map on the green runs from 0% slope to 8% or higher.[6]
Green reading is the new step. With shading enabled, the player walks to the pin and marks it. The watch then shows the distance to the pin, the side slope as a percent left or right, and how far uphill or downhill the putt is.[6][1]
Aerial imagery is a second map type, a photograph of the hole for layup and miss decisions. Contour shading, green reading, and aerial imagery each require an active Garmin Golf membership.[6][1]
Putting analytics in the Garmin Golf app — speed bias, direction bias, and make rate — are also listed as a membership feature. Putt tracking itself is on both the S72 and the S70.[1][3]
Virtual Caddie, PlaysLike, and AutoShot
The Virtual Caddie still recommends a club. It appears after five rounds with club tracking and uploaded scorecards, and it can be set to automatic or manual.[6] PlaysLike adjusts the number to the green for elevation, wind, and air density, with icons for longer, shorter, and as-expected. Wind speed and direction still need the Garmin Golf app.[6][3] Tournament mode turns PinPointer and PlaysLike off, because those aids are not allowed in sanctioned events or handicap rounds.[6]
AutoShot measures shots from the wrist. The manual says to wear the watch on the lead wrist for detection, and the player can still measure a shot by hand and add the club. Approach CT10 and Approach CT1 sensors remain compatible for automatic club tracking.[6][3] The S70 comparison row for TruSwing is marked yes, and the S72 row is blank.[3]
Scoring
The scorecard tracks strokes, with optional putts, penalties, greens, and fairways. Handicap scoring can use the handicap stored in the Garmin Golf app. Stableford awards USGA points relative to par and shows points instead of strokes. Scramble is a scoring method, and a scramble card is not shared to the Garmin Golf account. Two-player scoring has to be turned on at the start of each round.[6]
A search timer is the lost-ball clock. When the player moves to the next hole, the watch switches holes on its own and can show the way to the next tee.[6]
Golf Heart Rate
After a round, heart rate is lined up with the score and split into first shots, time on the hole, and the walk between holes.[1][2]
Sensors and Positioning
The product page lists multi-band GPS. In the manual, each activity's satellite setting is Off, Use Default, Max Accuracy, Normal, Extended Battery, or Max Battery, and each of those modes uses SatIQ to pick satellite systems for the chosen mix of accuracy and battery.[2][6] Against the 47 mm S70, the comparison sheet adds QZSS and BeiDou. GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, and SatIQ are on both.[3]
The optical heart-rate sensor is Elevate Gen 5. Skin temperature shows up in the health-status glance with respiration, and the product page includes the ECG app. Garmin's accuracy statement covers these readings. They are not for diagnosis.[2][1][6] Pulse Ox can be read on demand or left in a manual mode to save battery. An internal temperature sensor is in the glances. The manual says body heat affects that reading, and a paired temperature sensor can be used instead.[6]
Motion sensors are the usual set: barometric altimeter, compass, gyroscope, accelerometer, and an ambient light sensor. The altimeter feeds PlaysLike and the ABC glance.[3][6]
External Sensors
The watch pairs with Approach CT10 sensors and Approach CT1 tags for club tracking. For training, the manual lists chest straps in the HRM 200, HRM 600, HRM-Fit, and HRM-Pro lines, plus a Running Dynamics Pod. Pace and distance from the HRM 600, HRM-Fit, and HRM-Pro can be used when GPS is weak. A separate temperature sensor can replace the internal reading.[6]
LED Flashlight
The LED Flashlight is new to the Approach watch line.[7] Garmin's launch notes specify white light and a red light at variable intensity, including for finding a ball marker in the bag.[1] The manual adds brightness control, strobe patterns, a custom strobe, and a distress pattern that flashes and can show emergency contact information from Garmin Connect. The distress pattern does not call emergency services. Using the light shortens battery life.[6]
Battery Life
The 47 mm rating matches the 47 mm S70: up to 16 days as a smartwatch and up to 20 hours in golf activity mode. The 43 mm matches the old 42 mm S70: up to 10 days and up to 15 hours of golf.[6][3]
| Mode | 43 mm | 47 mm | Approach S70 47 mm |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smartwatch | Up to 10 days | Up to 16 days | Up to 16 days |
| Golf | Up to 15 hours | Up to 20 hours | Up to 20 hours (GPS mode) |
Always-on display, flashlight brightness, voice wake words, and the GNSS mode all move those numbers. A battery-saver control and in-activity power modes are on the watch.[6]
Maps and Navigation
Golf maps are the CourseView layer above. Off the course, the owner's manual has map and navigation chapters, and Garmin's comparison sheet lists preloaded road and trail maps, downloadable cartography, round-trip routing, ClimbPro, and point-to-point navigation on the S72. Those rows are blank on the S70.[6][3] Saved locations, back-to-start, and a reference point are in the controls menu.[6]
Health, Training, and Activities
The S70 already had the daily health set: all-day heart rate, Body Battery, stress, Sleep Coach, nap detection, Morning Report, HRV status, fitness age, and VO2 max. The S72 sheet adds sleep alignment, overnight breathing variations, health status, lifestyle logging, an evening report, and skin temperature.[3][6] Health Snapshot is on both.[3]
Training tools in the manual include daily suggested workouts, PacePro, real-time stamina, training status, training readiness, endurance score, hill score, lactate threshold, running tolerance, and running dynamics with a compatible accessory. The activity section covers running, cycling, swimming, multisport, gym work, outdoor activities, and winter sports. Golf itself can record a FIT file so the round counts in Garmin Connect.[6]
Smart Features
The speaker and microphone handle phone calls, the phone's voice assistant, on-watch voice commands (including an "OK Garmin" wake word), and voice notes. A water-ejection tone clears the ports after a swim. The manual warns that sunscreen and chemicals can clog those openings, and that water left in them can make the watch quieter for up to a day.[1][6]
Garmin Pay is on the watch, with a four-digit passcode that can lock the device or only the wallet.[6] Music plays from the watch or from the phone. The owner's manual covers Garmin Messenger and Garmin Share. The comparison sheet also lists sports scores.[6][3] Garmin Connect IQ, Bluetooth, ANT+, Wi-Fi, and NFC are all supported. Wi-Fi is used for software, map, and course updates.[6]
Comparison with the Approach S70
| Approach S72 | Approach S70 | |
|---|---|---|
| Announced | October 6, 2026 | May 23, 2023 |
| Price | $799.99 | $699.99 |
| On sale | October 9, 2026 | — |
| Case | 47 × 47 × 13.5 mm | 47 × 47 × 13.4 mm |
| Weight | 48 g with ComfortFit | 56 g |
| Bezel / lens | Titanium / sapphire | Ceramic / Gorilla Glass 3 |
| Display | 1.4 in, 454 × 454 AMOLED | 1.4 in, 454 × 454 AMOLED |
| Battery | 16 days / 20 hours golf | 16 days / 20 hours GPS |
| Storage | 64 GB | 16 GB |
| Heart rate | Elevate Gen 5 | Elevate Gen 4 |
| Skin temperature | ✓ | ✗ |
| ECG app | ✓ | ✗ |
| Speaker and microphone | ✓ | ✗ |
| Flashlight | White and red | ✗ |
| Road and trail maps | ✓ | ✗ |
| Swing metrics (hand speed, backswing, wrist, plane) | ✓ | ✗ |
| Swing tempo | ✓ | ✓ |
| Driving range activity | ✓ | ✗ |
| Green contours | Membership | Membership |
| Green reading | Membership | ✗ |
| Aerial imagery | Membership | ✗ |
| Virtual Caddie, PlaysLike, AutoShot | ✓ | ✓ |
| TruSwing | Not listed | ✓ |
The smaller pair is a size change as well as a feature change. The S70's small watch is 42 mm, 44 g, 390 × 390, QuickFit 20 mm, $649.99, with the same 10-day and 15-hour battery the 43 mm S72 keeps. The S72's small watch is 43 × 43 × 12.93 mm, 41 g with ComfortFit, 416 × 416, and $799.99.[2]
What's Not Included
- Solar charging. Battery life is the rated cell, not a solar-extended figure.
- LTE, satellite messaging, and inReach.
- A dive computer. The rating is 5 ATM, and the manual says not to press the buttons under water.
- TruSwing. The S70 comparison row is marked yes, and the S72 row is blank.[3]
- Green reading, aerial imagery, and green contours without a Garmin Golf membership.[1]
Limitations
- Green reading requires the player to walk to the pin and mark it, and it is limited to courses Garmin has mapped.[6][1]
- The Virtual Caddie does not appear until five rounds are tracked and uploaded.[6]
- PinPointer is a compass, and the manual says not to use it in a golf cart because the cart can throw it off.[6]
- A scramble scorecard stays on the watch. It is not shared to Garmin Golf.[6]
- Always-on display, the flashlight, and voice wake words all cut into the rated battery.[6]
- Heart rate, ECG, Pulse Ox, and the golf heart-rate view are not for diagnosis.[1][6]
Reception
Wareable highlighted the flashlight and the speaker, both firsts on an Approach watch, and the swing metrics that do not need club tags, at a $799.99 starting price.[7] Golf Monthly's story ran under the headline "Why The New Garmin Approach S72 Watch Will Change How You Play Golf," and Yahoo used the same headline.[8][9] TechRadar's headline called the watch feature-filled and said it was not the golf watch that writer had been hoping for.[10]
Specifications
| Announced | October 6, 2026 |
|---|---|
| On sale | October 9, 2026 |
| Price | $799.99, both sizes |
| Sizes | 43 mm, 47 mm |
| Case | 43 × 43 × 12.93 mm / 47 × 47 × 13.5 mm |
| Weight | 41 g / 48 g with ComfortFit |
| Display | AMOLED, 416 × 416 / 1.4 in 454 × 454 |
| Bezel / lens | Titanium / sapphire |
| Water | 5 ATM |
| Battery | 10 days and 15 hours golf / 16 days and 20 hours golf |
| Storage | 64 GB |
| Heart rate | Elevate Gen 5; ECG app; skin temperature |
| GNSS | Multi-band GPS, SatIQ; QZSS and BeiDou versus the S70 |
| Courses | 43,000, free updates |
| Flashlight | White and red LED |
| Audio | Speaker and microphone |
| Charging | Proprietary cable, USB-C, 5 W minimum |
| Operating temperature | −20 to 55 °C |
The manual's EU SAR listing names regulatory models A05146 and A05147.[6]
Launch
Garmin announced the Approach S72 on October 6, 2026, the same morning as the Enduro 4. The two sizes and the $799.99 price had been the public shape of the watch since a September coming-soon listing.[11][4] It goes on sale October 9, 2026.[2]
See Also
- Approach S70 — Predecessor (2023 flagship)
- Approach S50 — Mid-range AMOLED golf watch with the health suite
- Approach S44 — Mid-range golf-centric AMOLED watch
- Approach Series — Full Approach lineup
- Approach CT10 — Automatic club-tracking sensors
- Approach CT1 — Tap-to-track club tags
- Elevate Gen 5 HR Sensor — Optical heart-rate generation on the S72
- Enduro 4 — Announced the same day
External Links
- Approach S72 product page
- Garmin Newsroom press release (October 6, 2026)
- Approach S72 owner's manual (PDF)
- Garmin comparison, S72 47 mm vs S70 47 mm
- Garmin Rumors — launch
- Wareable — launch coverage
- Golf Monthly — launch coverage
- TechRadar — launch coverage
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 "Meet Approach S72: Garmin's ultimate golf smartwatch". Garmin Newsroom. October 6, 2026. Retrieved October 7, 2026
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15 "Approach S72". Garmin. Retrieved October 7, 2026
- ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 3.14 3.15 3.16 3.17 3.18 3.19 3.20 3.21 3.22 3.23 3.24 "Approach S72 47 mm vs Approach S70 47 mm". Garmin. Retrieved October 6, 2026
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Garmin Launches the Approach S72". Garmin Rumors. October 6, 2026. Retrieved October 7, 2026
- ↑ "Garmin ComfortFit Bands: Silicone, Nylon, Leather, Fabric". Garmin Rumors. Retrieved October 7, 2026
- ↑ 6.00 6.01 6.02 6.03 6.04 6.05 6.06 6.07 6.08 6.09 6.10 6.11 6.12 6.13 6.14 6.15 6.16 6.17 6.18 6.19 6.20 6.21 6.22 6.23 6.24 6.25 6.26 6.27 6.28 6.29 6.30 6.31 6.32 6.33 6.34 6.35 6.36 6.37 6.38 6.39 6.40 6.41 6.42 6.43 6.44 6.45 6.46 "Approach S72 Owner's Manual". Garmin. October 5, 2026. Retrieved October 7, 2026
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Conor Allison."Garmin Approach S72 brings voice calling and swing analytics to the course". Wareable. October 6, 2026. Retrieved October 7, 2026
- ↑ "Why The New Garmin Approach S72 Watch Will Change How You Play Golf". Golf Monthly. October 6, 2026. Retrieved October 7, 2026
- ↑ "Why The New Garmin Approach S72 Watch Will Change How You Play Golf". Yahoo. October 6, 2026. Retrieved October 7, 2026
- ↑ "Garmin's new Approach S72 golf watch looks smart, excellent and feature-filled as always — but it's not the one I was hoping for". TechRadar. October 6, 2026. Retrieved October 7, 2026
- ↑ "Approach S72 Coming Soon in 43mm and 47mm as the S70 Goes Overdue". Garmin Rumors. September 2026. Retrieved October 7, 2026
