Does the Garmin S62 Have Better Golf Features Than the Garmin S60?

Key Takeaways

• The Garmin S62 has better golf features than the Garmin S60 because only the Garmin s62 golf watch packs exclusive features for SERIOUS golfers chasing lower scores including Virtual Caddie, Wind Data, Hazard View, and Green Contour mapping.

• These tools provide strategic guidance personalized to your game, critical environmental factors, navigating dangers – and mastering greens.

• For club advice alone, the Virtual Caddie uses your average club distance, wind speed, and wind direction to recommend a club for each shot, leading to more greens and fairways in regulation and more birdies.

• Real-time wind readings helped significantly correct for crosswind gusts and headwinds for properly struck shots that held trajectory better.

• The enhanced hazard view prevented countless penalty strokes by mapping routes strategically AROUND hazards and supporting smart layup decisions.

• Purchasing the Garmin Golf app membership ($9.99 per month/$99.99 per year) will give you access to green contour mapping ensuring putts started online – even read subtleties impossible to see with the naked eye for more confident putt and approach play.

• Both the Garmin s62 and s60 are two of the highest rated golf gps smartwatches because they have beautiful graphics and come with the most helpful golf features including course maps, yardages to flagsticks, scorecards, stat tracking, and shot and club tracking, but the s62’s exclusive features provide serious on-course GAME CHANGERS that can make a significant difference in lowering your score.

Does the Garmin S62 Have Better Golf Features Than the Garmin S60?

As an avid golfer and Garmin smartwatch owner, I get asked a lot – “Which Garmin smartwatch is the best for golf?” With the wide range of golf features across Garmin’s wearables lineup, it can get confusing.

In my personal testing, the newest addition – the Garmin s62 – stands at the top of the heap for comprehensive golf tracking. But how does it stack up against the previous favorite, the Garmin s60? Read on to see how the s62 pulls ahead for discerning golfers.

When I first strapped on the s62 on the first tee, I could already tell it was loaded with more robust golf features over my trusty s60. As I played my round, the s62 provided key yardages, game analysis, and critical course intel that helped me shape shots and lower my score.

The exclusive golf features that give the s62 an edge include:

• Virtual Caddie
• Wind Speed/Direction
• Hazard View
• Green Contour Mapping

With its caddie recommendations, dialed-in wind data, smart course management tools, and advanced green mapping – the Garmin s62 proves itself as the new star of Garmin’s golf lineup. While the s60 still covers the golf basics, I found the s62’s extras truly made the difference out on the course.

Now let’s dive deeper into how the s62 out-swings the previous best-in-golf Garmin s60…

Key Golf Features Exclusive to the Garmin s62

My trusty Garmin s60 has been my golfing wingman for years. But when I hit the links with the new s62, I realized it levels my golf game with cutting-edge features the s60 lacks.

Let’s start with the Virtual Caddie – this nifty addition feels like having a pro caddie right on my wrist! As I stepped up to each shot, the s62 would display a specific club recommendation based on my previous shot distances with each club and wind speed and direction.

For example, as I prepped for a 150 yard approach on the 7th hole, it suggested that based on my 7-iron carry distance of 145 yards and 10mph headwind, I should consider using a smooth swing with my 6-iron allowing for wind correction.

I listened to its spot-on recommendation and stuck the green 18 feet from the pin! Having the s62 crunch the numbers on wind, lie, elevation and my personal tendencies took a ton of guesswork out of club selection. This was clutch down the stretch when I used its advice to dial in a perfect hybrid that found the dance floor on the 200 yard par-3 16th into gusting winds.

The s62 also displays real-time wind speed and direction during the round from its connection to the Garmin Golf app. As winds picked up to 20mph on the back nine, I could account for the gusts by checking the precise wind readings on my watch. It even helped me turn the challenging par-4 12th from a missed green to an up-and-down par by aiming my approach 30 yards left of target.

And talk about avoiding disasters – the s62’s enhanced Hazard View was a lifesaver. I could quickly scroll through every bunker, water hazard, and other trouble on the hole map. On the risk-reward par-5 9th I used the hazard distances to intentionally play short of the creek crossing the fairway’s bend. This set up the best angle of attack over water to the back-right pin.

Also the s62 provides detailed Green Contour Mapping with an active Garmin Golf membership. By visually showing the slopes and grains on the greens right on my watch, I could attack pins more strategically. On the ever-tricky 14th green, I used the contour view to aim my putt 5 feet left of the back-right pin allowing for the 3% right-to-left tilt. Nailed it for a closing birdie!

Golf Features Common to Both the s62 and s60

While the s62 brings exciting new golf tech to the table, it retains all the outstanding core features that make the s60 a top golf watch too.

Both watches come preloaded with 43,000 courses with no additional downloads needed. I’ve taken my Garmins everywhere from my home course to top-ranked tracks like Pebble Beach and never had to wait to get yardages dialed in.

The watches also both display front/middle/back green distances which is critical for dialing in approach shots. I use these numbers on almost every hole to pick the right club – easy access from a quick glance. No more counting sprinkler heads!

One of my favorite aspects of Garmin golf watches is how they automatically track each shot distance, no tagging required. After every swing, I look down and can see exactly how far that ball flew or rolled. These watches even auto-detect and save shot distances when you switch clubs after a duffed shot or penalty stroke. Over time, seeing real distances instead of guesses has helped me adjust club selection and understand my distances better.

The only problems I had with the shot tracking feature were that it did not keep track of my putts and chip shots. For this, I had to purchase Garmin CT10 club sensors.

Both watches have the capability to sync up with Garmin’s CT10 club sensors for automatic shot and club tracking. By attaching a tiny sensor to each club, the watches perfectly log shot distances for all shots including putts and chip shots along with the club used – without manual entry or tagging required. They’ve helped me dial in my wedge yardages and improve gap management in my bag.

Both the s62 and s60 provide digital scoring with in-depth stats tracking. I love getting to the 19th hole after a round and having not only my score handy, but also key stats like:

• Fairways hit
• Greens in regulation
• Number of putts per hole
• Penalty strokes
• Sand saves

With all these metrics, it’s easy to see what parts of my game need work!

The full color vector maps show exact fairway shapes and doglegs for strategy. And the PinPointer feature gives a blind shot compass direction to the pin when you can’t spot the flag.

I also lean on the PlaysLike distance (also known as the slope compensation feature) that adjusts the yardages for uphill and downhill lies. And touch targeting lets me tap any point on the map to see precise distance there – super handy for dialing in crisp wedge shots.

Both watches also track swing tempo and provide tempo training tools to ingrain that ideal pace. As I groove my backswing:transition:follow-through rhythm, I can see consistency improvements reflected in the tempo metrics.

While the s62 takes over in strategic insights and recommendations, both watches cover the full gamut of essential golf data you need hole to hole.

Key Advantages of Garmin s62 Golf Features

The s62 has prime golf features lacking in the s60:

• Virtual Caddie
• Wind Speed/Direction
• Hazard View
• Green Contour Mapping

Let’s dive deeper into the tangible on-course advantages I realized from each:

The Virtual Caddie takes the guesswork out of one of golf’s biggest challenges – club selection. It tailors recommendations hole-by-hole based on my club distances, typical shot shape, current conditions, and more.

For example, facing a 170 yard par 3 over water with 20mph crosswinds, the caddie recommended that I aim 45 yards left of target with a choked down 6-iron allowing for wind correction and my tendency to draw or hook my shots to the right.

With winds howling, trying to mentally calculate the adjustment was impossible. After following the caddie’s exact aiming point and club advice, my draw held the gusts perfectly to find dry land just off the back of the green. I got up-and-down to save par.

Without that guidance, I likely splash my normal 6-iron or bail out short with an underclub. Instead, letting the s62 crunch the numbers for me led to dialed-in distance control, more greens in regulation, and lower scores.

Having real-time wind readings also paid dividends in judging ball flight or knowing when to play bump-and-runs vs high shots into greens.

On the 600 yard par 5 12th, I used the wind meter to realize the 30mph headwind made reaching in two impossible. So I played for the 100 yard layup distance instead which set up an easy pitching wedge to the green rather than a sketchy long iron or hybrid. Two putts later I smiled walking off with birdie.

On #14, 25mph gusts put my tee shot 30 yards offline into the right rough. But by checking the steady crosswinds on approach, I could then intentionally play a slice with extra loft to hold the wind and hit the green.

And for navigating hazards and danger, the s62’s enhanced hazard view saved me countless penalty strokes. On the tricky par-4 6th with OC and creek crossing the fairway, I scoped the distances ahead of time. On #6, I knew to lay up short of the creek based on its exact distance rather than risk falling victim to the canal like others in my group. This allowed me to intentionally play a 240 yard tee shot that split the trouble rather than just wailing away with driver hoping to clear.

While others attempted ill-advised hero shots over the creek and paid the price with wet penalty strokes that cost them 3 extra strokes, my smart strategy paid off with a tidy par.

Also leveraging the green contour maps ensured I was never surprised by subtle breaks. On my home 18th green loaded with twists and turns, I used the slope view to perfectly judge a 30 foot snaking putt. Knowing subtle breaks even from 30 feet out led to more confident lag putting and better scoring. This helps me start putts and approach shots on ideal lines to tight pins. Watching it drop dead-center to save par and beat my nemesis never gets old.

Other Factors to Consider in Your Buying Decision

While the s62 clearly outpaces the s60 specifically in golf features, there are other variables to weigh when choosing your ideal Garmin golf watch.

Battery life is a big one – the s62 is rated for 20 hours in golf gps mode, while the s62 promises 10 hours. For most that’s plenty to complete multiple rounds without a charge, but heavy users may prefer the s60’s extra few hours.

There’s also a difference in price – with the s62 being the newer, more advanced model, it retails around $100 higher than the s60. Both deliver value, but budget-focused golfers can save a bit upfront with the s60.

Form factor and wearing comfort is another consideration – the s60 is slightly slimmer and lighter at 1.3oz to the s62’s 1.6oz. I find both watches extremely comfortable even swinging a club and wearing for full rounds in heat, but some may favor the s60’s lighter build.

Also the s62 touts a slightly larger 1.3″ display and more high-res color touchscreen compared to the s60’s 1.2″ display. This makes the data very readable but comes down to user preference.

Here’s a comparison table on some of these other buying decision factors:

The Verdict: Garmin s62’s Exclusive Features Edges Out the s60 for Avid Golfers

When it comes to premium golf watch contenders, the Garmin s62 and s60 models both shine as leaders of the pack.

After extensively testing both watches on the links myself, I can confidently say the s62 pulls ahead for golfers obsessed with analyzing every facet of their game to improve.

The s62’s exclusive features unlock critical intel that eliminates guessing, unlocks better strategy, and ultimately leads to lower scores.

The s62’s exclusive features, including:

• Virtual Caddie
• Wind speed/direction
• Enhanced hazard view
• Green contour mapping

Together, these four exclusive features led me to pick smarter paths, absolutely pure shots under pressure, skirt danger with precision, and conquer greens like never before.

That’s why the Garmin s62 stands as the superior choice overall for the golfer dedicated to analyzing and elevating every aspect of their game. The s60 still shines, but the s62’s toolbox unlocks the next level.

Factors like the s60’s longer battery life or lightweight build may suit some players better. But for the golfer constantly chasing the next gear shift in course management, club optimization, and lower scores – the Garmin s62 offers the ultimate edge.

The s62’s motley crew of golf features equip players to dissect troublesome holes, master punch shots into gusting winds, skirt dangers with precision, and conquer sloping greens.

So while the stalwart Garmin s60 will continue serving golfers extremely well on the course, I believe those ready to level up their golf game even further will find their true soulmate in the s62.