Garmin Approach G80 Handheld Golf GPS Review

Garmin Approach G80 Handheld Golf GPS Review

Garmin Approach G80 Features not found in the Garmin Approach G8 or G30

This Garmin Approach G80 review article will tell you everything about the pros and cons of the Garmin Approach G80 Handheld Golf GPS and tell you why the Garmin G80 is better than the G8 and G30. The Garmin G80 is the best handheld Garmin GPS device because it has all of the best features of the Garmin G8, including full-color course maps, colorful layup arcs, and touch targeting, but it also comes with a launch radar that will improve your golf swing.

This launch monitor tracks club head speed, ball speed but it does not track launch angle and spin rate like the Flightscope Mevo and Swing Caddie SC300. For more information about the Flightscope Mevo and Swing Caddie SC300, please read this article: Garmin G80 vs Swing Caddie SC300 vs Flightscope Mevo vs Rapsodo launch monitors.

The Garmin Approach G80 comes with a larger touchscreen display and higher display resolution than the Garmin G8 and G30. The higher display resolution of the Garmin G80 makes the graphics look much better and allows you to see the water hazards, sand traps, fairways and putting greens much more clearly than you could on the G8 and G30 and the text will be much easier to read.

Also the Garmin G80 and G8 have a slimmer profile with a thickness of 0.6 inches because they use a lower profile lithium polymer battery whereas the Garmin G30 is thicker at 0.8 inches because it uses a lithium ion battery.

These handheld units have a much longer battery life and more golf features than any of the golf GPS watches, such as the Garmin S20 and Garmin S10.

The Garmin G80 does not have the club recommendation feature and WiFi course updates that the Garmin G8 has. However, it has all of the other features that the Garmin G8 has including slope compensation and blindshot assistance. Both the Garmin G8 and G30 cost much less than the G80 but only the Garmin G80 has the following important features:

3.5-inch diagonal color touchscreen display – G80: 3.5 inch (G80) vs G8: 3.0 inch (G8) vs G30: 2.3 inch; Garmin G80 has the largest display of any Garmin handheld golf GPS device with a 3.5 inch diagonal while the G8 and G30 have smaller display diagonals of 3.0-inch and 2.3 inch, respectively.
Best display resolution of any Garmin handheld golf GPS – Garmin G80: 282 x 470 pixels vs Garmin G8: 240 x 400 pixels vs Garmin G30: 160 x 240 pixels
Warmup Mode – Provides radar swing metrics, including estimated carry and roll shot distance, club head speed, ball speed, smash factor, and swing tempo.
Tempo Training Mode – Device sounds three beeps that repeat continuously to help you achieve the ideal swing tempo and it measures and displays your backswing and downswing timing to help you achieve the ideal swing tempo. The first beep tells you when to begin your backswing. The second beep tells you when to begin your downswing. The third beep tells you when to hit the ball.
Target Practice – Lets one or two players earn points by hitting the ball toward one or more custom distance targets. The device will determine your shot distance and give you points based on how close your shot is to the target. You can take 5 shots at each target.
Virtual Round – Simulates playing a round of golf on any of the 41,000 preloaded courses. You can compete against your personal best, compete against another player, or participate in a virtual tournament.

Garmin Approach G80 Features found in the Garmin G8, G30 and G10

High-sensitivity GPS – acquires satellites quickly to show distance to greens, hazards, layups and doglegs
Preloaded with more than 40,000 courses worldwide
Green View with manual pin placement – Displays the shape of the putting green and allows you to place the pin in the correct location for the day, which improves distance accuracy
15 hours of battery life – All three devices will give you 15 hours of battery life on a single charge
Digital scorecard – lets you easily keep track of the score for 4 players throughout each round
Stat Tracking – Enhanced Stats Keeps Track Of Fairways Hit, Greens In Regulation And Putts Per Round
Garmin Connect – Online golf community lets you play, then share and compare your round

Garmin Approach G80 Features found in the Garmin G8 and G30

Full-color course maps – The Garmin G80, G8 and G30 will display the fairways, water hazard, sand bunkers, doglegs, landing areas, and the front, middle, and back of the greens in full color. The Garmin Approach G10 has a black and white screen and does not display course maps.
Touch Targeting – The Garmin G80, G8 and G30 all have touch targeting. This means that you can touch any point on the sunlight-readable display to get precise yardage to that spot — fairway, hazard, landing area or the front, middle and back of the green. The distances are almost as accurate as the distances from one of the less expensive, more affordable golf rangefinders.
Save Locations of Missing Hazards – The Garmin G80, G8 and G30 allow you to save the locations of missing hazards (including sand bunkers and water hazards), objects and obstacles for each hole that are not shown on the map while the Garmin Approach G10 does not have this feature.
Colorful layup arcs at 100, 150, 200 and 250 yards – Lets you know how far you need to hit the ball when laying up the ball to the pin
Bluetooth-enabled smartphone notifications with audio tone alerts – The Garmin G80, G8 and G30 all come with wireless connectivity that will allow these devices to receive emails, texts and alerts from your compatible smartphone (iPhone 4S Or Later)
Big Numbers Mode – For easy viewing on your screen, increase the font size for distances to the front, back and middle of the greens
TruSwing golf swing sensor compatibility – Pair with the TruSwing golf swing analyzer (must be purchased separately), and you can train your swing with game-changing metrics, including swing speed and club path angles.
View past rounds, player statistics and shots on the device – You can view all of your previously saved rounds, player statistics and shots on the device. You can do this on the Garmin G80, G8 and G30 but not on the G10.