The Garmin Approach S60 has all of the same golf features as the Fenix 5 S and Forerunner 935 plus many additional ones including slope adjustment. However, only the Garmin Fenix 5S and Forerunner 935 have a heart rate monitor and pulse oximeter.
The Garmin S62 is the successor to the Garmin S60 and it comes with major upgrades. Garmin wanted to make the S62 more like the Fenix 5S and Forerunner 935 which is why the Garmin S62 has a heart rate monitor and pulse oximeter. This is the only dedicated golf watch with these features. These features are why the Garmin S62 is a better value than the S60.
The Garmin Fenix 6 and 7 are the successors to the Garmin Fenix 5 and they come with many improvements including slope compensation, touch targeting, and enough music storage for more than 2,000 songs. The Garmin S62 has better golf features than the Garmin Fenix 6 and 7 but it does not track as many fitness metrics and has no music storage capability. Read this article to learn more: Garmin S62 vs Fenix 7 vs Fenix 6.
The Garmin S70 has more fitness tracking features than the S62 and it can store 2000 songs from your Spotify playlist as well. However, the Garmin S70 does not have as many running and hiking features as the Fenix 7 or 6. The Garmin Forerunner 965 is $100 cheaper than the Garmin S70 and $200 cheaper than the Garmin Fenix 7 because the Garmin S70 has more golf features than the Forerunner 965 and the Fenix 7 has more golf and hiking features than the Forerunner 965.
There are two different models of the Garmin S60, Garmin Approach S60 Premium and S60 Standard, but they have the same golf and fitness tracking features. The only differences are with the bezel and watch band.
The Garmin Approach S60, Fenix 5S Plus, and Forerunner 935 all come with a step counter, sleep monitor, and automatic shot tracker. The biggest differences between the Garmin Approach S60, Fenix 5, and Forerunner 935 are that the S60 calculates more accurate distances on the golf course because only the S60 has a slope compensation feature while only the Fenix 5 and Forerunner 935 have a heart rate monitor and both track more running data than the S60.
Table of Contents
Comparison Chart – Garmin Approach S60 vs Fenix 5 S vs Forerunner 935
| Features |  Learn More |  Learn More |  Learn More |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strong Points | • Preloaded with 41,000 course maps worldwide | • Wrist-Based Heart Rate Monitoring | • Wrist-Based Heart Rate Monitoring |
| Weak Points | • No list of hazard distance information (must tap on the screen to access this information) | • No Preloaded course maps (must download the relevant course maps to your watch) | • No Preloaded course maps (must download the relevant course maps to your watch) |
| Lens Material | Corning Gorilla Glass 3 | chemically strengthened glass or sapphire crystal | chemically strengthened glass |
| Bezel Material | polymer or ceramic | stainless steel | fiber-reinforced polymer |
| Case material | fiber-reinforced polymer with stainless steel rear cover | fiber-reinforced polymer | |
| Strap material | silicone or leather | silicone, suede or steel | silicone |
| Display Size | 1.2” (30.4 mm) diameter | 1.1” (27.94 mm) diameter | 1.2" (30.4 mm) diameter |
| Display resolution | 240 x 240 pixels | 218 x 218 pixels | 240 x 240 pixels |
| Product Dimensions (in inches) | 1.9 x 1.9 x 0.6 in 46 x 46 x 14.5 mm | 42 x 42 x 15 mm | 47 x 47 x 13.9 mm |
| Weight (in ounces) | standard: 1.8 oz (52 grams) premium: 2.2 oz (61 g) | 67 grams | 49 grams |
| Battery Life | Smart: Up to 10 days GPS mode: Up to 10 hours | Smartwatch mode: Up to 9 days GPS/HR mode: Up to 14 hours UltraTrac mode: Up to 35 hours without wrist heart rate | Smartwatch Mode: Up to 2 weeks GPS/HR mode: Up to 24 hours UltraTrac mode: Up to 60 hours without wrist heart rate |
Fitness Tracking Features | Garmin S60 | Garmin Fenix 5S | Garmin Forerunner 935 |
| Step Counter | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Step Counter Daily Summary - displays daily steps and daily step goal | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Step Counter Weekly Summary - displays total steps and total distance traveled | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Move bar alert (displays on device after a period of inactivity; walk for a couple of minutes to reset it) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Auto goal (learns your activity level and assigns a daily step goal) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Sleep monitoring (monitors total sleep and periods of movement or restful sleep) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Calories burned | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Floors climbed | No | Yes | Yes |
| Distance traveled | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Intensity minutes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| TrueUp | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Move IQ | No | Yes | Yes |
| Fitness Age | No | Yes (in app) | Yes (in app) |
| All-day Stress Tracking | No | Yes | Yes |
| Round odometer | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Gym & Fitness Equipment | Garmin S60 | Garmin Fenix 5S | Garmin Forerunner 935 |
| Available gym activity profiles | Indoor Rowing | Indoor Rowing, Strength Training and Cardio Training | Indoor Rowing, Strength Training and Cardio Training |
| Cardio workouts | No | Yes | Yes |
| Strength workouts | No | Yes | Yes |
| Automatic rep counting | No | Yes | Yes |
Heart Rate Features | Garmin S60 | Garmin Fenix 5S | Garmin Forerunner 935 |
| Wrist-based Heart Rate Monitoring - Displays current heart rate in beats per minute (bpm) and seven-day average resting heart rate | No | Yes | Yes |
| HR zones | Yes (with compatible chest strap monitor) | Yes | Yes |
| HR calories | No | Yes | Yes |
| HR alerts | Yes (with compatible chest strap monitor) | Yes | Yes |
| % HR max | Yes (with compatible chest strap monitor) | Yes | Yes |
| % HRR | Yes (with compatible chest strap monitor) | Yes | Yes |
| Recovery time | No | Yes | Yes |
| Auto max HR | No | Yes | Yes |
| HRV stress test (measures your heart rate variability while standing still, for 3 minutes, to provide you with an estimated stress level; the scale of this is 1 to 100; low scores indicate lower stress levels) | No | yes (with compatible accessory) | yes (with compatible accessory) |
| Records heart rate while swimming | No | yes (with HRM-Tri and HRM-Swim) | yes (with HRM-Tri and HRM-Swim) |
| HR Broadcast (broadcasts HR data over ANT+ to paired devices) | No | Yes | Yes |
Training, Planning and Analysis Features | Garmin S60 | Garmin Fenix 5S | Garmin Forerunner 935 |
| GPS speed and distance | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Customizable data pages - allows you to quickly access real-time data from internal and connected sensors and when you begin tracking or navigating, additional data pages appear | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Auto Lap - marks a lap at a specific distance automatically and compare your performance over different parts of an activity (e.g., every 1 mile or 5 kilometers) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Touch and/or button lock | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Running Features | Garmin S60 | Garmin Fenix 5S | Garmin Forerunner 935 |
| Preloaded run profiles | Yes (Running, Indoor Running) | Yes (Running, Treadmill Running, Trail Running) | Yes (Running, Indoor Running, Trail Running) |
| GPS-based distance, time and pace | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Running dynamics | No | Yes (with compatible accessory) | Yes (with compatible accessory) |
| Vertical oscillation and ratio (the degree of 'bounce' in your running motion and the cost-benefit ratio with stride length) | Yes (with compatible accessory) | Yes (with compatible accessory) | |
| Ground contact time and balance (shows how much time, in the running motion, your foot is on the ground rather than in flight and lets you check your running symmetry) | Yes (with compatible accessory) | Yes (with compatible accessory) | |
| Stride length (real time) | Yes (with compatible accessory) | Yes (with compatible accessory) | |
| Cadence (provides real-time number of steps per minute) | No | Yes | Yes |
| Performance condition (after running 6–20 minutes, compares your real-time condition to your average fitness level) | No | Yes | Yes |
| Lactate threshold (through analysis of your pace and heart rate, estimates the point where your muscles start to rapidly fatigue) | No | Yes (with compatible accessory) | Yes (with compatible accessory) |
| Customized run workouts | No | Yes | Yes |
| Race predictor | No | Yes | Yes |
| Foot pod capable | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Outdoor Recreation Features | Garmin S60 | Garmin Fenix 5S | Garmin Forerunner 935 |
| Available outdoor recreation profiles | Skiing, Snowboarding, XC Skiing, Stand Up Paddleboarding, Rowing | Skiing, Snowboarding, XC Skiing, Stand Up Paddleboarding, Rowing | Skiing, Snowboarding, XC Skiing, Stand Up Paddleboarding, Rowing |
Cycling Features | Garmin S60 | Garmin Fenix 5S | Garmin Forerunner 935 |
| Available cycling profiles | Biking, Indoor Biking | Biking, Indoor Biking | Biking, Indoor Biking |
| Time/distance alerts (triggers alarm when you reach goal) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Speed and cadence sensor support (with sensor) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Swimming Features | Garmin S60 | Garmin Fenix 5S | Garmin Forerunner 935 |
| Available swim profiles | Pool Swimming | Pool Swimming | Pool Swimming |
| Pool swim metrics (lengths, distance, pace, stroke count/rate, calories) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Swim efficiency (SWOLF) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Golfing Features | Garmin S60 | Garmin Fenix 5S | Garmin Forerunner 935 |
| Hole View - Displays Current hole number; Distance to the back, middle and front of the green; Par for the hole | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Green View - Green View shows you the true shape and layout of greens . With the Garmin S20 and X40, you can move the pin manually to match that days’ location for more accurate yardage. With the Garmin S60, you can touch the display and drag the pin to the proper location. | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Viewing Layup and Dogleg Distances - View a list of layup and dogleg distances for par 4 and 5 holes. | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| AutoShot (Shot detection and tracking) Round Analyzer with Garmin Connect - AutoShot round analyzer automatically detects and records your shots along the fairway, measures distance and records shot locations for post-round analysis on Garmin Connect. Your putts are not detected. | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Club tracking and average club distance - tracks clubs used for each shot and keeps track of ball distances for each club | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Viewing Hazards - View the distances to the front and back of the nearest hazard along the fairway for par 4 and 5 holes. Hazards that affect shot selection are displayed individually or in groups to help you determine the distance to layup or carry. You can use the up or down button to view the other hazards for the current hole. | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Smartphone Notifications - This feature will act as a wireless extension of your compatible smart device, displaying smart notifications, right on your watch. Never miss another important text, email or alert just because your smartphone is hidden somewhere in your bag. With the Garmin S20, you can use Bluetooth technology to read that email or text you’ve been waiting for even if you are in the middle of the fairway. | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Digital Scorecard Counter - Keeps track of your score throughout your round. For Garmin watches, you can save, review and even use the Garmin Connect Mobile fitness app with your smartphone to upload and share that great round with your golfing buddies online. | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Score View - displays the scores | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Truswing Compatible - When paired, Garmin TruSwing golf swing sensor provides metrics to improve your swing consistency | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Clock Features (includes time, date, GPS Time Sync, Automatic daylight saving time, Alarm clock, Sunrise/sunset times) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Before you play golf, you must wait until the device acquires satellite signals and calculates your location, which may take up to 30 to 60 seconds. Then you can select a course from the list. You will get access to more than 40,000 courses, free lifetime course updates and you will not have to pay any annual membership fees | |||
| Smartphone Notifications for incoming calls, texts and other alerts | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Clock Features (includes time, date, GPS Time Sync, Automatic daylight saving time, Alarm clock, Sunrise/sunset times) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Display type | sunlight-visible, transflective memory-in-pixel (MIP) | sunlight-visible, transflective memory-in-pixel (MIP) | sunlight-visible, transflective memory-in-pixel (MIP) |
| Color display | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Touchscreen | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Yardage to front, middle and back of green | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Yardage to layups/doglegs | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Auto course recognition | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Auto hole advance | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Touch-targeting (touch target on display to see the distance to any point) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| PinPointer blind shot assistance | No | No | No |
| Dedicated Green View button with manual pin position | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Custom targets | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Stat tracking (strokes, putts per round, greens and fairways hit and average shot distance) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Preloaded Golf Course Maps | 40,000+ worldwide golf courses | 40,000+ worldwide golf courses | 40,000+ worldwide golf courses |
| Course preview (see detailed, hole-by-hole preview) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| SwingTempo | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Tempo Training | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| TruSwing compatible | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Memory/history | 1 GB | 64 MB | 64 MB |
| Waterproof | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Water rating | 5 ATM (50 meters) | 10 ATM (100 meters) | 5 ATM (50 meters) |
| Free Lifetime Course Updates | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Annual Fees Or Subscriptions | None | None | None |
| Legal For Tournament Play | Yes | Yes | Yes |
The Garmin Approach S60, Fenix 5S Plus and Forerunner 935 all have the same sleek, sporty look and the Forerunner 935 weighs less than either watch. But the Fenix 5S is more durable than the Forerunner 935 and S60. Listed below are the many differences and similarities between the golfing and fitness tracking features found in the Garmin Approach S60, Fenix 5S Plus and Forerunner 935.
• The Garmin Approach S60, Fenix 5S and Forerunner 935 all come with a touchscreen, step counter and sleep monitor and they will calculate distances to hazards, doglegs, layup markers and the front, middle and back of the greens.
• The Garmin Approach S60, Fenix 5S and Forerunner 935 all come with shot and club tracking, green layouts and vibrating notifications.
• Only the Garmin Approach S60 has aerial course maps with overhead views of each hole while the Fenix 5S and Forerunner 935 only has layouts of the greens.
• Only the Garmin S60 can adjust distances for slope while the Fenix 5S and Forerunner 935 only display straight line distances.
• Only the Garmin S60 has pinpointer blindshot assistance that is a directional arrow that will point you towards the green which is helpful if your view is obstructed because your ball is in the woods.
• The Garmin Fenix and Forerunner can track much more running data than the S60.
• Only the Garmin Fenix 5 and Forerunner 935 have a heart rate monitor while the Garmin Approach S60 can only track heart data with a chest strap monitor.
• The Garmin Fenix 5 s and Forerunner 935 make it much easier to access hazard distances than the Garmin S60. The Garmin Fenix 5 and Forerunner display a list of hazard distances while the S60 requires you to get the distances by tapping on each hazard on the touchscreen.
• The Garmin S60 and Forerunner have a polymer bezel while the Fenix 5 has a metal bezel. But the Garmin Approach S60 has 1GB of memory storage while the Fenix 5 and Forerunner have 64MB.
Garmin Approach S60 vs Fenix 5S vs Forerunner 935 – Differences and Similarities
Which Garmin golf and fitness watch is the lightest and most comfortable to wear?
Garmin Forerunner 935 weighs less than the Garmin S60 and Fenix 5S: One major consideration is the weight of a watch because a lighter watcher will be more comfortable and less likely to affect your golf swing or other fitness activities. The Forerunner 935 is much lighter than the Fenix 5S and a little lighter than the Garmin S60.
Which Garmin golf and fitness watch is the most durable?
Garmin Fenix 5S is much more durable than the Garmin S60 or Forerunner 935: The Fenix 5S comes with a stainless steel bezel and fiber-reinforced polymer casing with stainless steel rear cover while both the Garmin S60 and Forerunner 935 only come with fiber-reinforced polymer bezels and casings and no stainless steel components.
Which Garmin golf and fitness watch has the most memory storage?
Garmin Approach S60 has more memory storage than the Garmin Forerunner 935 or Fenix 5S: The Garmin S60 has 1GB of memory storage while both the Garmin Forerunner 935 and Fenix 5S only come with 64MB of storage.
Which golf features does the Garmin S60 have that are not found in the Garmin Fenix 5S and Forerunner 935
The Garmin S60 comes with more than 41,000 golf course maps pre-loaded into the watch. For the Garmin Fenix 5S and Forerunner 935, you will have to download the relevant golf course from Garmin Connect before you can start playing. This can be a real inconvenience for some people.
The Garmin S60 comes with many golf features that are missing in the Fenix 5S and Forerunner 935 including touch targeting (touch any point on course map to see the distance to that point), overhead views of each hole that display bunkers and water hazards, slope compensation for elevation changes on uphill and downhill shots, pinpointer blind shot assistance, advanced swing training features, and the ability to save the location for any missing hazards on the course map.
Do the Garmin Approach S60, Fenix 5S and Forerunner 935 come with AutoShot shot tracking?
Yes all three golf watches come with shot and club tracking.
Which golf features do the Garmin Approach S60, Fenix 5S and Forerunner 935 have in common?
All three watches will give you the yardages to the front, back and middle of the green for any single course, layup and carry distances to hazards and include features such as stat tracking (fairways hit, etc.), green view for viewing the shape and layout of the green, automatic shot tracking (you can view the shot locations on an overhead course map on the Garmin Connect website), manual club tracking and automatic shot distance measurement.
Why are the tracking features in both the Garmin Fenix 5S and Forerunner 935 better than in the Garmin S60?
Both the Garmin Fenix 5S and Forerunner 935 come with better outdoor sensors, including GPS and GLONASS satellite reception and 3-axis compass with gyroscope and barometric altimeter.
Dual navigation networks – Both the Garmin Fenix 5S and Forerunner 935 watches have dual navigation networks that feature advanced GPS and GLONASS satellite reception to track in more challenging environments than GPS alone.
Comprehensive navigation and tracking – Both the Garmin Fenix 5S and Forerunner 935 watches will provide comprehensive navigation and tracking to guide you on and off the beaten path using GPS plus ABC (altimeter, barometer and compass) sensor capabilities. The built-in altimeter provides elevation data to accurately monitor ascent and descent, while the barometer can be used to predict weather changes by showing short-term trends in air pressure. The 3-axis electronic compass keeps your bearing, whether you’re moving or not. In addition, there’s an internal gyroscope to help improve position accuracy (and battery life) in UltraTrac mode — as well as a thermometer to help you monitor changing weather conditions.
Do the Garmin S60, Fenix 5S or Forerunner 935 have a heart rate monitor?
Both the Garmin Fenix 5 and Forerunner 935 contain a Wrist-based Heart Rate monitor. On your wrist, Elevate wrist heart rate technology lets you monitor your heart rate without wearing a chest strap. The Garmin S60 requires the use of a chest strap heart monitor that you will have to purchase separately. In addition to counting steps and monitoring sleep, the watch uses heart rate to provide calories burned information and quantify the intensity of your fitness activities.
Do the Garmin Fenix 5S and Forerunner 935 track more running data than the S60?
Both the Garmin Fenix 5S and Forerunner 935 have many more running features. They can track more running data than the S60 which will allow it to do a better job of analyzing your performance and learn what you need to know to improve your form. They both contain training features that tap into extended physiological metrics and advanced running dynamics can help improve your form and overall performance. These biomechanical measurements include Performance condition, Lactate threshold, cadence, stride length, ground contact time and balance, vertical oscillation and vertical ratio. They are the important to understanding your form so you can bring your best on race day. These metrics are available with the addition of a compatible heart rate strap or the compact Running Dynamics Pod, which clips right onto your waistband.
Do the Garmin Fenix 5S and Forerunner 935 contain more sports apps and track much more sports data than the Garmin S60?
All three watches contains various sports apps with tracking profiles for Swimming, Cycling, Skiing, Paddle Sports, Golf, etc. However, both the Garmin Fenix 5S and Forerunner 935 contain additional sports apps not found in the S60 and the sports apps in both the Garmin Fenix 5S and Forerunner 935 can track much more data. Beyond their running functions, the Fenix 5S and Forerunner 935 watches also offer special feature sets to help with swim training, skiing, golfing and paddle sports, including stand-up paddle boarding and rowing. For swimmers, the device tracks your distance, pace, stroke count and more. Ski/Board mode puts speed, distance, vertical drop and an automatic run counter (with Auto Pause for the lift line) and more at your fingertips. The feature set for paddle sports includes stroke count, stroke rate and even distance per stroke.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Is there a user manual for the Garmin Fenix 5 S?
Yes there is. You can access this pdf manual with information about the different features in the Garmin Fenix 5S by clicking on this link. You can access a web version of this user manual by accessing this link.
