PLAYING WITH … GARMIN APPROACH X10 GPS GOLF BAND

Cost: $249. Tested by: Jimmy Emanuel, Golf Australia Writer (GA Handicap 9.4)

Is your watch impeding your swing? This sleek and comfortable golf band could be the solution you’re looking for.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: The small and sleek Approach X10 appealed to me instantly as someone who doesn’t wear a watch when playing golf and has been uncomfortable with larger devices in the past. Once on, the band was comfortable and never bothered me when swinging the club. In fact, during my first round wearing it I forgot it was there on multiple occasions.

The screen of the X10, despite being on the small side, is extremely clear and the distances were easy to read in a variety of light conditions during my testing, and the touch screen performed as expected throughout. HOW IT PERFORMED: Although not full of as many features as some of the other models in the Garmin GPS range, the X10 perfectly does as it promises, delivering accurate and easy-toread distances to the front, middle and back of greens as well as selected other distances.

The unit found the GPS satellites quickly at all the courses I visited throughout my time with it and never skipped a beat picking up the correct hole or moving onto the next automatically.

Beyond the standard display distances, the touch of a button brings up options to check hazards and layup distances that are extremely handy when playing a new course. Again the simplicity of the Approach X10 is perfect in this regard, with multiple layup options and reach and carry hazard distances displayed in quick time.

Of the other additional features, the green view stood out most for me. The function allows you to move the flag on the green across a number of different pre-set points that not only help dial in your approach shot but help to show just how far off you can be when judging distances purely from sprinkler measurements.

The scoring feature is also a handy addition, with the prompt at each green useful for the forgetful player, and the statistics keeping mode is also a nice touch for players looking to track game improvement.

The ability to measure shots is nice for anyone engaged in a long driving contest but given the numbers aren’t recorded anywhere the feature doesn’t offer much in the way of tracking distances from round to round. Overall, the Approach X10 does everything needed of a basic GPS unit. The primary function of green distances are accurate and easy to read, and the unit is comfortable to wear during your round and even away from the course as a watch. The lack of features on offer in some of the company’s other models are noticeable to anyone who has tried both but simply make the X10 better suited to those who don’t need all the bells and whistles and prefer something a little smaller and less cumbersome.