Garmin announced the Approach S44 alongside the S50 on 21 January 2025 and positioned the S44 as the watch for golfers who want “the essential information from the tee box to the green”. The S50 is the same watch plus a heart rate sensor and a health and wellness suite. That is the line to decide on, not accuracy — both watches use the same course maps.

The case is 42 g and 11.4 mm thick, with a 1.2in AMOLED at 390 × 390 pixels. That is a big step up in sharpness from the MIP screen on a budget GPS watch like the Shot Scope G6, and a smaller, lighter package than the Approach S70 at the top of the Approach line. The lens is Gorilla Glass 3, the bezel is anodized aluminium, the rating is 5 ATM, and the straps are 20 mm industry-standard Quick Release.

The thing to weigh before buying is the membership. Features people assume are built in — Enhanced CourseView maps, Green Contours, Touch Targeting (tap the display to get the distance to any point) and PlaysLike distance, which adjusts for elevation — all sit inside the Garmin Golf Membership, which Garmin prices at $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year. What comes with the watch is front/middle/back green yardages, hazards, layups, doglegs, PinPointer, a digital scorecard and Garmin AutoShot.

On stats, the S44 works with both of Garmin’s grip tags: the CT1, which you tap against the watch before each shot (USD 99.99 for a set of 16), and the CT10, which records automatically. Both are sold separately. If you own an Approach Z30 laser, Range Relay sends its distances to the watch. For ball speed or spin numbers you need a launch monitor instead — the Approach R10 or the Approach G82.

Buy this if you want a light AMOLED golf watch you can wear for a full round and you are willing to pay the membership for detailed maps and green contours. Skip it if you want one watch for golf and health: the S44 has no heart rate sensor, no Garmin Pay and no onboard music. Garmin put all three on the S50, so that model or the Approach S70 is where to look.

Specs we could not source: Garmin’s spec table does not state screen brightness in nits, battery capacity, charge time, or a GPS accuracy figure, so none of those numbers appear on this page.

On price: Garmin’s US suggested retail price is USD 299.99 (press release of 21 January 2025, and the official product page as checked on 6 August 2026). In Thailand, Garmin’s own Thai site has no page for this model — the Approach S44 URL returns 404 while the Approach S70 page still loads (checked 6 August 2026). This page therefore carries no baht figure, and we will add one when there is a price from the brand, an official distributor, or a real Thai retailer’s own site.

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