Tech review: Garmin Approach S2 golf watch

'Caddy replacement': the Garmin Approach S2 watch

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26 April 2013

While traditionalists may claim using technology can take the enjoyment out of a relaxing round of golf, there are many who say going
high tech to improve your score is a no brainer.

For those in the techie camp, here's the Garmin Approach S2 - billed as the most accurate yet "caddy on the wrist".
The watch aims to help both novices and scratch golfers alike improve their games at the touch of a button, without having to ferret around with pieces of paper to work out yardage.
The device takes some of the thinking time out of your round enabling you to select the correct club by using GPS technology to gauge distances.
Originally golf rangefinder devices were bulky handheld efforts with software that needed to be downloaded, and courses that needed to be installed.
But the S2  is loaded with 30,000 golf courses, from the Old Course at St Andrews to lesser known courses at holiday resorts  around the world.
When you tee off, so does the Approach S2 - it spots your position, which hole you're at and what par is the hole.
Garmin's latest creation is a major advancement -  and uniquely it can measure dogleg distances to see around those blind corners, giving a  more accurate way of sizing up the challenge that lies ahead.
The distances are displayed in either yards or metres, helping you figure out which club best to select.
There is also an odometer which tells you how far you've walked on the course.
If you want to keep score then that can be done too and the digital score cards can then be saved, downloaded and printed out.
But for those who eschew GPS technology, the S2 has all the functions of a regular watch so you'll never miss tee time.

LIVE: THE MASTERS

LIVE: THE MASTERS 

follow the drama on day two at Augusta as McIlroy, Tiger and 14-year-old Guan chase the leaders

Welcome to Sportsmail's coverage of round two of The Masters. Thursday was a thriller - Sergio Garcia and Marc Leishman are leading the way on six under par - and with Friday set up to be cracker, you're in for a treat. We'll take you so close to the action, you'll almost be able to smell the azaleas.

Bradley sorry for excessive spitting

A dumb-founded Keegan Bradley said even he was taken aback by his excessive spitting as he watched television replays of his play during the final round of last week's Northern Trust Open in Los Angeles.

Bradley ended up losing a three-way playoff for the title at Riviera Country Club, where fellow American Bill Haas triumphed, and was initially surprised his on-course expectorating had sparked widespread criticism on Twitter.
However, once he saw for himself via the telecast how much he spat during his pre-shot routine, the US PGA Championship winner issued a public apology on his Twitter account.
"To be honest with you, I really had no idea I was doing it," Bradley said at Dove Mountain while preparing for this week's WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship. "And I feel bad.
"It's something that I'm going to work on and I just ask everybody to just kind of bear with me as I go through this, because it's something I've done without even knowing it. I'm going to truly work on it.
"It might take some time but I will do my best to stop. It's something that I'm glad that's come up, because I'm able to kind of nip it now. It's just a thing where I'm watching myself."
Bradley, who clinched his first major title by beating compatriot Jason Dufner in a playoff for last year's US PGA Championship in Atlanta, conceded his lengthy pre-shot routine was also a concern.
"It's about visualisation," the 25-year-old said. "It's kind of my way of staying not stagnant. It's something that you don't even really realise you're doing when you're in the heat of it.
"I will take a look at it and see if there are any improvements that I can make. But it's something that I've been doing and it's been working. Coming down the stretch, it (the time) does come up a little bit.
"But it doesn't seem to affect my ability, which is the most important," added Bradley, who earlier was presented with his trophy for winning the 2011 US PGA Tour Rookie of the Year award.
Bradley has been drawn to play against Australian Geoff Ogilvy, tournament champion in 2006 and 2009, in Wednesday's opening round at Dove Mountain.

Golf chiefs consider rule changes over loved and loathed belly putter

• R&A and US Golf Association to look at controversial club
• Belly putter sales up after Keegan Bradley's US PGA win

Keegan Bradley used a controversial belly putter on his way to victory in the 2011 PGA Championship. Photograph: Stuart Franklin/Getty Images
Beloved by golf's afflicted and loathed by the sport's traditionalists, the belly putter is under threat. The US Golf Association and the R&A have decided to take a fresh look at the controversial club amid fears its growing use by tour professionals is undermining the spirit of the game.

Mike Davis, the executive director of the US Golf Association, revealed earlier this week the degree of concern within the sport's governing bodies over the use of the clubs, which have become so popular on both the PGA and European tours over the past year. Davis said: "More players are using it, both on the elite level and the recreational level. We want to be sure that we are looking at all the angles and thinking about what is in the best interests of the traditions of the game, the history of the game, and what we think would be good for the game."

"If you look back at the interest in it, it really never changed for over 20 years. All of a sudden in 2011 … this has become a much bigger topic. So the R&A and USGA have been talking about this at length, and we're looking at it from the perspective as … what is good for the game for all golfers long term."

Publicly, the R&A has maintained a relaxed view over the use of long putters but it is believed the organisation is privately pushing hard for changes in the rules governing their use. Any such move would be fraught and meet with opposition from equipment manufacturers and players who now use the club, but the traditionalists have the support of the sport's biggest name.

Speaking on the eve of the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, Tiger Woods conceded he had never been a fan of the long putters and suggested a rule change of his own. "My idea was to have it so that the putter would be equal to or less than the shortest club in your bag," he said. "And I think with that, we'd be able to get away from any type of belly anchoring."

The former world No1, who has had putting problems of his own over the past couple of years, said he had spoken to Peter Dawson, the chief executive of the R&A, several times in recent years to push the case for change.

One possible move would be to outlaw "anchoring", in which the player holds the end of the club against the chest or the stomach, allowing them to make a smoother pendulum motion. This way the clubs themselves would not be illegal but the method of using them would.

Keegan Bradley became the first player in history to win a major championship with a long putter at the PGA Championship in Atlanta, a victory that led to a surge in sales of the clubs. Odyssey, the company that manufactures the club used by Bradley, reported a 400% increase in demand from the general public, while the sport's elite players were no less sheepish in their search for infallibility on the greens.

Among the high-profile names to have used long putters in recent times have been Sergio García and Phil Mickelson, while Ernie Els famously said of his decision to switch: "As long as it's legal I'll keep cheating with the rest of them."

It was a funny line from the South African, who was once an outspoken critic of players who used long putters, but it may have been too close for comfort for those who run the sport.

Celebrate National Golf Day 2011 with an app

There seems to be a huge amount of events going on today, not only do we have Apple and Adobe announcing new products, but it’s also National Golf Day 2011. There are a few varying dates for this event and October 4th is just one of them. In a way to help you celebrate we thought we would offer what we believe to be the best golfing apps, as a way to celebrate.

Firstly let’s talk a little about the event, its main purpose is to raise money for charity, and the PGA has been sponsoring the event since 1952. More than 4,300 professional golfers are asked to take part, and the money earned from the entry fees are then shared around to a number of different charities. Each year millions of dollars is raised for good causes, so do your bit and attend an event. We would like it if golf app developers and Apple would also donate money on this day.

Golf ProViewer HD is the first app, and it does not take a genius to work out that it’s for the iPad. This is not a game, but a tool to help you improve your golfing skills. The teacher in the app will show you the best techniques for each shot, and with 20 years of experience inside the computer-rendered teacher you are sure to be pulling a few masterstrokes in no time.

Mark Crossfield, who aims to teach you the best way to play the game, has created the Golf Pro app for the iPhone. This is done with a series of YouTube videos, it is much better to watch how to swing your club rather than read or see a few images. This app gets updated with new videos on a weekly basis, which makes the $2.99 price a very good deal indeed.

Dave Stockton’s Positive Golf is yet another app that uses videos to train you. This one is a little more expensive at $3.99, but it does cover all aspects of the game. The app does have a bold claim, saying that it is guaranteed to lower your golf score – sounds like a challenge to us.

Here is an actual sign posted at a golf club in Scotland.
1. BACK STRAIGHT, KNEES BENT, FEET SHOULDER-WIDTH APART. 2. FORM A LOOSE GRIP. 3. KEEP YOUR HEAD DOWN. 4. AVOID A QUICK BACK SWING. 5. STAY OUT OF THE WATER. 6. TRY NOT TO HIT ANYONE. 7. IF YOU ARE TAKING TOO LONG, LET OTHERS GO AHEAD OF YOU. 8. DON'T STAND DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF OTHERS. 9. QUIET PLEASE...WHILE OTHERS ARE PREPARING. 10. DON'T TAKE EXTRA STROKES.
WELL DONE. NOW FLUSH THE URINAL, GO OUTSIDE AND TEE OFF!

A Taste of What I've had to put up with!

Have you ever noticed what golf spells backwards ?