Garmin S20 or 60?

Danny Hsieh · August 23, 2018

Garmin S20 or S60?

S60 - Newer , touch screen (faster operation), top view of the course and hazards, but more expensive.

S20 - 2 years old, more affordable, buttons, provides all the information needed for golf.

I like the look of the S60. I like the touch screen, but not sure about the reliability of it. I like the ability to view the whole course(dogleg, hazards...etc). The main thing stopping me from pulling the trigger is the price, it's as expensive as an Apple Watch.

The S20 is a more affordable option, but not sure if the buttons will be a PITA to operate on a course, I like how it's smaller and not as intrusive in a golf swing. The main thing that stops me from buying it is that the price hasn't gone down that much since launch, which is about 2 years ago, makes me feel like I'm paying almost MSRP for a 2 year old tech.

What's your opinion? Which one would you go for over the other and why?

How long does a GPS watch usually last? Would the S60 last long enough to justify the price tag?

Is the S20 considered outdated in 2018? Is the price justified for this 2 year old device?

thanks in advance for the all the responses!

Stuart_G · August 23, 2018

First of all, I wouldn't worry about the s20 being considered 'outdated'. Just make the decision based on whether the additional functionality is worth the additional cost or not. The watch will last as long as you keep good care of it and as long as the battery can hold a charge. Not a lot of changes/advances recently (that I'm aware of) as far as the basic gps functionality goes and the course data can always be updated so basic functionality shouldn't be very different. I have the s60 but my older s3 still works just as well as far as the basic functionality is concerned.

The touch screen is nice but the fact that it also has buttons is problematic as it's easy for the buttons to accidentally be pressed during the swing. On the range (practicing a slower take-away and checking position at the top) I've even accidentally powered down the watch. They can be locked to help keep that from happening (and I do cup my left wrist more than most at the top so it may be worse for me that for others). Button placement is different on the s20 so don't know if I'd have the same problem on that unit or not. I'll still use my x40 a lot - particular on courses I'm already familiar with and don't need the views showing the hole layout.

The hole layout view is nice on courses I'm not very familiar with but not easy to get accurate distances with the view. You have to pick points with your finger (can't use a pencil or tee) and it can be difficult to be precise with a big finger on a small screen. More often than not, I prefer to use my laser for distance to dog leg corners or to layup or cover a hazard. Also I almost never use the green view. But that's also another case where I prefer a laser to get actual distance to pin. If you don't' have a laser, it might be more useful for you than they have been for me.

So while I'm not really dissatisfied with the s60, If I had to do it again, I don't know if i'd make the same choice again. I find I'm not using as much of the additional functionality that I thought I might use - at least for golf. Now for non-golf activities, the fact that it has a lot more apps and widgets that you can choose from to use is nice and something I've only started to explore.

deadsolid...shank · August 23, 2018

I bought the S60 strictly for the hole view. For when I play new courses. I found it wasn’t nearly detailed enough to make a substantial difference in that area so sold it. I’m back to my S6 and use if just for FMB distances and layup yardages (the hole view feature on that one stopped working some time back which is why I “upgraded”) to the 60 in the first place.

nupezb · August 23, 2018

Garmin S20 or S60?

S60 - Newer , touch screen (faster operation), top view of the course and hazards, but more expensive.

S20 - 2 years old, more affordable, buttons, provides all the information needed for golf.

I like the look of the S60. I like the touch screen, but not sure about the reliability of it. I like the ability to view the whole course(dogleg, hazards...etc). The main thing stopping me from pulling the trigger is the price, it's as expensive as an Apple Watch.

The S20 is a more affordable option, but not sure if the buttons will be a PITA to operate on a course, I like how it's smaller and not as intrusive in a golf swing. The main thing that stops me from buying it is that the price hasn't gone down that much since launch, which is about 2 years ago, makes me feel like I'm paying almost MSRP for a 2 year old tech.

What's your opinion? Which one would you go for over the other and why?

How long does a GPS watch usually last? Would the S60 last long enough to justify the price tag?
Is the S20 considered outdated in 2018? Is the price justified for this 2 year old device?

thanks in advance for the all the responses!

I have my S20 for almost 2 years. I’m sure the S60 has several neat features but, you will have to ask yourself what do you need. I used my s20 to track my score (which will also track your shots) it will also ask you to enter which club you hit, for post round analysis. Once you have a few rounds under your belt the S20 will usually select the correct club and will ask for you to confirm your club.

Pushing the button isn’t really a big deal to me but, it can’t be a pain when trying to navigate through the menus for example, if I’m trying to see the distance to a hazard.

If you aren’t trying to keep score there should be little to no button pushing during the round. The auto hole advance feature works well.

The price can fluctuate on the S20. Just recently during Amazon Prime day the price was down to $130. When I bought mine I paid $150. So if you are patient you can get deal.

Overall I truly enjoy my S20 and you like to keep score or track your game it really good. Here is a shot of the post round analysis.

Celeras · August 23, 2018

Auto shot detection on both the S20 and S60 are absolute garbage.

If you're considering the S20, get the S10. It just came out recently, and the golf features are the same except for the broken autoshot (which the S10 doesn't offer). Your OP doesn't indicate you care about any of the non-golf features so there is really no reason to consider anything other than the S10.

vietnameeh · August 23, 2018

I have the s60, I think stuart g posted exactly what I would of posted.

You can't go wrong with the s60, but the hole view is not detailed enough, its good enough for most.

the hole is literally just like the back of scorecard with the map on it, except you can get distances if you can pinpoint exactly where you want your ball to go.

I use a laser anyways along with the watch.

Unlike others I find the shot detection pretty decent