Wearable technologies seem to be going from strength to strength in all walks of life these days. You’ll struggle to find a runner who doesn’t set out for a 5k without some form of GPS watch (or at the very least a phone hooked up to Strava), and the likes of Whoop are also helping people to keep track of their fitness and health levels every minute of the day.
One of the biggest names in this industry is Garmin, and for 2026 they are introducing three new products to their golf range: a GPS watch, launch monitor, and home simulator technology.
Garmin Approach J1 GPS Watch
Garmin say that they invented the GPS watch way back in 2010, and continue to innovate to this day with the new Approach J1, the first watch specifically designed for junior golfers.
It has a slim, lightweight design to avoid obstructing the golf swing, and is available with either a cloud blue or lilac metal bezel. There’s also a ComfortFit fabric strap, that fits securely on smaller wrists.
It also comes with a number of features to help junior golfers understand the game better:
- Tee-off guidance: you can get on-screen, live guidance about where to tee off on every hole based on the golfer’s ability. It allows young golfers to use forward tee positions, even further down the fairway, on all of the 43,000+ preloaded courses.
- Personal par: setting realistic goals based on the golfer’s actual scores can help to build confidence. They can be adjusted as they improve, with celebratory animations for making par or better on a hole.
- Pace of play timer: helps golfers to understand if they are playing a hole at the recommended pace, or if they have exceeded the expected time.
- Club selections: the watch offers club options and distance to the green, helping the golfer make more informed decisions on the course.
- Customisable experience: you can switch any of these features on or off as the golfer progresses.
The Approach J1 features a bright 1.2 inch AMOLED touchscreen display. It’s water resistant, and boasts up to 15 hours of battery life in GPS mode.
Available now, the watch has an RRP of £309.99.
Garmin Approach G82 GPS
Building on the success of the Approach G80 which was launched in 2019, the G82 is said to be the ‘ultimate warmup tool’. It’s a handheld GPS and launch monitor, with expanded radar metrics to help golfers dial in their swing.
On the course, the new 5 inch high-res touchscreen allows golfers to see detailed hole information across more than 43,000 preloaded courses.
For those with a Garmin Golf membership, there’s also the option of aerial imagery, providing a photographic view of every shot.
Practice features:
- Built-in launch monitor: essential radar metrics like ball speed, club speed, smash factor and tempo help golfers to make swing adjustments at the range.
- Putting metrics: the only handheld GPS that offers putting metrics including stroke length, tempo, club and ball speed and more.
- Bag mapping: allows golfers to evaluate each club at the range, recording how far they go. This can then be used with the virtual caddie feature, for better decisions on the course.
- Target practice: set target carry or total distance, and try and get as many shots as possible within the range.
- Tempo training: work on the ideal backswing and downswing times for every shots.
- Club speed training: measure club speed without hitting the ball – also compatible with swing speed training aids.
On-course features:
- Virtual caddie: provides club recommendations using swing data recorded from bag mapping, along with wind, elevation and hazard locations.
- Enhanced PlaysLike distance: know how far each shot is playing with yardages adjusted for elevation and environmental conditions.
- Member benefits: Garmin membership allows golfers to access aerial imagery of each hole, as well as green contour data to see the slope direction of the green.
- Automatic shot detection: Pairing with the Approach CT10 tracking sensors allows for automatic game tracking, uploading to the Garmin Golf app.
- Range relay: get precise distances to the flag when synced to a Garmin laser.
- Connected features: Connect to the Garmin app via smartphone to receive wind speed and direction, as well as automatic course updates and the Find My Garmin feature.
- Magnetic mounting: easily secure the GPS to a trolley or buggy with the built-in magnet, or to a golf bag via the included clip.
The Approach G82 comes with an IPX7 water rating meaning it can be used even in the rain, as well as up to 25 hours of battery life in GPS model and up to 8 hours in radar mode.
Available now, it’s priced at an SRP of £519.99.
Home Tee Hero
Rounding out the range is a new update to the Home Tee Hero app, said to provide a more premium simulator experience.
This time around there are more realistic graphics, along with 15 new enhanced golf courses and a new on-course practice mode.
There’s now a new standalone Home Tee Hero app for Approach R10 users, adding a more premium experience. Features include:
- Realistic graphics: Upgraded course graphics are said to better match real-life locations, including in unique environments like desert, grasslands and tropics.
- Play where the pros play: 15 enhanced courses, featuring high-resolution graphics to improve tree coverage and display more contours on the greens.
- Practice makes perfect: Tackle a tough hole or complete more reps with a new on-course practice mode. You can also skip ahead to a specific hole, taking as many shots as needed from a certain spot.
There have also been improvements made to the Home Tee Hero offering for those using the Approach R50. Golfers can use the new enhanced courses and on-course practice mode, and replay any holes as many times as they want directly from the launch monitor, with no need for a smartphone.
