Garmin Approach S3 golf watch provides assistance for 27,000 courses (video)
If you're looking for the latest dose of technology to compliment your time on the green, then take a gander at Garmin's Approach S3 golf watch. An upgrade from the Approach S1, this GPS-enabled gadget adds a touchscreen to the mix and now provides assistance for 27,000 courses across the globe. While it won't help with your swing, users will benefit from a wealth of location-based guidance such as layup distances, green overviews and precise yardages to the front, back and middle of the next green. The waterproof wristwatch offers eight hours of continuous battery life, and while its $350 retail price may deter some, it could be a wise investment should your game involve a friendly wager. Ready for more? Just hop the break for Garmin's promo video and the full PR.
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Garmin® Continues its Commitment to the Golf World with the Approach™ S3 Touchscreen GPS Golf Watch
OLATHE, Kan./April 3, 2012/Business Wire - Garmin International Inc., a unit of Garmin Ltd. (NASDAQ: GRMN), the global leader in satellite navigation, today announced the Approach™ S3 touchscreen GPS golf watch – a stylish, rugged and waterproof, high-resolution glove-friendly touchcreen device that comes preloaded with 27,000 worldwide courses and counting, without subscriptions or fees. The Approach S3 is sleek enough to wear as a day to day timepiece and with features like Green View with manual pin positioning, distances to doglegs and layup points, customizable yardage points and digital scorecards golfers will have a "virtual" caddie with them during every stroke.
"With its new features, like the innovative Green View, digital scoring and design of the glove-friendly touchscreen, the Approach S3 creates a new advantage for golfers all over the world," said Dan Bartel, Garmin's vice president of worldwide sales. "It's light-weight, it includes a round timer to keep track of time played and the color options will make it a talking point on and off the course."
With the Approach S3, Garmin continues to make good on its promise toward free golf course information availability by offering 27,000 worldwide courses and counting. Golfers who find themselves travelling to unfamiliar courses throughout the world will have many of these courses available right out of the box. Garmin offers free course updates throughout the year that add new courses and make enhancements to the current lineup to help ensure accuracy. Just as courses change, so do the pin placements – with the new Green View feature golfers can see a true image of the current green and the flag can be adjusted for the current day's pin placement with the simple touch of the screen. As adjusted, it displays the distance to the pin, front and back of the green. To see the S3 in action, go to www.garmin.com/golf.
Weighing a mere two ounces, the Approach S3's high-resolution sunlight readable touchscreen display provides large, bright numbering so that it does not slow down the game. The Approach S3 even offers layup distances. Golfers can add custom points on the watch that they want to measure or zero in on hazards or obstacles that may affect their shot, and zoom in for a closer look at the green. With eight hours of playing time on one charge and lasting up to four weeks as a day to day timepiece the S3 makes it easy to charge its internal battery. Its custom charging cradle is a small magnetic clip that fastens to the S3 with ease and can be set down with the peace of mind that it will be ready, with a full charge, to take to the course the following morning.
Keeping track of a player's score throughout the round is made simple with the Approach S3. Golfers can review their scores right on the device, or download and access a printable version of their own round on their computer. Scoring options include Stroke Play and Stableford.
The new Approach S3 is expected to be available in April 2012 and will have a suggested retail price of $349.99. The S3 will be available in both golf white with red trim and black with gray trim options and gives users the power to select between white or black background colors. Approach S3 is the latest solution from Garmin's growing outdoor segment, which focuses on developing technologies and innovations to enhance users' outdoor experiences. Whether it's Golfing, Hiking, Hunting or Geocaching, Garmin outdoor devices are becoming essential tools for outdoor enthusiast of all levels. For more information about Garmin's other outdoor products and services, go to http://www.garmin.com/us/products/onthetrail/, www.garmin.blogs.com and http://twitter.com/garmin.
