Garmin

More ways to improve your game
Advertising feature
Think better,
play better
with Garmin
The world is driven by technology – and so is golf.
If you really want to play your best and shoot lower
scores, Garmin have a device to help you achieve it
Approach G80
£449.99
Perfect for: Players who really want to
improve, and see those improvements at
the range… and combine built-in launch
monitor tech with a top-spec GPS.
Packed with features: Garmin’s
Approach G80 is the first all-in-one
premium GPS golf handheld with
integrated launch monitor, so you
can easily track clubhead speed, ball
speed, smash factor, swing tempo
and estimated distance. The 3.5in
touchscreen also displays hazards,
yardages, pin locations and a Green
View for more than 41,000 pre-loaded
courses around the world. You can pair
it with the Garmin Golf app to compete,
compare and connect with fellow
golfers worldwide.
Approach S62
£479.99
Perfect for: Anyone who wears a smart watch,
but wants more golf functionality in a stylish
package that can be worn every day.
Packed with features: Garmin’s premium GPS
golf watch integrates the critical information and
mapping you need in full colour on your wrist. The featurepacked
S62 does SO much – the Virtual Caddie factors in
wind speed and direction and suggests a club based on the
distance you typically achieve with that club; you can scroll
through hazards, pin locations and see the shape of your
target in Green View on 41,000 courses. On top of all that it
tracks your stats, heart rate, makes contactless payments
and monitors other activities like running, cycling or swimming.
Approach Z82
£579.99
Perfect for: Golfers who don’t like to wear a watch when
they play, or those who just want an accurate yardage to
pins or hazards with the peace of mind of GPS graphics.
Packed with features: The Approach Z82 laser range
finder with GPS gives you the most accurate reading
on the market, within 10 inches of the flag. But it does
so much more, too. The built-in GPS covers 41,000
courses and gives extra information like any hazards,
wind speed and direction, “plays-like” distances based
on elevation, the pin’s location when you can’t see it and
front/middle/back distances to the green. It really is the
best of both worlds.
Turn over to find out how Garmin’s GPS devices will help you think better and play better...
Todaysgolfer.co.uk issue 402
37

More ways to improve your game
Advertising feature
Three areas on the course where
a Garmin Approach will help you
THINK YOUR WAY
TO A BETTER GAME
bETTER Off the tee...
Improving your technique is one
thing – but it counts for nothing if you
don’t have an effective plan for the
shot. Focus on these areas to ensure
your strategy matches how you’re
swinging, and use a Garmin GPS to
plan your shots better.
1: Take your time
When you’re faced with a tough shot,
the huge temptation is to get it over
with. But rushing the shot brings
disaster. Instead, take your time.
Stand directly behind your ball target
line and absorb the entire scene,
hazards and all. Realise the fairway is
wide – you could probably fit 1,000
balls across it, and you only need one
of those. Above all, prove to yourself
that while the shot is tough, a good
outcome is a possibility.
2: Lock on to your target
Dangerous hazards like water or OB
have an ugly habit of grasping your
attention when you’re looking at your
Garmin Approach S62
watch. You can’t ignore it,
but you can release yourself
from its hold by picking your
target on the full-colour
display and committing to
it throughout the planning
stage. The clearer you
define your line, the easier
this comes, so pick an
intermediate target to help
you. Drum this line into
your mind’s eye and you’ll
be better able to resist
that last-second doubt that breeds
a ‘safety’ adjustment... and usually
disaster.
3. Be aware
Some tees have mower stripes
that may – or may not – point you
down the fairway. It’s important
you become aware of these lines
and how they relate to your chosen
shot path because it’s easy to be
subliminally influenced by them.
Similarly with the tee markers; they
will not necessarily line up square to
your shot. The bottom line is to use
these elements to help you aim... and
ensure they don’t use you. Garmin’s
GPS mapping will guide you along
the hole in full-colour.
4. Nail your set-up
Adjusting your address to allow fuller,
freer movement and to promote a
strong, high-launch/low-spin ball
flight is perhaps the best way to
pile on the yards. Your body sets a
framework for the swing. The driver
is the only club in the bag where we
want to hit up on the ball,
so our framework needs
to promote that. Start by
taking a comfortable, wide
stance – insteps under
shoulders – and dropping
your trailing shoulder until
your upper body angles
upwards. Use Garmin’s
Approach G80 to see your
driver numbers – high
launching, low-spinning
drives will yield long,
straighter shots.
BETTER Into the green...
There’s no point hitting a great drive down
the middle if you don’t capitalise with your
approach shot. With up to 13 club options
to hit into a green, you need to know how far
each one goes, as well as how far you’ve got.
Garmin can help you do both.
1: Why do you keep missing short?
According to data, 80% of missed greens are missed short. To
explain this more simply, on average a 20-handicap golfer hits
four greens in reg per round. This means they miss 14 greens
per round, and of those 14, 11 are missed completely short of
the green altogether – a pretty staggering statistic. Most of
the danger is usually at the front of the green (sand or water),
whereas there’s little behind. So missing long is significantly less
of a problem than short.
2: Know how far you hit each club
Many golfers think they hit a 7-iron 150 yards, but the average
golfer hits the ball nearly a full club shorter than they think they
do. Knowing your numbers by analysing your stats gathered by
Garmin’s Approach S62 or Approach G80 gives you a much
more realistic outlook on how far you actually hit each club, as
it is based on real shots, in real conditions, on a real golf course.
Garmin’s Virtual Caddie feature even factors in wind speed
and direction and suggests a club based on the distances you
typically achieve with it, too.
3: Check your equipment
You need to have equipment that is forgiving enough for you. A
more forgiving set of clubs will allow for the occasional mishit,
and there will be less of a distance loss from these strikes.
4: Better ball-striking
All it takes is a little clip of the turf before the ball, or a toe/
heel strike, to significantly impact the distance the ball will
travel. Every golfer knows what a good iron shot looks like;
a ball-turf strike ensures a clean strike and compresses the
ball powerfully, helping you get it back to the pin. But using
Garmin’s Approach G80 at the range will also give you the
numbers – how far a solid strike goes, and what you lose if
you don’t quite catch it.
‘Garmin’s Virtual Caddie
feature even factors in
wind speed and direction
and suggests a club based
on the distanceS you
typically achieve’
BETTER strategy...
Par 3s should be simple. You’ve got
a perfect lie off the tee; the green is
in front of you; you can usually see
any trouble; and all that’s required is
one nice shot to get you on or near
the putting surface. If only it was
that simple…
1: Pick your battles
Not all par 3s are reachable in one
shot for every golfer. And even if it
is reachable, going for the green is
not always the best option – take
for example a 220-yard par 3 which
may be within range, but demands a
200-yard carry over water. The first
thing you have to ask yourself is, then,
whether you are going for the green.
No. If you are taking the green off
the table, look hard for the bail-out.
In almost every circumstance the
architect will offer one, designing
a safe zone that leaves a sensible
chance for a chip and a putt. Once
you’ve identified this area, commit
to it and select your targets with as
much precision as if you were going
for the green.
2: Pick the right club
Once you’ve established you’re going
for the green, turn your attention
to clubbing. Stats show golfers
between 11-20 handicaps miss
almost 40% of greens short, and just
5% long. So ask yourself what club
you would need to airmail the green.
This, then, becomes a club that
can find the target, even with a
slight miscue.
3: Assess the
green’s design
Many of us just go
for the flag on par 3s.
But a check of Gamin’s
Approach Green View
feature should tell you how to
approach the shot. Designers like to
protect short holes by creating green
shapes that afford tight pin locations,
and greenkeepers just love putting
them there! Often you will be faced
with a sucker pin, just yards from the
water or the hole’s deepest bunker.
When this is the case, give yourself a
reasonable margin for error – perhaps
10-15ft to the open side of the pin –
and focus on hitting the ball pin high.
4: What about the elevation?
This is where Garmin’s brilliant
PlaysLike feature comes into its own
(as long as you’re not in a comp!). The
feature adjusts yardages to account
for uphill and downhill shots, which
are common on short holes, so you
no longer have to try to estimate
the effects of elevation with some
tricky maths out on the course!
Also, if you don’t have the honour,
watch your playing partners’ shots
carefully to assess the effects of
wind and the firmness of the green.
This becomes valuable information
when you are working out what club
and shot you want to hit. In terms
of distance, don’t forget you can go
up to two club-lengths back from
the markers. That can help if you are
between clubs – often, going back
and taking the stronger of the two
pays dividends.
38 issue 402 Todaysgolfer.co.uk
Todaysgolfer.co.uk issue 402
39

More ways to improve your game
Advertising feature
HOW TO GET the
most from your
Garmin GPS
Thinking about investing in a new device? Here are
five ways the technology can really help your game
G
PS, range finders and shot tracking tech has stormed
golf over the last few years, and now it’s pretty rare to
play in a four-ball where somebody hasn’t got at least
one of them. But with so many options available, how do you
know which is best suited to your game? Here’s how.
1 Handheld or watch?
Once upon a time handheld units
were the new kids on the block.
That was until some bright spark
realised how useful it would be to
have yardages on a watch. Since
then GPS watches have rocketed in
popularity. The choice really comes
down to the importance you put on
seeing a larger, colour, bird’s-eye
map of a hole, and whether or not
you like playing with something on
your wrist. Along with the full-colour
high-res screen, the big advantage
of Garmin’s Approach S62 watch is
that it tracks other activities too, like
walking and cycling, plus heart rate,
steps and calories burned, calls and
text alerts.
2 What are the rules?
Distance measuring devices (DMDs) of any kind
cannot be used in competitive rounds, unless a local
rule is in place. Always check at your course before
teeing off in a comp. If DMDs are allowed, they
cannot measure slope. Turn on the Z82’s Tournament
Mode and an external indicator light lets you and
your playing partners know you’re competition legal.
The S62 can also measure your heartrate, which
is against the rules, so make sure this function is
disabled in the watch settings.
3 The perfect laser?
In years gone by if we’ve wanted to
enjoy the pros of both a laser and
a GPS we’ve had to adopt the belt
and braces approach and carry
both. Many of you have told us
that’s exactly what you’ve done, but
Garmin’s Approach Z82 means you
don’t need to make that choice any
more. As good as a GPS is at telling
you how far it is to carry a fairway
bunker or negotiate a dog-leg, they
cannot tell you how exactly far away
a flag is. So if your game is based on
hitting short irons and wedges close
from 125 yards and in, you need to
know precisely where the flagstick is
to get your approaches close.
4 Analyse your stats like a pro
Tour pros like to analyse
everything about their game.
From how good their driving
is to how well they scramble
around the greens, every stat
allows them to identify and
work on areas that are weaker
than their competitors. Garmin
stats are calculated in the
Garmin Golf app and then sent
to the Approach S62 watch
so you can review handicap,
fairway and approach shot hit/
miss percentage, and greens
in regulation. The app even
provides analysis for strokes
gained and allows users to
participate in leaderboards and
tournaments with other players.
5 Compete with other
golfers worldwide
Garmin’s free Golf App gives every round
a tournament feel and lets you compete
with friends and other golfers on more than
41,000 courses worldwide. You can set
up your own tournament event and invite
multiple friends to compete, post their
results and compare data, rankings and
stats and even use the app to participate in
weekly leaderboards and tournaments even
if you don’t have a Garmin golf device.
40 issue 402 Todaysgolfer.co.uk