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Garmin Approach S72: Release Date, Price and What Changed from the S70The golf GPS watch going on sale Oct 22, lined up against its predecessor the S70 and the S50 on official numbers

Updated: Oct 8, 2026Contains affiliate links

Garmin's Approach S72 goes on sale Thursday, Oct 22, 2026 in 47mm. The price is ¥128,000 (incl. tax). The 43mm follows in early November at the same price.
The previous S70 was ¥99,800 at launch. That's a ¥28,200 increase.
So what did you get for it? Read the official release from the top and distance to the green hardly comes up. What was added is records of heart rate, swing and putting.
As a gear nerd who averages 72 with a best of 68 and spends most of his time looking into how clubs are built, I've lined it up against the S70 and S50 using official numbers only. Spend ¥120,000 on a watch, or stop at the S50 for half the price? You'll be able to decide that here.

Header image: product photo from Rakuten Ichiba (Ad) | Garmin Approach S70 (previous model)

Bottom line

47mm on Oct 22, 43mm in early Nov. Both ¥128,000

These are the numbers from the release Garmin Japan put out on Oct 7, 2026. Pre-orders open Thursday, Oct 15.

Sources: Garmin Japan's press release (Oct 7, 2026) and the official product page. They note that price, release timing and specs are subject to change. Checked Oct 8, 2026.

The smaller one isn't cheaper. They're the same price.

Where they differ is battery. The 47mm lasts about 20 hours of golf, the 43mm about 15 hours. Call 1 round 5 hours and that's 4 rounds versus 3 (my calculation). If you play 2 days in a row on an overnight trip, either is enough. If you tend to forget to charge, the 47mm is less to worry about.

Garmin says more than 43,000 courses worldwide are loaded. Water resistance is 5ATM (50m). You can use it as is on rainy days.

8g lighter than the S70 and ¥28,200 more. Same battery life

I'll line it up against the previous Approach S70 (released May 31, 2023) and the S50, 1 step down (released Jan 30, 2025). To keep the sizes matched, the S72 and S70 are both the 47mm.

Sources: Garmin Japan's press releases (S72: Oct 7, 2026; S70: May 24, 2023; S50: Jan 23, 2025). All prices are the MSRP at launch and are separate from current shop prices. Checked Oct 8, 2026.

It's light. Comparing the larger sizes, it lost 8g and is also 0.5mm thinner. In exchange, the price is up ¥28,200 (all differences are my calculation).

What catches my eye is what hasn't changed.
The screen is the same 1.4 inches. Same pixel count too. Even the battery is the same: about 16 days of everyday use, about 20 hours of golf. If all you do is look at the screen to get a distance, the S70 and S72 can't be told apart on the numbers.

The reason it got lighter is the bezel material. It went from ceramic to titanium. The lens is sapphire crystal, which Garmin describes as "scratch-resistant." Both are said to be firsts for this series.
This is a tool that gets knocked against bunker sand and cart fittings, so it's a change I'm simply glad to see.

In the smaller size, the S70 was 42mm and the S72 is now 43mm. It went from 44g to 41g, 3g lighter. The listed screen size grew from 1.2 inches to 1.3 inches, but the official diameters are 32.02mm and 32.45mm. That's a 0.43mm difference (my calculation). Not a difference you can see.
The price increase here is ¥34,200. That's a wider gap than on the larger size.

The gap to the S50 is ¥60,200.
On weight, the S50 is 29g, 12g lighter even than the smaller S72. If you decide on lightness alone, the S50, the cheapest, wins.

What's added is records, not distance: heart rate, swing, putting

Taking the release's "new features and updates" from the top, you get this.

1. Body data during golf. A new heart rate sensor keeps tracking your heart rate through the round, and afterwards you review it side by side with how you played.
2. Swing metrics. Measures hand speed, top-of-swing position, transition angle and wrist rotation, on the range or during a round.
3. Green reading. On top of distance to the hole, it shows slope direction and slope percentage.
4. Putting analysis. Tallies whether you miss left or right, long or short, across 9 slope patterns.
5. Aerial imagery. See the whole hole in photographic images.

Of the 5, the ones that help before you hit are 3 and 5. Just 2. The other 3 are numbers you read after you've hit.

A watch for records.
That's how I read the S72's character. A rangefinder is a tool that answers "how many yards is it now?" What the S72 added is "how was I just then?" They sit on the same wrist, but they're different jobs.

So it splits clearly into people it helps and people it doesn't.
Swing metrics are numbers derived from wrist movement, not direct measurements of the clubhead or ball, so if you want head speed or spin rate, that's a job for a launch monitor, not a watch. Are your hand speed and top position the same every time? It's a tool for people who want to see that. As for how accurate it is, no official numbers have been published.

1 more thing, about money.
Items 3, 4 and 5 carry a note saying they "require a paid subscription in the Garmin Golf app." The existing Green Contour (green slope data) is treated the same way, making 4 in all. The plans are monthly or yearly. There's also a condition that they only work on supported courses.
Nowhere does it say that paying ¥128,000 gets you everything. That hurts. It's something you're better off knowing before you buy.

Among the smaller details, it gained a speaker and microphone, an LED light, and a 3-minute timer for searching for a lost ball. 3 minutes is the search time set by the Rules of Golf. Start the timer and it vibrates to tell you when time is up. It's unglamorous, but as a tool for not holding up the group behind, it makes sense.

In competition, you can't use elevation or club recommendations

The more expensive the watch, the more features it has. And the more features it has, the more you have to turn off in competition. Ironic.

Rule 4.3a of the Rules of Golf sorts the information you may use during a round.

• Getting information on distance or direction. This is allowed.
• Measuring elevation changes. Not allowed.
• Getting information from a device on a recommended line of play or club selection based on the location of the ball. Not allowed.
• Recording things like heart rate for use after the round. Allowed. Using numbers measured during the round on the spot is not allowed.

Apply that to the S72.
Distances to the front, middle and back can be used. PlaysLike distance, which factors in elevation, and Virtual Caddie, which suggests a club, are on the side you can't use in competition. Heart rate is described by Garmin itself as a feature for "reviewing after the round." That matches the line in the Rules.

What about green reading?
From the text of the Rules alone, I can't say for certain which side the slope percentage display falls on. If you play in competitions, check with the competition's Committee before using it.

The official specs list a "tournament mode." For PinPointer too, the release says it "can be turned off for competition." There are ways to switch things off. But once you do, all that's left is distance and records.
The more your golf centers on monthly medals and club competitions, the smaller the usable part of the S72's ¥128,000 becomes.

Before you buy, count the misses in your last 3 rounds

Before the watch, count your own misses. Pull out the scorecards from your last 3 rounds and mark the holes where you missed the green. Just sort the reasons into "short or long" and "left or right." ¥0.

1. Mostly short or long. Your distance reading is off. What you need is the right distance, not recording features. The S50 or a laser rangefinder is enough.
2. More misses left or right. Your distance is fine. Curve is a shot problem, so it won't change whichever watch you buy.
3. You can't count them in the first place. You don't remember where or how you missed. This is the pattern where a tool that keeps records automatically helps. The S72 becomes a candidate.

For people in group 1, 1 hypothetical example.
My 7-iron goes 160 yards (my own measurement). Say there's a hole where it's 150 yards to the front of the green and 180 yards to the back. Assume 10 yards between clubs, and it's an 8-iron for the front and a 5-iron for the back. That's 3 clubs apart (an estimate calculated from my own measurement; the hole's numbers are hypothetical).
The 2 numbers for front and back make it easier to choose a club than the 1 number to the pin. This is where GPS watches are strong, and the S50 gives the same 3 distances.

For people in group 2, the cause of the curve comes before the gear. Whether it's the club or the motion, I wrote up how to tell in Lessons or clubs first?

As for whether a laser or a watch suits you, Best Golf Rangefinders lines up the weight and price of 5 units.

Which to pick: S72, S70 or S50

Approach S72: the 1 for people who review their records

Of the 3, the S72 is the one that keeps the most material from a round. Heart rate, swing, even how you miss putts, all captured by 1 device on your wrist. The 48g weight, the titanium bezel and the sapphire lens also make it a well-made tool to wear every day, not just on golf days.
If I were choosing, I'd take the 47mm. At the same price, I'll take the one with 5 more hours of battery.

Great for you if you

• You play 2 or more times a month and open your records in the app after the round
• You want to know in numbers whether you miss putts left or right
• You want to wear it every day and see heart rate and even sleep on 1 device

Better to skip if you

• People for whom knowing the distance is enough
• People who mostly play monthly medals and club competitions and would use it with elevation and club recommendations turned off
• People who don't want to pay membership fees on top of the watch

Approach S70: the previous model with the same screen and battery

In 47mm, both the screen and the battery are the same as the S72. The differences are the bezel and lens, 8g of weight, the generation of the heart rate sensor, and the new recording features.
Not bad.
If its price moves after the S72 comes out, it becomes a sensible choice for people who are after distances and the course map and don't need swing or heart rate records. See the box below for the current price.

Great for you if you

• You want to see the course map on a big screen
• You don't need swing or heart rate records

Better to skip if you

• People who worry about scratches (the lens is Gorilla Glass 3)
• People who mind the 8g difference

Approach S50: for people who just need the distance

29g and ¥67,800. The lightest of the 3, and the cheapest. For the job of giving front, middle and back distances, this is enough.
The gap to the S72 is ¥60,200. If you already have another use for that money, that comes first.

Great for you if you

• You're buying a watch type for the first time
• You want one light enough to forget you're wearing it

Better to skip if you

• People who want a big screen (it's 1.2 inches)
• People who want to charge less often (about 15 hours of golf)

Who doesn't need to pay ¥128,000

• People whose reason for missing greens is curving left or right. A watch won't straighten the ball.
• People who own an S70 and have no complaints about distance and maps. Those are the same.
• People who don't open the app after the round. Most of the new features only mean something once you open it.
• People who mainly play competitions. You'd be paying for features you turn off.

If even 1 applies, pass.

Here they are in order of cost, lowest first. Count your misses on your scorecards (¥0). Spend 1 month with the rangefinder you have now, building the habit of looking at front and back distances (¥0). If that isn't enough, the S50 (¥67,800). If you come to want the records too, the S72.

It goes on sale from Oct 22.
Once shop prices and third-party measurements are out, I'll add the answer check to this article, including how far the swing metrics numbers can be trusted.

If you want to line it up against other 2026 rangefinders, go to New Rangefinders 2026. Other new releases coming this month and next are gathered in Golf Club Release Calendar 2026.

Can you say how many greens you missed in your last round?

Update history

• Oct 8, 2026: Published (based on Garmin Japan's press release and the official product page; the 47mm goes on sale Oct 22)

FAQ

Related reading

Best Rangefinders
Lasers and GPS: 5 units lined up by weight, price and competition legality.

New Rangefinders 2026
Compare it with the other rangefinders released in 2026 on official numbers.

Voice Caddie Laser FIT2
The 1 for people who can do with a laser instead of a watch.

Golf Club Release Calendar 2026
Release dates and prices of new models coming this month and next.

Sources for this article

• Garmin Japan press release: Approach S72, the most advanced golf GPS watch in Garmin's history, goes on sale Thursday, Oct 22 (Oct 7, 2026)
• Garmin Japan official: Approach S72 47mm product page (specs)
• Garmin Japan official press release: Approach S70 goes on sale Wednesday, May 31 (May 24, 2023)
• Garmin Japan official press release: Approach S50 and Approach S44 go on sale Thursday, Jan 30 (Jan 23, 2025)
• R&A Rules of Golf, Rule 4.3: Use of Equipment

Last updated: Oct 8, 2026

Specs and prices are the figures published on manufacturers' official websites and in press releases, and by media outlets (checked Oct 8, 2026). They were not measured by this site.