The Garmin Appoach Z30 is an excellent rangefinder, but the way in which it integrates with Garmin wearables is its best feature.
This summer I had the pleasure of attending the launch of the Garmin Approach Z30 — Garmin’s latest golf rangefinder.
At Wareable we’ve always covered the company’s golf watches (naturally) — so the benefit of using a rangefinder hasn’t always been obvious to me. I understood that rangefinders are more precise, but as a mid-handicap golfer, keeping it straight is usually my ultimate goal. Slightly more precise ranging felt like something for the pros.
But over a few rounds with the Z30 — it’s become an indispensable piece of kit for me. And that’s because of my Garmin golf watch, and the way the two work together.
When the Z30 is connected to an Approach golf watch in Garmin Connect, the two communicate data two ways — and that’s shown me new levels of actionable data.
When you press and get a range for the pin, for example, the Approach Z30 will send the exact distance to the Garmin golf watch. I have the Garmin Approach S70 — but the Z30 will do this across the Approach range, and even down to Fenix and Epic devices.
The pin location is then shown on a map of the green, and logged. So even if you take the range reading 10 yards back from the tee box (while your playing partner is taking their shot for example), the watch will display an adapted yardage as you approach your ball.
Like the more expensive Approach watches, the Z30 will use data from your smartphone to work out Plays Like distances. That takes into effect things like wind and elevation to work out whether you need to club up or down. You certainly need to take these things with a pinch of salt when out on the course, especially when it comes to wind. But it’s a really valuable tool in helping make club selections.
That means that the Z30 duplicates too many of my Approach S70 features to be a recommended partner — but for lesser Approach watches, it makes a great pair.
Some of the pro golfers I spoke to trialing the Z30 also pointed out that they often forgot the exact range after taking a rangefinder reading — so having it stored on the watch was a massive help.
But the data transfer is two-way. When the yardage to a hole is logged, the Approach watch will work out the distance between the flag and the front/back of the green. It’s really useful to know when the pin is located just off the front edge, and that you have green to work with behind when choosing clubs.
It’s been a pretty constant addition to my game since. The handy strap means that it’s permanently strapped to my bag, and it has a year of battery life, too. And in August I won a golf day with the Z30 — and having an extra insight into an unfamiliar course proved extremely helpful.
It’s great example of devices such as rangefinders working in tandem with wearables — using their unique position on the wrist to offer a second-screen experience.