Approach S44 - Recent Threads

Connect IQ states my s44 is not compatible

Gurmitsan — Tue, 26 May 2026 14:05:39 GMT

I am trying to download watch faces for the S44. It has paired with my android phone. But the app states the watch is not compatible.

Approach S44 System Software Version 9.05 ~ 50% Rollout

Garmin-Brooks — Wed, 20 May 2026 15:27:33 GMT

Hello S44 users,

We have begun the release of software version 9.05. It's currently been released to 50% of users.

Changes since version 9.04

Fixed issue when using premium mapping where green contour elevation lines would not appear correctly on some courses.

Approach S44 System Software Version - 9.04

Garmin-Jim — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 21:30:36 GMT

Hello Approach S44 users,

We are now 100% live with System Software version 9.04.

Changes Log:

Fixed issue where the scoring flow would not come up after leaving the green on the last hole.
Fixed possible issue where a companion rangefinder measurement arc would not appear.
Fixed issue where some buttons would not appear in the music controls glance.

Approach S44 System Software Version 8.04 ~ 100%

Garmin-Brooks — Wed, 21 Jan 2026 18:47:36 GMT

Hello, we've released system software version 8.04. This should be available to download for all users.

Change log:

Fixed issue toggling PlaysLike mode on the hazards and layups screen on S50.
Fixed possible issue with PlaysLike distance received from a companion rangefinder.
Fixed possible issue changing volume in the music app.
Fixed issue where hole and par information could be incorrect for courses that had a single-course update downloaded.

Punch shots, tree shots, etc.

8266665 — Tue, 20 Jan 2026 19:04:27 GMT

I'm trying to zero in on my true distances for each club. When I use for example a hybrid to punch out from the trees and it only travels half the normal distance, does the watch include that distance in with the AVG and MAX distances in the App? Same with shots where you shank the shot or it hits a tree and only travels a third of the normal distance. Would it make sense to create a club called "punch out" or something similar so that the shot is not calculated in your averages?

Approach S44 System Software 7.16

Garmin-Brooks — Tue, 04 Nov 2025 15:07:02 GMT

Hello Approach S44 users,

We have began the rollout of software version 7.16. This is currently available to all users.

Change Log

Fixed possible issue with activity data handling.

Approach S44 System Software 7.15

Garmin-Jim — Tue, 21 Oct 2025 15:58:21 GMT

Hello Approach S44 users,

We have began the rollout of software version 7.15. This is currently available to all users.

Change Log

Fixed possible issue where the device may not vibrate to remind the user to enter their score.
Fixed issue where the previous shots list would always show distances in meters.
Fixed possible issue where the device could crash on startup. (FQC-67473)
Increased the number of golf courses that can be shown in the course list.
Updated the Round Summary screen to match the Approach S70 style.
Updated translations.

Missing 'View Shot Maps' on score card in Garmin Golf app.

5014421 — Sat, 04 Oct 2025 15:42:11 GMT

My old garmin S1 finally gave out. So now I have the S44. When viewing score cards on the S1 rounds in the Garmin Golf App I see 'View Shot Maps'. For the S44 this feature is missing, is this feature still supported? Did I buy the wrong model?

How do I manually record putts while playing a round.

4677881 — Sun, 14 Sep 2025 13:54:08 GMT

The on course hole score always shows two putts. Is there a way for me to manually change that?

All distances by club listing ?

6581250 — Sat, 06 Sep 2025 14:32:16 GMT

Is there any way with s44 to show all the distances hit by club in the golf app rather than maximum and average ?

Course updated with premium subscription

7133355 — Wed, 03 Sep 2025 07:17:45 GMT

Hi,

I realized that the premium golf course take some time to be updated depending on your network coverage.

You can miss the first hole and even more if your phone struggle to find some data.

I was wondering why a tee off alarm can not be scheduled on the S44? My previous golf watch was an old one (+10 years old) and was equipped with this feature and it was very convenient because the watch automatically start the course 10min before the recorded golf time enabling you to stop your training and goes to the tee box. If Garmin enable this feature you can schedule a golf course and make sure the premium map is downloaded days before the event.

Otherwise please tell me how to download a premium map in advance if you golf course is miles away.

Cheers

Approach S44 System Software 6.59

Garmin-Jimmy — Mon, 25 Aug 2025 17:01:12 GMT

Hello Approach S44 users,

We have fully released software version 6.59

Change Log

Fixed issue where device could not download green contour data if a premium map was previously downloaded for that course.

Approach S44 System Software 6.58

Garmin-Jimmy — Thu, 07 Aug 2025 16:32:09 GMT

Hello Approach S44 users,

Today we are starting the of Software Version 6.58, currently we are at 100% with this release.

Change log (since 6.18):

Fixed issue with Last Shot showing an invalid distance after a putt had been recorded on the hole.
Fixed issue where previous shot distances in Last Shot were always in meters.
Fixed possible issue where single-course update files could be incorrectly removed from the device.
Fixed issue where the device’s club data could revert to an older version.
Fixed issue with the Last Activity widget when the last activity is Golf.
Fixed possible issue where the device could not be unlocked during a round of golf.
Fixed possible issue where a software update could be installed without entering the device passcode.
Updated UI flow for resetting the watch after too many incorrect passcode attempts.

To continue my post about first outing after 6.18.

1748780 — Mon, 21 Jul 2025 17:20:06 GMT

9 holes walking with phone in bag, never out of bluetooth range. I mention bluetooth because in the past I suspected that losing bluetooth connection stops data transfer and interrupts shot maps.

Shot detecction and shot maps worked fine. One extraneous shot detected between tee and second shot. Extraneous shots were occasionally detected with my older S20 and are not concerning to me. Shot map displayed distances appear to accurate.

I hopefully will be playing 18 tomorrow riding. I leave my phone in the bag, so there will be times when bluetooth connection is lost. Also, the course is fairly remote and hilly, there will likely be times when cell service is lost.

Update to follow:

Approach S44 System Software 6.18

Garmin-Jim — Wed, 16 Jul 2025 15:27:18 GMT

Hello Approach S44 users,

We are now 100% live on this update.

Change Log

Fixed issue where automatic shot detection could stop working if the device stays on for multiple days.
Fixed potential issue where the device could try to show PlaysLike distances when it isn’t supposed to.

I also have an S44 without working shot detection...what gives?

1506801 — Sun, 06 Jul 2025 21:34:06 GMT

When it first happened last weekend, I thought it was just me...but it didn't work once this weekend. What is Garmin saying the fix is?

PlaysLike Data Including Wind

2420880 — Wed, 02 Jul 2025 14:16:50 GMT

Hi all,

I’ve had the S44 for about a month and subscribed to Garmin Golf mainly for the PlaysLike feature. Based on Garmin’s own descriptions, I expected it to include more than just elevation:

From Garmin Support:

“PlaysLike Distance shows an adjusted distance to the green which accounts for elevation changes on the course, wind speed, wind direction, and air density.”
(support.garmin.com/.../

From Garmin Golf Science:

“The latest enhancements to PlaysLike Distance also factor in air pressure, temperature, and humidity — a combination known as air density, which greatly affects how far a ball will travel.”
(www.garmin.com/.../)

But on the S44, I only see elevation-based adjustments. I’m on firmware 6.17.

Is this expected behavior for the S44?

Thanks in advance!

S44 PlaysLike Data

2420880 — Wed, 02 Jul 2025 14:14:51 GMT

Hi all,

I’ve had the S44 for about a month and subscribed to Garmin Golf mainly for the PlaysLike feature. Based on Garmin’s own descriptions, I expected it to include more than just elevation:

From Garmin Support:

“PlaysLike Distance shows an adjusted distance to the green which accounts for elevation changes on the course, wind speed, wind direction, and air density.”

(support.garmin.com/.../

From Garmin Golf Science:

“The latest enhancements to PlaysLike Distance also factor in air pressure, temperature, and humidity — a combination known as air density, which greatly affects how far a ball will travel.”

(www.garmin.com/.../)

But on the S44, I only see elevation-based adjustments. I’m on firmware 6.17.

Is this expected behavior for the S44?

Thanks in advance!

Approach S44 System Software 6.17

Garmin-Jimmy — Mon, 23 Jun 2025 16:17:32 GMT

Hello Approach S44 users,

Today we starting the rollout of Software Version 6.17, currently we are at 60% with this rollout and we will increase the % over time.

Change log:

Fixed potential crash on the main golf screen.
Fixed issue where the wrong scoring screen could come up at the end of a hole.

S44 stopped detecting shots and software is up to date.

4428583 — Fri, 20 Jun 2025 20:24:10 GMT

My S44 worked fine for about a month. It recently stopped detecting all my shots. Every now and then it will pick up a driver shot. Everything else is fine.

Approach S44 System Software 6.16

Garmin-Jimmy — Wed, 11 Jun 2025 17:13:22 GMT

Hello Approach S44 users,

We have fully released System Software 6.16.

Change Log

Added compatibility for CT1 with Find my Gear in the Garmin Golf app.
Added Rangefinder settings menu in Golf settings.
Added device passcode support.
Added support for managing passcode settings in GCM.
Fixed issues displaying PlaysLike distances.
Fixed possible issue where the hole number could display incorrectly in PinPointer.
Fixed potential issue where the hole indicators may not properly update after changing the Show Score setting.
Fixed issue where watch face editing could be accessed while in sleep mode.

Multiple issues regarding green contours, plays-like and layup distances

9463628 — Fri, 25 Apr 2025 00:02:23 GMT

Hi,

I am a new user with an approach s44 watch, CT1 club sensors and currently a garmin golf (free trial) subscriber. I am having all kinds of issues and it looks like I'm not the only one.

My first issue is with the premium maps and green contours not displaying for all courses, same as this issue here: https://forums.garmin.com/outdoor-recreation/golf/f/approach-s70/348887/approach-s70-graphics-issue

I am aware that the green contours are only available for certain courses but the premium maps should be every course. Currently a very intermittent issue and only works a third of the time.

The next issue i have is with the layup/hazard distances being shown as 0m and plays-like distances not being displayed at all. Same as this issue here: https://forums.garmin.com/outdoor-recreation/golf/f/approach-s50/406660/plays-like-distance-stopped-working

I have connected my watch to garmin express but there were no updates available so I'm left with a pretty unstable product that isn't worth the money or hassle.

Since my free trial ends in a couple of days, I have contacted garmin billing in the hopes that they can extend my free trial for another month until we can sort out these issues. Can you please action this immediately as I could not possibly contemplate handing over any more money for products that don't work.

I am happy with these products when they work but it needs to work every time. Please help!

Approach S44 System Software 5.09

Garmin-Jimmy — Mon, 07 Apr 2025 18:55:55 GMT

Hello Approach S44 users,

Today we started the rollout of System Software 5.09, currently we are at 60% with this rollout, and we will increase the % as time goes by.

Change Log

Added swing tempo to the Last Shot feature.
Fixed possible issue displaying round handicap.
Fixed possible Stableford scoring issue.
Fixed possible UI issue when a CT1 tag is scanned while the “Scan a Club” prompt is open.
Fixed possible issue accessing Sunrise/Sunset from the golf in-round menu.
Fixed issue where the last round score may not display properly on some watch faces.

Approach S44 System Software 4.63

Garmin-Jimmy — Thu, 13 Mar 2025 18:00:00 GMT

Hello Approach S44 users,

We have fully released System Software 4.63.

Change Log

Fixed possible issue recording putts with a CT1 tag.
Fixed issue where rounds using CT1 wouldn’t be counted toward short game stats.

Golf Average Yardages - Query

2831332 — Wed, 19 Feb 2025 11:48:45 GMT

How does the Garmin watch and CT1 club trackers work in and around the green. I regularly use my 7 Iron for bump and runs around the green however I don't want a 20 yard bump and run ruining the averages for my 7 iron on a full swing. If I hit my 7 iron 150 yards for example but it also takes into account a 20 yard bump and run my averages will be incorrect.

Thanks for your help.