Approach S44 - Recent Threads

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.

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?

RE: Punch shots, tree shots, etc.

3004926 — Wed, 28 Jan 2026 06:32:55 GMT

I don’t understand why garmin does not include an « exclude from stats » option for each shot in the golf app… A much cheaper manufacturer has a « positional » option to do so in post round edition…

the only workaround I found was to create a « junk » club in my golf bag to record such situations. A nonsense given the price of garmin watches

RE: Punch shots, tree shots, etc.

Maaser49 — Wed, 21 Jan 2026 19:03:55 GMT

I have a 1i saved in my bag for this exact reason.

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.

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?

RE: How do I manually record putts while playing a round.

Garmin-Cody — Mon, 15 Sep 2025 19:19:11 GMT

The putts screen of the scorecard is separate from the total strokes (score) for the hole. The device will not let you enter in more putts than the score allows depending on the par for the hole. For example, if your score is 4 with 2 putts taken on a par 4, you need to enter 4 for the Strokes, then 2 for the Putts.

Garmin has this information outlined on the support article linked here: Unable to Enter Total Putts for the Hole on a Garmin Golf Device

RE: All distances by club listing ?

Garmin-Cody — Fri, 12 Sep 2025 20:17:44 GMT

The scorecard distances recorded and attributed to that specific club affect the average and max. Removing the distance should reflect in correcting the club max and average distance.

This is true as long as the shot you removed is tied to that actual club...and as long as the club was not retired and changed since a score was tied to the club on a scorecard.

The Garmin Support page linked below advises on all of the methods to correct shot data and shot stats:

Correcting Golf Club Stats in the Garmin Golf App and Garmin Connect

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 ?

RE: All distances by club listing ?

6581250 — Thu, 11 Sep 2025 10:03:17 GMT

That hasn't worked - as a general point it would make sense to be able to edit the individual shots for each club to get a truer reflection of performance - if I hit a driver into a tree or use a 5 iron to pitch out onto a fairway from trouble then I don't want those reflected in my average distance - as far as I can tell there is no way of editing the scorecard, deleting shots from the 'played map' doesn't affect the figures on the scorecard

RE: All distances by club listing ?

Garmin-Cody — Tue, 09 Sep 2025 20:40:01 GMT

Make sure the change was saved to the scorecard after exiting the scorecard from edit mode. If that still does not reflect a change, then close out of the app and re-open to see if it is then reflected.

If you have a further concern, check and make sure the there is not another shot with that club reflecting that distance max still present from the shot that was deleted.

You can also contact Garmin Support to speak with a specialist to review your autoshot data and account after they have confirmed your info with consent to access your account.

RE: All distances by club listing ?

6581250 — Tue, 09 Sep 2025 20:21:33 GMT

Thanks for that - I have deleted the offending shot (335 yard 3 wood) from the hole but this still showing up as my maximum distance hit for that club on the app

RE: All distances by club listing ?

Garmin-Cody — Tue, 09 Sep 2025 18:56:12 GMT

Only maximum and average distances will display from the "My Bag" menu in the Garmin Golf app.

Reviewing shot data through each scorecard is the only method of reviewing distances for every shot taken with each club.

RE: Course updated with premium subscription

Garmin-Cody — Thu, 04 Sep 2025 19:50:04 GMT

We do not recommend starting the round until you are actually located at the course. Before selecting the Golf activity app on the watch, open the Garmin Golf app on your smartphone > Tap Profile > My Devices > Then tap the circular arrow icon next to your watch to sync > Then start the round on the watch with the Garmin Golf app open on your smartphone > If contours are compatible with the course you are playing...they will then prompt to download.

Depending on cellular signal in the location at the time you are playing the round, the download time may vary.

Starting the round when you are away from the course will result in your watch going into GPS mode, draining battery needlessly, and your satellite acquisition will not be strong as you are not currently located at that course.

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.

RE: S44 stopped detecting shots and software is up to date.

Garmin-Cody — Mon, 18 Aug 2025 21:49:59 GMT

This is not something we are seeing reported from other users, but I would like to get some additional information from you on the concerns you mentioned you are having.

Please keep an eye out for my request sent to you through the message icon box, in the upper right section of the forums site.

- Thank you

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.

RE: S44 stopped detecting shots and software is up to date.

4428583 — Mon, 18 Aug 2025 20:30:30 GMT

Still having issues with my approach S44. Still needs a reboot for shot detection to work. Now it will not give distances to and over water hazards. Distances to some hazards shows aver 3500 yards. What is going on with this watch? Seems like every time a software update is issued and installed something else stops working. How about some quality control in the software division?

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.

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!