Is the Garmin Approach G20 a Game-changer or Expensive Gimmick?

Well, I didn’t see this coming.

Of all the products I’ve received to review in the past several months, the Garmin Approach G20 Solar just might be the one that surprised me most.

It’s a solar-powered handheld GPS unit.

Who knew we needed one of these?

Or, do we need it?

It’s novel, certainly. But is it actually useful? And can it stand up to a fairly aggressive $300 price tag?

I’ve now had the chance to get out on the course with the Garmin G20, and I’m ready to share some thoughts.

First Impressions of the Garmin Approach G20 Solar

Alright, one thing that’s not surprising about the Garmin G20 is its packaging and presentation.

It’s a Garmin.

It’s one of their Approach series products.

And it’s packaged exactly like all of the other products in that line. Same gray box. No frills. Nothing terribly impressive.

But again, it’s Garmin. They’ve got the reputation that allows them to go with a straightforward approach that doesn’t require them to spend more on packaging.

So in the box, you’ve got the device itself, a clip, a USB-C charging cord, and an instruction manual. Very simple.

The thing that jumped out to me upon opening the box was that I thought the G20 was going to be a bit bigger. The fact that it’s smaller than what I was expecting, I think, is a good thing. It’s just 2.1 x 3.5 x 0.7 inches and weighs only 3.8 ounces without the belt clip and 5.1 ounces with the belt clip.

As we’ll get into, this GPS actually has a built-in solar panel. So, like I said, I thought that would require a bigger-sized build. But as it turns out, I think the size is just right for most use cases.

G20 Clip-On Convenience

The G20 includes a magnet on the back, so it’s totally convenient for sticking onto a golf cart, similar to the Bushnell Phantom 3. In fact, I think the Phantom 3 is going to be one of the biggest competitors to the G20.

The G20 comes with a nice little clip, which also includes a magnet. So it’s a really simple, quick magnetic snap-on to attach the device to the clip. It works great.

I carried my clubs when I was testing the G20, and I found it really convenient to attach the G20 to the clip and then snap that onto a carabiner on my golf bag. I was able to look down and get my distances whenever I wanted. And I found the whole experience to be really easy.

Discovering the Approach G20’s Solar Features

One of the coolest features on the G20 is a solar page that reports exactly how much solar power you’re getting at any different moment. 

It will show you how much battery life is remaining, how intense the solar energy that it’s receiving is, and how much battery power you’ve gained from the sun on that day.

When I first pulled the G20 out of the box, I took it outside in direct sunlight for like five minutes, and it added 19 minutes of battery life to the unit. I mean, that’s pretty cool.

I initially thought the solar-powered thing might be more gimmick than an actual useful feature. I was skeptical about how much power that little solar panel would actually add to the battery life. So, I have to admit, I was kind of shocked to see what you can actually gain in a very short amount of time.

Honestly, I’m not sure I’m ever going to have to worry about battery life with this thing. Right out of the box, it was already at like six days of life. Then, when I discovered how quickly it charges in the sun, I realized that battery life was going to be a non-issue with the G20.

Now, if it does ever die and you need a quick charge, there’s a USB-C port on the side of the device, so it’s a simple plug in and you’re good to go.

I’m definitely taking back whatever skepticism I had about the solar feature being a gimmick. I actually think it’s not only cool but potentially really useful.

But… The Garmin G20 is objectively expensive for what it does. So, is it worth it?

Does the Garmin Approach G20 Do Enough for $300?

Three hundred bucks for a handheld GPS is a little steep, at least on the surface.

At that price point, you kind of expect some more advanced features. Like a color screen or detailed hole maps.

And you don’t really get any of that with the G20. When you look at it in the context of all of the advanced features that are available within the Garmin ecosystem, this device is pretty basic.

The G20’s GPS data is similar to what you’d get in the Garmin G12 handheld GPS or their S12 watch.

In fact, I think the S12 watch is basically just a smaller version of the G20. Of course, without the solar feature.

But if you’re considering buying a G20, I’d also look at the S12. It’s a watch versus a GPS, of course. But functionality- and navigation-wise, they’re very similar. And the S12, at $199.99, is $100 less expensive than the G20.

Or you could spend the same amount and get the new Approach S44 watch which has a color screen, basic hole maps, and a lot more.

But again, the S12 or S44 can’t be powered by the sun.

G20 Button Navigation

The G20 is not a touchscreen device. Instead, everything is operated by four buttons.

On the left side of the G20, there are up and down buttons, which allow you to scroll through menus. The up button also doubles as the power button.

On the right, there’s a “select” or “OK” button. And then below that, there’s a “back” button, which allows you to get to the previous screen.

I found using the G20 to be super intuitive. And, personally, I like the fact that there are physical buttons. I think with a handheld unit of this size, navigation by buttons is going to be much easier than if you had a touchscreen.

But for the price, giving the golfer the option to do both would be nice.

As for the G20 display, I think it’s great, even though there’s no color. It’s very easy to read outside, whether it’s cloudy, sunny, or rainy. I’ve had no issues at all seeing the screen and getting my information quickly.

This device also includes a Big Numbers mode, so that you can get your front/center/back information even more easily if you have any vision issues.

Pairing the G20 with the Garmin App

Just like most Garmin products, the Approach G20 Solar does pair with the Garmin Golf app. And I’ve got to say, Garmin is really doing a nice job of building out an extensive ecosystem. If you’re all-in on Garmin—like you’ve got a Garmin launch monitor, rangefinder, and GPS or watch—to be able to get all of your data in one central location I think is really smart.

Beyond your basic yardages, you can use your G20 to keep score and track stats. But I don’t really find those use cases with a handheld GPS to be too practical.

It’s one thing to input things like my score or club selection on my watch, where it’s constantly accessible. But to have to go back to my bag or cart to enter numbers into the G20, I don’t see myself doing that consistently.

So for me, a device like the G20 is really about the GPS yardages. That’s the main function I see as practical and the real reason I think most people would buy this product.

As far as accuracy when it comes to those yardages, the G20 is dead on. Garmin has proven that they’re the best in the business at GPS data, and the G20 is no exception. It worked flawlessly for me.

Another cool feature you get if you pair the G20 with the Garmin app is wind data. But I’ve got to say that I’m not so sure wind data on devices like this is always as useful as it’s made out to be. The problem, as I see it, is that you’re never totally sure where that data is coming from. I mean it could be pulling information from a tower 20 miles away. And even if it’s a closer location than that, there’s always going to be fluctuations from hole to hole out on a golf course.

My Slight Concern with This Garmin Handheld GPS

As I mentioned, the G20 retails for $300. My concern is that for that price, I just find the hole maps to be very basic. The whole visual and interactive experience is pretty plain. There’s no color, and there’s no real detail. Like I said, it’s the same experience as with the G12 and S12.

So while this isn’t necessarily a huge deal, I think it could be a frustration for some people when you consider the price you’re paying.

Now, you can obviously use the G20 to get front/center/back green distances. And you can button-click through multiple pin locations to get more accurate distances to that day’s flag.

You can also get hazard data. But this where the lack of built-in maps really holds it back. Essentially, you get a green and then kind of like a timeline of hazards that you can scroll through.

But honestly, without that map visual, it wasn’t always obvious to me which hazard distance I was looking at.

Really, these are the same kinds of limitations you’d find in most handhelds and basic GPS watches. It’s just that the Garmin G20 costs $300. And I think for that price, I would like to see a bit more, including things like hole maps.

That said, I get that the point here is the solar feature. So if you’re including all that extra data, then the solar aspect probably doesn’t work.

Should You Buy the Garmin Approach G20?

I think it’s a hard “maybe’ when you consider whether or not the G20 is worth buying.

If you’re looking for a GPS device that’s simple, that you can use with a cart or when you’re carrying, that’s small enough that you can clip it to your belt without any intrusion, and that has really cool solar-power capabilities that actually work better than I expected, totally buy the Garmin G20.

The problem for a lot of people, as I’ve said, is that beyond the solar, this is a basic GPS. The fact is, you can get a similar experience for half as much as this.

Now, the Garmin ecosystem I think is always a factor in any Garmin-buying decision. If you’re in with Garmin, or you do want to use this device to keep score and keep track of statistics, then the G20 probably makes more sense than if you’re not in those situations.

And that is a caveat worth considering. If you did want to save the money and buy something like the Bushnell Phantom 3 (or even a discounted Phantom 2) for $150, you’d be giving up access to that Garmin ecosystem.

Then there’s the other direction. You could look at this as, if you’re already spending $300, you could step up another $200 to get the Garmin G80, which gives you full-color, detailed hole maps.

And the G80 is also a golf launch monitor! Granted, it’s fairly basic in that function, but it does work. You can simply set it on the ground, and you’re going to get some basic shot data. Is it the most accurate in the world? Of course not. But, for some people, this might really be all they need to get a general idea of how far their ball is going and what they are doing in their swing.

The G80 also has a slightly bigger display for you to see those better hole maps.

The point being that, for some people, the G80 is going to be pretty compelling. It provides a lot of useful features for only $200 more.

I do have to note that the G80 has not been updated in several years. So it doesn’t include a built-in magnet or as sleek of a case—some of the more modern features that have become standard with newer Garmin products.

Personally, as someone who loves using a Garmin GPS watch, I’m probably skipping the whole handheld GPS thing, whether it’s the G20, the G80, the Phantom 3, or whatever else. My watch can give me so much more information.

But if you’re in the market for a GPS, the G20 does exactly what it says it’s going to do and does it very well. I think it’s worth buying, even if I don’t necessarily think it’s the best value at $300.

The G20's built-in solar panel is definitely cool. But other than that, it's a pretty basic GPS.

8.0 Innovative

If battery life is a concern, I think this is a great buy. It's a Garmin, and it performs very well. But the non-solar features are pretty limited.

The Good

1. Solar charging even better than expected
2. Compact and lightweight
3. Garmin's GPS accuracy
4. Button navigation is intuitive
5. Magnet and belt clip included

The Bad

1. Lack of hole maps
2. No color screen
3. Basic for the price

• Presentation 7.5
• Performance 10
• Features and Quality 7.5
• Price 7
• Personal Affinity 8