Garmin Approach S50 vs Pinned Golf The Caddie

The Quick Verdict

Get the Garmin Approach S50. It's the more versatile device — on your wrist all round, automatic shot tracking built-in, solid GPS data, and it doesn't require a cart. The Caddie's 8-inch screen is genuinely impressive, and if you ride every round and want the biggest, most tablet-like view of the course available, it earns its spot. But most golfers aren't buying a GPS device to mount on a cart exclusively, and the S50 doesn't ask you to.

What They Have in Common

Both are touchscreen GPS devices priced around $400–$450 with 43,000–45,000+ preloaded courses, full-color hole maps, hazard overlays, slope-adjusted distances, and tournament modes. Both charge via USB-C. Neither includes wind data or a virtual caddie feature.

Where They Differ

Form Factor — Wrist vs. Cart

This is the fundamental split. The S50 weighs 29 grams and lives on your wrist. The Caddie weighs 544 grams and needs somewhere to sit. Pinned is explicit about this: The Caddie is not for walking golfers. If you walk, that settles it. If you ride, the choice gets more interesting.

The Caddie's screen is genuinely in a different category — an 8-inch HD display is bigger than most tablets you use at home, let alone GPS devices. Yardages, hole maps, and green views are large enough that you don't have to squint or tap to zoom. The S50's 1.2-inch AMOLED is crisp for its size, but it's still a 1.2-inch screen on your wrist. If you've ever wished your GPS showed you more at once, The Caddie addresses that in a way nothing else in the category does.

Shot Tracking

The S50 has AutoShot built-in — it detects shots automatically, logs them, and builds out your stats without manual entry. You do need clear sky behind the ball for reliable detection; cart canopies and tree cover can cause misses. The Caddie uses manual tracking, which means tapping to record each shot. That's not a dealbreaker for plenty of golfers, but it's a different workflow. If you want strokes gained data at the end of a round, the S50 gives you that; the Caddie doesn't list strokes gained in its feature set.

Subscriptions and Green Contours

The S50's green contours require a Garmin Golf membership ($99.99/yr). Without it, you get flat green view — front, center, back. The Caddie includes green contours (called a Greens Heat Map) through Pinned Premium, with the first year currently free and the renewal price unpublished. That's worth flagging: you don't know what year two costs when you're buying today. If Pinned Premium comes in at $60–$80/yr, the total cost of ownership looks reasonable. If it's $120+, it changes the math on a $449 device.

Plays-like distances on the S50 are built-in at no cost, adjusting for elevation without a barometer (less precise than the higher-end S70). On the Caddie, plays-like distances are a Pinned Premium feature.

Smartwatch vs. Purpose-Built GPS

The S50 is a golf GPS that also happens to be a capable everyday smartwatch — heart rate, sleep tracking, music storage (4GB), contactless payments, fitness profiles. You'd realistically wear it all day, not just on the course. The Caddie doesn't do any of that. It's a dedicated golf device that does one job.

That framing matters for the price comparison. The S50 at $399 replaces a smartwatch you might otherwise carry. The Caddie at $449 is a golf-only tool — useful on the course, in the bag or on the seat afterward.

Who Should Buy Which

Get the Garmin Approach S50 if:

• You walk any of your rounds — the Caddie is explicitly not designed for that.
• You want automatic shot tracking and strokes gained data without manual entry.
• You'd actually use a GPS watch as your everyday watch — the fitness tracking, music, and payments add real value.
• You want green contours eventually but are fine paying $99/yr for Garmin Golf membership after seeing whether you use them.
• Screen size on the course has never really bothered you.

Get the Pinned The Caddie if:

• You ride every single round, no exceptions.
• The bigger the screen, the better — you want a course map that fills your field of view, not your wrist.
• You prefer manual shot logging or don't care about strokes gained.
• You're comfortable with Pinned Premium's renewal cost being TBD when you commit to the device.
• You like the idea of a dedicated golf tool that doesn't try to be your fitness tracker.

The Bottom Line

These two devices aren't really competing for the same golfer — they're different tools for different habits. The S50 is a golf watch that works for any round: walking, riding, early morning, late afternoon. The Caddie is a cart-mounted tablet with a screen so big it genuinely changes how you see the course. If you ride every round and want that experience, it's a real option. If you walk or split between the two, the S50 is the practical pick.

A note on Pinned Premium: that "first year free" window won't last forever, and the renewal price isn't published. Factor in some uncertainty on total cost of ownership before committing.

Get the Garmin Approach S50.