What They Have in Common
Both are touchscreen GPS watches with full-color hole maps, automatic shot tracking, hazard yardages, slope compensation, auto scoring, and around 40,000+ preloaded courses. Neither requires a subscription to use the core GPS functions. Both have 1-year warranties and a 10-day watch-mode battery estimate.
Where They Differ
Display and on-wrist feel
This is the sharpest dividing line. The S50 has a 1.2-inch AMOLED display — the same display tech you'd find on high-end smartwatches. Colors pop, contrast is excellent, and it reads well in direct sunlight. The T11 LT runs a reflective color LCD, which is fine but noticeably less crisp. Side by side, it's obvious.
Weight is also a real difference. The S50 comes in at 29g with its nylon ComfortFit band — Garmin calls it the lightest golf watch they've made, and on your wrist, it actually feels like it. The T11 LT sits at 48g (about 1.7 oz), which isn't heavy by any standard, but you'll notice it more over 18 holes. If you're someone who forgets they're wearing a watch during a round, the S50 is more likely to give you that experience.
Green contours — the one category T11 LT wins
The T11 LT includes green undulation with heat maps and break-direction arrows out of the box. No membership, no annual fee, no upsell. The Smart Putt View auto-displays when you're on the green.
The S50 also has a Green View, but green contours require a Garmin Golf membership ($99.99/yr or $9.99/mo). For the base yardages and hole maps, you're fine without it. For reading putts, you're paying extra.
Over three years, that's ~$300 in membership costs if you want green contours on the S50. The T11 LT bundles that in a $249.99 watch. Worth doing that math before dismissing the price gap.
One caveat: the T11 LT's course and green view features reportedly aren't available in Europe and some other international regions. If you play overseas, check your region before buying.
Shot tracking and what lives on the watch
Both watches do automatic shot tracking without needing external tags or sensors. The S50's AutoShot is also CT10/CT1 compatible if you later want per-club stats from sensor tags. The T11 LT tracks automatic shots and putts.
The S50 layers on PlaysLike distances — adjusted yardages that account for elevation change between your ball and the hole. That's built in, no membership needed. The T11 LT doesn't offer PlaysLike at all.
Smartwatch features
The S50 is a real smartwatch that also plays golf. It has heart rate monitoring, sleep tracking, pulse oximetry, Body Battery energy tracking, fitness profiles, smart notifications, contactless payments (Garmin Pay), and 4GB of music storage. You can use it every day as your everyday watch and it does actual health tracking.
The T11 LT handles step count and syncs with Apple Health and Android Health Connect. That's it. No heart rate, no sleep tracking, no notifications, no payments, no music. It's a golf watch that also counts your steps. If you're already wearing a fitness tracker and just want a dedicated golf device, maybe that's fine. If you're hoping to replace your everyday watch, it's not built for that.
Battery
The S50 gets 15 hours in GPS mode. The T11 LT is rated for 27 holes of golf, which works out to roughly 6-8 hours estimated. Garmin's number is more explicit; Voice Caddie's is rounds-based, which makes direct comparison a bit awkward. For normal rounds, both are fine. For a long travel day or back-to-back rounds, the S50 has a clearer advantage. The S50 charges via USB-C; the T11 LT uses USB 2.0.
Who Should Buy Which
Buy the Garmin Approach S50 if:
- You want one watch that handles golf AND daily fitness tracking — heart rate, sleep, notifications, music
- Light-on-the-wrist matters to you; 29g is genuinely different from 48g
- You want PlaysLike distances built in without paying extra
- You play a lot of courses (43,000 preloaded vs 40,000)
- You might add CT10 club tags later for per-club stats
- AMOLED display readability is important to you
- You're fine with $99/yr if you ever want green contours added
Buy the Voice Caddie T11 LT if:
- You specifically want green contours (putt break, undulation heat maps) without a recurring subscription
- The $150 savings is meaningful and you don't need the smartwatch extras
- You already have a fitness tracker and just want a clean golf device
- You play in the US or regions where course/green view is supported
- Automatic putt tracking is something you want out of the box
The Bottom Line
These two watches sit at the same tier but serve slightly different golfers. The T11 LT makes a genuine case on one point: green contours at no extra cost. That's real, and if that's your primary ask, it delivers. But the S50 wins almost everything else — lighter, better display, smarter health features, more battery life transparency, PlaysLike built in, a real smartwatch experience. The $150 premium is noticeable, but you get a lot back for it. If green contours matter to you and you're watching the budget, the T11 LT is a respectable pick. Otherwise, the S50 is the better watch.
Get the Garmin Approach S50.
See Also