There is a lot of cool gear in the golf equipment world that doesn’t always fit neatly into Most Wanted Tests or Buyer’s Guides. You still want to know how it performs. In our We Tried It series, we put gear to the test and let you know if it works as advertised.
What We Tried
TAG Heuer Connected Watch—Golf Edition
Our Resident Horologist
Dave Wolfe —MyGolfSpy writer and putter fanatic. In addition to being a golf junkie, I’ve been an amateur watch collector since backpacking through Europe with a fistful of Swatch watches in 1985.
High-Tech Luxury Golf
Today, we are going to take a look at the TAG Heuer Connected Golf Edition watch. Of course, high-tech watches are already a part of golf. In 2020, watches completely dominated our GPS buyer’s guide. So why we are looking at this watch on its own since most other watches are tested together? Truth be told, it’s the TAG Heuer name.
For those not familiar with the TAG Heuer brand, they have been crafting precision timepieces since 1860. TAG Heuer watches typically come up in the same conversations as Rolex, Omega and other luxury watch brands. While Rolex made an April Fool’s joke about making a smart watch in 2015, TAG Heuer actually made one. Coincidentally, 2015 was also the release year for the first Apple watch. That’s why this watch generates a little more attention than other golf watches. Curiosity mandates we explore a smart watch from a company with a rich history of making high-end timepieces.
And yes, high-end means expensive.
Tag Heuer Connected: It’s a Smart Watch
Before we dive into the golf specifics, let’s take a moment to look into the smart watch features of the TAG Heuer Connected watch. Obviously, this is not an Apple product so your connectivity will be based upon Android and Google. That said, this watch gives you all of the connectivity that you expect from a smart watch. A good smart watch allows you to leave your phone in your pocket or purse. You can check appointments, read texts and emails, run various apps and essentially navigate all of your quick digital needs. I was actually surprised when music controls popped up on the watch when I started my car.
The TAG Heuer Connected watch also has health-monitoring capabilities. It can count your steps and calories expended and also keep track of your pulse over immediate or long-time spans. Though not really part of this “golf watch” review, keep in mind that this watch delivers far more than just golf goodies.
The TAG Heuer Connected watch features ample customization. You should be able to download the apps you need and even alter the face to match your aesthetics. I probably spent an hour just goofing around with the different faces.
The watch also features multiple fitness-driven programs. Obviously, we will be focusing on golf today but the watch is also ready to integrate with your running, walking, cycling and other fitness regimes. Naturally, you should only do one of these things at a time.
Tag Heuer Connected: On the Golf Course
Let’s dive a little deeper into the golf aspect of the watch. Right away, it is obvious that the golf functionality of the TAG Heuer watch is actually a pairing of watch function and app function. The TAG Heuer golf app is pretty robust on its own. It has great 3D maps of each hole for tens of thousands of courses. It can keep your play stats over time, track shots and also keep scores for your foursome during a round. No, it’s not a paradigm-shifting app but it is solid. The 3D rendering is actually pretty impressive, especially since you can zoom in and rotate holes.
By adding the watch, you essentially improve upon the app experience. The play features are basically the same but now you can access them through your wrist rather than your pocket. Let’s dive a little deeper into what it is like playing a round of golf with the TAG Heuer Connected watch.
Ease and Ergonomics
I think we can all agree that the last thing we want to do on the first tee is fight with our tech. Out of the box, it did take a bit of time to get the watch software all updated and synched with my iPhone 12. All in all, though, not too complicated or time consuming. After downloading my usual courses in the app, I was all set to adventure out for some testing.
The TAG Heuer Connected watch is a large timepiece. On one hand, this is fantastic as the screen is large enough to see the hole renderings and one can easily touch the appropriate icons on the screen. On the other hand, the watch does seem a bit bulky, especially if you are not a watch wearer. I had some concerns about its heft but those went away after about half a bucket of balls. It is surprisingly comfortable for a watch of its size.
One of the reasons the watch is so comfortable is the incrementally adjustable band. When the band has links and holes, you run the risk of being between them for fitting. This means the band is either too loose or too tight. With this band, you can slide the clasp fractions of an inch to ensure the correct fit. This is very important for something that will be on your wrist as you swing.
Speaking of bands, let’s take a bit of a detour to talk about what comes in the box with the TAG Heuer Connected watch. First, you get an additional black watch band. With the black band, the watch looks more like a classic TAG Heuer watch. The band is a great value inclusion since the watch will likely be worn more off the course than on.
You also get some golf swag in the box. There are some tees, a sleeve of TAG Heuer-branded Pro V1 balls and a TAG Heuer-branded Scotty Cameron pitch tool. The rational part of my brain knows these are but trinkets but my emotional brain was still giddy seeing them. Naturally, everything you need to charge your watch is also in there. All in all, it felt like I was opening up something significant.
Touch and Turn Control
Most of the operation of the watch is accomplished using the touch screen which is large and accessible. This makes it easy to touch and swipe your way through menus. The buttons on the side will call up various menus with the crown serving as both a home button and a scroll wheel. Pretty standard stuff that worked so well that it was easy to almost immediately stop paying attention to it. Yes, that is a compliment.
TAG Heuer fans will also appreciate how the lower button changes the watch into a stopwatch, a nod to a classic feature on their mechanical watches.
GPS and Shot Tracking
Once you get to the course, open the app on the phone and on the watch, press Start Round, and you are on your way. You have two options for watch display. You can either focus on the green (shown above) or on where your next shot will likely land (shown a few photos below). Turning the crown during play will allow you to move the landing position forward and backward.
You also have two GPS options during play, watch-based or phone-based. I compared both to my trusty Neo Ghost and swapping from phone to watch didn’t change the numbers much. Keep in mind that I was walking during testing so my phone was always close. If you leave your phone in the cart while you take your shot, the numbers may vary a bit.
For shot tracking, you press the upper button when you take the shot and then again when you walk to your ball. At this point, you can also record the club used. I totally did this wrong the first time out, wondering why it always thought I had hit my putter. Once I had the correct button sequence, it was easy to get into a recording rhythm.
Recording your shots while playing is not that exciting but it allows you to analyze your play on the app after the round. You can see the shots you took, color-coded for the score on the hole. If you play the same course all the time, you can really come up with a data-driven plan for how to score better.
Battery Life
Battery longevity is the keystone of all wearable electronics. Consumers demand that a watch do lots of amazing things and possess a strong enough battery to do said things for a long time.
I found the battery life of the TAG Heuer Connected watch to be sufficient for a round of golf, if you are careful. My first round out, the battery was toast on the 15th hole. I had started with a full charge but I had also enabled all of the notifications and was using the watch-based GPS. I basically had the watch set on maximum battery drain. Notifications should be off anyway, unless you like getting a vibration on your wrist during the backswing. All of that non-golf activity and the ever-hungry GPS chewed up the charge.
Draining the battery did allow me to experience the low-battery mode with the watch. When the battery is critically low, the display features a simple watch face (photo above). Even at low charge, TAG Heuer wants you to have a timepiece.
Don’t be tempted to max out the screen brightness during play as it will drain the battery. In full sun, the screen is a bit washed out but it becomes a habit to angle the watch into the shadow of your body while using it. It’s essentially the same skill you already have developed with your phone.
Thankfully, during subsequent rounds, battery life was not an issue once I disabled the notifications and set the GPS to phone-based. Even then, know that this is not a 36-hole watch unless you charge it between rounds. The good news is that it will fully charge in about 90 minutes.
Overall Golf Experience
Can I see myself consistently wearing the TAG Heuer watch when I play golf? Definitely. It was way more comfortable than I expected and easy to use once I dialed in the steps. Unlike other GPS watches, recording scores is super easy as is editing of those scores should you make a mistake. I’ve stopped using more than one watch or app because of interface frustrations. Such is not the case with the TAG Heuer Connected.
Though possibly not correlated with watch wearing, I did shoot my lowest rounds of the year while wearing this watch. Maybe that’s just the planets aligning but I give the watch some credit. Did you notice the colored bars around the dial? Those colors correspond to your scores on the holes. I swear that I was a little more focused because I didn’t want “bad” colors to show up on the watch. Is that silly? Probably, but I did drop strokes from the non-watch rounds so maybe it works.
The Luxury Elephant in the Room
Let’s take a minute to talk about the one big issue with the TAG Heuer Connected Golf Edition watch: the price. The MSRP on this watch is $2,550.
No, I didn’t misplace the decimal and, yes, that is expensive. For many of us, that price puts the watch out of our budget. However, some will see the price as quite reasonable for a TAG Heuer product. $2,550 puts the TAG Heuer Connected watch just above the entry-level TAG watches and significantly lower than other TAG watches. My drool watch is this black and rose gold Carrera that comes in at $6,550. The Aston Martin Carrera is flat out gorgeous and $26K. Compared to those prices, $2,550 is very reasonable.
The simple truth is that luxury items such as these watches get purchased by loyal customers. For TAG Heuer, it is a brilliant move to get into smart watches as a way to keep brand-loyal customers and also acquire customers from competitors such as Rolex and Omega who do not offer smart watches. The potential customer can get the full luxury experience by going to one of the TAG Heuer boutiques where all of the connectivity, software updates and such will be taken care of for them. It’s a luxury brand for a reason.
Final Take on the TAG Heuer Connected Golf Watch
I really enjoyed playing with the TAG Heuer Connected golf watch. Not only did it possibly improve my scoring but it also gave me a glimpse into a different socioeconomic lifestyle.
If I had the money, would I buy one? You bet. It’s rad. I’m just not the correct demographic for this type of luxury product. It would be a big (huge) stretch for me to spend $2,550 on a watch. Honestly, if I had the means to buy a TAG Heuer watch, I would buy a mechanical watch that I could later pass down to my son as a family heirloom. It would be a significant addition to the Wolfe estate. Cool as smart watches are, they are no more heirlooms than an iPhone 5.
For the right demographic, the TAG Heuer Connected seems like a slam dunk. The reality is that some people have drawers full of TAG Heuer watches. Without question, the TAG Heuer collector will be stoked that he or she can get a smart watch from the brand that they love and not have to settle for an Apple watch. For those that can afford it, the TAG Heuer Connected Golf Edition is a great golf watch.
Find out more about the TAG Heuer Connected Golf Edition watch at TAGHeuer.com.
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Richard VIOLLE
5 months agoApplication with a very flattering look, on an absolutely splendid TAG watch.
But by dint of wanting to save battery, to develop the application, it no longer works…
The reaction time of the application has become unacceptable to give a reliable distance on the holes…
It has become beautiful but useless, even distressing when you know the price of this jewel…
Pity, go back to the old versions, more resource-intensive but functional (or leave the choice to us, battery saving or an app that works)!!!
Sean
6 months agoI use the app with a iphone 12mini and I love the app. Used to have arcoss, but I had to check my phone just as much.
Ken
1 year agoSeems like I am in the minority, but I love the TAG as a watch. It is unfair to compare it to a $250 or $25,000 watch, as each of those have their purpose.
Dave, my question is, how do you feel it compares to Garmin S62 as a golfing tool. I would love to have one watch that is great for golf and wonderful off the course. I could buy a S62 and the non golf TAG for close to the same money as the golf edition.
Great review.
Doug Hansen
1 year agoRangefinder and a paper scorecard works great for me. But I do have $2,600 burning a hole in my pocket. Oh, I know…. Pebble!
Kochez
1 year agoNice watch bit too pricey though, considering it has not brought something novel. Guess it’s not for some of us.
Jamie
1 year agoBought this a little while ago. Loved my Garmin S60 with the tracking sensors. Found after 2 years that they start to add extra strokes, distances I found questionable.. Was thinking about going to the S62 due to their caddie feature, but fell in love with the look.
So far still learning the features. The instruction manual was non existent and there are the short YouTube clips, but it shows the features but doesn’t tell you how to work it.. One thing I don’t like is it doesn’t give you yardage when you are tracking a shot. You have to click to another screen, then difficult to get out of that. (I end up hitting the wrong thing and take the long way back)..
Also when scoring, you click the bottom button to count your puts, but it only adds the first put and not subsequent puts to the score so you need to manually adjust it. Maybe I’m doing it wrong, but as I said, the manual was non existent for what you can do on the golf course..
Overall, I absolutely love it as a watch, and am able to change the strap super easy. Total quality, battery life was supposed to be great, but I only get 1 round in, with all the features turned off.
Honestly I would say by a Garmin, if you can afford this one, it is a great all around watch, with a so far decent (only 6 rounds played with it) golf watch. The phone app is great though.
Frank
1 year agoNot sure who the target market for this watch is.
A true luxury watch connoisseur (those with Patek, Lange, and Blancpain in their collection) is going to turn their nose up at a Tag (maybe they’ll go for the Hublot Big Bang Unico Golf that retails for $30k?). And those who are normal watch enthusiasts are not going to spend $2500+ on a golf watch.
Golfish!
1 year agoThe watch also features multiple fitness-driven programs. Obviously, we will be focusing on golf today but the watch is also ready to integrate with your running, walking, cycling and other fitness regimes. Naturally, you should only do one of these things at a time.
I ran on the golf course during my last round by running from ball to ball…so technically I ran and golfed at the same time….maybe go swimming for some balls on my next round?
Jon
1 year agoJudging by all of the comments being made, the demographic for this timepiece does not take the time to comment on this website. Compared to the Casio digital calculator watch I bought as a kid in the 70’s, this is a bargain. Turn the doorknob kids and live a little.
Mike
1 year agoAnd when I turn the door knob and come in,, this $2,600 watch does exactly…what? If it doesn’t last a full round, that’s pretty useless to a golfer. I could afford this watch, yet it ranks in priority somewhere below a motorized unicycle.
Bill Fisher
1 year agohahahaha. I agree. I am the demographic for this product but battery life or lack thereof kills the deal for me.
Andre
8 months agoI was looking to upgrade watches I have the budget and actually looked at getting TAG but the battery life stopped me from getting it. I ended up with the Garmin but if TAG improves the battery life to a level of the S62 I’d buy it….
Patrick
1 year agoWas this product provided to MGS for testing purposes or purchased outright? If so I would suggest including that information somewhere (apologies if I missed it).
Sincerely, a 3 time [modest] donor considering donating for my 4th year.
P.J.
1 year agoHell no! No way I’d ever pay that for a golf watch, my Garmin S20 gives me data on how far each shot was, round statistics and graphical pictures of where my shots landed. Oh, and its under $200 at Golf Galaxy every day.
steven
1 year agoTwo things I’m hard on are watches and sunglasses, besides I only need one dial To tell time.
Jonah Mytro
1 year agoFor $2500, you could get a new bag of clubs plus lessons and put your money into a good slope rangefinder for the most accurate yardages – Sorry, no go on a $2k gps watch with a 1 round battery life..
Ned
1 year agoAmen also have a brew waiting for you after the round.
scott
1 year ago40 rounds of golf or a watch GPS . But if you have to have one Costco has a nice one for less then $100 and still get 38 rounds of golf, .
scott
1 year agoFront Ba,ck, Middle, all for $85 the rest is just distraction .Plus I work at a golf course chances are it’ll make it’s way to lost and found most of the time. But there are a few scumbags who don’t return found item. Sad but true, I bet they also cheat on there score too.
Marq
1 year agoSlow news day, guys? Seriously a $2,600 watch that I won’t be able to see the face in the sun if it actually holds the charge for 18 holes? I guess this is interesting to some people but thank goodness I didn’t waste more than 30 seconds thumbing through it. What’s next, gold-plated toothpick that serves as a divot tool?
I miss, I miss, I make
1 year agoWhat is a watch?
Brandon
1 year agoWhy would anyone want to wear something on their wrist while golfing?
Marq
1 year agoS T A T U S …
Joey5Picks
1 year agoTarget Market:
Plays XXIO clubs
Buys new driver every year to get the 7 more yards
Has Cameron putter
Never walks
Owns at least 5 training aids
Career low: 95
Mike
1 year agoToo funny! But I’ll correct you just a bit here. The target market person buys a new driver every year to pick up THREE yards AND because now he can “flight the ball better”!
Steven
1 year agoToo rich for my blood money! BUT, Garmin seems to be going the same route with their latest wearable for just under $2K.
ParHunter
1 year agoTag Heuer bought the FunGolf GPS app which was available on the Apple Watch. You can still get the app on the Apple Watch for something like a £40 subscription (cheaper if you are an existing FunGolf subscriber).
I’ve used the app for a few years now and I haven’t seen a better Apple Watch golf app and I’ve tried a few (Hole19, GolfShot)
Richard Lindzon
1 year agoAgreed.
Had a garmin s20 and s60 previously. Much prefer the apple watch with the tag heuer app.
Alex
1 year agoNot interested in the watch, but I downloaded the app (free in Apple’s app store) and it’s really good. I’ve used it several times just for course layout and yardage, and it’s pretty accurate and the graphics are terrific. Used it last week for the first time to record my scores and was pretty happy with that functionality as well. You can record your score, putts, fairways hit, GIR, and sand saves.
Thomas
1 year agoI’m a watch guy and Tag Heuer fan but this watch is hard on the eyes. This has been a trend with golf watches, incorporating green and other golf queues, but I believe that many golfers are more discerning than this when it comes to style, and anyone looking to spend this amount of money on a watch is looking for something much more aesthetically pleasing.
Alex K
1 year ago$2,500 for a watch to wear on my wrist that does the same things as the phone in my pocket? That’s a waste of money in my opinion. Add to that the last time I ever wore a watch on course the bands snapped and dropped the body down to crack on the cart path… who would want to risk that with $2,500?? I’ll stick to my phone and if there is some need for a smart watch in the future (probably work not golf), I can “slum it” with an Apple or Samsung model purchase about 6-8 times for that same money.
Steve
1 year agoWay to much for limited options. You can do the exact same thing with any Samsung or Apple watch for 1/10 the price. Plus is this really anything more than a rebranded android watch? I think not
Jim Hurley
1 year agoI chose the regular Tag Connected for aesthetic purposes. It has almost all of the functions with the same interface with the app. The interchangeable watch bands are a great feature and make it easy to change the look to match your style for the day. The rubber bands have finer adjustment and are better on the course and for exercising than the stainless which I wear for work. It is bulky and takes time to get used to and battery life is questionable. but can be compensated for. People will balk at the price but it is inline with the quality.
I’ have heard that wearing a watch can actually slow a swing speed. Has anyone ever seen data on this?
Tony
1 year agoI’m a computer guy and surrounded by clocks all day long, therefore never wear a watch. Last fall I bought a ShotScope 3.
In my minds eye it looked huge in the pictures and even when it arrived I was worried it would mess with my swing. The reality was it took less than a bucket of balls to forget it was on my wrist.
I wouldn’t worry about the bulky part.
BTW, I have pencil thin wrists.
Joe
1 year agoI have been looking at the other Tag Connected watches for the same aesthetic reasons. What are the main golf feature differences that you’ve seen on the course?
Robin
1 year agoI collect watches. I never really was able to enjoy a watch , because I worked in surgery for 90% of my career.
Now that I’m retired I have bought several watches.
The price of this watch is about low premium price for a quality watch.
I would totally rock this watch..
James Adams
1 year agoIn my opinion, Tag makes the best watches. They are stylish but not gaudy. like Breitling are. The only downfall is the price, as I am sure it will cost as much as a pre-0211 PXG full bag.
Joann Campbell
1 year agoNice lookin watch. If you have the money to spend on it why not. But most of us mere mortals cannot afford that..
Steve
1 year agoExcellent review. Very good product but expensive. I probably would not purchase this item as I don’t wear anything on my wrists while playing golf and other sports. TY
Lloyd Davis
1 year agoJust bought the Garmin S62, and taking it out for its first test round today. Reading this confirms that the $500 I spent of the Garmin was a wise decision.
Realtor
1 year agoNot no but hell no. Better things available for a fraction of the cost.
WBN
1 year ago100% agree. Not in my lifetime.
TBT
1 year agoLooks great and the functionality looks awesome…would I wear it if I had one..,HELL YEAH! would I buy it….nope, way out of my price range
TBT
1 year agoLooks sweet and functionality looks impressive! Do I want one…HELL YEAH! will I buy one….nope
Shams Ali
1 year agoIf it were up to me these companies that manufactured usless expensive watches wouldn’t exist for good.
Patrick
1 year agoI guess you’re not a Patek Phillipe type watch wearer. I’m into fine quality watches and this watch is relatively inexpensive for what you get. The customer service would be worth the price alone.
Lewis
1 year agoNo built in Alexa? Hard pass.
dennis
1 year agoHi Dave, I use this watch in combination with my arccos caddie link device for shot tracking/registering. Because so far the Arccos Caddie app will not work on this watch. But the best solution would be if it did, if Arccos made their app also availabe working on this watch. However they still didn’t and they probably won’t either. That’s a real shame. For the rest your conclusions are totally right and I can agree with fully.
Dave Wolfe
1 year agoI had the same thought. While the shot tracking works fine as is on the watch, it seems ripe for a pairing with a sensor system like Arccos or Shot Scope.
Jim Savard
1 year agoI believe it tells the exact same time as my dad’s timex…
Mike Murray
1 year agoVery impressive watch, but it will be out of the price range of many golfers. I do wonder if this watch will last longer than the typical Garmin/Bushnell/Golf Buddy golf watches on the market today. As golf watch technology evolves, will this TAG Heuer watch be able to be upgraded with the latest technology?
Joselo
1 year agoLeaning towards the Garmin S62, better screen and better battery
Rick
1 year agoHard pass for me. As it is I never wear a watch when I play, so I don’t see me wearing this one.