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When you buy the Garmin fēnix 8 Sapphire AMOLED 51mm, you’ll likely be thinking, “This is going to be a great golf GPS watch.” And it is. But what will surprise you is just how much more it can do.

This is not just a golf watch—it’s a complete performance and lifestyle tool. From advanced health tracking to outdoor navigation, strength training to scuba diving, the fēnix 8 offers an unmatched level of versatility that most golfers won’t expect when they first strap it on.

The first thing I absolutely must mention is the battery life; it's incredible. I would say I didn't need to charge it for 2 weeks, and I was playing multiple rounds in a week, traveling, tracking multi-day activities, as well as all the communication app messages flowing through it. And from my previous smart watch experiences, the most I ever got on a single charge was 2-3 days. So 10/10 for that!

Play Golf!

Let’s not forget why you’ll buy it: for golf! 

It couldn't be easier to start using the golf features. First, download the Garmin Golf App, and once you have synced, it's good for all the courses in Japan. Once you're ready to play, select activities- Golf. It will automatically detect the course you are on and download it in a few seconds. It will ask you what tees you are playing off,  and if you would like to record your score ( or you can just use it to get yardages for each shot at a glance, no need to change holes manually, etc) and that's it. You are ready to go. 

The face is very easy to navigate, it's giving you actual yardage to the front and pin, and also a virtual caddy which is advising on weather, so playing like' number. Very cool, and freakishly accurate. 

All the golf features include:

- Full-color maps for over 43,000 golf courses worldwide
- Detailed hole views with distance to greens, hazards, and doglegs
- Smart shot tracking and on-wrist scorekeeping
- Advanced stats and GPS accuracy with SatIQ auto-selection
- Local support with full Japan DKG maps for courses across Japan

Garmin Golf App

The Garmin Golf app is free, and quite user-friendly, It can be used for just you own golf game tracking or more interactively and can support tournaments with live leaderboards etc.

But I think the tracking of your data is the ultimate reason to use the watch and App. The App is automatically uploading data from the watch which is really cool. The data is divided into 3:

Performance stats
- full scoring stat averages, including shot analysis. It makes it very easy to see the strengths and weaknesses of your game
- The more club data you give the watch during your round the more comprehensive the analysis will be
- Will give you a ranking among other Garmin users as to what percentile your game is in
- Handicap based on all cumulative 9 and 18 hole rounds

Course Stats
- See the course stats for each of your rounds
- View all scorecards and shot maps for each hole
- Use the historical data to see how you fair in GIR, driving accuracy etc. 

Club Stats
- Average distances and max distances with each club
- Can be from rounds and practice sessions

Top Tip: Make sure to go through your settings, adding exactly your 14 clubs (you can be very detailed here, but just the basics is fine)

Garmin Connect App

What elevates the fēnix 8 experience is how effortlessly it syncs with the Garmin Connect App. This is the main App I would say for all activities (The golf App only does golf). This is a powerful data hub that delivers personalized insights across your fitness, health, and sports activities. Similar to the golf app it stays connected and uploads automatically all activities once recorded.

I had tracked all the activities I had been doing, such as workouts, cycling, jogging, and even walking, and was blown away as to the data and analysis it gives you.  The data points are easy to understand—from your daily steps and heart rate to sleep quality, stress levels, energy scores, and detailed workout summaries. It’s the kind of real-time feedback that genuinely motivates you to move more and push yourself.  

You will start to find it motivating to track your progress, set goals, and see measurable improvements. And with all this data at your fingertips, your training becomes smarter, your activity levels naturally increase, and you’ll likely find yourself aiming for new milestones you didn’t even realize you could achieve. 

Where to get in Japan

If you are looking for a watch that that combines premium golf course mapping, shot tracking, and tournament features with advanced fitness tracking, health monitoring, smart notifications, incredible battery life, and a watch delivers the performance and data you need to push your game and your fitness to the next level, then this is it. 

The retail price in Japan is ¥160,200 (tax included), and for international golfers visiting Tokyo, the Garmin Ginza showroom offers tax-free shopping and English-speaking support—making it the perfect place to try, buy, and get expert advice, often with additional in-store promotions or discounts.

Address: 4F Tokyu Plaza Ginza, 5-2-1 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo

Map: https://maps.app.goo.gl/wYWdH4YmSLxAJDeQ8

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This is not just a golf watch—it’s a complete performance and lifestyle tool. From advanced health tracking to outdoor navigation, strength training to scuba diving, the fēnix 8 offers an unmatched level of versatility that most golfers won’t expect when they first strap it on.

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