Bushnell Tour V2 Rangefinder w/Slope Review

When it comes to golf and technology it seems that over the last couple of years the devices that are on everybody’s wish list are rangefinders or gps units. So many courses nowadays have distances that are way off, so they can be an essential tool to making you a better player. Most golfers have a preference to one or the other but for this review we will be focusing on rangefinders and in particular the Bushnell Tour V2 Slope Edition. Bushnell introduced the Tour V2 with “Pinseeker technology” in 2008.
The next generation of Bushnell’s premium digital golf laser rangefinder with selective targeting modes and superb optical quality. The world’s smallest, most advanced laser rangefinder-measuring a mere 1.6×2.8 X 4.3 in., weighing only 6.6 oz, and accurate from 5 to 1000 yards.

Based on the many reader requests to review this particular rangefinder we contacted Bushnell and they were happy to fulfill our request. After only about two days the gadget showed up and we were delighted. Inside a simple orange box contained a tiny little device that I was told would be my savior to all things golf.

One thing that stood out to me at the unboxing of this device is how well put together it is. The instruction booklet is complete and very easy to read and is not 9000 pages of stuff you will never use. It also comes with a cleaning cloth and a small carry bag for the unit. The carry bag has both a zipper and a magnet and I would have rather them gone with one or the other. But for this kind of money, safety can be an issue and I would rather have to unclip and unzip than see my new unit fall out on the cart path. This is also the first rangefinder I have ever picked up that would seem to be easy to operate with only one hand. That was an issue I have had in the past with a few other models.

When our testing started because of the cold weather we decided to just go to a popular driving range here in town that has lots of different targets. The device seems simple enough to operate. Aim it at the target and press down on the button located on the top of the unit. The distance will then appear in the sight. In our tests we had zero problems getting proper reading on everything we tried the device on. Using the device this way is considered “standard mode” and it works quite well at this facility. However where I play normally the greens are surrounded by trees and sand traps and I wanted to find out if that would cause a problem for the Tour V2.

The next day the weather warmed up and we were able to take it out on the course. Our home course has GPS units built into the carts so it would be a nice test to compare distances to. When I was ready for my approach shot I pulled out the device and found myself struggling to pick up the flag. It kept giving me a reading for the tree behind the green. Bushnell has obviously thought of that and the V2 Tour comes with a mode called “Pinseeker” for these instances. To switch on pinseeker mode, all you have to do is hit the button on the side and that is it. Then when you look through the optic, a flag icon will appear. By using this mode, the device will give you the closest of the two objects and will eliminate the background. It worked great on pins, but it also worked very well on picking up exact yardages to other areas around the course.

The model we received is the “slope edition”. This makes it illegal for tournament play however the regular version of the Bushnell V2 is completely legal. What separates the two is that slope mode determines the degree of elevation change, then adjusts the distance to provide you with compensated range. We were shocked with just how “dialed in” the slope feature worked. On three different occasions we used it and all three times it calculated what we felt was the proper distance.

Conclusion
We really liked the rangefinder. One issue that a few of the golfers had was with steady hands. But once you lock in the pinseeker mode, this is really not an issue anymore. Personally, I have always been a GPS user based on the ease of just looking down rather than having to aim and get a distance. Would I switch to the Bushnell Tour V2? Maybe. It works flawlessly and there are no other fees ever involved with downloading courses or yearly memberships. You also never have to hook it up to a computer to do anything and it will work in practice sessions on the range. In my opinion it is a personal preference, but if you are looking at rangefinders, this one should be at the top of the list. The Tour V2 with Slope is available at Bushnell retailers nationwide with a retail price of $399. For more information on the Bushnell family of laser rangefinders, visit the company’s website at Bushnell Golf.

Till Next Time

Josh B.

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