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tried a rangefinder ... not too sure about it. what's your experience?

SuperStroke
I use golfshot for general strategy/course management, but I'll pull out the RF for approach shots to get the exact yardage. 105 versus 110 could be the difference between on and off the green (not that i'm THAT accurate!)
 
I love mine. It really helps with club selection and speeds up play. No more wandering the fairway to look for sprinkler heads!
 
I have the Bushnell Elite 1500 and I absolutely love it. With that said, I miss my Neo X big time. It is just alot easier to use.
 
I played with Hawk and he had a Bushnell watch GPS and that thing was pretty slick and he seemed to like it. Im thinking about putting one on my christmas list for next year as there not bad in price and don't have a subscription with it.
 
I use a Bushnell V2 for 95% of my yardages....I use Golfshot for scoring and stats, so the odd "blind" shot or hazard I can use Golfshot for that.

But, most courses have tee markers or scorecards with images of the hole and those will show those "hidden" cross bunkers or creeks and usually if you know it's there, there is a tree of a stake or something I can shoot to get my yardages from......Take a few extra minutes and look at those hole signs or the scorecard and you wont be surprised with hidden hazards.
 
I use a combination of VoiceCaddie on my hat, yardage books, and sometimes Swing by Swing GPS if I'm unfamiliar. I'm not terribly concerned with knowing the number exactly, since the club could go anywhere in a 10 yard window on a good strike depending on ground conditions, slope, etc. As long as I know it within 5 yards or so, I'm good. I just grab front/middle/back from my VC and then depending on the pin position I have a pretty good idea of yards to the pin and where there is room to miss on the green.
 
I love my Tour V2. It's easy to get a yardage and it's quick to lock onto the pin. That said, I still carry both. In many instances I'm better off not shooting at the pin and will shoot for the center of the green. GPS makes it easy to pick layup yardages as well. I have a Garmin G5 that I've had for a long time. All it costs me is a couple AA batteries every few rounds to keep it with me, so why not. I'd say if I could only have one, I'd go with the GPS.
 
My Tour V2 is great for getting accurate yardage out on the course, and also a great tool to have on the range where a GPS would be useless.
 
I use the golflogix app on my phone and really like it for flyovers, noting hazards, front center and back of green. I have used it for about 18 months now and has been accurate enough to this point, but it has started to get a little frustrating inside 125 yards or so because it can take a little time to get the triangulation data that is needed. That was not an issue until a couple of months ago when I decided I wanted to get a little more serious about the game and playing some new courses. I do still use it quit a bit but it seems that it may be slowing me down a little as I get closer to the green, so on my next round I plan on using both my app GPS as well as a rangefinder.
A question I will throw out as well: Does anybody have any experience with a non-golf type rangefinder? I have a nice bushnell rangefinder that I use while bow hunting and has been very accurate for me in that regards and that is what I plan on taking with me on my next round, just wondering if anybody has any experience in this realm.
 
I've been testing the cheaper Kick Butt Range Finder and at first found it very hard to hit pins without the prism on them, but started using the "Pinfinder" feature and can hit them typically now. I do find it much easier to sit in the cart and use the windshield to brace me steady than when I'm walking. My hands shake a bit anyways, so it's a challenge to hit a pin from over 150 yards away for me right now, although I'm learning my technique slowly to steady myself.

On courses with prisms, it's a piece of cake either way.
 
I love my gps. Simple Neo+ (not the watch) works great, especially for the home course. Since I set the f/m/b myself, I've had people with lasers and skycaddies and my numbers have never been off by more than 2 yards. I've had group members with lasers, but I swear about one of 3 times they use it they have to do it multiple times before they're confident in their reading. While I know the laser is more accurate, my home course has a ton of trees and it is sadly very easy to be in the wrong fairway, where a laser is useless.
 
I have never used one and will not. No range finder, laser or GPS. I ask the guys I play with not to tell me the yardages.
I just feel my game is good enough the yardages from electronic devices don't help.
 
I use an older callaway rangefinder. Nothing fancy to it, but it works well. I typically range off a few things around the pin to make sure I'm not picking something up other than the pin. Only problem I've had was when my glasses were dirty/fogged up and I didn't realize it was them and not the rangefinder. However, playing with SkiBumGolfer, I have been impressed by the voicecaddy.
 
I've always used my I'm Caddie voice GPS. It's gone a long way toward helping me with learning club selection over the past 6 months. Recently, I purchased a Bushnell Pinseeker rangefinder. On my next outing I will try the combination of the rangefinder and GPS.
 
oiler3535 said:
I love my gps. Simple Neo+ (not the watch) works great, especially for the home course. Since I set the f/m/b myself, I've had people with lasers and skycaddies and my numbers have never been off by more than 2 yards. I've had group members with lasers, but I swear about one of 3 times they use it they have to do it multiple times before they're confident in their reading. While I know the laser is more accurate, my home course has a ton of trees and it is sadly very easy to be in the wrong fairway, where a laser is useless.
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I think they slow play down in most cases.
 
tgtt said:
I think they slow play down in most cases.
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Which? The GPS or Laser? While I can kind of see the argument for a laser taking time, gps is so simple (and sits on my bag so always visible) that it's never an issue. Even with the laser, I've never seen a person using one take more than 10 seconds or so. Much faster than the 'better' golfers who pace their ball off from the nearest marker. I actually play with a guy who has a gps AND still paces it off. He is so freaking slow I try to avoid playing with him unless it's just the 2 of us b/c in a 4some it makes for an unbearably long round.
 
Love my Bushnell Medalist. Occasionally if I'm at a course that doesn't have reflectors on the pins it can be a little difficult to dial in from longer distances (200+ yards) but in those cases I'm just looking for layup distance so I can usually find something off the side of the course instead, and combine with GPS to get a good idea of where to aim.

GPS are useful for course management on unfamiliar tracks, but at my home course, it's laser or nothing.
 
kmanc said:
I have never used one and will not. No range finder, laser or GPS. I ask the guys I play with not to tell me the yardages.
I just feel my game is good enough the yardages from electronic devices don't help.
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dude - I'm avoiding the Christmas rush and hating you now! :angry:

seriously, that's awesome. I wish I could do that!
 
tgtt said:
I think they slow play down in most cases.
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Not at all. At least compared to trying to figure out yardage on courses that aren't super well marked. Either is much faster than finding a yardage marker or pacing it off.
 
kmanc said:
I have never used one and will not. No range finder, laser or GPS. I ask the guys I play with not to tell me the yardages.
I just feel my game is good enough the yardages from electronic devices don't help.
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Cool. Very jealous. Though I'm 99.99% sure if lasers were allowed on any professional tour absolutely every player would use one.
 
I switched from GPS to Bushnell V3 Jolt with slope. I find it very efficient as many of the courses around my area have multiple elevation changes. I never have issues with getting my target with pinseeker and 9/10 times I have a pretty good idea of my center green yardage based off yardage markers. My friend has a sky caddy too, so we can help each other anyways if need be. The slope feature is why I went to a RF. Other benefits are no annual fee (some GPS), battery life, par 3 accurate yardage (where I tend to mess up most) and slope help. I know it isn't for all but, works well for me. I do however miss the hole layout on the GPS which helps with new courses. All depends on what fits your game.



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oiler3535 said:
Which? The GPS or Laser? While I can kind of see the argument for a laser taking time, gps is so simple (and sits on my bag so always visible) that it's never an issue. Even with the laser, I've never seen a person using one take more than 10 seconds or so. Much faster than the 'better' golfers who pace their ball off from the nearest marker. I actually play with a guy who has a gps AND still paces it off. He is so freaking slow I try to avoid playing with him unless it's just the 2 of us b/c in a 4some it makes for an unbearably long round.
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Laser. When I've seen them used it's always shooting it 3 times to make sure of the number then verifying with course markers and checking both those with whoever has the GPS in the group. I know not everyone does that but that's what I've experienced when playing with people that use them.
 
tgtt said:
Laser. When I've seen them used it's always shooting it 3 times to make sure of the number then verifying with course markers and checking both those with whoever has the GPS in the group. I know not everyone does that but that's what I've experienced when playing with people that use them.
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Sounds like they need a class on how to use it.... Why use a range finder and then double check with the GPS or pace it off? The range finder is going to be more accurate every time, and I can't imagine not knowing that you're between say... 100 and 150 yards, so knowing when you accidentally laser a tree behind the green.

I think some people are going to be slow no matter what tools you give them, and a fast player is going to be fast no matter what. If I'm the short hitter, I've lased the pin and hit before the others even get to their ball, if I'm not the shortest, I've lased the pin and have a club ready to go when it's my turn to hit.
 
lukedogg said:
I switched from GPS to Bushnell V3 Jolt with slope. I find it very efficient as many of the courses around my area have multiple elevation changes. I never have issues with getting my target with pinseeker and 9/10 times I have a pretty good idea of my center green yardage based off yardage markers. My friend has a sky caddy too, so we can help each other anyways if need be. The slope feature is why I went to a RF. Other benefits are no annual fee (some GPS), battery life, par 3 accurate yardage (where I tend to mess up most) and slope help. I know it isn't for all but, works well for me. I do however miss the hole layout on the GPS which helps with new courses. All depends on what fits your game.
Sent from my SGH-i917 using Tapatalk
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Never knew you could get a laser with slope. I guess if you're going to break the rules using a rangefinder you might as well go whole hog (not a judgement, I have no problem with anybody using them, I use a gps myself).

tgtt said:
Laser. When I've seen them used it's always shooting it 3 times to make sure of the number then verifying with course markers and checking both those with whoever has the GPS in the group. I know not everyone does that but that's what I've experienced when playing with people that use them.
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People I know take no time with it. Often they've got their distance decided before the first to tee off is up and has a tee out of their pocket.
 
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