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Rant #?? .... Use of Range Finders & Slow Play

staticline said:
Rangefinders are the most overrated piece of equipment used in golf. 99.999% of golfers, including myself, cannot hit 2 shot in a row within 5 yards of each other.

Just look at the 100/150/200, eyeball the diff between you and that marker, grab a club. Then, hit it.
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Perhaps the reason you cannot hit 2 shots within 5 yards of each other is that you have not trained as precisely as you should? I think you've convinced yourself of something that is untrue by saying, "Oh, 99% cannot". That's untrue. Many can get shots into 5 to 10 yard ranges, especially in the 160 yards and in short game.

I find a rangefinder to be unbelievably useful, and has improved my short game and club selection dramatically. I couldn't hit as consistently before either--until I got one and started training with it.
 
If only there was a rant thread.... oh wait..
 
golfinnut said:
Maybe that was the issue all along .... He wasn't good enough to be using a range finder. If that is possible. Why is someone as bad as he is using a range finder? I understand that we all have to learn .... but when he can't hit two consecutive shots within a five foot circle .... judging distance shouldn't be his first priority. Actually hitting the ball should be!
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At the risk of being judgemental, I find you to be very judgemental. I have played the game for over 40 years too, but that does not give me(or you) the right to determine if someone is "good enough" to use a rangefinder. I use a laser for every shot till I get to the 30 yard range and I still use it sometimes inside of that.
Should you not like it? In your own words, "I don't care". We have all kinds of people that play this game. Some are slower than others and we have to learn to deal with that. I will take a practice swing now and then, but not always. I try to play "ready golf" and do my part to get the round finished in a decent time.
But I will always use my laser before my next shot. If you don't like it. . . . I don't care. It seems to me that judging people should not be your first priority. Actually being courteous to newer golfers should be.
 
Hawk said:
So, the 2 seconds that it takes to look at his phone was the cause of the slow play? Don't buy it.
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I agree. Slow play is caused by several things, and in many cases it is the course itself. Slow play has been happening a long time and there is no end in sight. Just enjoy the weather, friends/family on the course and be happy to not be at work!
 
Good.Shepherd said:
Perhaps the reason you cannot hit 2 shots within 5 yards of each other is that you have not trained as precisely as you should? I think you've convinced yourself of something that is untrue by saying, "Oh, 99% cannot". That's untrue. Many can get shots into 5 to 10 yard ranges, especially in the 160 yards and in short game.

I find a rangefinder to be unbelievably useful, and has improved my short game and club selection dramatically. I couldn't hit as consistently before either--until I got one and started training with it.
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While I will agree that my 99.999% statement is a huge exaggeration, (probably should be 99%) I think research has been done on what percentage of golfers can break 80. It is a very low percentage. Keep in mind that I am considering ALL golfers. There are 25-30million golfers in the US. I am not talking about only golfers that maintain a USGA handicap, or are addicts, like your typical THP member.

I think it could be argued that if a golfer cannot break 80, than that golfer cannot, on a consistent basis, hit 2 shots in a row, that land within 5 yards of each other, especially from outside 100 yards. 15 feet is a small circle, even for a GW.

Most golfers that can break 80, generally, save themselves because of their shortgame. So, when they miss the green, that <80 golfer is able to get up/down a significant % of the time.


But, that discussions kind of gets awayw, I think, from the OP's point. JB pointed out early that rangefinders are not the problem. Generally, it's that particular golfer that is the problem. I wholeheartedly agree with that. But, I do believe strongly that golfers put more reliance on range finders than they probably need to.
 
staticline said:
While I will agree that my 99.999% statement is a huge exaggeration, (probably should be 99%) I think research has been done on what percentage of golfers can break 80. It is a very low percentage. Keep in mind that I am considering ALL golfers. There are 25-30million golfers in the US. I am not talking about only golfers that maintain a USGA handicap, or are addicts, like your typical THP member.

I think it could be argued that if a golfer cannot break 80, than that golfer cannot, on a consistent basis, hit 2 shots in a row, that land within 5 yards of each other, especially from outside 100 yards. 15 feet is a small circle, even for a GW.

Most golfers that can break 80, generally, save themselves because of their shortgame. So, when they miss the green, that <80 golfer is able to get up/down a significant % of the time.


But, that discussions kind of gets awayw, I think, from the OP's point. JB pointed out early that rangefinders are not the problem. Generally, it's that particular golfer that is the problem. I wholeheartedly agree with that. But, I do believe strongly that golfers put more reliance on range finders than they probably need to.
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If I use my range finder and I have 167 yards to the pin, I know I'm not going to pull an 8 iron and stick it close every time. However, at that moment, I truly believe I'm going to get it close. A huge part of the game is confidence and knowing an exact distance gives me more confidence and I would be willing to bet a lot of people would agree with that. My point is that range finders give a lot of people confidence which make them a very valuable tool in multiple ways.
 
I goin to agree with golfinnut. Ive seen it. Ive seen several people use their phone gps & take more than a couple of secs. more like a minute. will add they could also be adding in stats..gawd I hate that..
This is a generalization.
Alot of golfers dont need a gps reading for par 4 & 5s..(without hazards & doglegs). Inside 80yrds.
Before ya'll jump..I know some of ya do know how but alot out there dont know how to refresh or keep it updated as they go along.
 
As to amateurs not being able to hit exact yardages - I was a scratch player for many years, still a 2 when my hip forced me to put down the clubs nearly two years ago. I can tell you not just me but many of the guys I played with near my level can control distance on irons under 180 or so to within a yard. In an average round I would be within two yards of pin high easily 3/4 of the time on approaches.

Unfortunately I can't speak so glowingly about our vector/direction/line control.

And, by the way, I never owned a range finding device, but the carts at my course had them and they were generally accurate. And we could count on weekend rounds lasting 4 hours 20 minutes at worst. My feeling was that the GPS systems speeded play because we no longer had to walk off yardages to the nearest marker.
 
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staticline said:
While I will agree that my 99.999% statement is a huge exaggeration, (probably should be 99%) I think research has been done on what percentage of golfers can break 80. It is a very low percentage. Keep in mind that I am considering ALL golfers. There are 25-30million golfers in the US. I am not talking about only golfers that maintain a USGA handicap, or are addicts, like your typical THP member.

I think it could be argued that if a golfer cannot break 80, than that golfer cannot, on a consistent basis, hit 2 shots in a row, that land within 5 yards of each other, especially from outside 100 yards. 15 feet is a small circle, even for a GW.

Most golfers that can break 80, generally, save themselves because of their shortgame. So, when they miss the green, that <80 golfer is able to get up/down a significant % of the time.


But, that discussions kind of gets awayw, I think, from the OP's point. JB pointed out early that rangefinders are not the problem. Generally, it's that particular golfer that is the problem. I wholeheartedly agree with that. But, I do believe strongly that golfers put more reliance on range finders than they probably need to.
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Wow. Again I have to strongly disagree. You've made a weird chain of assumptions here:

1. Because most golfers won't break 80, knowing yardages is less important.
2. Most golfers won't break 80 because they cannot hit shots 5 yards apart from each other.
3. A golfer who cannot break 80 cannot hit 3 shots in a row close to each other.

I disagree with these, and all their offshoots.

First of all, many golfers won't break 80 because of things like 3 putts, hazards, penalties, driving inconsistency, and "shanked" shots. However, just because they make mistakes doesn't mean that they aren't aiming at specific places, and that they cannot hit, say, their favorite wedge fairly often from 65 to 75 yards.

This also speaks nothing of importance. Yardage to the pin, the to green, and to hazards helps with course management and club selection. It helps players understand how to play the course, and even if they're not going to "break 80", it helps them go after their best possible scores.

Further, two shots in a row AT A DISTANCE is very different than two shots to the same coordinate point on a green. The green may be 30 yards across. Many golfers could hit a ball, twice in a row, that gets within 5 yards of the pin on the distance line. Where they struggle is to put it in the same place every time. One may be 10 yards to the left, and the other 10 yards to the right of the pin, but it still may hit between 60 and 65 yards. Or 90 and 100.

The real issue, that you've missed by trying to make some pretty awkward assumptions, is that rangefinders are not about "breaking 80" or any other weird measure. They're about helping a golfer have their best shot at choosing the right club and attaining their best score on that day (regardless of the quality of game they brought to the course), and about improving their game over time so that 3 years from now they are more skilled and more precise players.

Knowing it's 108 is important for players who are learning perhaps more so than for more advanced players (with a more developed intuition). Knowing it's 108 and you came up short, or went long, or hit it dead helps them to learn how to hit those shots better the next time. Or gives them confidence with certain clubs and certain distances.

Without that precise knowledge, they're more likely to just "swing at stuff" and not really know if they hit the 4 too long or the 3 too short.
 
This is going to sound silly, but I have hunted and shot 3D Archery so long. Unless I'm over a 150 to 175...I really dont see the need to range something.

Also I don't pin hunt I go for middle if the green

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I think blugold hit the nail on the head when he spoke of too much elitism in this thread. I can't imagine getting so bound up over something while enjoying a leisure activity. This harkens back to such posts as "headcovers or not" or another favorite... "cargo shorts on the golf course." If I encountered someone, that felt compelled to routinely advise me of my yardages or otherwise badger me, I would not be inclined to pick up the pace. I would misplace headcovers, fumble with cargo pocket buttons and change out the batteries in my rangefinder for entertainment purposes only. Life is frustrating enough, I golf for enjoyment and relaxation. KCM
 
Love my Bushnell GPS watch. Auto hole advance means look at watch, see yardage and play.
 
Rangerfinders and GPS are readily available ... they are part the game and its an individual choice to use them ... I bet when the GPS is in the cart just about everyone uses them ... I think people who are slow and OCD about yardage will be slow regardless of if they have a GPS or not.

I find shanked shots, lost balls, and not playing ready golf the biggest time consumers ... not some finding yardage ... I play fast ... its just the way I play ... I have a rangefinder and I could not drop a ball in the same spot twice ... but with the right foursome we can play a sub 4 hr round easy ... and we all have rangefinders/GPS ... and we would all shot in the 90's ... go figure.

I am glad we have GPS and rangefinders ... because I like knowing the yardage ... even though the odds are I am going to miss the green ... but it adds to my enjoyment of the game knowing ... just like haters are going to hate ... slow players are going to play slow ...
 
If used correctly range finders should not slow play down any
 
Well, some people don't really need to use a rangefinder, even if they don't know it.

golfinnut said:
...Say I am 150 yards out according to the marker in the fairway and the pin is either in the front or the back ... then I may use it to verify how far the pin is from the middle....
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golfinnut said:
...What did we do before the Range Finder? We used the yardage on the sprinkler heads, discs in the fairways, color of the flag, etc....
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just had to add my $.02 to this topic. i played w/ my son (six4three5) tonight. i subbed for his partner in their league. he used the ranger finder about 10 times tonight. i guessed 3 of the yardages i said 152 and it was 153. another time i said 165 and it was 163. the last one i said 136 and it was 136. i have a ranger finder but mostly use it on new courses. so my thoughts are if you need it use, if not, don't
 
I just bought my first range finder and I can't wait to use iton an unfamiliar course tomorrow. I hate to say it but I might be that guy from the OP. I will not allow my shiny new toy to hold up play for my group or the groups behind.
 
Why not a Garmin S 2,3 or 4 watch? Just turn your wrist and BAMB, you have the distance. I want a S4 as soon as I return to the states.
 
I use a phone app for range. Its fast. I play fast too. Its helps know exactly which club to use.

However slow play sucks. Groups chatting on the tee when they can hit away or fairway phone calls is a much bigger problem.

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Wow, so many thoughts I don't even know where to start...so I won't
 
If he is dribbling and topping the ball sounds like a beginner. May be using the range finder to get his eyes acclimated to a known distance. May end up dropping the app after he can judge the distance on his own.
 
Maybe he was just looking up porn on his phone!

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My buddy and I played a round just last night in 3.5 hours. This time included a 10 min turn, and about 20 mins searching for golf balls on one hole. Nobody was behind us and we weren't in a hurry, so we looked. We used my GPS app on my phone for EVERY shot. Granted if we were anything over 200 yds away, it rolled in one ear and out the other, and we just hit. We both played ready golf, and the only down time was searching for golf balls on #13. My GPS app never slowed us down, nor has it ever slowed us down.
 
I feel people are entitled to a certain amount of time on a hole. Just because you're faster doesn't entitle you to make 6 groups of 4 to wait while you play through. At 10 minutes per hole that would be a 240 minute inconvenience to others to suit your 60 minute gain.
 
Well might as well pile on here,:beat-up:, I stopped reading around page seven so forgive me if this has been covered.........
I have recently been paired with two different twosomes that were horrific, pick your offense and name it and likely it occurred. In one instance we let two groups through and STILL had a talking to from a Marshall, All I did was ask the marshall what we are to do as we had requested the other half of our group to pick it up a bit ( we were on the 16th at this point) . I explained also that we were paired with these guys not "choosing" to play with them. He said that's just how it is and to keep up the pace. Not going to lie I was very frustrated. Realistically your hand is forced to play with the people they add two your twosome. On the other side of this coin is 80% of the time I have ended up having a great time and enjoying the round and met potentially new golfing buddies.

I can't help but wonder, is everyone so idiotic that no one is worthy to play a round with you? It seems that the best way for you to avoid this frustration in the future is either
A.) Make sure you only play when you have a full foursome
B.) Pay for four players and tell the Marshall they rest of your foursome is going to play so fast he wont even know they are there..........


That said Rangefinders tend to help the pace of play not the other way around,
It seems as though this has been studied a bit and our local body NCGA has approved them for tournament play.

I saw someone mention the colored posts and thought yea that's true but it also occurred to me that of the 5 courses I play here only 1 actually uses them many use in ground markers. which is great if you happen to be playing right next to one, seems like it takes longer to walk around looking for one of those little bastards than finding an errant shot even........

Sorry got long winded
 
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