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Contest - Bushnell Tour V4 Rangefinder - TWO Winners

I think this is a great rule change, I always bought the "non-slope" versions of range finders to stay away from this rule, now I can get a rangefinder with slope...use it for practice rounds so that I know how much slope to allow on certain shots and then turn it off for tournament play!

I actually think the USGA should go one step farther and just allow the slope feature to be used all the time.
 
I like the change, I think as we move forward with technology we should be able to use this kind of stuff. I know personally it won't have a huge impact on a golfer like me, because realistically at the end of the day you have to be able to hit the shot to make it there anyways.
 
Do I understand that the change is that a device with "slope" capability was not legal for tournaments but now it is IF you turn that feature off?

I don't think the change goes far enough. If I have a caddie he will tell me the actual yardage AND the "playing distance". Why can't I get that same info from my DMD?

Yeah, yeah, everyone will not have this advanced tech but everyone won't have a tour quality caddie either. Or even any DMD other than discs in the fairway and their own pacing. If you can use GPS and laser let's go all the way.
 
I like the rule change. I would mind seeing it a step further and letting the slope be used in tournaments play as well. To me it helps out with the pace of play. They should also let them be used on the PGA tour to limit the 5 minute talks between player and caddie. I have never bought a slope range finder but the next one I get will have it.
 
I like this rule and doesn't affect me or change how I approach my game. I don't own a range finder with slope so I've always relied on the yardages given once the target was acquired and relied on "eye balling" yo account for slope.

I thinks this game is built on honor and integrity, so using one of these during tournaments and having to worry if the slope function is turned off should be a non issue.
 
I really like the rule change. I've never used a laser with slope before but I think it would be the cat's meow. There are certain holes I can picture in my mind now that this function would be ideal for. Personally I think they should allow the use of slope with no restrictions. Thing is even if you know the yardage AND the slope adjusted yardage you STILL HAVE TO HIT THE SHOT! Executing the swing is what should count, not disallowing slope information. Just my 2 cents!
 
I think this is a reasonable change. Makes the game easier for most of us and most of us need any advantage we can get. I dont care to have the feature myself, but it was definitely useful when ive had the opportunity to use it.
 
I have stayed away from slope range finders because of competitive play. I'm glad the ruling changed. Making the game more fun and easier for the recreational is always a good thing. I hope the USGA continues things like this.
 
On the PGA tour you can get a glimpe of how technical the conversation is between the caddie and player, especially players like Phil. They talk about things that the amateur golfer wouldn't even understand and the caddie is able to give them tons of data for them to figure out their distance and club selection. I don't see anything wrong with players who don't have pro caddies using a product to do the same for them. Like many people have said in the thread, you can know your distances to an inch of accuracy, but you still have to get the ball there and that is what golf is.
 
I like the rule change, it is about time that golf started catching up with the times. I really don't think it will affect me much as i play with a range finder that doesn't have slope.I would like one with slope but just couldn't justify the extra $$$ with the previous rule. Another reason i don't think it will affect me much, just because I know the corrected slope distance doesn't change the fact that i still have to hit the shot and make it there. My next range finder will have slope tho.
 
 
I personally like the change, though I think it would be just as fair to allow golfer to use the slope feature, too. Though, if other devices don't have that feature, I would understand why they won't let you use it. To give one person an "unfair advantage" over others and all. For Tour Pros, they usually know how much to add due to increase or decrease in slope anyway. Armatures on the other hand, most don't and are guessing. If using a slope device like the Tour V4 increasing the chance of being closer to the green and thus speeding up play, I'm ok with that.
 
I like the change, if it makes life easier with the slope, I'm all for it. They just need to allow the slope every round, as it would really speed up pga tournaments as some players are painfully slow when figuring out their distances. Anything to speed up play imo.
 
I've always avoided the slope devices because I play in too many tournaments that didn't allow them. This is the reason I like this change. I can now use these during regular play and just turn them slope feature off for the tournaments. I've been wanting one with slope for a long time, but never wanted two different devices, and now I don't have to have two. I think it was about time for the rule change.
 
I think this is a great rule change! As technology gets more advanced I think that the rules of golf that apply to it should be altered instead of "living in the stone age". Our generation is enjoying golf more and more and with that comes younger people that like to use technology to their advantage. Great rule change, and it was a long time coming imo.....Thanks again THP for a great contest and to Bushnell for a great prize!
 
The USGA finally got it right. Having a DMD just gives you the yardage and then you have to hit the shot. Technology is part of the game it just makes sense to allow these devices with the slope off. It also may speed up tournament rounds.
 
Honestly the rule change does not mean anything to me...I have only ever used a rangefinder without "slope" technology and I don't feel that I am good enough to know an exact distance and hit my ball that distance I can see how this could be beneficial for people that play on courses with multiple elevation changes but for me the courses that I play are relatively flat. I think that USGA was smart to change this rule because it can really help out with practice rounds and getting exact distances. The Bushnell Tour V4 seems like it is the best range finder you can buy and I would be interested to see how it can help my game with "slope" technology.
 
As someone who has one of the rangefinders affected by this rule, I LOVE it. To me it is one of the instances of the USGA understanding just a little what the "average" golfer is experiencing. I use my rangefinder with slope on for some casual rounds, but it would kill me in tournaments to either have to have another device or not have it.
 
DawgDaddy said:
I have been using a rangefinder w/o slope for years and don't know that I really miss it. I am not accurate enough that the exact number makes a huge difference with my game, I am happy enough with simply being on the green anywhere.

I know the pros can use them during practice rounds and then they and their caddy write everything down for use in the tournament and we as amateurs don't usually have multiple practice rounds to record all of those distances so I say why not? I think rangefinders with the slope function should be available for use to all golfers.
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I have only played one round with a laser rangefinder, and I think it helps a lot. I feel like the whole aspect of golf as a game that requires honesty & character fits with this ruling - we should be able to trust each golfer to turn the slope feature off during a competition round.


I would have no problem if they made rangefinders WITH slope legal for tournament play. It seems like as it stands now, the players that can afford to go out & play multiple practice rounds & gather info will have an advantage over someone not as familiar with the course. To me this doesn't seem like one of the essential aspects of the game.

Personally it doesn't make much difference to me, since I'm not accurate enough. I doubt that the difference with/without slope would change what I'm hitting into a green most of the time.

If it helped speed up play, I'd be 100% for any rule change that helped!
 
Personally, I do not have a device with slope so this doesn't affect me and it wouldn't bother me if a fellow competitor used a device that includes slope...after all, you still have to hit the shot.
Relaxing the rules of golf in general is a good thing, especially since amateurs outnumber professionals. Whether it's a device that provides more accurate yardage or a putter that wedges into your belly, as long as it helps the average golfer to enjoy the game more then I see no harm in relaxing the rules. Aren't we trying to grow the game of golf?
 
I like the rule change and do think that it will change the game. Technology is getting better and it allows players to be more competitive. Rangefinders are part of the game changers. I do think that whether or not you know the actual distance with slope included, you still need to execute the shot. I personally have not had the opportunity to use a rangefinder with slope to see if I can execute a shot when I know the exact distance.
 
I think the rule change is overdue and will hopefully speed up play a little bit. Using a DMD will alleviate a lot of the walking off distances caddies have to do with the distances they spent hours mapping out. I do not see using DMD giving pros any advantages over the wealth of information they and their caddies currently have. Allowing the slope feature to be used would not bother me in the least either. Shot execution will still be the key to success no matter how the distances are arrived at.

I have used a Bushnell laser RF for about a year. It is the V3 model without slope. Main reason why I went without the slope feature was the cost vs. benefit I felt I would receive based on where I lay the majority of my rounds.
 
I think the rule change might be a step in the right direction. Anything that makes people enjoy the game more helps, and if this feature helps you play better and enjoy it more then great!
 
I'm in the camp that this is a great move but think slope should remain on. It really didn't make a difference for the vast majority of golfer. And pros still need to hit the **** at hand. But allowing them is a great thing.
 
I'm diggin' the rule change. I think it would help prepare and actually save a lot of time during an actual tournament round. Say you play a practice and you shoot the pin from tree A and you get 150 but slope says -10. You can make notes for that tree during the practice round that from that tree it'll actually play 140. I think it's a great feature and can actually speed up playing and get rid of the guessing game during tournament play for amateurs.
 
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