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Contest - Bushnell Tour V4 Rangefinder - TWO Winners

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For years, distance measuring devices (DMDs) with slope have been considered illegal. Recently, the USGA has loosened the rules belt, allowing DMDs with slope to be used in tournaments as long as the slope function can be turned off.

The industry accepted term, “Slope,” is actually a patented technology created by Bushnell. “Slope” provides compensated distances for uphill and downhill shots. No need to walk the course with a caddie to get the exact distances, simply point and shoot, Bushnell’s Slope Technology does the rest. Caddies are relied on to provide distances, but know with Bushnell’s state-of-the-art technology, caddies are unnecessary for the average golfer. They’re now able to prepare just like the pros.



Contest
We want to know what you think about this rule change and how it might impact you moving forward. Do you have a device with slope and have not used it during tournament play or have you stayed away from the Slope functioning devices due to this very thing? THP is going to give away two of the brand new Bushnell Tour V4 lasers to lucky THPers.

Rules
One entry per person.
Deadline for this contest is Tuesday, April 5th, 2016.
Contest open to all THPers, however free shipping of the prize should you win is only available for 2016 Albatross Club Members. It is a very special initiative as THP partners with animal shelters all around the contry to give back in the name of this community of people. If you are not a member and would like more information, click here.

How to Enter
Entering is very easy and you can have up to 3 entries in the hopper (random number generator).
1. Leave a comment here with what you think of the rule change and please dont write "I like the rule change". You must expand on the reason(s) why it makes sense or why it doesn't. This can be discussed here as well.

2. Send a tweet on Twitter and include @THPGolf @BushnellGolf and a link to this contest.

3. Read the review on this device here and in the comments section, give your opinion and include your forum screen name.

Good luck everybody and we look forward to having a great discussion on the new rule and why it does or doesn't make sense.
 
Contest - Bushnell Tour V4 Rangefinder - TWO Winners

Honestly I think it was time the rule was changed. Reasoning is that the USGA already allowed devices to be used that gave exact distances so why not allow slope to be included? Now as I am reading the rule it states "as long as slope function can be turned off." Does this mean slope cannot be used during a tournament but can be used for prep rounds?

I have a v3 that does not have the slope function and feel it's time to take advantage of this technology.
 
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I just bought a tour X rangefinder so I won't be in the running for this but I just wanted to say that I like the rule change.

It helps to only have one device and for practice rounds you can get slope so you have an idea of what a certain hole will play and can give you a edge you need. Having one device to help serve both purposes is great and not having to buy a DMD without slope for that one tournament a year is a good thing.
 
I am a big fan of the rule change. I had a range finder with Slope but sold it due to competitive play. I didn't use the slope function all that much in casual rounds; however was a great feature to have. Having two range finders for the casual golfer that occasionally plays competitively was cost prohibitive so it's good to see the change.
 
I've never used a device aside from GPS apps on my phone, and the occasional reading from a fellow golfer's device. That being said, I think the rule change is great as it will allow a lot of amateurs to really prepare for tournament rounds, especially when it's their first time on a new course. Course management in those situations is just as important as how your swing is doing, and being able to continue to use the DMD you're used to will be a big help.
 
I'm not sure why using a rangefinder with slope would matter at all so I'm glad to see the rule relaxed some. To me knowing yardage is one relatively small component of the game. You still have to be able to execute the shot, I get where being able to quantify how much the elevation changes will affect yardages is a skill, but it's not the players making that decision, it's a caddie most of the time so who cares if they're doing some crazy math, or pulling the yardage from a laser. That remains the easy part of the game. So I'm all for this rule change, bring on the accuracy!
 
I like the change for the exact same reasons I disliked the rule change disallowing rounds played as a single to be posted to our handicap - it is a game of honor, we should trust people to act with integrity until they prove they can't be trusted.
 
Contest - Bushnell Tour V4 Rangefinder - TWO Winners

Having reviewed the TourX I'm not entering this.

However, I think the revision makes sense. Knowing the distance is only part of the equation. A shot still needs to be executed.
 
For amateur golfers i think this rule is great anything that will (hopefully) help speed up the game.

As for the Professional tours I am against the use in tournaments, they already have enough "help" & quite frankly I really don't think it would speed up the tour pro's they have there routines & they are not changing anything for anyone.
 
I like the rule change. If distance devices are allowed by rule, a player should be able to use one with slope as long as that function is disabled. Golf is a game of integrity, we as players keep our own score. We as players call rules infractions on ourselves. Trusting players to only use devices (as allowed) with the slope function disabled fits with the spirt of self accountability that is cemented in the game we love.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
The rule change doesn't really effect me at all. I don't compete in competition yet anyway, plus the device I have with slope I find rarely changes my mind of what club to hit anyway as the courses around here aren't super hilly. I do have an older Bushnell with slope though, and love how good the bushnells are.
 
The new rule should be adjusted to no devices for tourney play unless the course does not have adequate yardage markers. If you play a practice round before i am 100% in favor of using these. Once the tourney starts i am not a fan. But thats how i grew up. We could not use any yardage aids in tourneys. Just my opinion. Curious what some of the older thpers think.
 
The rule makes sense to me. I do not have slope with my bushnell V3 but I think it is something I would want for my practice rounds. Usually I keep notes on holes at courses I would be competing at and this would help my prep. I understand not having it for tournaments
 
The rule seems a bit much when you consider applying them to amateur golfers. I understand the concept of the slope reading and get that it gives you and exact distance after accounting for rise or drop. But, IMO we are amateur golfers for a reason. Our shots are not exact, precise, or consistent on every swing. To have this reading would be helpful in most cases but it takes the time, practice, and determination to actually hit that exact number. If I get a reading of 158 yards, I would probably hit it to within a foot 1 out of 100 times, and within 10 feet maybe 1 out of every 10. The point is, its a helpful and useful tool that can be incorporated but without precision its just extra weight in the bag or taking up a spot in the cup holder for me to set a beer.
 
I think it was about time, the caddies are allowed to take tons of nots on pretty much everything on the course to help their players. Slope is part of it, I don't see how they couldn't sue a device to measure it. its not like they give an unfair advantage to anyone, every single player or caddie can buy one if they want.

I have not tried a rangefinder yet, but when I buy one, it will be one that can measure slope.
 
I like the rule change because I believe that allowing more flexibility with lasers in tournament play has the potential to speed up play when guys aren't scrambling around trying to find inconsistently placed sprinkler heads, or pacing off the 100 yards to the flag just to hit the ball fat and have it go 50. Being able to turn off/deactivate the slope feature via a color indicative "key" really lets the amateur have the best of both worlds when/if they need the flexibility for tournament play versus practice rounds...without having to buy separate units for tournament and non-tournament play. In my geographic area, the slope feature would be very useful because most courses have a good amount of elevation change, and it can be very hard to figure out how much to club up or down particularly on the first time around a course.
 
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The rule change is fantastic. Being able to turn slope off and on keeps us from having to fumble with exchangeable faces or multiple rangefinders. I personally don't have the funds to buy two rangefinders just to swap in and out. Would be incredible to win one of these but I'll likely pick one up if I don't win. Just looks like a solid device and I have never had a rangefinder with slope.

Big thanks to THP and Bushnell for the opportunity.
 
breedin4fun said:
The rule seems a bit much when you consider applying them to amateur golfers. I understand the concept of the slope reading and get that it gives you and exact distance after accounting for rise or drop. But, IMO we are amateur golfers for a reason. Our shots are not exact, precise, or consistent on every swing. To have this reading would be helpful in most cases but it takes the time, practice, and determination to actually hit that exact number. If I get a reading of 158 yards, I would probably hit it to within a foot 1 out of 100 times, and within 10 feet maybe 1 out of every 10. The point is, its a helpful and useful tool that can be incorporated but without precision its just extra weight in the bag or taking up a spot in the cup holder for me to set a beer.
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while I understand your Idea, I don't think these rules are meant for us hackers. It wouldn't help me much either to know if the distance is 150 or 156, I'd still be at least 10 yards from the pin most of the time. However, for the pros, 2-3 yards difference in the reading can mean thousands of dollars at the end of the week.
 
I like the fact that they are embracing technology. As far as not using slope, I don't see why it's a big deal. In your local amateur tournaments I would think it would speed up play, because maybe people would settle on a club faster on uphill or downhill shots rather than going back and forth on their decision. It's not going to effect me much, because as of now I haven't played any tournaments ( I hope to change that later this year) but if I did, I would take advantage of everything I could legally use.
 
I love that they relaxed this rule a little bit. I used to own a slope range finder but had to get rid of it when I started to keep a proper handicap. It should speed up play in some tournaments where sprinkler heads aren't marked with yardages very well or very often. The ability to use the same DMD in a practice round and in a tournament with the flick of a switch would be extremely nice.
 
I think this rule totally makes sense and I am surprised it wasn't put in place a long time ago. Why force someone to have two different range finders when they could just use the same one and turn off the function in tournament play? It seems like golf is moving forward and accepting that there's a lot of technological advancements and they understand that they can't be stubborn and become "dinosaurs". I wouldn't be surprised if this rule goes even further down the road and begins to allow the slope in tournaments.
 
I think the rule is fine but if they are looking to speed up play, the slope function might be useful especially when people take forever to play when it's a tournament.
 
MPlefty said:
while I understand your Idea, I don't think these rules are meant for us hackers. It wouldn't help me much either to know if the distance is 150 or 156, I'd still be at least 10 yards from the pin most of the time. However, for the pros, 2-3 yards difference in the reading can mean thousands of dollars at the end of the week.
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I get that, I only meant for amateurs.

Sent from my XT1080 using Tapatalk
 
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.
 
Having never purchased one of these devices before, having the slope or not slope version was always something i looked at. As a consumer (with limited spending capability) i play the majority of my rounds in a non tournament setting, so 'slope' would be of the most benefit to my game. However, i do have aspirations to play in local tournaments etc.. where the slope would've been 'illegal' previously. So would a person have needed both a slope and non-slope version to conform? I can't afford that. The ability for a DMD to be able to use the slope function when needed, but to be turned off in tournament play is exactly the type of device i could utilize effectively and allow my game to grow. As for the rule overall? I think it was time they relaxed this somewhat and hopefully that makes the game easier for many.
 
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