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Contest - Bushnell Tour V4 Rangefinder - TWO Winners

I like this rule change a lot, it benefits the manufacturer to be able to hit a broader market considering these devices were off the table for players who frequent tourney play. I have a Garmin G7 which shows slope if you have the function turned off, which I'm assuming makes my device legal now as well, I usually play with the slope function off, I never really wanted to rely on it.


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I'm pretty much just echoing a lot of people here. But I think it's great for the regular player.

As far as professional play goes, it's hard. Do you keep golf "pure" making everyone do things by hand, or do you move forward with the times and use new technology. Considering we aren't hitting persimmon woods anymore I think the golf industry has already decided technology is the way to go.
 
I like that the USGA loosened the rule to allow for DMD's that can have the Slope functionality disabled. That saves guys who like to play in some club events and various other am competitions from having to invest $400 into 2 different DMD's. Nobody wants an unfair advantage by using Slope in most cases, we just don't want to have to buy 2 devices!
 
I like the rule change, it's time that the rules catch up with the technology that has come along.
For those who play tournaments, it makes sense to have one device that can do it all, as well as being more cost effective.
I currently game a Nikon w/ a slope function, but Bushell makes a better product, I'm looking forward to hear more about this one.

Dax
 
The rules change will be a plus for the average golfer. They will not have to worry about buying 2 devices. I play a lot of tournament golf, including some state level competitions. The slope function on a rangefinder was definitely a negative item when determining whether to purchase a particular model. Now, golfers will be able to use their device (with slope turned off) just like others who have a device that doesn't have slope. As others have mentioned, golf is a game of integrity. Don't let one bad apple spoil the bunch.

I've never used the slope function. So, I cannot attest to it's accuracy. But, I would think a lot of that depends on how a user flights the ball. I guess the yardage +/- is based on some "average" flight.
 
I think the rule change is great for people who use DMDs, so they don't have to buy two if it is that important to them. Plus, the game of golf is founded on trust and following the rules. As such, we have to trust that players with DMDs will disable the slope feature when they play in competitions that don't allow it. I don't compete in tournaments, but if I did, I would definitely want a DMD with slope feature so I could ensure I was properly adjusting my yardage.

I wonder if they will eventually allow the slope feature to be used in the future...
 
 
I think it's a good ruling. I avoided slope rangefinders when I bought mine a while back in case I wanted to do any competitive play. I don't think there's any reason for amateurs not to have this advantage for practice and non-competitive rounds. Take all of the guess work out.
 
 
It makes sense that the rule should allow the slope function to be turned off so that amateurs don't have to own two devices. I decided to get the non-slope version of my DMD in anticipation of playing tournaments in the future and also because I didn't see enough value from the courses around here to validate the extra cost. I'm not against using the slope function and there are a few holes in the area where it would be useful.

Edit: Bonus tweet and comments sent
 
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I like the rule change, hopefully moving forward companies will do away with non slope vs slope versions and just make one device that has slope that will enable you to turn off the slope feature for tournament use.
I think it will benefit the golfer having 2 devices in one. There are sometimes during a practice/casual round where I would benefit from knowing the slope distances.

thanks Bushnell and THP for this contest
 
I think I need a new range finder, and one with slope would be the way I would like to go.
 
The rule to allow slope capable devices to be used during play, but with that functioning off, is a progressive and positive move.

For me, I will now consider devices that have slope function when making a purchase (providing it has the ability to shut off). The additional cost of the technology is now justified for me because I can choose when I want/can use it. The Tour V4 is at the top of the must-have list.
 
And twitter tweet

 
I could have used the slope function at the course I played yesterday. Some holes the pin was more that 40 to 50 feet above or below you. I have no idea what club to pull.
 
I think this is a great rule change for the betterment of the game. We have the technology that makes golf easier and helps people play better golf. Better golf is more fun, if more people play better golf more people will golf. It will grow the game.

I want V4 so I can grow the game!

Thank you THP and Bushnell for this cool contest.
 
I am staunchly in favor of the rule change and I feel like they should just allow rangefinders with or without slope to be used no matter the circumstances. I think you would see a huge improvement in pace of play all over the competitive golf landscape. The one thing that annoys me are the long drawn out discussions between player and caddie as they pull out their obscenely large yardage books from their back pockets. Eliminate that and put rangefinders on the course. We'll still have to deal with them looking at their notes on the greens, but it'll pick up the pace before that.
 
I think this rule is pretty difficult to enforce, how the hell are you going to be able to check to see if they used the slope function or not. To be honest, I don't even think it is needed in 2016 to ban those sloping devices anymore.
 
Contest - Bushnell Tour V4 Rangefinder - TWO Winners

As someone who relies on having the correct yardage information to feel more comfortable over my upcoming shot, I am pleased that the USGA relaxed rule 14-3. I have a rangefinder, and use it often. I have stayed away from looking for one with slope because I would want to use it in any round I might have played recreational or Tournament.
The relaxation of this rule allows me to search for a device that when used in recreational rounds would help me gather accurate yardages when considering the slope. I play on some courses with a lot of elevation changes so this would be very useful!
Also, the fact that the USGA would allow me to use this device given that the slope function is turned off would be beneficial to my game both on recreational and tournament rounds.

I have read great things about the Bushnell Tour V4 rangefinder and would love to win one!

 
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What a great contest. I'd love to get my hands on a V4 as I've heard the high end Bushnell's are incredible.

As for the rule change, I think it's fantastic. I'm pretty confident that if we can have a line directly to the hole, there's no reason why we can't have the device tell us the actual yardage as well when considering level differences.
 
I think this is a great rule change.

It's going to allow many players to purchase one device and be able to use all its designed functionality based on the occasion.

It'll be great to use the slope function during the practice rounds to do your homework and then use it without the slope function during a tournament, all while using the same device!

I've debated about which model to get. Slope or no slope? I normally don't play in tournaments, but what if I do? Glad I don't have to worry about that anymore!

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I think that the rule change definitely was a good move. I would actually like them to extend the rule and allow all use of rangefinders including the slope function allowed for all tournaments including on tour.

On tour those guys are going to get exact yard ages no matter what so why not speed up the process a little bit and let them laser it. You see a lot of complaints about pace on tour and I think this could be a good start to help speed things up.

As for amateur use I see no problem with letting ams getting exact yard ages because in the end your still the one that has to hit the shot. I do not currently have a rangefinder but a guy I play with a lot has one and it's always fun to mess around with.

Thanks to Bushnell and thp for the awesome contest.
 
Good luck to everyone that entered!


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Contest - Bushnell Tour V4 Rangefinder - TWO Winners

Good luck everyone!


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My problem with the change is the stipulation that slope must be turned off. Why? It won't take any longer to get the measurement with slope than it would without?

Not only have I refrained from using a device with slope, but I haven't used one at all. I'm far too cheap to make that investment.
 
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