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GPS Systems vs Laser Rangefinders

SuperStroke
I have both. My Bushnell rangefinder tells me exactly how far away I am from the flag. But, it does not see around trees or hills, how large the green is (front, middle, and back) or the location and size of hazards. You only see the distance to the flag with the range finder. With my Golfbuddy PT4, I have a lot more information like how much green you have to work with or how far it is to get over the trap. I am very impressed with the accuracy of the GPS. I played 6 courses multiple times with both and found the GPS to be spot on. My range finder is now sitting at home.
 
My Bushnell can't seem to lock on to anything. It's only good for driving range targets. I use GPS apps to get in the ballpark. I'm not accurate in my shots down to the yard so I don't need pinpoint accuracy.
 
I've been using Freecaddie for ages and it's great but I played a round yesterday using a rangefinder for the first time. It was a friends new V3 Jolt and it's awesome!! Having an idea of the distance to a flag is good but actually knowing is entirely different and I'm now on the lookout for one for myself if I can find one at the right price.
 
I have Leupold Range Finder and use Golf Shot on my iPad Mini. I got the laser after going to Scotland, and not being able to download the maps for the courses we were playing. I very rarely use the GPS anymore, except on courses that are unfamiliar. The laser takes all doubt and estimation out of the equation on most shots, and the gps gives me the layout of the hole. Both have their place.
 
Today I played in heavy fog
For 7 holes.....laser was useless. Had to use golfshot for yardage


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I have used both. The GPS is good for things that are not in your line of sight, ie: bunkers traps. They are good for point to point (around the corner of the dogleg) measuring as well. Some are not legal fo use under the rules as they measure other conditions. Finding this out is a little difficult as the manufacturers don't readily post it.

Lasers are good for accurate point to point line of sight measuring. They also give to the flag distance which is useful at places with large greens that don't give pin position info and where the flag could be 20-30 yards forward or back of the centre of the green. As long as it does not measure slope you can use it under the rules. Accurate to the pin distance is what made one work better than the other for me.
 
dizzyg12 said:
Today I played in heavy fog
For 7 holes.....laser was useless. Had to use golfshot for yardage


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Click to expand...
Valid point, as for myself having been a user of both if I could only have one it would be my rangefinder. I have more confidence in it and rarely use my GPS, most days I don't even turn it on.
My Leupold has a "fog" mode that works pretty well but I have never used it in what I would call a heavy fog, mostly misting rain and I have always had a couple hundred yards visibility.
 
Since this was just covered in the 1st episode of The Dean Has Spoken THP Radio, I figured I would bump this thread.

What do you carry? GPS vs Rangefinder vs BOTH and WHY?

Go!
 
I use both, and always will.

I want F/M/B for most greens, but depending on the hole/distance the laser is needed for exact numbers.
 
War Eagle said:
Since this was just covered in the 1st episode of The Dean Has Spoken THP Radio, I figured I would bump this thread.

What do you carry? GPS vs Rangefinder vs BOTH and WHY?

Go!
Click to expand...

Laser..Gimmee the pin, dont care and arent good enough to need F/M/B for anything
 
I primarily use my laser....but since I use GolfshotGPS for scoring and stats, it's always handy for distances to hazards or things like doglegs that are difficult to get with lasers

So.....BOTH
 
I would use the GPS on my phone, and then apple watch when I got it... but after playing with Ward yesterday and using his laser... I want one
 
I struggle with range finders, guess I'm just not steady enough. I like my Garmin S2 because most places I play at least give you pin positions for the day, therefore, F/M/B is usually plenty of information for my skill level.

If the wind is a factor, it typically would give me a comfort zone so to speak on what club selection may allow me to end up on the green (at least in a downwind or headwind situation). If I'm playing a knockdown 5 iron I don't really need to know if it's 168 yards to the pin, but I would like to know how deep the green is. JMO
 
I used GPS last season and got a laser for my birthday, I like the laser better it's much quicker. I still keep score on my phone but use laser exclusively for yardage.


Sent from the magic know everything box in my pocket
 
dizzyg12 said:
Today I played in heavy fog
For 7 holes.....laser was useless. Had to use golfshot for yardage


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Fog was the main reason I sold my Bushnell Z6 Jolt a couple months after buying it. The Leupolds have a fog mode that works in heavy fog, and the optics, speed of reading a target, and eye cup are equal to or better than any of the 3 Bushnells I've owned.


I have have a Garmin gps watch I got as a gift but only used it a few times as I prefer the speed and accuracy of a laser. I bought my first laser rangefinder over 20 years ago and own or have owned Nikon's, Leupold's, and Bushnell's. All make great rangefinders but only the Leupold works in fog.
 
Use only GPS right now. I like to know how far the front and back of the green are so I have a margin of error in club selection. I may not be able to hit a 157 yard pin shot, but it is helpful for me to know that if I hit it farther than 160 it's off the back of the green. With that said, I've been pondering a laser for awhile now, just to have both. Mostly I guess I would like the slope feature, but not really sure having never used a laser.
 
mikedean441 said:
Laser..Gimmee the pin, dont care and arent good enough to need F/M/B for anything
Click to expand...
Haha this is pretty much how I feel. Granted I would like to know those distances but I'm not sure they would necessarily help me. The Tour X does everything I need really.
 
Have been using GPS on my phone and like it but I really want a laser
 
Early morning fog hampers my laser which is why I have both.
 
Both I love my GPS watch but don't always have it with me so the laser is back up. If playing a course that doesn't have a pin sheet or the flags aren't colored for f/m/b and I can't tell where exactly it is then I can laser it.


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I use a laser because it's quicker for me to shoot hazards and the battery life is longer.
 
I used to have a sureshot gps and it packed it in. I was skeptical about rangefinders but one try and i was hooked. I played a different course today and it was a s simple as point and shoot...
 
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