Bushnell Tour X Rangefinder Review Thread
CAA_Beat
Active member
Another interesting aspect here, as I have transitions lenses with the gray shading when they darken.
I love my Z6. Here are two things I'm seeing that I would be interested to hear back from the testers about. First, is the case. The little pull tab on mine broke and it can be a touch 'not easy' to get the unit in and out of the case. Second, is the rubber eye piece. I notice that mine wants to come a little loose as I take the unit out of the case. Some of this might be longer term usage stuff, but I'd still be curious to hear if you see anything in these areas.
As someone who has the Leupold GX-4i(2) I like the ability to have slope when I hit new courses (very regular for me) but the option to switch out the faceplate. The option to change to black when I am looking into the sunset would be awesome...
I don't see myself changing over to this as I am very happy with what I have, but if I were picking between the 2 now, this would be the kicker to go with the Tour X.
Recently, I responded in a thread asking the question if one was dependent on their rangefinder. My response was:
"Does breaking out in a cold sweat on the 1st tee or suddenly feeling like you are being chased up a mountain by a black bear the moment you realize your rangefinders battery is dead and you don't have any replacements constitute as being dependent?"
I wasn't kidding. I bought a used Bushnell V2 off a THP'er about 4 years ago and used it on every round until recently when it had to be retired (battery life issues). I was done with GPS apps and watches and was hooked on the lasers. I could get exact yardage to almost everything I needed over 18 holes, from tee to green. I no longer had to wait on every shot, holding my GPS devise wondering if it was going to refresh on me again before I selected a club.
So as you could imagine, I was overly excited when I discovered that a Bushnell Tour X would be headed my way. I'm going to be honest, I don't know much going into using this Tour X other than what the others before this post have said. Never used slope technology and never had a golf devise "jolt" in my hands getting yardage. This will truly be firsts for me and a rangefinder.
Things I will be interested to see going forward are:
1. Flags with no reflectors, how long does it take the Tour X to lock on and register?
2. Pinseeker with Jolt technology - does it work for me?
3. Battery life
Thanks again THP and Bushnell and very much look forward to learning all about this devise and it's features!
The boys have put up some good photos of the Tour X already so won't overloaded anyone else on more pics however, upon first picking up the devise, it's hard not to notice (and feel) the textured grip on the top and bottom of the rangefinder. I think you could get a finger massage if you really wanted from it. Very nice indeed.
Getting out to play on Saturday AM this weekend so very excited to use the Tour X for a full 18 holes.
"Does breaking out in a cold sweat on the 1st tee or suddenly feeling like you are being chased up a mountain by a black bear the moment you realize your rangefinders battery is dead and you don't have any replacements constitute as being dependent?"
I wasn't kidding. I bought a used Bushnell V2 off a THP'er about 4 years ago and used it on every round until recently when it had to be retired (battery life issues). I was done with GPS apps and watches and was hooked on the lasers. I could get exact yardage to almost everything I needed over 18 holes, from tee to green. I no longer had to wait on every shot, holding my GPS devise wondering if it was going to refresh on me again before I selected a club.
So as you could imagine, I was overly excited when I discovered that a Bushnell Tour X would be headed my way. I'm going to be honest, I don't know much going into using this Tour X other than what the others before this post have said. Never used slope technology and never had a golf devise "jolt" in my hands getting yardage. This will truly be firsts for me and a rangefinder.
Things I will be interested to see going forward are:
1. Flags with no reflectors, how long does it take the Tour X to lock on and register?
2. Pinseeker with Jolt technology - does it work for me?
3. Battery life
Thanks again THP and Bushnell and very much look forward to learning all about this devise and it's features!
The boys have put up some good photos of the Tour X already so won't overloaded anyone else on more pics however, upon first picking up the devise, it's hard not to notice (and feel) the textured grip on the top and bottom of the rangefinder. I think you could get a finger massage if you really wanted from it. Very nice indeed.
Getting out to play on Saturday AM this weekend so very excited to use the Tour X for a full 18 holes.
My biggest issue thus far with past rangefinders was courses that didn't have reflectors. Inside 150 yards was usually not an issue but took a steady hand and a few shots to make sure. 150 to 200 yards was a crap shoot. Over 200 yards - good luck.
bhilton
Active member
I was really looking forward to getting one of these until last week. As I posted in another thread, I am caddying for the US Women's Mid-Am in a couple of weeks and in our training, we were told these were not allowed. Supposedly the USGA has not been permitting these since you can actually paint the slope one to make it look like the conforming one. So while it is conforming, I don't think they are allowing it in official tournaments.
Interesting, cause the red (slope) connector is clearly bigger than the black. Sounds like it would be an easy check to make on players using them.
- Moderator
- #37
Here's how to fix that: take off the red cover and don't put the black one on. It operates in tournament mode that way and is clear as day that you don't have the slope version on.
It's not recommended to do that for prolonged periods since you could get debris in the USB port but it can be done.
FWIW, rangefinders are not legal without a local rule allowing their use.
It really is a handy little tool. I do also have the V3. I think the V3 is a mighty useful rangefinder. But the added slope lense, the ergonomic design, the adjustable red and black display, and the added zoom are all pretty darn nice.
T2GRN18
Active member
Bushnell Tour X Rangefinder Review Thread
I agree Blu, the ergonomics of this unit make it very nice in hand.
To answer a question earlier about use with glasses on.
It's very doable without feeling like you need to press your glasses hard against the eye piece. With the 6x magnification it brings object very clear. Also I should note that I've used it with my glasses flipped up to see how blurry thing were. It was very easy to make that transition without RX glasses in. I know that's dependent on the strength of the individuals RX but for me it was fine.
I agree Blu, the ergonomics of this unit make it very nice in hand.
To answer a question earlier about use with glasses on.
It's very doable without feeling like you need to press your glasses hard against the eye piece. With the 6x magnification it brings object very clear. Also I should note that I've used it with my glasses flipped up to see how blurry thing were. It was very easy to make that transition without RX glasses in. I know that's dependent on the strength of the individuals RX but for me it was fine.
First of all, thanks to THP and Bushnell for giving me the chance to review this device.
We've had a lot of talk about rangefinders on the site as of late - I'm someone who's very solidly in the "pro-rangefinder camp". I think it's helped me zero in on distances to pins (especially on courses with big greens), and I love the ability to shoot a fairway bunker or other hazard. So, I was beyond excited to find out that one of these was headed my way for forum review. Compared to my current rangefinder, the Tour X absolutely has more features - of these, I'm especially interested in the slope functionality, the ability to change the LCD color, and Jolt.
I play a lot of courses with some big (2+ clubs) elevation change, and I'm interested in seeing how the readings with slope correspond to the distances I've learned from trial and error. Additionally, a lot of the courses up here in the northeast are wooded, and approaches are often into a green with woods behind. There have absolutely been cases where I've lasered a branch and thought I've had the pin, especially from 150+ out. Nothing like hitting a 5 iron straight into the woods. Though it doesn't happen all the time, I'm wondering if the Jolt functionality will prevent this from happening. Additionally, I'm thinking the red display will be nice for these types of shots against a dark background.
Some initial thoughts on the device. Inside the box was the rangefinder, the case, a battery (much appreciated, as a lot of electronics don't come with batteries), the black conforming faceplate (the red slope faceplate comes on the device ). I know a lot of people have said that they had issues with their Bushnell cases, but this one seems extremely well made. It's nice and rigid to protect the device, and the zipper and elastic seem sturdy. In addition, I think "sturdy" is a good way to describe the device in general from first impression. It's not that it's heavy - I'd say it weighs the same as my current device, but I'd say the Bushnell feels more "solid", if that makes any sense - it feels like a device with really solid build quality. Blu mentioned the ergonomics, and I agree with him. It fits nicely in your hand.
I'm playing a few times this week, and I'm looking forward to seeing how the device performs. If there's anything you'd like me to focus on, just let me know. I'm really looking forward to putting this through its paces.
We've had a lot of talk about rangefinders on the site as of late - I'm someone who's very solidly in the "pro-rangefinder camp". I think it's helped me zero in on distances to pins (especially on courses with big greens), and I love the ability to shoot a fairway bunker or other hazard. So, I was beyond excited to find out that one of these was headed my way for forum review. Compared to my current rangefinder, the Tour X absolutely has more features - of these, I'm especially interested in the slope functionality, the ability to change the LCD color, and Jolt.
I play a lot of courses with some big (2+ clubs) elevation change, and I'm interested in seeing how the readings with slope correspond to the distances I've learned from trial and error. Additionally, a lot of the courses up here in the northeast are wooded, and approaches are often into a green with woods behind. There have absolutely been cases where I've lasered a branch and thought I've had the pin, especially from 150+ out. Nothing like hitting a 5 iron straight into the woods. Though it doesn't happen all the time, I'm wondering if the Jolt functionality will prevent this from happening. Additionally, I'm thinking the red display will be nice for these types of shots against a dark background.
Some initial thoughts on the device. Inside the box was the rangefinder, the case, a battery (much appreciated, as a lot of electronics don't come with batteries), the black conforming faceplate (the red slope faceplate comes on the device ). I know a lot of people have said that they had issues with their Bushnell cases, but this one seems extremely well made. It's nice and rigid to protect the device, and the zipper and elastic seem sturdy. In addition, I think "sturdy" is a good way to describe the device in general from first impression. It's not that it's heavy - I'd say it weighs the same as my current device, but I'd say the Bushnell feels more "solid", if that makes any sense - it feels like a device with really solid build quality. Blu mentioned the ergonomics, and I agree with him. It fits nicely in your hand.
I'm playing a few times this week, and I'm looking forward to seeing how the device performs. If there's anything you'd like me to focus on, just let me know. I'm really looking forward to putting this through its paces.
- Moderator
- #44
You are correct, they're not allowed in competition. The way I was reading it though, it sounded like caddies weren't allowed to use them in practice rounds and that threw me a little off. I didn't think the USGA could really say what's allowed in a practice round.
Then again, I could be misinterpreting what Bhilton was saying.
- Moderator
- #45
T2GRN18
Active member
Something I noticed today that was a bit of a distraction for me. When using this in the red display mode, if you increase intensity there is a bit of a red wash out a bit. It's not a serious distraction but it's visible, and worth noting.
There is a brightness setting which may help with that. I do like that there is a seperate "mode" button on this unit. Makes it easy to reset to imperial measurements when it inevitably switches to meteric at some point
T2GRN18
Active member
Yes I was playing with the unit at lunch trying to get a feel for the different intensity levels.
The mode button is quite simple too, being a technology challenged type I found it quite simple to go through the set ups on this unit.
This was the FIRST thing I noticed when I borrowed Fupresti's to shoot a number while in Savannah. I love my Tour Z6, and have no real reason to upgrade to this unit (for now), but that notch is really smartly done.So this little ergonomic indent may be the biggest first impression of this rangefinder
It crandles the hand so nicely.
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While reading the feedback I've realized how much better this unit is than what I use. The V2 has been awesome and continues to deliver accurate numbers for anything I shoot.
I've used KC720'S on several occasions. The fit, finish, and capabilities of this unit are unmatched. The biggest standout to me is speed of acquisition of target and the display color changing option. That alone makes a huge difference depending on time of day you are out.
Keep the info coming and great job so far.
I've used KC720'S on several occasions. The fit, finish, and capabilities of this unit are unmatched. The biggest standout to me is speed of acquisition of target and the display color changing option. That alone makes a huge difference depending on time of day you are out.
Keep the info coming and great job so far.