Sometimes, a segment stagnates, and when it comes specifically to golf, the argument can be made that rangefinders are a perfect example of exactly that. As time has gone on, it feels like innovation has fallen by the wayside either thanks to the dominant entities growing overly comfortable with their position, or the influx of fly-by-night catalog order devices focused solely on being the cheapest they can be.
When such a thing happens, it often takes something, or someone, new and different to bring innovation back to the forefront. Enter Vortex Golf, an offshoot of Vortex Optics, and they plan on being just the disruptor that is needed.
Quick Take
You won’t find a better rangefinder in golf. Though Vortex may be new to our sport, they are long considered one of the foremost authorities in sporting optics. While you may expect a new foray like this to have its share of speed bumps, Vortex Golf has instead created one of the most complete distance devices that this industry has ever seen. The Anarch has it all, fit, form, function, and the ultimate no questions asked warranty to top it off.
What Makes Vortex Golf Different?
If you are like me, then when you hear the name Vortex, your mind immediately goes to hunting and shooting optics. However, if that is a world you are unfamiliar with, then it might just be worth checking out our Brand Story to learn more.
With that said, Vortex is one of the premier manufacturers of precision optics on the planet, their devices are used the world over, in situations which range from simple hobby to the most extreme imaginable. This is a company which is built from the ground up around the idea that you can always do better for your customers, and without them, you have nothing.
However, where most companies (including some rangefinder manufacturers in golf) would be perfectly fine with staying in their lane, Vortex is not that kind of brand. When they found that there was more alignment with their world and that of golf than they realized, they saw an opportunity to expand. While it would have been simple for them to throw their name out there and enter with a single device that was a simple modification of their hunting/shooting units, Vortex doesn’t do that either.
Why bring one device, when they could bring three? Why take the easy path and bring something simple when they could innovate and create truly golf specific distance devices designed with the specific needs of crazies like us in mind?
Vortex doesn’t do easy, they do precision, and though all three of their Vortex Golf rangefinders provide something for everyone, it is the Anarch which shows that not only can they compete with every other manufacturer, they can do it better.
Optical Superiority
Obviously, the fact that Vortex has such a long and outstanding history in the world of optics put them ahead of the curve when it came to developing their golf specific rangefinders. That is not a small thing as the optics are the engine behind any distance device, and after spending time with the Anarch they are already head and shoulders above almost the entire industry.
Vortex Golf is using a 6X magnification in the Anarch which has an overall reflective measurement distance of up to 1,400 yards, while its PinSpotter flag detection system will lock on up to 350 yards with an immediate vibration notifier. While those traits alone put the unit in the top echelon of devices, it is the fact that Vortex also implemented a full image stabilization system which takes things even further. Not only is the Anarch crystal clear, it tested insanely well in both the hands of older golfers as well as during rough round conditions.
Honestly, the optics blew away every single person whose hands we put the Vortex Anarch into. That will undoubtedly be the key for Vortex as they enter the golf world and do battle with the dime-a-dozen rangefinder companies hell bent on being cheap above all else. Want to know why there is such a cost difference? Get a device in your hands and see for yourself.
Key Features – The Vortex Anarch
On top of the stabilization, the Vortex Anarch also has a slope mode using their proprietary measurement algorithm. We can confirm that the measurement speed is as fast as it gets, and the slope calculation is equally so with clear measurements on the optics. There is another aspect to the slope which in hindsight is so brilliant it is surprising that other companies aren’t implementing something similar. Rather than the use of a clip on or sliding switch which indicates when slope is enabled, the Anarch has external LED’s on both sides of the device which light up when it is on. Meaning, you can look at someone using it and know immediately if slope is on, or off, in competition.
The device itself weighs 9.2 ounces and is a solid size which fills the hand without being cumbersome or too dainty. Because Vortex already had a base of knowledge thanks to their hunting devices, the form factor here for in-hand dimensions as well as the button placements and ease of menu functionality is as clean as it gets. The Anarch also uses a Magnesium Chassis that adds extreme strength without added weight and is finished out with Comfort Guards to survive impact along with a single magnet. If there is one area worth revisiting in the future, it might be that magnet as although we had no issues with falling off during testing, the shaping might be able to be optimized to really show how strong it actually is.
While the fact that the Anarch is also shockproof for impact survival as well as being waterproof (not water resistant) to weather anything you throw at it are also standout features, they surprisingly were not the favorite feature during testing.
The optics truly deserve more discussion, not only because they are spectacular, but specifically the Red Illuminated Display needs to be focused on. You see, the fact that it is a red display isn’t new, but the automatic brightness feature on the Anarch (when turned on) is maybe the most underrated feature ever. It means that the device will adjust itself based on your lighting conditions, always giving you an easily readable display without having to worry about too much or too little brightness.
Very Important Promise
We wouldn’t be doing our jobs here if we didn’t take the time to also talk about the Vortex VIP Warranty. You see, to them, VIP means Very Important Promise, and it is undoubtedly the most complete warranty out there, something the company started in the hunting/shooting space, and are bringing with them to golf. However, don’t take our word for it, instead see theirs:
Final Thoughts – The Vortex Anarch
In total honesty, the Anarch is incredible. Much time was spent trying to find something to pick apart, to find some glaring weakness that exposes Vortex Golf as being close, but not quite there. There is no such weakness. The Anarch has immediately put itself among the pinnacle of golf rangefinders.
At $599.99 MSRP, it isn’t the cheapest. Sure, if you wanted to, you can get by with cheap optics, but there is truth to the reality that you get what you pay for. Take the insanely good optics, lightning speed, every single bell and whistle here, and you have a lot to like. But add onto it the Vortex VIP Warranty knowing that no matter what happens (as long as you don’t lose it) they will fix it, then the value is there and then some.
For more information on this or an of the Vortex devices, check out their website at www.vortexgolf.com.
