Rangefinders

[Timothy]

My wife bought me a "wearable" Golf Buddy WTX. I've been advised a rangefinder is a must for anyone serious about golf and I have indeed been bitten by the bug. I do not like wearing watches, bracelets, etc. so I plan to return/exhange it. I know Bushnell is big in this market space. I would appreciate input from anyone with experience using these types of products. Thanks, Tim

[Fredman]

I think a gps is better than a range finder. You get a immediate response from a gps. With a range finder it takes longer to get a reading but the reading will give you an exact distance.

[vorage]

We have depended on SkyCaddie and similar products for years, mounting it on the cart for an easy distance and obstacle reference as we drive up to our balls. Since neither of us is good enough to need minute measurements, it helps us make an efficient decision to pull what should be the right club. It does not help avoid operator error during the set up or swing.

Its been my experience that people using a range finder often take what seems like forever to sight a distance measurement, while playing partners wait patiently to move along. There may be better products on the market now that do the job more efficiently, and others might have more updated information. I know there are many fans; just my observation from years past.

[dewilson58]

I purchased a Bushnell prior to coming to TV.

I would recommend the models which calculate the elevation as well. TV is fairly flat, but it comes in very handy at times............mostly if you play outside TV sometimes.

I do have a Golf Buddy V2..........it's nice for general information..........but if you want dead accuracy, range finders are best.

Also, with range finders, you can determine the distance to the group in front of you for safe hitting.

Good Luck.

[tophcfa]

I have used both a Bushnell and Nikon and both are great. I currently use a Nikon Coolshot and it works great. The flagsticks on championship courses all have reflectors which make acquiring the distance very fast and easy. The executives don't have the reflectors and are difficult to get a reading on.

[Dr Winston O Boogie jr]

Ringe finders are far superior to GPS devices. A GPS will give you the yardage to the front, back and middle of the green. It's been my experience when playing with someone that has a GPS, they can be off as much as 15 yards when I measure with my rangefinder. I've also had people tell me that they were getting a reading as much as 100 yards different. Turns out that they had the wrong hole or wrong golf course plugged in. IMHO, the GPS is far more complicated and subject to errors if you're not very careful with the info that you input.

I have a very inexpensive Nexus rangefinder and it works very well for me. You can find them at Precision Pro Golf | Golf Laser Rangefinders | Golf GPS Devices (http://precisionprogolf.com)

The major difference between the high-end models and the less expansive ones is bells and whistles. For the vast majority of the time playing in Florida, especially in The Villages, the slope feature is unnecessary. I will say that with my bargain model, sometimes I have to shoot the flag three or four times and may get readings that vary 2-3 yards. That's close enough for me. I'll also say that I sometimes have difficulty getting readings over 200 yards. But again, if I'm that far out, it's not a big deal anyway. I find that the yardage markers on the par threes in TV are pretty accurate. I only need to know how much to take off for a front or back pin. On many of the older golf courses, it's not a problem, but some of the newer courses have greens that might be 3-4 clubs different front to back.

I have nothing to do with this product. My wife bought it for me for my birthday and I've been very happy with it.

Return the GPS and buy something that actually works.

[Dr Winston O Boogie jr]

I have used both a Bushnell and Nikon and both are great. I currently use a Nikon Coolshot and it works great. The flagsticks on championship courses all have reflectors which make acquiring the distance very fast and easy. The executives don't have the reflectors and are difficult to get a reading on.

I have no problems getting good yardages on the execs as long as I'm under 200 yards. It's not very often that I'mm playing from that kind of distance and middle of the green is fine with me from there.

[Timothy]

Thanks to all for your help. Tim

[Challenger]

I have Bushnell and it works nearly perfectly. Gave up GPS. Variation from actual Tee off point to actual pin location can vary as much as 15-20 yards. The scope gives exact distance,GPS does not. I can't hit a ball two hundred yards , so not worried about extended distances, although I get accurate readings in excess of that distance.

[fred53]

I use a bushnell tour v4.

The gps(satellite rangefinder) and bushnell(laser rangefinder)...they are both range finders. gps is great if you can not see the hazards in front of you. Lasers are great for pin pointing distances within a yard. Some gps devices give the carry distances over bunkers and water hazards...some do not. Lasers are great for both. The newer bushnell lasers work within a second or two. Lasers don't do great in heavy fog, just after sunset or heavy rain. gps sometimes get confused when two courses are close together.

If you aren't accurate within 5 yds or so with the high numbered clubs then the gps is fine. For those who really can hit a particular club a particular distance then lasers are the way to go.

[Dr Winston O Boogie jr]

We have depended on SkyCaddie and similar products for years, mounting it on the cart for an easy distance and obstacle reference as we drive up to our balls. Since neither of us is good enough to need minute measurements, it helps us make an efficient decision to pull what should be the right club. It does not help avoid operator error during the set up or swing.

Its been my experience that people using a range finder often take what seems like forever to sight a distance measurement, while playing partners wait patiently to move along. There may be better products on the market now that do the job more efficiently, and others might have more updated information. I know there are many fans; just my observation from years past.

It usually only takes me a few seconds to sight the correct distance. I then announce what I get to the rest of the group. If exact distance isn't a concern, why not just go by the yardage markers?

Being off by 15-20 yards on a good shot might mean that you have to hit one or two extra shots around the green which will hold up play more than taking a few seconds to shoot a yardage.