no reflectors on the pins.
 

Did you ever notice that there are no corner-cube reflectors on the pins in the Villages? I have been having a lot of trouble shooting the pins with my LRF. So I looked closely at one and now I think I know why.

My rangefinder has pin seeking, but it works erratically at distance when there is no reflector on the pin.

Anybody else notice this?

I have since got around the problem by going to a Garmin golf watch. Any excuse for adding kit. But I thought the lack of reflectors was odd.

They used to have reflectors on all the pins on the Championship courses, then they suddenly all disappeared. I’ve asked several times at the pro shop, starter shakes, and ambassadors, but never got a reason why they disappeared. It’s most certainly not consistent with speeding up the pace of play?

Modern GPS Range Finder units don't need "reflectors" (prisms).

Like using my 10+ year old Nikon Coolshot, but it’s more difficult now without the reflectors. No interest in dropping hard earned coin on a new rangefinder. Another example of forced product obsolescence despite the fact it still works.

I agree. But, I always considered any device that takes away the players natural ability and replaces it with technology is a kind of cheating. Like buying a device that can be programmed to launch a ball at the pin rather than having to swing the club yourself. Jmo.

The USGA disagrees.

Distance to the Green, Pin, or otherwise, is considered "public information". If you don't have a rangefinder, you can ask another player for the distance ... no penalty.

And that's just fine. It's just that I grew up with the idea that golf was testing yourself against yourself if I watch a road race, for example, and I want to find out who the best driver is, they should all be driving identical vehicles. If not, then I only know who has the fastest car (best tech).

Estimating distance isn't a golf skill.

Just shoot the flag , not the pin

Well, you can pace off the distance and take 10 minutes to get your distance and really slow things down. Most courses have yardages on sprinkler heads, I played a course that had not only 150 yard markers but 100 and 200 markers. Caddies used to walk the course before tournaments to gather many obstacle distances.. I use my range finder to get bunker carry, distance to water hazards and even to the players in front of me to see if they are out of range… all to speed up play. The USGA has started allowing range finders (no slope feature) at various events. All tour events provide yardage books for distances to various obstacles as well as pin distances from edge of greens.

Based on the quality of golf I generally see in The Villages, most players would score just as well, if they tossed a coin to guess yardage, or used a Ouija Board.

My Bushnell LRF has absolutely no problems shooting the pins.

My guess is the cost of replacing flagsticks. I did a quick ask on chatGPT and found that prism flagsticks are no longer in use mainly due to the cost and maintenance of them. A ballpark price on ChatGPt of $50 for each prism plus the maintenance of actually adding them and repairing them, etc. So, 800 holes * $50… $40k to buy plus the cost to add them…. ChatGPT says they were obsolete in the early 2000s… so get rid of your hickory sticks and balata balls and 15-20 year old range finder and get a new one. You will find many more uses for it than just pins.

Where can I pick up one of those??

We do a guesstimate on yardage as we are driving up to the ball. Apple Watch’s confirms the winner. First prize is free lunch. When our boys are in and granddaughter, she wins free lunch almost every time.

They consider yardage just a simple math equation. The skill comes from knowing the distance for the club you select.

Prisms on flagsticks - pros and cons
Pros: Help rangefinders quickly and easily "lock on" to the flagstick, especially from longer distances or with less advanced rangefinders.
Cons: Can be damaged easily and require replacement, adding to maintenance costs. May not be as crucial for newer, more powerful laser rangefinders.

Pins or Flagsticks?
 

Bushnell is great at picking up the "Pin". However, there is no mention of Pins, they are properly referred to as Flag Stick, or Hole Locations. Next TV broadcast listen... they never mention "Pin locations", as that is referred to as slang..... but no problem, we know what you mean!

Been gone for several years. They break when players drop the flags. As the broke they were not replaced. $$$

Sure it is. Any time you swing less than full, it’s an estimate. Some people can do that better than others.
When I play executive, I only use 2 clubs. Putter and wedge. And with both, I’m always estimating how much power to use. ANY less than full swing. If that’s not a skill…?

Aiming for the pin
 

To heck with the on. I’m just happy to get on the green

My 13 year old Bushnell still works great shooting the flag. Why should TV invest in more expensive flags when the golf I usually see is Mulligan after Mulligan, moving the ball onto a nice fluff of grass for every shot, then if first putt misses the second is always a gimmie even is 4 feet away. After all that the biggest laugh is that they then enter their fictional score in the GHIN system that they pay good money for to arrive at their imaginary handicap.

No? What did they do before range finders were invented? And what about elevation? I used my eyes.

Look at fairway yardage marker approaching ball, then plus or minus your estimate, then hit the D*****d ball.
Stop holding up play messing about with gadgets.

Interesting. I have a top-of-the-line Bushnell LRF with the pin finding feature, and it doesn't range off of them consistently. But no matter, the GPS based watch is working fine for me now.....although I do still laser the flagsticks on occasion and sometimes it sees them.

Yardage books.

I still hit shots into hazards (occasionally); not penalty areas. :sigh:

If you play for money, having an ego handicap is a very expensive proposition. If you don't, then it doesn't matter what your index is.

Well Put
 

For most golfers rangefinders are not needed. They are just fun, a little foreplay before their missed shot. Golfers love technology for what it does but very rarely for them.

The shot is 145, they top it, the shot is 80 they chunk it, the shot is 40 they skull it over the green. BUT, they knew their distance.

if you got no swing mechanics, then just have fun with the foreplay. Some want to know details and others want to perform, it's a choice .

Shibumi Golf
A Golf Swing Surgeon:wave:

So, you know the exact distance down to foot, you STILL have to have skill using what ever club you pick. Which boils down to feel and of course how well you hit ball on club face. If you get within 10 feet of hole you got lucky with all choices you had to make.

I find that my Bushnell watch, front, middle, back, is all I need. It helped me get to a 7 index some years back, prior to major surgery.

Finessing a shot is a very different skill than dead reconning a distance.

Using only 2 clubs on an executive course is impressive. I have not played one, and I know they are short, but you still have par 4s that are upwards of 400 yards. Kyle Berkshire could get there in 2 with a wedge. But not many others. They also have par 3's that are longer than most people can hit a wedge.

Did you maybe mean a pitch and putt?

Library in your golf bag? Never heard of such a thing. Seriously. Old school makes me think that's why you hired a caddy. Carry clubs and course knowledge/advice.

That would be incorrect.

At every PGA Tournament (& other tournaments), every player gets a "Pin Sheet" and "Pins" are constantly referred to in every broadcast ... even The Master's doesn't have a problem with the word.

If you're only using 2 clubs, you don't need to know the distance.

I'm using 14 Clubs and I know a "Stock 8 Iron" is 148 yards. Hard 8 is 152. 3/4 I8 is 142. I don't care what it looks like, I want to know a number. Which per the USGA, is public information.

Estimating how hard to swing, isn't measuring distance.

So you are saying you don't personally use a rangefinder? I find that hard to believe.

Don't see how you can get that interpretation from his comment. Even if that was what he's saying, I have no reason to doubt him. Personally, I've never owned or used one.

Works 99.9% of the time

[QUOTEq=jimhoward;2454785]So you are saying you don't personally use a rangefinder? I find that hard to believe.[/QUOTE]

Many didn’t learn the game of golf using range finders. Most private country clubs caddies are mandatory. Range finder is in human form, no batteries required, just a large tip.

Range finder wasn’t necessary playing with our fathers, every hole at our 3 clubs was edged in your mind, forever.

Our kids play in TV less than 5 times a year, and a different course every time. Valhalla is our youngest home club, range finder rarely seen on the course.

I am not most golfers...........
 

Of course I use one, but its a watch and its a 5 second calculation for a distance decision, If you cant break bogey golf, the rangefinder is a toy as precise information is not what you need. If you miss half of your shots and have a large margin of error you would be better served by a swing education. But like I said, it's a fun toy as are new clubs. For some, fun is information and new toys. Nothing wrong with that, others enjoy better scores, where the information is more useful than playful.

Shibumi Golf
Golf Swing Surgeon:angel: