Do you use a range finder/DMD?

[Scrindle]

I do not have a DMD/laser rangefinder and am a high handicap player. That said, I know exactly how far each of my irons goes and they are the clubs that save me the most shots so I might benefit from one (driving and putting lets me down typically).

To be honest though I just use the range markers on the course to judge distance. If I'm on the 150y marker I know a 7i will land me smack in the middle of the green. 100y marker is a PW. I estimate which other clubs I use depending on how far in front or behind these two markers I am, and then allow for whether the wind is behind or in front of me and how strong it is blowing.

I also find that if I duff my drive for instance, I typically won't go for my highest iron and try and smack it as close to the green as possible because that then leaves uncertainty in club choice (the further towards the green from the 100y PW marker I am, the more I struggle to determine what club I should use). Generally I will look for the 100y or 150y marker, work out my distance to that and take a club to land me on or near to that line so I can use a full swing 7i or PW to the green which I know I can hit well.

My iron shots go high and come down like a meteor with a bit of check to stop dead which is nice, and why I'm generally confident at choosing clubs from any given distance within my range (when I'm striking the ball well that is - having a bit of the yips at the moment).

I've always been surprised that DMD/LRFs are allowed in competition. I always thought part of the game was judging the distance to the flag and choosing the correct club to get you there accordingly, rather than have a computer tell you what the distance is.

 

[Linnets]

I believe the S3 has hazards etc so if you like the S2, you could just upgrade.

i deliberately didn't buy the S3 because after trying it I hated the touch screen, hence the S2.

 

[brendy]

So when you have used your GPS, confirmed it is indeed 148 and not 149 yards, selected your shiney new 5 iron and swung for all you are worth, sent it 70 yards skuttling along the floor....what else can you possibly blame?

No GPS here thanks, Id rather have something to blame other than my mediocre swing.

 

[Khamelion]

I have one, a Bushnell Tour V3, only use it when in wedge range, as I have 4 wedges in my bag and I know how far I can get with each, it does help selecting the right club.

It doesn't help when I fat the shot or skull it though.

 

[Old Skier]

As the GPS at best can only be guaranteed to beaccurate to within 10m there may be a few on here missing out on some very prestige’swins. Roll on Galileo I say.

 

[Wayman]

Bushnell v2 tour for me best thing I bought

 

[mcbroon]

I don't have one and I have been vaguely in the anti-DMD camp since they came on the scene. Not because I think it's cheating or anything like that, I just think there's a certain skill in working out your distances either with your eyes or with a little help from 200/150/100 markers. DMDs just take that element of judgement away from the game, in my view.

Having said that, I played with my uncle recently at an away course and he was giving me accurate yardages with his. Hit my irons like lasers that day. Might have been coincidence - maybe I just had one of those days - but it did make me think about the benefits of having one, particularly for away courses.

So, having been kind of against them to begin with, I'm considering getting one.

 

[ColchesterFC]

Has DMD's slowed the game up! Yes without a doubt.

Absolute nonsense in fact in many cases it improves the pace of play. It's like anything else in the game, if done correctly it doesn't slow things down at all. I'll take mine out as I walk up the fairway/deep rough and by the time I reach my ball I've seen the figures count down to the distance to the middle of the green. At this point I can put it away, take out the club I need and hit the ball straight away. This should in fact speed things up. Rather than walking to the ball, looking for the 150 yard marker, pacing out how many steps behind it I am then going back and selecting a club. It's like leaving your bag on the correct side of the green, marking your card while your partners tee off and being ready to play when it's your turn. It's about how things are done rather than what things are done that affects speed of play.

 

[One Planer]

As per title, do you own a rangefinder? If so, why? If you don't, why is that? And why would you consider or not consider getting one?

Do I own one? No.

Would I consider owning one? No.


Reasons:

Firstly - What exactly was wrong with the old course course planners? They show distances off the tee. Distance from green for landmarks. Distances to hazards.There are also, on most courses I've played, markers on the course. Be it steaks at the side of fairways denoting a distance to the green. Sprinkler head covers with yardages on. All manor of signage to le me know how far out I am.

Secondly - When do you stop using them? We played The Izacc Walton a few weeks back. The 6th is a 514 yards par 5 off the whites. No hazards, yet out playing partner used his GPS off the tee, why I have no idea. Gets to his ball to get a yardage to the green. Why? He has over 250 to the green so is unlikey to reach. There was a hazard 165 from his position so he takes his 5 wood (To carry the hazard). Caught it a tad heavy and flew it straight into the bunker

Where as myself and anothe of our group with no GPS hit our drives, used the course planner for a guesstimate yardsage, hit mid iron, followed by wedge to be on in 3.

Do you use them to work out an 80 yard pitch? What do you do when you're inside your shortest clubs distance, guess?

I'm not Anti-GPS, despite my above rantings If you want to use them and enjoy the benefits they bring to you, great! They just aren't for me and if I'm being honest, in my view, detract from the game a little.

Hope this answers your queston

 

[Robobum]

They are illegal
They are cheating
They slow down pace of play
They don't do hackers any good
They are against the spirit of the game
They are dangerous!

I use a Bushnell V3

 

[woody69]

Do I own one? No.

Would I consider owning one? No.


Reasons:

Firstly - What exactly was wrong with the old course course planners? They show distances off the tee. Distance from green for landmarks. Distances to hazards.There are also, on most courses I've played, markers on the course. Be it steaks at the side of fairways denoting a distance to the green. Sprinkler head covers with yardages on. All manor of signage to le me know how far out I am.

What's wrong with using using hickory golf clubs instead of new more modern advances? Nothing, but there have been advances so why not use them instead?

Secondly - When do you stop using them? We played The Izacc Walton a few weeks back. The 6th is a 514 yards par 5 off the whites. No hazards, yet out playing partner used his GPS off the tee, why I have no idea. Gets to his ball to get a yardage to the green. Why? He has over 250 to the green so is unlikey to reach. There was a hazard 165 from his position so he takes his 5 wood (To carry the hazard). Caught it a tad heavy and flew it straight into the bunker

Where as myself and anothe of our group with no GPS hit our drives, used the course planner for a guesstimate yardsage, hit mid iron, followed by wedge to be on in 3.

You can give a man a tool, but if he wants to use it like a div, then that's the users fault, not the tool.

Do you use them to work out an 80 yard pitch? What do you do when you're inside your shortest clubs distance, guess?

Yep. 80 yards is a full SW for me so if I knew I had 80 to the middle and the flag was at the back and I know from my S1 that is say 100 yards then yeah I'd use it for an 80 yard pitch.

If I was inside my shortest club distance I'd probably still take a glance to see how much I have to the back of the green to play with.

 

[One Planer]

What's wrong with using using hickory golf clubs instead of new more modern advances? Nothing, but there have been advances so why not use them instead?



You can give a man a tool, but if he wants to use it like a div, then that's the users fault, not the tool.




Yep. 80 yards is a full SW for me so if I knew I had 80 to the middle and the flag was at the back and I know from my S1 that is say 100 yards then yeah I'd use it for an 80 yard pitch.

If I was inside my shortest club distance I'd probably still take a glance to see how much I have to the back of the green to play with.

You seem to be confusing my opinion with fact

Can I ask how you gain a yardage in competition play where they aren't allowed?

 

[mab]

I've used one for years and genuinely consider it one of my most imprtant pieces of kit.

I use it for all distances. Am I 74 yards from the pin or 83 yards? Am I 207 yards from the pin or 224 yards? These distances means different clubs for me and it makes a real difference.

They absolutely do not slow down the pace of play, assuming they are used sensibly / correctly. By the time I reach my ball and set down my bag, the rangefinder is already pushed up to my eye and the distance obtained within a couple of seconds. I will have already assessed the wind and terrain to understand how they impact distance (half a club more, half a club less, etc.). This is no slower and most likely quicker than searching for the nearest distance marker (often on sprinkler heads or fairway discs these days, rather than marker posts - what's that all about!?) or consulting a yardage book and diciphering your remaining distance... neither of which can even hold a candle to the accuracy of the rangefinder.

You may question the benefits to those who don't know how far they hit the ball, those who use it to tell them they have 267yards to the pin when they can only drive the ball 220yards of a tee, etc., etc. and I understand that. However, when used correctly, they are fast and accurate.

I get that some people don't like them, but the 'it slows down play' or 'being capable of eyeballing a yardage to the nearest yard is a skill and using a gizmo is cheating' type comments are somewhat ridiculous in my opinion.

 

[mab]

Can I ask how you gain a yardage in competition play where they aren't allowed?

They are legal for use in competitions at most courses, I believe.

Certainly ALL of those I've played over the past couple of years...

 

[tugglesf239]

Golf Shot GPS on my phone. Cracking purchase and only £20

Thankfully my club allows these devices if used only for the GPS component.

 

[Beezerk]

Golf Shot GPS on my phone. Cracking purchase and only £20

Thankfully my club allows these devices if used only for the GPS component.

I tried one of the free ones on my phone the other week, I was stood on the 150 marker and the app was showing something daft like 120 to the front of the green.
The hole is uphill so not sure if that made a difference, I can see why it could make the reading incorrect but not sure if contours are taken into account within the software.

 

[One Planer]

They are legal for use in competitions at most courses, I believe.

Certainly ALL of those I've played over the past couple of years...

I thought this was not allowed under rule 14-3?

The use of distance measuring devices during a stipulated round remains contrary to the Rules of Golf – the penalty being disqualification under Rule 14-3 (Artificial Devices, Unusual Equipment and Unusual Use of Equipment

 

[woody69]

You seem to be confusing my opinion with fact

Can I ask how you gain a yardage in competition play where they aren't allowed?

Oh, I do apologise. I didn't realise that you weren't open to the possibility of hearing a counter argument to the reasons you have specified as to why I believe they are a good idea. All that being said, I'm not sure I mentioned anywhere in my post that what you was stating was fact and not opinion?

At my club, they are allowed via a LR, but if I was to play in one where they were not I would of course to revert to the traditional methods as you have stipulated in your post. But hey, if I had a choice, why would I want to limit myself?

 

[woody69]

I thought this was not allowed under rule 14-3?

The use of distance measuring devices during a stipulated round remains contrary to the Rules of Golf – the penalty being disqualification under Rule 14-3 (Artificial Devices, Unusual Equipment and Unusual Use of Equipment

However, since January 2006, a Committee can permit the use of some such devices via a Local Rule.

 

[One Planer]

Oh, I do apologise. I didn't realise that you weren't open to the possibility of hearing a counter argument to the reasons you have specified as to why I believe they are a good idea. All that being said, I'm not sure I mentioned anywhere in my post that what you was stating was fact and not opinion?

At my club, they are allowed via a LR, but if I was to play in one where they were not I would of course to revert to the traditional methods as you have stipulated in your post. But hey, if I had a choice, why would I want to limit myself?

That's your choice pal :thup:

In my opinion it takes something from the game, a bit of the skill I suppose when it comes to judging a distance and selecting a club.

They are of benefit to folk, no doubt, but anything inside 100 yards, I can't really see the point.

I suppose the test is in how well they work for you.

Can I ask. What was your handicap when you first started using a DMD, and what is it now?