GPS / Rangefinders

Mike79

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Been looking into GPS devices / range finders recently. I grew up playing golf using the stakes beside the fairways, usually 150 / 100 yard markers and guesstimating between them.

I’ve seen more and more people out with range finders recently. I’ve got a few apps on my IPhone XR but none seem to work for actual GPS (most likely a phone setting I can’t find!)

Who is using GPS / rangefinders and what’s your thoughts / recommendations? Likewise, app recommendations for iPhone also welcome

The Garmin G12 seems good value at the £100 mark. Obviously, you can be more specific with a laser range finder I imagine.
 

Backache

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I find my GPS incredibly useful and I then realised how bad I was at estimating distance using the 150/100 yd markers.
Some people swear by their rangefinders, personally I don't like pulling things in and out of my bag or even carry bag and it would slow me down. They probably have an advantage in being able to shoot hazards though the fancier GPS's have them and distancing pins precisely when in a range where precision is important for your level, but I find front middle and back perfectly adequate and very useful on blind holes.
 

Imurg

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I use a Bushnell V2 laser, purchased 2nd hand about 7 or 8 (I think!) years ago and still going strong as well as a Skycaddie SX400 gps
Sometimes I use 1, sometimes the other and sometimes both...
Outside 170 yards I rarely use the laser as, from that range, I'm just looking to get it on the green..but closer it has more use.
We have some quite long, thin greens, can be 3 clubs between front and back
We have coloured flags for the front middle and back but they're not always accurate..the other day we had a red flag(front) and the hole was a couple of yards past the middle.
So knowing that the flag was, in fact, past the middle meant I could club up
Gps is better in low light or mist and when you have a blind shot or you don't have proper line of sight..laser is next to useless in those conditions
Once you get into the swing of it, taking the laser out, pinging the target and putting it back in takes little more than 10 seconds, 15 at most.
 

CliveW

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Normally, I use a GPS but in the winter with temp greens it is useless. To that end I bought a second hand laser as the flags on our winter greens can be anything from 50 to 125 yards short of the main greens.
 

jim8flog

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if you want something for the phone hole 19 is good and there is a free version. Just make sure the phone is well charged before you go out.

I know my course so well I just use a laser for the occasional shot and distance markers.

If you are playing lots of different course go GPS with one that shows the hole layout.
 

SwingsitlikeHogan

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Bushnell V2 laser. Swore blind I'd never use one, and until last year was pretty anti. However as I now choose the club to play according to an accurate knowledge of distance to go (to eliminate ALL uncertainty in that variable) I admit to a 180deg about turn and of being a 100% convert.
 
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chico

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I have a laser rangefinder I got off Amazon for £70 about 4 years ago. It works perfectly and compare it with pp more expensive models often.
Also have a Garmin s12 that I tend to use to gauge lay up distances on longer holes.
 
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Bushnell V3 Tour Jolt, I never leave home without it.

When I play, partners tend to have watches, so I laser the pin, then ask my playing partner what the yardage is to the front or back, dependent on the flag colour

This then gives me the amount of green I’ve got to work with.
 

Oddsocks

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Bushnell v3 for when I’m playing well and in summer months, during winter months it stays in the bag in favour of a gps watch for slow play reasons. Only time the v3 comes out in the winter is if “ I’m locating satellites
 

G1z1

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I just use a watch but guy I play with regularly has the rangefinder he almost never uses it but I do reckon there handy if you play a course that has winter greens on regularly in the winter or if you want to zap stuff on courses like hazards, what’s the carry for bunkers ect. I was thinking about getting a rangefinder but just don’t think I would use it much.
 

Orikoru

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I always say the same thing when this subject comes up so apologies those who have heard it. ?

I used a rangefinder for one year, and personally I found it did me more harm than good. Often I'd zap the laser, and if the pin was nearer the front edge say, I might go down a club - then not quite catch it 100% and leave myself 15 yards short of the green. Whereas with GPS you can go for middle of the green or back of the green depending on a number of factors, and then if you don't get hold of it you've still got a chance of landing on the front. For me, at my level I found the GPS is more than enough. I also like the advantage of being able to see yardage to carry a hazard, or get a layup distance rather than to a flag or some other object. Also the rangefinder may not work as well in poor conditions. Overall I just think GPS is more useful.

I use Hole 19 on my phone and swear by it - I'm really not sure why people spend hundreds on GPS gizmos when a phone does it for free to be honest. Maybe it's more accurate by 2, 3 yards but for me that isn't making enough difference to warrant the cash.
 

Tinkerman

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I've got a Garmin S20 watch that I picked up for around £100 on eBay and a Bushnell Medalist I bought new for £100 about 15 years ago. I love having both - GPS when outside 160 yards, and laser for closer (no flag colour system at my place).
However my advice to the OP would be to get the gps working on the phone as that'll be the cheapest way to start out. If they then want to get a laser it doesn't have to cost the earth as there are cheap options like the one Homer posted or this one that I was looking at getting when I thought I'd lost mine - BOZILY Rechargeable Golf Rangefinder
 

i*windows

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I use a small garmin g6 GPS and its great, no need to mess about getting a target, yardages are the same as a laser. Get 36 holes out of the battery. Would say it has shaved 4 shots off my HCP.
 

HeftyHacker

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When I play, partners tend to have watches, so I laser the pin, then ask my playing partner what the yardage is to the front or back, dependent on the flag colour

This then gives me the amount of green I’ve got to work with.

This.

There are a few greens at our place where you can't see the bottom of the flag on your approach so I use my laser and watch together to work out how much green I have to work with.
 
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