GPS v Rangefinder ???

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Macster

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Ok, firstly I concede that my opinions have changed, and that I'm tempted to equip myself with one of these likkle devices as I strive to get to Single stats.


But, the question is, which one ?

I play a lot at my own course, a tight Par68, and occasionally at others, which I arent too worried about if I am honest.
I'm assuming that both will be able to seriously assist me in pinpointing my exact yardages with each club in the bag, and would be happy doing this on the practice ground.
Having done that, isnt a Laser Rangefinder going to be more beneficial in giving me the exact pin distance, rather than the generic Middle/Front/Back distance that the GPS gives you ?

I mean, even from 170yds, unless you can see the whole green, its sometimes a bit tricky to tell just how far the pin is on, and whether its 8yds back of centre, or 5yds forward etc ?

Surely if I know the course like the back of my hand, and am just looking to get closer more often, the Laser Rangefinder might be the better way to go ?

:D
 
I'm thinking the same question at the moment, I'm leaning towards GPS though - the rangefinders have 2 downsides for me. Firstly, what happens if you can't see the pin, whether because you're behind some trees, or, as on my course, there is one par 3 with no view to the green at all. Secondly, surely they will slow up play a lot more than a GPS unit attached to yourself, or your trolley, which immediately tells you the middle of green distance (which is what I tend to aim for, being off 18!)
 
Noooooo.


Ok, so, here we go.

I have a GPS. On my course, the pins are coloured red front, yellow middle, and blue back. Therefore knowing where the pin is by colour enables me to zone the green. As a result, the gps is fine.

It also gives me carry over bunkers ponds etc, and is also useful when I am on the wrong fairway, and the pin is out of sight.

A range finder will give you exact to the pin. If you are spot on with your irons, this is very useful. However, if you still don't know where the pin is on the green, if it is say 5 on from the back, taking a club that you hit slightly longer than the pin will put you in the bundhu behind the green. As a result, knowing the size of the green tells you what you have to work with.

I played with a range finder in Florida, and the course had crystals in the pins, which gave a really good reflection, and enabled good accuracy. When I played with the Captain of Moor Park round my track, he kept giving me yardages to the pin (unasked for) with his new toy. He was anything up to 20 yards out. Now he was a dork, but clearly there is a degree of skill to operate it, and he didn't have it. It also took a stupid amount of time.

They have probably got better.

For me, GPS gives so much more. I play a few different courses, and knowing if I can carry a ditch or pond is useful. A quick glance at the screen, and off we go. I think I would feel a bit conspicuous, and a bit stupid peering through a range finder.

Just me, but I like GPS. No suprise, as I have one, and unlikely to slate it, but I did a bit of research before buying it, and ruled out range finders.

Sammmebee will no doubt be on here shortly extolling range finders, but then he is a very good golfer, who fires at the pin, whilst I am a very average golfer who fires at zones on the green.
 
Well, off all the people!! ;)

Chris, the ideal scenario would be to carry both!! Totally impractical and unless you have money to burn pretty expensive!! :D

IMO the info that a GPS gives you is considerably more beneficial than just "lasering" the pin. Putting aside the line of sight issues you get with lasers and the problem of getting an accurate reading in the wind and after a heavy night on the pop!!
For example: You laser a pin and it says 140yds, fair enough, a perfect 9 iron will be exactly 140yd and a tap in birdie.
What it doesn't tell you that it is only 3yds over a bunker at the front so if you miss the 9 iron only slightly you are in the sand. It also never told you that you have 20yds to play with between the pin and the bunker at the back.
So instead of hitting a 9 that would only get pin high if perfectly struck, you now know you can take 8 and know that even a good one won't reach the back bunker and a slightly missed one will still find the surface.

I'd say to go for a GPS :D Then start a new debate about the pros and cons and whether they should be banned!!:D
 
That is the sort of thing that engineers blue was invented for. Hours of fun with that stuff. Strangely, I have a tin of it on my desk.
 
OK I am firmly in the GPS (sky caddy camp) as I am not always playing from somewhere where I can see the flag and get a reading and I'm not that accurate with my irons. That said I've been working hard on my wedge distances and I'm setting up so many more birdie parts nowadays

One of the features of SC is that you can move the flag position on the device to a position that corresponds to withing a few feet of where you think the pin is featured and it will give you a revised reading. So if you have a wide green and the flag is over on one side, say middle, SC might say 180 to the middle. Move the cursor to the side and it might now say 188. That for many depending on the angle you are coming in from, be 1/2 a club more.

Thee are obvious benefits to both types but I think for ease of use and quickness the GPS and SC in particular are the best out there.
 
Chris,
I borrowed a GPS for a few holes yesterday and it is brilliant.
You can be anywhere and know what to hit to the middle.
But for me, the best thing about them is you know your yardage inside the 150s.
Normally it's 'is it 110 or 120, ish', If your that close, chances are you'll know if the flag is front, middle or back
then you'll KNOW its 108 or whatever, great for the confidence to know you're hitting the correct club.
And has been said before, its quick. By the time you get to your ball, you know your yardage so no guessing, pacing out yardages or hunting for yardage discs.
I'm getting one next week :D
 
you also say that you would like to use it to pinpoint distances on the practice ground. not sure that a laser can help you do this, whereas the ball marking feature on gps (sc) can.
 
Viscount: I was imagining that hitting say 10 shots with any iron, then lasering the distance from the middle of the cluster of balls back to my bag would give me good averages.

Interesting points regarding clearing bunkers etc, but when I know my course so well, and can see most of the bunkers for each shot to greens etc, i'm just not sure that all that info will be needed.
As Bob says tho, its perhaps, for me, most beneficial to know the exact yardage from say 180/150yds in, whereby I should be able to see all the rouble and allow accordingly.
 
Thing is, to me, my iron play can be +/- 10 yards with any club, hence knowing the exact distance to the pin is irrelevant. All I need to know is, if the pin is at the front, what will get me on, but no further than the middle, and if it is at the back, what will get me further than the middle, without flying it out the back.

It is nice to know the carry over certain bunkers too. Yep, I too play the same track most of the time, but I have still found this a useful feature. I thought that I would use my GPS about 10 times, and then know everything there was to know about my home course (been there for 10 years). However, I still take it out every time. I am not sure I would bother to do this with a range finder. It seems a bit one dimensional. Especially for my level of golf (off 11).
 
Yeah I would go for the GPs awell, I've played with both and the rangefinder is so bloody hard to hold still. The GPS tells you everything. If I had the money I'd have a GPS.
I found that the rangefinder players are alot slower and need to be stood still for longer and have to walk 30 yrds to get a clear reading.
MikeH if you have any GPS's lying about I'd be please if you would send me one.
 
I'm going to ask at the club this weekend if GPS is acceptable in comps. If so, I think I'll be getting one. My target is to get my hcap down to 15 (from 17.5), and I get really annoyed when I waste strokes missing the greens short or long by a club. My distances are pretty consistent, so I'm happy relying on hitting any club within a 10 yard window.

If it can take 3 or 4 shots off my average score (which tends to be about 88-90), then I might just make my target...
 
I have to say I reckon the SC is saving me at least one or two shots a round either by taking the club based purely on yardage (and obviously conditions) rather than what I'm seeing and certainly by choosing the right wedge each time and hitting it close.

There have been times when I've stood there thinking it looks about 130 (8 iron for me) and SC is saying something like 143 (7 iron) and I've gone with what I'm told and hit with confidence and nailed it
 
I had an SC2.5 for a while and I really only used it for distances to the middle of the green. If I can hit it to the middle of every green in regulation then I'm going to score well.

Chris - the GPS may give you more info than you need at your club, but when you play away it tells you things you don't know.

Well worth having.
 
imo, SC2.5/SC5 are let down only by not providing a plan of the hole. otherwise there is all you could want.

that said, if you do get one with a course plan check the source. most use Google maps (or the same supplier) and many are out of date - despite the date on the bottom.
 
Well - just had a discussion with the club sec - and apparently - they aren't permitted in comps in my club... In typical beurocratic fashion, the county does allow them in county comps... Doh.
 
It's the same at mine, OK in practice - not in comps.
I've never asked the reason, I just accept it but I have heard of some really stupid reasons elsewhere.

'they wouldn't be fair as not everyone can afford one'
(we can't all afford a cf set of Miura's but they wouldn't stop you using them.)
 
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