GPS watch vs rangefinder

[Oddsocks]

I’ve always used a range finder but jumped to a watch for the winter, range finders don’t like misty, foggy or heavy rain so it’s quicker.


Why not stand on your teleport green and check the distance to the actual green. I had to do the reverse on a hole that’s blind when using a range finder, I know the trees behind our tenth green are 75 yard from the front edge..

 

[Boomy]

Any time I’m playing in a group where a range finder is being used it really seems to slow things down - they’re trying to pinpoint the target, get an exact yardage or using something in the background (as mentioned they’re hopeless on blind holes). I asked a pro about buying one and he steered me away from wasting my money on it as I had a GPS watch with front, middle and back - no more needed he firmly advised. I generally just use middle unless it’s a huge green.

 

[Deleted member 23344]

I use a watch … my golf doesn’t need precise yardages!

 

[wjemather]

I would recommend having both. GPS is great for getting at-a-glance yardages and when there is no line of sight for a laser, but for any kind of serious golf, a laser is needed for accuracy.

GPS simply cannot be trusted on its own due to a combination of the accuracy of the devices themselves and the sometimes dubious quality of the course mapping. There are numerous occasions when I've seen a whole club (>8 yards) variance between different GPS devices, especially when comparing those from different manufacturers.

 

[SammmeBee]

My old club the flags weren't colour coded - so I'm saying when I couldn't make out if the flag was middle or front, I zapped it, find out it's at the front, go down a club and then leave it short of the green if I don't quite get hold of it. I'm better off just going middle or back every time, there's more chance of me ending up on the green. I don't think I'll ever be precise enough with irons to need to know it's 127.7 yards to the flag instead of 130. I certainly know my yardages, but they are not precise figures obviously, they are ballpark figures, i.e. 130-135 = 9 iron.

But you’d hit a wedge and then wonder why you came up short?!?!

 

[SteveJay]

Most of us would would be better off just knowing the distance to the back of the green and aim for the middle of it.

Like I said in my earlier post, not if you play a links course where you usually need to land it 10 yards or more short of the green otherwise you will be through the back!

 

[chrisd]

Any time I’m playing in a group where a range finder is being used it really seems to slow things down - they’re trying to pinpoint the target, get an exact yardage or using something in the background (as mentioned they’re hopeless on blind holes). I asked a pro about buying one and he steered me away from wasting my money on it as I had a GPS watch with front, middle and back - no more needed he firmly advised. I generally just use middle unless it’s a huge green.

Sorry but using a range finder should not "slow things down" . I've used one ever since they were legal to use in comps and I, and guys I play with, do our distance finding while others are playing but in any case it takes about 5 seconds to blip a flag with a Bushnell.

 

[Imurg]

If you want to speed play up there are many, many more things to look at other than using a laser.
If it takes more than 5 seconds to get a lock then its user error and not the fact that it's a laser...these people probably take 10 seconds ds to look at a GPS as well.....

 

[Boomy]

Sorry but using a range finder should not "slow things down" . I've used one ever since they were legal to use in comps and I, and guys I play with, do our distance finding while others are playing but in any case it takes about 5 seconds to blip a flag with a Bushnell.

It perhaps shouldn’t, but in my experience it does - probably/possibly down to user error/faffing or whatever but either way it would definitely appear to be a slower process than looking at GPS info. Perhaps not everyone can afford a Bushnell.

 

[chrisd]

Perhaps not everyone can afford a Bushnell.

There are other (much cheaper) but very good range finders to be found. Certainly will take longer than a glance at a watch but should in no way will add any appreciable time to a round

 

[Boomy]

If you want to speed play up there are many, many more things to look at other than using a laser.
If it takes more than 5 seconds to get a lock then its user error and not the fact that it's a laser...these people probably take 10 seconds ds to look at a GPS as well.....

Not so much speed it up, but more not slow it down. I can’t think of a single time when I’ve rolled my eyes at someone getting info from a GPS device, because it so easy and discreet… I can think of lots of examples of eye rolling as we’re stood waiting for someone to utilise their rangefinder. Like I said above, it could be the device or user error but either way they appear to slow things down.

 

[Boomy]

There are other (much cheaper) but very good range finders to be found. Certainly will take longer than a glance at a watch but should in no way will add any appreciable time to a round

I like the idea of them, as mentioned in a previous post I went to buy one but the pro/shop owner talked me out of it (and I appreciated his honesty and explanation) Maybe it is just the people I’ve experienced using them…

 

[Deleted member 29109]

Like I said in my earlier post, not if you play a links course where you usually need to land it 10 yards or more short of the green otherwise you will be through the back!

I never said that you should be landing it at the back of the green, but that the back middle of the green should be the target.

How many amateurs still come up short when playing links courses? I’d wager a lot still do.

Most golfers common miss is short. And that includes the best in the world. There are a vast number of us who come up short more than all another outcomes combined, so I would maintain that statistically the majority of amateur golfers would be best using the back middle of a green as their target.

I accept that there are outliers and specific situations where it might not be applicable.

 

[Boomy]

Like I said in my earlier post, not if you play a links course where you usually need to land it 10 yards or more short of the green otherwise you will be through the back!

Front, middle and back measurements and a good’ol strokesaver book for links golf - ahhhh those were the days ? Plotting your way round trying to find the measurement bush pictured in the book ?

 

[Deleted member 29109]

Front, middle and back measurements and a good’ol strokesaver book for links golf - ahhhh those were the days ? Plotting your way round trying to find the measurement bush pictured in the book ?

Now, if you want to talk about causes of slow play. Yardage books and people pacing off yardages has to be right up there. Especially when the book looks like a sketch done by a 5 year old with crayons who had never seen the course.

 

[Deleted member 3432]

Like I said in my earlier post, not if you play a links course where you usually need to land it 10 yards or more short of the green otherwise you will be through the back!

No good landing it 10 yards short playing into a 2 or 3 club wind, you'll finish 10 yards short ?

Know what you mean but knowing the yardage is important, I always want to know back of the green number downwind as long is in big trouble. Up to the player to use judgement, skill, luck, shut your eyes and guess how far short to land it.

 

[Boomy]

Now, if you want to talk about causes of slow play. Yardage books and people pacing off yardages has to be right up there. Especially when the book looks like a sketch done by a 5 year old with crayons who had never seen the course.

Fond memories of trying to find the reference point for the yardage based on an out of date sketch ahhhhh ? Oh they were painfully slow to use if you wanted an exact yardage, and often out of date but none the less there was something romantic about playing a new course and plotting your way around with a strokesaver. I still collect them if the course sells them, and they’ve come in handy for blind shots on away courses.

 

[Deleted member 29109]

Fond memories of trying to find the reference point for the yardage based on an out of date sketch ahhhhh ? Oh they were painfully slow to use if you wanted an exact yardage, and often out of date but none the less there was something romantic about playing a new course and plotting your way around with a strokesaver. I still collect them if the course sells them, and they’ve come in handy for blind shots on away courses.

I do still buy them when I play somewhere new. I did have one from pretty much every course I played, but I binned them when we moved years ago as I never had any intention of playing again.

 

[Golfnut1957]

Not so much speed it up, but more not slow it down. I can’t think of a single time when I’ve rolled my eyes at someone getting info from a GPS device, because it so easy and discreet… I can think of lots of examples of eye rolling as we’re stood waiting for someone to utilise their rangefinder. Like I said above, it could be the device or user error but either way they appear to slow things down.

You roll your eyes at people? I thought that was just teenage girls. Are you any good at it? My granddaughters can put me down without so much as a single word.

 

[Boomy]

You roll your eyes at people? I thought that was just teenage girls. Are you any good at it? My granddaughters can put me down without so much as a single word.

? I’ve just rolled them now at your comment ? just for practice. It was probably a 7 out of 10 eye roll. I’m not sure where you’d get that assumption from… a good eye roll can be something for everyone, of any age. I’m not a prolific eye roller, only when required in quiet situations or when prompted.