Laser rangefinders are rubbish

[Bobmysterkaymer]

I love my laser to bits, only had it a couple of months. Was hitting 178 yard draws with roll yesturday with a 7 iron, bet if I do it today it'll stay straight and short! Even though it struggles in fog I wouldn't change it for the world! First medal today so I'll let you know how I get on!

 

[Imurg]

Do you guys who use them see a sufficient return on the investment? (despite only getting increased data accuracy on one component of the information you need when selecting a club)

Does the exact yardage help that much?
(this isn't in any way intended as a criticism of your purchase, I am interested)

Personally - Yes.
As I said earlier, some of our flags are masked by mounds. If the green is 30 yards long and the flag is at the front but I mistakenly judge it to be at the back, then I'm left in 3-putt(or worse!) territory. Even aiming and hitting the middle can leave a 30 footer. By knowing the exact yardage I can pick a club - other variables taken into account as well - to hopefully leave me within 10-15 feet which gives me a decent birdie chance.

Sawtooth - the super accurate laser isn't perfect by any means. Line of sight is a requirement. But if you don't have line of sight you can still work out a distance by lasering other objects.
When firing into a 40 yard long green - without knowing the pin position - GPS is virtually useless too.......

 

[SGC001]

The head pro at my old place has both a GPS and rangefinder. He had the GPS first and added the range finder. He prefers the rangefinder within 150 yards which is where you score, but likes the GPS for positions to hazards off tees, blind shots and if you see a lot of the course (not such an issue for him).

I'd like to add a GPS to my rangefinder. However, you can usually find something to laser off tees. I tend to shoot the trees at the back and then the flag so I know I've got it and you can generally find a bunker at the front too to laser if you want.

Both would help me to commit to my shot, and if you know how far your hit each club or wedges, then I think exact distances are valuable information and are more important as you get closer because that's where birdies tend to be made from.

At that course the GPS readings are all within 1 yard of the laser readings (you can laser the flag and then laser again from the middle / front of the green to check).