Rangefinders: I think i'm changing my mind......

M

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Ok Ok........I have argued strongly against the use of GPS and/or Rangefinders whenever they have been discussed, but after seeing one in use yesterday by a very good player, I think I'm changing my mind. :cool:

He only used it for quick Pin distances, and wasnt poncing around with yardages to traps etc etc, and to be honest, it didnt impact on anything at all.

I'm fighting against this change of opinion, but I do like the look of the Bushnell Tour V2 now !
:eek:
 
In fact, didnt someone win the use of one from GM recently ?

Wonder if they would consider letting me try it for a week or 2 .......... :D
 
I would concur Chris. I took the plunge earlier this year before the season started and got a skycaddie. It makes me play quicker as I get to the ball look at skycaddie = decsion made almost immediately on club choice unless there is a lot of wind to factor in.

So far this season I've moved from 5.2 to 3.8 which is my best ever exact handicap. That doesn't sound like that much but for a category 1 player I think that's a significant jump as we only get 0.1 x the difference between CSS and nett score. By my reckoning that's a 27% improvement this season from someone whose handicap had been stagnant or even creeping up very slowly over the last 4 years. The scoring improvement has also been a motivation to play more and enjoy it more. :D

I'm thinking skycaddie must be helping as there have been several occasions I've been way off line but having a yardage to hand has helped me hit good recovery shots to save par.

I played a 36 hole open yesterday, neither of my playing partners has a GPS but both were wandering past my bag rather frequently to get yardages.

Also for the 30 to 110 yard shots knowing exactly how far the flag is gives you the confidence to hit for example sand iron hard rather than just tickle it! :)

I wouldn't hesitate in recommending them, as long as you know your yardages for each club of course.

An exact yardage reduces variables in decision making. I love mine and would be lost without it on course now.

Oh and you don't need to be gazing around for 100 or 150 yard markers plus then guessing how much to add on or take off and you also know how long the green is which is important. All advantageous.
 
Thats interesting birdieman, and definitely no mean feat for a Cat1 player, you must be chuffed.
What made you go Skycaddie and not Rangefinder ?

Now while i'm not gonna suggest that my yardages are uber-consistent, or even as close as perhaps a 3/4 H/C player, I'm fairly good with my distances.

I've also had a fairly good season so far, coming down from 11.8 to 9.9, and its those occasions when your 5 yds short of the 150 posts, thinking Full 7 to the green, but unable to guage exactly where the flag is, and therefore not factoring in that the Pin is 10yds forward or back, leaving myself sometimes long or short etc.

To quickly lock onto the Pin for an exact yardage, with only then up/down to consider, or wind etc, is mighty tempting.
 
So far this season I've moved from 5.2 to 3.8 which is my best ever exact handicap. That doesn't sound like that much but for a category 1 player I think that's a significant jump as we only get 0.1 x the difference between CSS and nett score. By my reckoning that's a 27% improvement this season from someone whose handicap had been stagnant or even creeping up very slowly over the last 4 years. The scoring improvement has also been a motivation to play more and enjoy it more. :D

I'm thinking skycaddie must be helping as there have been several occasions I've been way off line but having a yardage to hand has helped me hit good recovery shots to save par.

I played a 36 hole open yesterday, neither of my playing partners has a GPS but both were wandering past my bag rather frequently to get yardages.
Click to expand...

I know how hard this is but to move from 5.2. to 3.8 is a great achievement. Is skycaddie that good.....what 36 did you play????????
 
Home course - Ballater 36 hole open.

Went skycaddie as I heard they measure the courses on the ground rather than remotely on google earth or equivalent. Also £150 seemed like plenty wonga to me, didn't want to pay any more. Presumed, perhaps wrongly, that Skycaddie were market leaders so would have more courses mapped too?
 
ChrisMc....I have had both SkyCaddie and Bushnell V2 and am currently using the V2 as it's just point and shoot rather than the having to download courses etc...also the V2 gives you the exactly yardage to the flag, which is all I need rather than the front, middle and back......if you want a rating though:

SkyCaddie - 9/10
Bushnell V2 - 9.5/10
 
rangefinder did not interest me. Dont want to be looking through binoculars all the time, skycaddie is discreet. You can't see targets much of the time on courses because of undulations and blind shots to use a rangefinder.

I see GPS units everywhere on courses, haven't seen one rangefinder in use yet. Must be a reason for that?
 
Spot on Birdieman and my mate takes a lot longer with his rangefinder than I do with my Skycaddie...picked mine up of ebay for £125 if memory serves me right and think it is the dogs bolloxs.
 
Rangefinders are ok if you can see the flag. If you're behind a tree or the flag is behind a mound you're stuffed with a rangefinder but not with a GPS. And on a windy day the flag may not be still enough to get a reading.
I'd go GPS everytime - you don't have to take long over it. Going to start saving my pennies for a Golfbuddy - unless I win one!!
 
You are right in that SC measure on the ground and so the information is as accurate as technology allows. Also for a player liek me that can be without a direct line of sight to the flag its important that SC gives me a yardage but also tells me how far the hazards are so if I'm having to come out of the trees etc I know how far I can go without compounding the error by hitting into a bunker.
 
My opinion was "indifferent" on these things when I was only playing at my local club. I've been around the course enough times to know what club I need from pretty much any position and in any wind.

But it was when I played in an away match, and had no idea how far I was from the green, on many occasions, (a lack of marker posts didn't help), that I thought a range-finder would be a great idea. I got a laser-range-finder, but haven't used it on the course yet. I also downloaded that FreeCaddie and will give that a try some time.
 
I've had my SG 2.5 for about 9 months now and do find it invaluable.

I disagree with the point about needing to know your distances first. I actually used mine to understand my distances. I played 3-4 rounds and measured each club as I was playing. And as I think has been said before, how far you think you hit it compared to how far you 'actually' hit it is a real eye opener.

I find in most of the comps, especially on the Par 3's, the other guys are having a quick nose at the yardage before selecting their club :)

I do find it most useful in 25-100 yard range as being 5-10 yards out on your yardage could mean on the green vs off.

Also, again as stated, knowing the distances when off course, is a real use for me. Lately I've spent far too much time on the wrong fairway :(

Yes, you still have to hit the shot, but it takes away half the chance for error, which must be a good thing.
 
Going to tryout the Droid Caddie GPS that I have downloaded on my Google Android Phone.

It's cost only a fiver and measures to the middle of the green as recorded on Google Earth.

Looking forward to seeing if it makes a difference to my game.

Here's hoping...
 
In fact, didnt someone win the use of one from GM recently ?

Wonder if they would consider letting me try it for a week or 2 .......... :D
Click to expand...

That was meeeeeeeeeee.....I got the GolfBuddy Tour and it is without doubt THE best bit of kit I have ever had the fortune of getting for my game.

Absolutely invaluable to my game, I played without it last week as i'd forgot to charge it and it was like plying one handed, I didnt realise how much I rely on it!!

Which is a good thing & a bad thing too I suppose.

The unit I have retails at about £240 and is well worth it, I wrote a huge review on it but some (insert random offensive swear word here) deleted it from the forum for some reason.

Suffice to say, I sung its praises immensely.
 
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