Using a rangefinder - are you conscious of it?

[Warbur]

After struggling with some end of fairway distances on slight doglegs at Woburn, with my Skycaddie, I went out and got a Bushnell V2 the other day.

I'm going t use it for the first time tomorrow but am slightly concerned about looking a bit of a kn*b with it. The beauty of the gps is that it's so discreet and I find I glance at it on most shots. I'll use the rangefinder conservatively but am still a bit concerned that I'll get a grilling from the lads.

I don't want to take out both as I know I'll never live that down - plus I want to leave the SG5 up for sale in the proshop whilst I'm out.

Tempted longer term to use the laser and get the garmin watch alongside - does anyone else use this combination?

 

[leaney]

I would feel like a bit of t!t.

But in the long run if it helps you with your yardages, then it will benefit you so try not to worry about it mate.

 

[upsidedown]

Nah just whip it out , point and play. The lads will be wanting a go soon enough

 

[G1BB0]

Nah just whip it out , point and play. The lads will be wanting a go soon enough

that sounds so wrong hahaha

 

[MembersBounce]

You could always keep the Skycaddie and the Bushnell and go buy a Garmin watch. You'll be a wealth of information!

 

[HawkeyeMS]

Why would you feel like a knob? It's not like no-one has seen one before.

 

[chrisd]

I occasionally use both and wouldn't give a monkees what anyone thought

 

[ScienceBoy]

I just started using mine, I never felt anything of the sort.

Think about it... you are on a golf course! There is always someone who looks more of a *** than you within the confines of the course!

 

[CMAC]

You got a laser, you are considering getting the garmin to use Alongside it! There are yardage markers on the course!

You're in danger of too much information and getting your head full of spaghetti!


With all due respect you're off 15 and if you just go by the approx yardages using the on course guides you'll get on better, or are you that good you need double confirmation of an exact distance for each shot!
Leave them at home for your next bounce game and see how much you enjoy the game again.

Just a thought!

 

[brendy]

Couldnt have said it better myself. Even with slightly more accurate info you still have to guess how far up the green the flag us located so does it really matter if you come to say 176 to the middle and I use the course markers and make it 177?
Other areas of the game can suffer from good old paralysis by analysis, I think worrying too much about exacting distances takes your focus off the more useful aspects like wind elevation, shot type required, slope of the green etc. That said, you might just pull it off if you use a pirate accent.

You got a laser, you are considering getting the garmin to use Alongside it! There are yardage markers on the course!

You're in danger of too much information and getting your head full of spaghetti!


With all due respect you're off 15 and if you just go by the approx yardages using the on course guides you'll get on better, or are you that good you need double confirmation of an exact distance for each shot!
Leave them at home for your next bounce game and see how much you enjoy the game again.

Just a thought!

 

[Ethan]

I agree there is no need for both a GPS and a laser, but on the question of using a laser alone, I see no issue if you are half sensible with it.

If you are first to play, then you need to try and do the measuring reasonably briskly. I usually approach the ball with an idea what I think the club is, having already taken the wind into account, and then the laser yardage either confirms that idea or makes me change to one more or less. If you are not first to play, you can measure up while someone else is playing. Often, the player before you will only be 5 yards further away, so measure from where he is and deduct 5. You don't have to measure it to the last inch.

 

[MembersBounce]

I find that the Skydroid app works just fine. I know that you can't use them in comps though. I do like the idea of the Garmin watches because of the convenience of just having to glance at your wrist for the distance to the green. Might invest in one of those in the near future.

 

[MadAdey]

If you go out on the course with a Strokesaver, laser range finder and a GPS, you may look a bit of a tit.

I want a laser range finder rather than a GPS. How useful one can be was highlighted when we played the match against HDID at Kenilworth. Had a strokesaver and my smartphone GPS, but still managed to hit the ball through some of the fairways on doglegs. Cost me a few shots going into those trees.

In my opinion I think a laser range finder can be worth a few shots on a course you do not know and maybe a couple at your own track. First time visitors to my course would definitely save some shots if they had one.

 

[Steve In Spain]

I bought a Shotmiser last year and everyone laughed, but then suddenly they were asking me the distance to the green or to the hazard...my turn to laugh then.

Because of some inaccuracies of the Shotmiser, I bought the SkyCaddie SGXw and I sometimes take both out with me..the S/Miser is easier to read distances to the hazards and has Waypoints set. The S/Caddy is more accurate.

What I am saying is don't ever feel a dickhead for using one, they are there to help you and they are legal too.

 

[d2cko]

You got a laser, you are considering getting the garmin to use Alongside it! There are yardage markers on the course!

You're in danger of too much information and getting your head full of spaghetti!


With all due respect you're off 15 and if you just go by the approx yardages using the on course guides you'll get on better, or are you that good you need double confirmation of an exact distance for each shot!
Leave them at home for your next bounce game and see how much you enjoy the game again.

Just a thought!

Could not disagree with this guy more. For starters, why does it matter what his handicap is? Everybody has the right to improve and if a LRF helps him get pin high more often then he will definately improve.

Secondly, If you've ever played on a golf on a course then you should know that there can be 3-4 clubs between the front of the green and the back so having a LRF will allow you to establish the exact yardage to the flag without the need to pace up the fairway to the 150 markers and then guess where the flag is on the green.

A LRF can only make his life easier and trust me, he'll find he is pin high a lot more which means he'll be closer to the flag when he hits the greens and will probably have a shorter chip when he misses the green!

 

[Doon frae Troon]

Could not disagree with this guy more. For starters, why does it matter what his handicap is? Everybody has the right to improve and if a LRF helps him get pin high more often then he will definately improve.

Secondly, If you've ever played on a golf on a course then you should know that there can be 3-4 clubs between the front of the green and the back so having a LRF will allow you to establish the exact yardage to the flag without the need to pace up the fairway to the 150 markers and then guess where the flag is on the green.

A LRF can only make his life easier and trust me, he'll find he is pin high a lot more which means he'll be closer to the flag when he hits the greens and will probably have a shorter chip when he misses the green!

At the risk of sounding sensible,
I think a 15 handicap golfer will be unable to hit consistant distances to gain any advantage.
What is the point of knowing it is 173 yards 10 inches to the flag if you are incapable of hitting 10 shots of that distance within a 20 yard varience.
Only you will know this, perhaps it is because you are the worlds worst putter that you play off 15.

So to answer the OP's question......yes you probably will.
Wait until you get to a low handicap when the device may be helpful.

 

[Imurg]

At the risk of sounding sensible,
I think a 15 handicap golfer will be unable to hit consistant distances to gain any advantage.
What is the point of knowing it is 173 yards 10 inches to the flag if you are incapable of hitting 10 shots of that distance within a 20 yard varience.
Only you will know this, perhaps it is because you are the worlds worst putter that you play off 15.

So to answer the OP's question......yes you probably will.
Wait until you get to a low handicap when the device may be helpful.

Being able to hit the ball a certain distance or not is irrelevent.
What is the first thing you need to know about a shot?
How far you need to hit it.
If a Laser tells you it's 168 yards then, once you take into account all the other factors, you pull the club that'll hit the ball 168 yards.
You might not be able to but at least you know how far you do need to.
Handicap has little bearing on this. Are you saying that 28'ers should just pull a number out of thin air because they're not good enough to hit the yardage anyway..? Complete Pish.........
As has been said, there can be 3-4 clubs difference on some greens. Guess that the flag is front 1/4 when it's actually back 1/4 and you're 30 yards from the pin. Ok it's on the green but more often than not it's a 3 or even 4 putt from 90 feet.
There is so much rubbish spouted about GPS and Lasers......
They're just a means of measuring a distance but quicker than pacing and more accurate than guessing.

 

[Steve In Spain]

At the risk of sounding sensible,
I think a 15 handicap golfer will be unable to hit consistant distances to gain any advantage.
What is the point of knowing it is 173 yards 10 inches to the flag if you are incapable of hitting 10 shots of that distance within a 20 yard varience.
Only you will know this, perhaps it is because you are the worlds worst putter that you play off 15.

So to answer the OP's question......yes you probably will.
Wait until you get to a low handicap when the device may be helpful.

I actually think that a 15 handicapper CAN hit the ball a consistent distance, I know I could, even at 18 or 21. The problem is, they weren't always in the right direction, but with the aid of a GPS, at least I KNEW how far the green was and what club I would need to hit it in that direction. I think we all know how far we hit out clubs and say if I hit my 7 iron 130-135 yards and the middle of the green is 125, then I know - all things being equal, my 7 will reach that green, even if I don't quite catch it right, I will be on the front.

I also knew how far the lake was before the green and ergo knew what club I would need to make sure I didn't hit the lake when I needed to lay up.

I was using a GPS when I started playing a year or so ago off of 24 and it helped me then and it helps me now.

 

[golfdub]

that sounds so wrong hahaha

Lol

 

[Master-putter]

that sounds so wrong hahaha

haha, was waiting for someone to put that