RangeFinder VS GPS Units:

I thought this might be a topic to talk about. With all of the latest technology available to calculate yardages for your approach shot to the pin/flag/green, what is your preferred method? (EX: Course yardage book, SKY Golf Caddie, I-GOLF, Garmin GolfLogix, Laser Bushnell, Golf Scope, Digital Scope or GPS mounted golf cart units)

Well I have tried the SkyCaddie and I currently am using a Callaway Laser rangefinder. I’ll start with the SkyCaddie…

SkyCaddie: It’s great…when it works. Some of the pros are it’s ability to give distances to hazards of all types and what distance to clear them. It also can give you a rough outline of the green which is great for courses with which you are not familiar. You also don’t need LOS (line of sight) to get proper distances…great for hard doglegs. Nice…but then there’s the flipside. For the purpose of this, I will be talking only about the handheld units and not the fancier ones used on the carts at some clubs. I’ve noticed that there’s not a huge difference in the yardage given between the unit and the course yardage markers which are usually lasered. Most of the time. But every now and then, there’s up to a 10-yard difference. I guess it just depends. There’s also the issue of weather. Cloudy days will play havoc with the GPS. Too much cloud cover and you’ll wish you had a different yardage finder. Then there’s the most important issue of them all. Course info. Unlike a laser, GPS units need to have the course info fed into it before it can be used. This is fine as long as the course has been properly marked by the company providing the GPS unit. Get a local muni and you might find course info as bleak as the Tad’s chances of winning a major.

Callaway Laser: I’ve found this to be much more useful than the SkyCaddie. It’s more accurate and much less hassle. The only problem I have found is that it’s tough to hone in on the pin. The unit compensates for this by allowing for continuous rangefinding. So you can aim at the pin and just take the lesser of the distances. The only time it’s not great is when you don’t have LOS to the pin. But if you can’t see the pin, should you be going for it? Pros..sure. The rest of us…probably not.

Just my 2 pennies…

Definitely get the Rangefinder. I have the Bushnell range finder and it works great – can’t imagine playing golf without it. It probably saves me at least 1 stroke a round, plus I’m really nailing down my iron distances.

The SkyCaddies have one major flaw, in my opinion. The Department of Defense limits the accuracy of civilian GPS units for national security reasons. Hence, there is a 3 yard +/- error/accuracy variation they place on all personal GPS units. Therefore, there’s a possibility that the unit can be 3 yards off at the ball position and 3 yards off at the pin location. That means the unit can be up to 6 yards off at any given time. Now, the average golfer isn’t going to notice 6 yards, but why get a GPS unit when the lasers are accurate within 1 yard from 600 yards? It’s a clear choice for me…

Definitely get the Rangefinder. I have a bushnell pinseeker 1500 (with slope calc) and it’s incredible. I couldn’t imagine playing without it now. It’s light, extremely durable (trust me), and easy to use. I’ve played with other folks using the GPS and liked it also, just find the rangefinder easier to use. You don’t have to download course info prior to playing, just whip it out and you’re good to go.

Yeah, I’ve dropped my Rangefinder several times and it still works like a charm.

Just a note of warning. The Bushnell Pinseeker (with slope) cannot be used in tournaments. However, the normal pinseeker without slope can be used in most tournaments according to last years new USGA rule.