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Rangefinder

post #1 of 27
11/16/10 at 11:58pm
Thread Starter 
So, I'm starting to think that I might want to pick up a range finder as I am golfing more now and I think that this will help me... The problem is that I don't have too much money to spend on something like this so I'm trying to find one that will do a good job but not break the bank. I found this one on Amazon and was wondering if anybody had any experience with it.

http://www.amazon.com/PAR70-Jcs602-1.../dp/B002OT0M8A

For the record, I'm not really interested in getting a GPS for a few reasons... 1.) Many require some sort of subscription, which I don't want 2.) They aren't quite as accurate and don't do readings to the pin but rather the front, middle, and back 3.) I'd like to gauge distances to targets other than the flag (hazards) 4.) I'm not worried about distances to things I can't see.

So if anybody has experience with this particular rangefinder, I'd love to hear it or if you know of a good deal on a different one, please let me know.

Thanks in advance for the help.
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post #2 of 27
11/17/10 at 2:21am

Re: Rangefinder

If price is your #1 concern and u have antiphon or android or blackberry or windows phone, getting an app would be the cheapest.
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post #3 of 27
11/17/10 at 3:21am

Re: Rangefinder

Originally Posted by jgreen85 View Post
If price is your #1 concern and u have antiphon or android or blackberry or windows phone, getting an app would be the cheapest.
He already mentioned he didn't want a GPS. Also, you are assuming he has a smartphone with a GPS built in and some sort of data plan which is a subscription in itself. GPS on smartphones are I believe less accurate than standalone GPS units.

OP, I have never seen that model or heard of anyone using it. I'd say save a few more bucks and get one off of eBay or the classifieds. Think that's your best bet on saving some cash. Go with one of the big names like Bushnell, Callaway, and Leoupold.
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post #4 of 27
11/17/10 at 4:47am

Re: Rangefinder

Originally Posted by wrx_junki View Post
OP, I have never seen that model or heard of anyone using it. I'd say save a few more bucks and get one off of eBay or the classifieds. Think that's your best bet on saving some cash. Go with one of the big names like Bushnell, Callaway, and Leoupold.
Ditto all of that.
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post #5 of 27
11/17/10 at 5:03am

Re: Rangefinder

look for one w pinseeker as well
my buddy has one without, and its quite a bit tougher to use than mine
i just zap it and done - firing laser beams!! haha!

mine was cheap - found it online for $185 shipped brand new in the box
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post #6 of 27
11/17/10 at 4:24pm

Re: Rangefinder

Originally Posted by enis750 View Post
look for one w pinseeker as well
my buddy has one without, and its quite a bit tougher to use than mine
i just zap it and done - firing laser beams!! haha!

mine was cheap - found it online for $185 shipped brand new in the box
Pinseeker or the equivalent is essential, and it doesn't look like the one the OP linked to has it. Don't waste your money on a laser without that because you won't be happy with it. I did and then had to spend more to replace it with my Bushnell Tour V2.

Look at the Bushnell Medalist for a good rangefinder at a decent price. It's the lowest priced Bushnell model with Pinseeker.
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post #7 of 27
11/17/10 at 4:52pm

Re: Rangefinder

I got the exact same unit and are very happy with it. It do not have the pinseeker function so it require a static hand to use which I happen to have. As long as you know where to point then it is quiet easy to point, shoot and get the yardage. It also have a scan mode which you can look at the green and it give you all the yardage around it which it is helpful for me. Sure you can spend extra money to get all the other whistle and bells, but this one do the job for me which is get me the distant.
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post #8 of 27
11/17/10 at 7:17pm

Re: Rangefinder

Originally Posted by tristanhilton85 View Post
...For the record, I'm not really interested in getting a GPS for a few reasons...
Just FYI, some of your reasons aren't 100% valid:

1.) Many require some sort of subscription, which I don't want
True, but some don't. Callaway uPro for example.

2.) They aren't quite as accurate and don't do readings to the pin but rather the front, middle, and back
They are accurate to within a yard or two - seems like that's good enough for most purposes. And while it's true you can't get the distance exactly to the pin, if you can see the pin well enough to lase it you can see it well enough to get a pretty good idea of whether it's in the front, middle or back.

3.) I'd like to gauge distances to targets other than the flag (hazards)
GPS units will have hazard distances. (And some, like the uPro, have an actual picture so you can get a distance to *anything*.) And, note that it's not always that easy to lase distances to hazards. You need something vertical enough and wide enough to bounce the beam back - you can't just point it at a flat spot of ground.

4.) I'm not worried about distances to things I can't see.
Not trying to be a smartass here, but you probably should be.... I mean, if you care enough and/or are good enough for it to matter whether you have the distance exactly to the pin (laser) vs knowing within a couple yards (GPS), then you should probably care about what might exist in blind landing areas.

Anyway, just wanted to point out that a GPS might actually serve your needs as well or better than a laser. I know you're on a budget but I don't think the price difference is that great, particularly if you're buying used.
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post #9 of 27
11/17/10 at 8:05pm

Re: Rangefinder

ditto above post, i have a sonocaddie and it does evrything, really good bit of kit, cannot imagine not having one, also lasers need clear line of sight where gps helps from anywhere even those wayward shot! Plus are you that good that a yard or 2 makes a difference?
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post #10 of 27
11/17/10 at 8:18pm

Re: Rangefinder

Originally Posted by sacm3bill View Post
They are accurate to within a yard or two - seems like that's good enough for most purposes. And while it's true you can't get the distance exactly to the pin, if you can see the pin well enough to lase it you can see it well enough to get a pretty good idea of whether it's in the front, middle or back.
I know the courses I play on and I'm usually off by 3-5 yards when I have a GPS. They're rarely accurate to 1-2 yards on their own, and then you add in that you can't always see the bottom of the flagstick to know where in the green it's located and it's quite easy to get to 5 yards of error or more.

That 1-2 yards of accuracy (it's most often 2-3 for consumer GPS, IIRC) occurs twice, too: when the locations are mapped and when you're standing there trying to get a reading. Sometimes they'll cancel each other out, sometimes they'll double.

I prefer lasers, though, so take it for what it's worth.
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post #11 of 27
11/18/10 at 12:09am
Thread Starter 

Re: Rangefinder

Originally Posted by casperino101 View Post
ditto above post, i have a sonocaddie and it does evrything, really good bit of kit, cannot imagine not having one, also lasers need clear line of sight where gps helps from anywhere even those wayward shot! Plus are you that good that a yard or 2 makes a difference?
From my experience, its usually more than a yard or two off (more like five)... on top of that pin placements can be deceptive and it may not be so easy to tell if it is front, middle, or back. Add in the fact that there are other uses for a laser where as a gps is golf only. Anyways, like I said, I want a laser and not a gps; I've done my homework on the pros and cons of both and am 100% on that... all I'm trying to accomplish in this thread is to 1.) See if anybody had experience with the laser I linked to in the original post and 2.) See if others had certain models they could recommend at a good price.
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post #12 of 27
11/18/10 at 4:50am
Thread Starter 

Re: Rangefinder

Doing some hunting around on eBay again for rangefinders and came across this one, http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...ht_5990wt_1141. Looks like it could be good and it is pretty cheap compared to most. This one does have "pin sensor" so that shouldn't be an issue with it and his feedback seems really good. Is this worth a shot?
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post #13 of 27
11/18/10 at 5:48am

Re: Rangefinder

My older golf buddies have an issue with my Nikon laser due the trembling hands. However, at 46, I still have no problem with it - and it is accurate to one/half a yard. The most frustrating aspect of it is listening to their protests when I state a yardage and they question its accuracy...because some poorly marked sprinkler head reads otherwise.

I prefer it to the gps - I know pin position and exact distance to the flag.

Now, if I could get my fade to actually fly to the flag...anyone have an app for that?
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post #14 of 27
11/18/10 at 8:43am

Re: Rangefinder

sacm3bill , you are not 100% valid either. For example, GPS isn't always accurate to within a yard or two. Even if they were they'd only be accurate to within a yard or two from where you have to guess where the pin is. Larger greens will give you more of a margin for error on your guess. You won't always have a good idea where the pin is just because you can see it.

Anyways, the OP didn't post the question of "laser or GPS rangefinder?".

The best combination is yardage book and a laser rangefinder in my opinion. I personally have great experience with the Bushnell Tour V2 and it seems very popular with the competitive golfers in the area.
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post #15 of 27
11/18/10 at 3:10pm

Re: Rangefinder

Originally Posted by Old1964 View Post
My older golf buddies have an issue with my Nikon laser due the trembling hands. However, at 46, I still have no problem with it - and it is accurate to one/half a yard. The most frustrating aspect of it is listening to their protests when I state a yardage and they question its accuracy...because some poorly marked sprinkler head reads otherwise.

I prefer it to the gps - I know pin position and exact distance to the flag.

Now, if I could get my fade to actually fly to the flag...anyone have an app for that?
I'm about to turn 64, but I dont have any trouble shooting the flag with my V-2. You don't have to hold it on the target, just pass over it and Pinseeker locks on the nearest object it sees. Just be sure that you don't scan over anything that's closer than the flag (like a player up ahead, or a bag parked improperly in front of the green, etc.)
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post #16 of 27
11/18/10 at 7:33pm

Re: Rangefinder

Originally Posted by wrx_junki View Post
sacm3bill , you are not 100% valid either. For example, GPS isn't always accurate to within a yard or two. Even if they were they'd only be accurate to within a yard or two from where you have to guess where the pin is. Larger greens will give you more of a margin for error on your guess. You won't always have a good idea where the pin is just because you can see it.
Yes, others have pointed out their belief that GPS can be off by anywhere up to <gasp> 5 whole yards. Seriously, if that matters to you, fine. For the sake of discussion I'll grant you they can be off by that much, and that it matters to a 20 handicapper. I had other points in my post that I still think are valid.

Anyways, the OP didn't post the question of "laser or GPS rangefinder?".
I understand that, but as I explained in my first post there were some false premises the OP had (e.g. assuming hazards are easy to lase, assuming GPS units couldn't give you yardages to hazards, etc.), and I thought I'd point them out just to make sure he had all the facts, out of the goodness of my heart. Excuse me for living.

(Incidentally, with all this talk about needing to know exactly where the pin is, let me also mention that there have been threads where many folks (including low handicappers) have stated they get better scores when they play to the center of the green, instead of to the pin. Just some food for thought.)

OP, if you don't feel my comments were helpful at all then I apologize for the hijack.
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post #17 of 27
11/19/10 at 12:09am

Re: Rangefinder

+1 For the Bushnell Tour v2 I own one and it is great. Just my .02 Thanks.
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post #18 of 27
11/19/10 at 3:13am

Re: Rangefinder

I used a friends Bushnell Medalist the other day and it worked fine. It's $213 on Amazon with free ship. I've watched some on eBay and they don't seem to be selling for much less.
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