Poll on Range Finders

I use a range finder, also a GPS. I find the GPS to be accurate to about 3 yards to the middle of the green which is close enough for me. I use the range finder primarily to note exact distances to hazzards. Also I find it an easy way to see how far my drive went, by aiming back at the tee.

Although I'm a younger guy, I play old fashioned, in the sense that I like to gauge the distance on 2 things, what i "feel" it to be and the distance the markers say.  I've never had a need to use a GPS, rangefinder or anything.  And for the most part within 215yds, I'm within 5yds of predicting the right distance without looking at any markers, which is good enough for me for choosing my club.

I have one and use it often.  Much easier than looking for a sprinkler head or the marker and then pacing it off.  I know my course really well now, but still struggle with layup distances to the hazards.  With the Bushnell, it's no more guessing.

 

Most of the single digit guys at my club do not use range finders or even GPS!  For me, I need all the help I can get.

I do not have one and I could never justify the cost to myself. I am comfortable walking off distances or estimating based on where the markers are located. 

I have a Leupold GX-I and love it... I use it every round. The only way I'd get rid of it was if I upgraded to the GX-3i.

Bushnell v2 with slope, I have been playing over 25 years but now I wonder how I managed distaces before I had a laser. At first I just used the hell out of that thing even when I could tell the yardage by the course markers pretty easily, now I'm trying to use it less just for the sake of pace of play and also I don't want to lose the connection between seeing and feeling the right distance and club I need, I want to play in more tournaments this year and my laser isn't allowed even though the slope feature can be turned off so I want to get back to feeling the courses distances more than relying on technology.

I bought one some years ago and will never play without ever again. I ran out of battery once and felt like I was playing blind folded.

It it so much faster than pacing markers and looking at course guides (where such exist) all day. Not to mention that you can find the distance to any object on the course, not just on the approach shot. Higher handicap players might not have the need for one, as their distance can be inconsistent, but if you got the money and is somewhat serious about golf, I would highly recommend getting one.

+1 on the GX-1.  You can find them used on e-bay.  Definitely worth it.  

To anyone who is interested, they are all "rangefinders".  A golf GPS is a rangefinder.  A laser is a rangefinder.  That is what they do - they measure the distance or "range" from where you are to whatever the target is that you have in mind.  Some do it better than others.  I personally prefer a graphics based GPS.  My Garmin G5 will do virtually anything a laser will do, and it will do things that a laser can't do (like get accurate distance through trees and over hills when I can't see the target).  I used to have both a laser and GPS, but when I got the Garmin, I found that I didn't need the laser any more.  

 

So yes, I use a rangefinder, but I don't use a laser. 

My "range finder" is a SkyCaddie SGXw. I find it speeds up play not having to look for markers in the fairway. A few courses around here do not have anything on sprinkler heads. I can get distances to front, middle and back of the green at a glance. I can move my target on the display to give me yardages to hazards, corner of doglegs and layups and yardages to carry hazzards. It really makes playing a new course easier. It also allows me to keep my scorecard and stats like fairways hit and number of putts. When I get home I can upload my rounds to my account on SkyCaddie's website where I can view all my stats to see what I need to work on. The initial sticker price was a shock but after using it for 4 months I really feel it was a good investment.

I carry a Leupold GX-1 Laser and a U-Pro GPS.......I like having both.

I use the laser on virtually every hole, but the GPS is invaluable in determining layup or carry distances and also, when used in conjunction with the laser, tells me where the pin is on the green and relative to bunkers, water hazards, and even green contours....

I use both a Bushnell laser and a Golf Buddy GPS. 95% of the time I use the Bushnell at my home course but the GPS I use on course I'm not familiar with because it shows end of fairways, hazards, etc

I use a SkyCaddie 3.  It definitely speeds up play for me.  I have my range as soon as I walk up to my ball and am ready to hit.
 

i use my bushnell V2 whether for any shot under 250yds to  over 50yrds

Regardless of whether its gale force winds or a calm summers day, knowing my exact yardage really helps

 

I have used GPS on iPhone and it is fairly accurate within 1-2 yards after checking with laser

I prefer laser as you can shoot different objects on the course to work out carry ect

 

With the higher end GPS you can get the same information.  With one like my Garmin G5 you can set a target any where on the hole and get the distance to it.  Mine even shows trees and mounds, along with the hazards and bunkers,  so you can get accurate layups or carry over doglegs.  It has a touch screen and I can zoom in, set a target anywhere on the hole, and have the distance from me to the target and from the target to the hole - very useful for laying up to a specific club distance.  You can move the flag to any position on the green for accurate pin placement.  It also has no subscription fees.  Updates are free.

+1

 

I used to use the Golflogix app for my Iphone with good success. I prefer my Bushnell V2 because lasers display one number. As stupid as it sounds i prefer to see one number and think about one number while deciding on my club choice.

 

Either way a laser or GPS. Both are good, and can help lower scores while maintaining pace of play.

Bushnell V2 - from the very first day I used it my GIR and scores improved dramatically.  That first day was my first under 80 score of the season.