At What Distance do Your Pull Our Your Range Finder?

[TapOut64]

I am a huge numbers guy and if a number can be applied to something, I want to know what it is.  Even in golf, I will pace off short chips as I have a 10 yard, 20 yard, and 30 yard shot whereas I take the club back a certain distance for each.  I have heard the comparison to basketball players that they do not know their exact distance to the basket, they just use their eye sight and adjust which I know a lot of golfers do as well when within a certain distance to the pin.  My question is, what is that distance for you?  I was at the range today and was hitting wayward  balls to a flag that I had no idea what it's exact distance was, I estimate that I was at times as close as 40 yards and as far away as 70 yards.  I was amazed at how accurate I was having not known the distance to the flag.  Temps me to not use my range finder within say 70 yards and go by look and feel.  What say you?

[Ty_Webb]

I would typically use my rangefinder from outside about 40 yards. Inside that I'll go by sight. I think the difference there is from say 60 yards, I'm generally expecting the ball to stop fairly close to where it lands. From 30 yards, I'm thinking more about where I want to land it to have it move the right way after that. That could be as close as 10 yards away or even potentially less if there is some interesting land between my ball and the hole. At that point it's more of a "I want to hit it to there" with there being close enough that the visual is good enough. From 60-70 yards, I'm trying to land it pretty much by the hole, so it matters quite a bit more how far away it is. If I'm not landing it by the hole I'm more thinking I want to fly it 5 yards short so it can bounce up or something like that.

[mdl]

I'm with @Ty_Webb at about 40 yards. I've got distances down for 4 positions for 4 wedges: waist, low-rib, chest, and shoulder (those are the feels for how far back I'm going, not totally accurate actual take back distances) for lob, sand, gap, and pitch. My "waist" high full pitch shot goes 38-40 yards. From there in I'm going totally by eye and feel for my 60˚ or my gap wedge, depending on whether I want a high shot or a low runner.

I find I hit better all the way out to 75 yards or so by kinda pretending I'm going by feel though. Like, I use my distances to get an idea of about how far back my backswing should go. But then in my mind I'm acting like I am from short range, where it's just see my landing spot, hit it to my landing spot.

[p1n9183]

I pull it out from outside 50 yards up to 250. Below 50 is all about feel and beyond 250 green is out of reach. I use the GPS to lay-up as close to the green as possible.    

[saevel25]

I use it on putts 😛 (joking). 

Probably greater than 50 yards. 

[Vinsk]

On 4/25/2024 at 5:08 PM, TapOut64 said:

Even in golf, I will pace off short chips

I’m that irritated player behind you….🥴

[billchao]

Like everyone else, about 40-50 yards is where I stop using it.

[StuM]

I'm usually using it from 75-150 yards since that is where my club selection is more where I'm really trying get close to the green.  Shorter shots are more "Eye" to decide if I want to fly it up with a wedge or run it up with an iron is more important than distance. 

I will say I laugh to myself when I see guys pull the laser out on the tee of a Par 4 and tell you the Pin is 335 yards or they are within spitting distance of the 300 yard marker on a Par 5 and they pull it out to find the pin.  I could see if checking distance to a hazard but unless you are much more talented that most of us you are not going for the pin from 300+ yards.

[bkuehn1952]

If the green is large, I might use my GPS to check the front or back edge when I THINK I am around 50 yards or so. Closer than that and I just go with my estimate.

Pacing off yardages of 10-30 yards won’t win you a lot of golf friends.

 

Edited Monday at 08:27 PM by bkuehn1952

[Elmer]

I never miss an opportunity to pull it out!!!!!

 

I dont have a range finder, but a GPS watch. I have made it part of my preshot routine to look at yardage at club selection. Then practice swing, then look again to adjust my shot.

[colin007]

Umm idk like 210 out?

[boogielicious]

2 hours ago, colin007 said:

Umm idk like 210 out?

[colin007]

46 minutes ago, boogielicious said:

Lol I know I'm in the minority here but yeah anything more than that I'm prolly laying up so I don't really need to know how far to thin smoke my 1 iron

[billchao]

23 minutes ago, colin007 said:

Lol I know I'm in the minority here but yeah anything more than that I'm prolly laying up so I don't really need to know how far to thin smoke my 1 iron

I use my rangefinder to determine where I want to lay up and what club to use.

[dennyjones]

36 minutes ago, billchao said:

I use my rangefinder to determine where I want to lay up and what club to use.

Does that include your putter?   🤣

[billchao]

28 minutes ago, dennyjones said:

Does that include your putter?   🤣

That wasn’t a lay up, it was an approach shot, and I made par FYI 😂

And it was outside of 50 yards, so yes 😃

[snapfade]

I dont have the need to whip out a range finder. I just look at my watch. 😃 Or, I can glance down at the Shot Scope. I'm not throwing darts. If anyone is curious, I sent the Shot Scope Watch back. 

[boogielicious]

6 hours ago, snapfade said:

If anyone is curious, I sent the Shot Scope Watch back.

Por que’?