What does it mean when rangefinders are "legal for tournament use?"

[svchiefs19]

there are numerous rangefinders that advertise that they are "legal for tournament use." what exactly does that mean? i dont see PGA pros carrying a rangefinder around during their tournaments. are they allowed to use them early in the week (monday-wednesday) when they play practice rounds? cause ive never seen one thursday-sunday during the actual tournament. so what exactly is implied when rangefinders are "legal for tournament use?"

[Mr3Putt]

there are numerous rangefinders that advertise that they are "legal for tournament use." what exactly does that mean? i dont see PGA pros carrying a rangefinder around during their tournaments. are they allowed to use them early in the week (monday-wednesday) when they play practice rounds?

Yes they are permitted for practice rounds ONLY at PGA events. I watched about 30 groups come down number 1 at Oakmont for the 07 US Open practice round. 29 of them were shooting everything they could with a laser.

Not a GPS Skycaddy type thing in sight. Why would that be? Anyway, if the local rule allows a measuring device in a tournament. The device must only provide distance and not make club suggestions or adjust the distance for slopes, temperature, altitude etc.. The ones that measure distance only are the ones that are LEGAL FOR TOURNAMENT USE. Again, only if the event permits their use.

[DogbertBH]

Not a GPS Skycaddy type thing in sight. Why would that be?

The SkyCaddie, etc. has a +/- margin of error. Regardless of how small that margin may be, they'll lose their job if they're a yard off and it costs their pro hundreds of thousands if not more.

Typically you'll see caddies go out in groups of three or so with laser range finders and use each other as targets. It's much too tricky to shoot at the front of a bunker, but it's easy to hit Jim with that laser. I think a lot of pros use their GPS in practice rounds when their caddie isn't there. Playing on their home course alone, etc.

[pittpanther]

i dont see PGA pros carrying a rangefinder around during their tournaments. are they allowed to use them early in the week (monday-wednesday) when they play practice rounds? cause ive never seen one thursday-sunday during the actual tournament.

Well, this was already answered - PGA pros do use rangefinders during their practice rounds, and write down everything they think they need to know. Plus they have a caddy with his own set of notes and experience.

Did you watch the USOpen? Even with all of this help, the pros STILL often get the distances wrong.

[shankapotamus]

Well, this was already answered - PGA pros do use rangefinders during their practice rounds, and write down everything they think they need to know. Plus they have a caddy with his own set of notes and experience.

I wouldn't say their distances were off, it's the conditions that screwed them.

[NotAStick]

Not a GPS Skycaddy type thing in sight. Why would that be?

Because you're trusting that some $12/hr Joe who's job it is to walk the courses didn't get lazy and take 4 paces onto the green before hitting "mark". Because you're trusting the public GPS system, which, depending on hardware, can be off by 5+ feet. Plus, you're limited by what yardages the company has marked. The cheapest Nikon laser finders are accurate to 0.5 yards and the higher end ones to several inches, and that's pretty constant... if the course cut the fairway a few yards wider this season, or one green got redesigned last fall, just after the SkyCaddie guy walked the course, then it's going to be allllll wrong. When a single shot can cost the median US salary, that makes a big diff.

[shortstop20]

The cheapest Nikon laser finders are accurate to 0.5 yards and the higher end ones to several inches, and that's pretty constant...

I found a rangefinder at Wal-Mart for like $20, don't remember the brand but I wonder if it's accuracy is around 0.5 yards as well. That would be fine for me. I'm not good enough for it to make a differnce, just looking for something cheap to judge distances sometimes.

[CG031]

I found a rangefinder at Wal-Mart for like $20, don't remember the brand but I wonder if it's accuracy is around 0.5 yards as well. That would be fine for me. I'm not good enough for it to make a differnce, just looking for something cheap to judge distances sometimes.

Where? I looked on the site and only saw the case which made me thought it was the real thing!

[svchiefs19]

I found a rangefinder at Wal-Mart for like $20, don't remember the brand but I wonder if it's accuracy is around 0.5 yards as well. That would be fine for me. I'm not good enough for it to make a differnce, just looking for something cheap to judge distances sometimes.

is it a laser rangefinder? i know that there are other forms of rangefinders that dont use lasers that are a lot cheaper.

[zeg]

With respect to why not to use GPS, I think it's gotta be the accuracy more than the maps. Otherwise you'd just get your caddy to go out and map the course the day before. The GPS would be a lot easier, lower risk of confusion about what target you're measuring, and it'd give you altitude information as well...

[shortstop20]

Where? I looked on the site and only saw the case which made me thought it was the real thing!

I saw it in person at my local Wal-Mart, right by all the other golf stuff.

is it a laser rangefinder? i know that there are other forms of rangefinders that dont use lasers that are a lot cheaper.

Can't say for sure.

[Fourputt]

I saw it in person at my local Wal-Mart, right by all the other golf stuff.

It is NOT a laser rangefinder. It's a useless piece of crap that depends on you knowing how tall the flagsticks are, depends on being able to see the entire flagstick, and depends on them all being the same height throughout the course. There is a scale that you see inside of the scope that you position the flagstick on then read the distance according to where it fits on the scale. Even if all of those conditions are met, those scopes are not very accurate. Better to put the $20 in a safe place to start saving toward a really useful tool.

[shortstop20]

Thanks for the info FourPutt.

[svchiefs19]

It is NOT a laser rangefinder. It's a useless piece of crap that depends on you knowing how tall the flagsticks are, depends on being able to see the entire flagstick, and depends on them all being the same height throughout the course. There is a scale that you see inside of the scope that you position the flagstick on then read the distance according to where it fits on the scale. Even if all of those conditions are met, those scopes are not very accurate.

thats what i was thinking it was, i just didnt quite know how to describe it