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GPS vs Laser Rangefinder


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Originally Posted by par3forme Dude...why not just eyeball it? I mean that's how the old school greats did it right? I really mean no offense, but if it was good enough for Jack... I guess I am just a purest, but you don't get my kind of handicap using some fancy technology...you have to EARN it!!! PS, I really am not a 36 handicap I just put that there for the fun of it. I really never calculated my handicap cause I really never cared. I just like to play
I assume you are playing with hickory shafts? Technology in equipment progresses the game.

Two interesting stories related to this.

1) Hogan was once looking at an approach shot to a green and asked his caddy for the yardage. The caddy said "177 or 178". Hogan just stared at the guy for a minute and then said "well, which one". 2) I was watching an exhibition match in Louisville, Ky. back in 1972 between Arnie and Frank Beard. On the first hole Arnie had a short iron or wedge approach shot and hit it to the back of the green, 30 or so feet from the pin. I heard Arnie say to his caddie "I thought you said it was 125". The caddie said "it is 125" to which Arnie replied "it is 125 to my ball". dave

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  • 2 years later...

I'm in the market for a range finding device - would like your opinions on both schools, pro's & con's ... thanks !

John

Fav LT Quote ... "you can talk to a fade, but a hook won't listen"

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I was going to ask the very same question.  Ive been looking or a while and have used both.  I really feel that a GPS is better as im not bothered to a few yards and i cant be bothered to keep checking distances etc witht he range.

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Two different devices so it depends on what's more important to you.  If you want exact yardage to the flag or hazards for club selection then the rangefinder is best.  If you want overall course layout, fairly accurate yardage numbers and the ability to track your score electronically the gps is better.

If you play the same course very often I'd go with the rangefinder.  If you play a lot of different courses the gps.  Bushnell has a hybrid device that might be worth taking a look at too.

Joe Paradiso

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i have owned both a gps and rangefinder.

for me the gps was a waste of money and time! you have to rely on someone to make a good mapping of the course and most probably pay for it. also you wont know the real distance as you will get only to front,middle and back. you are also in the hands of the mapper on what hazards or distances you can get!

the only small advantage is if you do not have a line of sight. but i have never been in the postion where i can get a reasonably accurate distance by just walking a few meters to get the sight.

rangefinder will give you the exact distance to pin and ALL visable hazards and carries. since i got the rangefinder i find myself making a lot more birdies since i learned how far i hit my wedges. im pin high a lot more know then before.

the biggest advantage for the rangefinder is that there is no subscription, no loading maps and you can trust the reading.

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I've got a rangefinder and I love it.  A GPS might give you a bit more information for course management at an unfamiliar course, since you've got the bird's eye view.  Using a rangefinder in conjunction with the course map on the scorecard will give you almost the same information, though.  If you're playing a course you've already played, the rangefinder is definitely the better device.  It's more accurate, will measure to any visible location, such as a branch hanging low over the fairway (which might not appear on GPS), and cheaper since there is no subscription to pay for.  Plus you can use it at the driving range to verify yardages and more accurately measure the distances of your shots.  GPS can't help you there.

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Originally Posted by newtogolf

Two different devices so it depends on what's more important to you.  If you want exact yardage to the flag or hazards for club selection then the rangefinder is best.  If you want overall course layout, fairly accurate yardage numbers and the ability to track your score electronically the gps is better.

If you play the same course very often I'd go with the rangefinder.  If you play a lot of different courses the gps.  Bushnell has a hybrid device that might be worth taking a look at too.

I would agree with this, I happen to own both and prefer the GPS.  My rangefinder is a little older version but it was not easy to get an exact distance to the flag.  For instance, if the wind was behind you and the flag was not out you could not get a distance to the flag.  I happen to play on lot of hilly courses so line of sight was an issue.  Also, when trying to determine a lay up yardage, it was difficult to find anything to bounce the lazer off to give you an accurate reading.  Addidtionaly, distances to back, middle, front of green were not easy to get, unless you had a group in front of you that were standing on the green and you could bounce the lazer off of them.  I don't want this to seem like I'm bashing the lazer, it does give exact yardage and has a place, I have played on some courses that have a reflection device on the top of the flag stick and those work wonders, but not all course have them.

For me the GPS works better as all I have to do is look at the screen and go, personally I just find that easier.  I have the Skycaddie SG5, and have a carabiner that attaches to my bag and device so it makes using it easy.  Also I play on a lot of older golf course, greens might be 1000 sq ft or less in size, so anywhere on the green and you have a makable putt, I don't care where the flag stick is I just want middle of the green.  I get that distance with a GPS, and on really large greens I can move the "pin" to a move specific area to get distance, so there is flexibility.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying the lazer is not a good option, just saying it was not for me.

Craig 

Yeah, wanna make 14 dollars the hard way?

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I always vote for the rangefinder.  Nothing to load, nothing to charge (battery should last well over a year), no fees, and most importantly no guessing.  I play at courses with big greens and there can be a huge difference with a pin in the front area vs the back area.  If the green is elevated or if you just can't see the bottom of the flag, how would you know where to guess?  I would much rather have a circle to shoot for that is +/- 5 yards of the flag, than just +/- 5 yards to the center distance.

As Klund pointed out, it makes figuring out distances with clubs much easier.  I hit a lot more shots close due to the fact that I know how far I am out, and from experience, how far I hit each club.

I can count on one hand the times I could use a rangefinder due to line of sight.  Maybe that is just the courses I play at, but it is never an issue.

I will judge my rounds much more by the quality of my best shots than the acceptability of my worse ones.

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Others have well expressed the pros and cons of the GPS versus laser solutions, but let me suggest a different way of looking at it - which will more likely save you shots on the course?

I own both and have used them in lots of different situations, and find that the GPS probably saves me more strokes.  Why?  Because of the ability to use it when I don't have a line-of-sight to the target.     With a laser one gets an accurate distance and you can range other targets, but I don't feel my distance control is so perfect that a couple yards inaccuracy matters at all.   Also, when I'm in a position with unobstructed view to the target, the laser is just giving me info that I can generally get from other sources as well such as pacing off from a yardage marker.     The yardage the laser gives me in those situations is helpful, but I wouldn't call it a stroke saver.

However, where the GPS shines is those times when I've got a blind shot to a green after hitting an errant tee shot and don't have any other way to get a decent yardage, such as over a tree line or hill.    The laser is useless, and being well out of my fairway means there isn't any other decent way to get a good yardage.   Here is where the GPS really becomes a stroke saver, helping me save par or hold to bogey and prevent further damage.

To me, the equipment should be evaluated on whether or not it helps you score better and I've found time after time that the GPS saves me more strokes on the course.

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I do not own a Rangefinder but I've golfed with a buddy who has one.  I found that for me the rangefinder slowed my play down.  Maybe it was just me but it took me forever to hone in on targets to get the reading.  Not to mention getting the thing out of the protective pouch on every shot (it's too big to put into a pocket or hang on a belt loop for my taste).

I do own an Izzo Swami GPS.  I got it for free but would gladly pay the $89 + $9.99 subscription.  I have it mounted to my bag via velcro.  Nothing's better than pulling up to your ball, getting out of the cart, looking at the gps on my bag, knowing you need a 6i, pull your 6i and hit it. With the rangefinder I would need to get it out of the cupholder on the cart, take it out of the pouch, shoot it, put it back in the pouch, put it back in the cart cup holder, grab my 6 iron and hit.   Over the course of 18 holes, that pick up and put down time adds up.

Just something to consider.

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Depends on what brand and model rangefinder your friend had.  Leupold rangefinders are not much bigger than a GPS, and have a scan mode that makes it pretty quick and easy to get distances.

Originally Posted by erock9174

I do not own a Rangefinder but I've golfed with a buddy who has one.  I found that for me the rangefinder slowed my play down.  Maybe it was just me but it took me forever to hone in on targets to get the reading.  Not to mention getting the thing out of the protective pouch on every shot (it's too big to put into a pocket or hang on a belt loop for my taste).



Joe Paradiso

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  • 2 months later...

So I always considered these things as "cheating" and felt that a yardage book and sprinkler heads were the only real way to go.  I then moved to Dallas Texas where it is hotter than the face of the sun.  Played with a friend's GPS the other day and it was so convienient to know the exact yardage and not have to walk it off repeatedly in 104 degree heat!

Questions about these range finders.......

1.  I am tempted to get a Skycaddie because they claim someone has walked the courses and actually marks the longitude and latitude of the greens, traps, etc.  as opposed to the other's that use arial maps to estimate them.  For this feature, skycaddie charges a subscription fee.  Not sure it's worth it.  Anyone know????

2.  How do laser rangefinder's work?  I played with one years ago, but it required that you play a course with reflectors on the flags.  Is this no longer th case?  Do they work to find distances to traps, etc?

thanks.

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1) I have the Skycaddie SG5, and like it a lot.  There is a fee, $30 a year for courses in one state, $50 a year for all of the US.  Both are less than one green fee, so to me it's not a big deal.  I think the biggest down fall with the SG5 is you can only have 20 courses on the handset, so you have to download a course and sync it to you device.  A lot of the other GPS devices do not require that and I don't think the SGX does either.

2) I have one of the first generation Bushnell rangefinder, was not very found of it and basically only used it on Par 3.  While I could get a distance to the pin, it was difficult for me to get distance to the front of the green or back.  The new versions are much better than mine, but mine was hard to get the flag if there weren't reflective tops on the flag stick.

I prefer the GPS, but there is a little doubt as to how each company measures.  My brother has a Garmin G5 and when we stand side by side we never, and I mean never, get the same yardage.

Craig 

Yeah, wanna make 14 dollars the hard way?

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Have a sg5, previously had a sg3. When I first got these, I compared yardages with my laser and never was off more than a couple, three at most. I'm not good enough to shave/add 2 or 3 yards to a club, so the tolerances of the gps is fine for me.

I have a laser, but find the gps sitting on the handle of my push-cart easier/quicker to use so the laser sits at home. On rare occasions that I go to a driving range, I might take the laser if I remember it.

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The SGX is great the only con is that you need to pay a yearly membership fee. As for people walking the courses that is true. The break of the greens isn't as great as people think. Unless you are a tour pro, you will most likely not be consistently hitting greens never mind certain positions on the greens. As for lasers, the new ones are fantastic, the only thing is it takes a bit more time to look through the scope press the button and get the yardage. But it is great that the more pricey ones give slope. (the good) Lasers are a bit more expensive than gps' . The new lasers do not need the reflective surface to bounce back light, now you can point it at a tree and it still works. The Bushnell's are a good choice but pricey. I own a gps called OnPar, it is a full touchscreen and is water resistant. Its costs around $300 ,with no membership fees. The only thing about gps' they might not have the course you play on.

It is really up to personal preferance.

hope that helps!

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I have an SG5 and prefer a GPS over laser simply because I don't have the steadiest of hands.  A laser is also tough if you end up in the trees like I do.

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I have a Bushnell lazer & like it.     It's good for 250 yards out (which is all most of us need)  - longer than that & I cna't hold it steady.     I dig it - would buy another one.

John

Fav LT Quote ... "you can talk to a fade, but a hook won't listen"

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Another vote for the range finder vs GPS. My Bushnell will bounce off anything firm,so I can shoot bunkers, trees, 150 yd markers, etc. I like it cuz it point and shoot.

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