Say NO! to gps/yardage computers

[Fourputt]

"Based on the new Decision 14-3/.05, the USGA stated the high-tech devices would be permitted by Local Rule. That meant that golfers could use golf range finders in rounds counting for handicap tabulation,

And how many of us will ever actually play in a PGA Tour or high level USGA tournament? And then too, half of this argument is that the Tour doesn't need to use them in competition because they have the caddies to do all the research before the tournament starts. Their caddies are out with their lasers (never seen one use a GPS) during the practice days shooting every object that can possibly come into play and taking notes in their yardage books. All of the info that their players get is taken directly from a laser rangefinder so I find it a technical irrelevancy that they can't use one during the competition.

In my opinion, it would actually speed up play on Tour if they were forward thinking enough to allow the use of rangefinders. It would save the time spent paging through the book and picking out trees and such, then pacing off a dozen yards here or there.

[wolverine_man]

One thing I wish more courses would encourage would be no carts. I think walking is such an important aspect of the game and I try to walk every course I play.

I completely agree, except for those with physical handicaps and the elderly who have trouble walking due to joint and muscle problems. 99 percent of the people I see riding carts fall into two categories 1) they are obese and should be walking anyways; 2) they take a cart so they can bring a cooler chocked full of beer, because, apparently, the more you drink, the better you play. In addition, there are a lot of bad golfers that have no business on a cart. They criss-cross the course for each players shot, when it would do wonders for the pace of play if they were to simply walk to each of their respective shots. I do enough sitting all day at the office and I never ride a cart unless the course mandates it.

[alf174]

I used an app in my phone for yardages but found it distracting and of course it doesn't compensate for the windy track I usually play. So, I quit using it but have no problem with those that do; just don't spend a lot of time messing around with it.

[wolverine_man]

And how many of us will ever actually play in a PGA Tour or high level USGA tournament? And then too, half of this argument is that the Tour doesn't need to use them in competition because they have the caddies to do all the research before the tournament starts. Their caddies are out with their lasers (never seen one use a GPS) during the practice days shooting every object that can possibly come into play and taking notes in their yardage books. All of the info that their players get is taken directly from a laser rangefinder so I find it a technical irrelevancy that they can't use one during the competition.

Then use your your GPS and hit the shot! I would much rather spend the $300 on golf, but I suppose we are stimulating the economy equally.

[iacas]

I think the people who say GPS makes people slower haven't actually used one, or they seem to forget how long it takes to find a sprinkler head and pace off a yardage. Sure, it's maddening to watch someone stare at a screen for five or ten seconds, but no less so than to watch a guy pacing and looking around the golf course, seemingly aimlessly, while he hunts for sprinkler heads and guesses where the flag is on the green or how far over a bunker it is.

And interrupting the socialization? If anything my laser allows more time for socializing because it takes so much less time to get a yardage. Unless asking your buddies "Hey, where's the sprinkler head?" counts as socialization, I suppose...

[wolverine_man]

I never have trouble finding sprinkler heads. It helps when you're in the short grass. Even when in the rough, I can gauge the distance pretty well by looking looking at the 200 and 150 markers. I don't pace everything off.

[sp33d]

I have one, I dont use it unless I'm playing blind on a new course.

It's a tool, like a brush, divet tool, etc.

Golf is a game of tradition, its also a game of innovation and progress. If golf didnt evolve it would die. Do you think anybody in this day and age would use a poorly made iron head attached to a hickory shaft with nothing more than a leather shoe string for a grip?

Get a grip, any person playing pro golf has a "CADDY" you may have heard of them... they walk out yardages, walk greens, make detailed maps of the course. They tell the player what yardage they are hitting from, whens the last time you saw a player not ask for yardage? It our way of having a caddy with out paying some one 100k to walk courses for us, tell us carry distances, how far to the back of the green.

So I guess tour pros should also get rid of the caddy's because its unsporting, i mean after all their telling them yardage?

I'd also like to get rid of my groves, my super lite bag, my "highly" computer designed balls, clubs, shoes.

So go throw on your wool sport coat, derby hat and wool pants on a 90 degree day and have your some fun ol' chap! I'm sure it will be a bully day.

[Zeph]

Would have been interesting though to remove all yardage markers on a course you'd never played before and use the eyes only to measure and decide which club to use.

[chilly]

I agree, anyone playing the modern clubs available should not throw stones. I realize the argument is being made that club technology does not equal electronics, but I'd say it all just boils down to "spirit of the game" arguments.

I'm fairly good at judging distance, but I still like to have an accurate distance when I'm in an odd spot. If judging distance was truly an integral part of the game, why do we even have 100/150/200yd markers on courses? I don't see where walking off yardage to the 150 is essentially any different then a GPS? I've played with a couple guys that own GPS, and I really like them.

[goblue107501]

If judging distance was truly an integral part of the game, why do we even have 100/150/200yd markers on courses? I don't see where walking off yardage to the 150 is essentially any different then a GPS?

Excellent point. If someone wants to get rid GPS and lasers then I guess that we should just get rid of all yardage markers. As Fat Slice mentioned earlier, there is some guy with a laser marking the yardages that you see on the course.

[TheLauncher]

So go throw on your wool sport coat, derby hat and wool pants on a 90 degree day and have your some fun ol' chap! I'm sure it will be a bully day.

This is funny.

[mapa94]

You guys have it wrong. When I'm refering to new tech I'm not talking about clubs and balls, I'm talking about high tech yardage i phones, gps, etc. I'm more than happy with a ball that is longer and spins more. I know that it would create a discussion but I still say there is WAY MORE enjoyment looking at the pin and estimating the yardage with your eye, markers or not. Also from experience golfers with computer yardage gps spend TOO much time checking yardage and it actually slows down the pace of play. Why should the human eye be replaced by a machine!!

You are 100% wrong. GPS speeds up my pace of play dramatically. Before my GPS, I would spend minutes locating a sprinkler (which often had incorrect yardage), then pace off to my ball.

Now I have immediate yardage and choose the correct club in a fraction of the time. If your argument is that we should all "eyeball" our distances then you must be suggesting outlawing caddies so that pros and recreational golfers play the game the same way. If you like to eyeball your distances, good for you. I don't wear a watch and am pretty good at telling time based on the position of the Sun. I don't try to convert others, I just hate wearing a watch. Do what you like and let others do the same.

[denver_nuggs_15]

I get so tired of waiting for pokey, non-techy's to figure their yardage out....heh

I'll make a bet to anyone on here that at my "home course", I can get yardages to the pin just as quickly (and more accurate as well) as someone using a GPS. We'll check it with a laser to be sure. I don't think that GPS's take any (significant) amount of time longer than walking off yardage or using a laser. I contend that they all take about the same exact amount of time on average through a given round.

This has to be the silliest rationalization yet. Why guess when you don't have to???? On a hole where you can't see the surface of the green, estimating the hole location by guesswork is a pure crapshoot. Using your paced yardage all you get is a distance to the center of the green.... useful??? Certainly, if all you ever want to make on that hole is a par. I want to be more precise in my club selection, and thus give myself more opportunities for realistic birdie putts. You just keep guessing.... have fun with that.

If you're using a GPS, don't you have to guess where the pin is anyway? Unless you're using a laser (which isn't part of this discussion) you're going to have to guess.

If you're hitting a shot into a green where you really can't tell exactly where the pin is, wouldn't you want to take a look from a different angle to get a better idea where it actually is?

You are 100% wrong. GPS speeds up my pace of play dramatically. Before my GPS, I would spend minutes locating a sprinkler (which often had incorrect yardage), then pace off to my ball.

Here's what I think: I think you're extremely inefficient at finding yardage markers then. At my home course, I literally know every single yardage marker on the course. I realize that's not the case for everyone, but it's not that hard to make a point of passing a yardage marker as you walk to your ball. Most people that I've played with don't have a clue of how to get yardage effectively. They'll put down their bags and walk back to the yardage marker they passed walking to their ball.

If your argument is that we should all "eyeball" our distances then you must be suggesting outlawing caddies so that pros and recreational golfers play the game the same way.

My argument (I'm not sure about others') has been that we should all have to walk off our yardages. It would add one more thing that you'd have to be good at to hit a good shot. Now, many people rely on a GPS or laser to find the yardage. It takes away from the game for me. Let's all use a computer on the course that takes elevation change, temperature, wind, and humidity into account so we know exactly how far the shot is playing. We'd make the game so much easier because all we'd have to do think, "152, 7 iron." If you're bad at walking off yardages, just like if you're bad at figuring weather conditions and how they effect your shot, your game will suffer. And I really think that finding your own yardage based on accurate yardage markers is how the game was meant to be played.

[mapa94]

I'll make a bet to anyone on here that at my "home course", I can get yardages to the pin just as quickly (and more accurate as well) as someone using a GPS.

You probably can but that isn't my point. I have hundreds of golf courses to chose from in my area and I prefer not to play only one. The GPS helps me and many others find their yardages quickly, especially if they are unfamiliar with the course. If it isn't for you, that is ok. I happen to dislike searching for sprinklers on unfamiliar tracks to get yardages.

I CAN estimate by "eyeballing" distances or walking off sprinklers but why do you people give a rats a$$ how others find their yardages? Don't buy one if you don't like them or can't afford one or think it cheapens your experience or if you think it makes you less of a golfer. I don't have the talent or aspiration to take the game as seriously as some. If GPS, lasers, hybrids or ball retreivers provide some assistance to the average recreational golfer why do some people think it is taking something away from the game? Get over yourselves and use the equiment that you like as long as you are not cheating.

[enduro]

Golf played at the top levels doesn't involve much guesswork. The caddy has the course mapped out, including greens. They know exactly where every pin is every day. They know exact yardage, or as accurate as you need it to be, from everywhere.

When I golf I don't have a pro caddy. So I should be made to play the game with this luxury? A digital yardage device is an equalizer allowing the common-man golfer to play with the same knowledge as a wealthy club golfer or professional.

Why is this bad? Especially since I could just pace it off anyways.

[mapa94]

Golf played at the top levels doesn't involve much guesswork. The caddy has the course mapped out, including greens. They know exactly where every pin is every day. They know exact yardage, or as accurate as you need it to be, from everywhere.

Exactly...and GPS is easy to use and accurate enough for most recreational golfers.

[iacas]

IUnless you're using a laser (which isn't part of this discussion) you're going to have to guess.

I consider lasers "yardage computers" and thus part of this conversation.

[Doctorfro]

I have to say I'm a fencer on this one. Not long ago I railed against all the yardage technology. It really got me when a playing partner wanted to know the yardage on a 35 yard shot. I was like, "look at it and hit it! It's right in front of you!!" But after watching my son play tournament golf on courses that are marked horribly or their yardages are way off made me appreciate a laser range finder. I think a certain amount of Jethro Bodine "cyphering" should occur but with all the technology it does take away from that. What really gets me when an extremely high handicapper asks for the yardage when he's well over 200 yards from the pin, like he's going pinseeking. This guy can barely hit it 200 off a tee with a driver.

Good/bad? It can speed play in some instances so...guess it's good.