Do I need a rangefinder?

[CassinoNorth]

Just get a hunting range finder for $100. It won't have pin seeking but it'll find your yardages just fine and will save you $200.

[Colorado Golfer]

Do NOT buy a hunting rangefinder.  The electronics (programming) of a hunting rangefinder are opposite of what you want for a golf rangefinder.  The hunting rangefinder is programmed to ignore small objects and search for large objects so that it ignores branches, brush, etc. in order to 'see' the large object (game such as deer, etc.).  The golf rangefinder looks for the small objects (flag, pole, etc) and that's what it can return the range to.  It also sees large objects (such as hills, sides of sand traps, trees, etc.) and returns those ranges too.  So, you can use the golf rangefinder for distance to the flag as well as the hill behind the green, the sandtrap in front of the green, the tree at the bend in the fairway, etc.  A hunting rangerfinder may not see the flag, especially if there is no wind.

With regard to whether or not to buy a golf rangefinder - I bought one about three years ago and wouldn't be without it.  It saves me at least 3-5 strokes per round (18 holes).  I don't have a 'home' course.  I prefer to play different courses as much as possible and find it invaluable for both tee shots as well as approaches.  But, I also have a very good idea of how far I hit each club.  Shortly after I bought my rangefinder, my golfing buddy also got one.  He also knows his club distances and found knowing the distance to the green (from my rangefinder) was saving him 3-5 strokes per round.

With regard to brands – I bought the least expensive Nikon I could find (about $275) and he bought an inexpensive Bushnell (about $250).  My Nikon performs much better than his Bushnell.  I can ‘see’ the flag much better across all weather conditions (no wind, windy, whatever) than he can.  At close ranges (less than 160 yards) it really doesn’t matter, but at longer ranges it makes a difference.  It may not matter with more expensive units from each manufacturer, but it does seem to matter with the lower end units.

One last item – GPS versus rangefinders.  They both have their pluses and minuses.  Many of the GPS units (especially the better ones) require a subscription in order to keep their data (maps, distances, new courses, etc.) up to date.  A rangefinder just needs batteries.  But, a GPS can ‘see’ around hills and a rangefinder can't.  I opted for the rangefinder.  By the way, I worked on developing and supporting the GPS system and still decided to go with a rangefinder.  It is more accurate overall and actually has a small amount of magnification so you can see where you are hitting to better.

[CassinoNorth]

I stand corrected.

[schwei22]

I use a skycaddie and love it! The battery lasts about 5-6 rounds. The strange thing though is my best round ever,83, I shot at a course I never played without it. I think not using one made me think more and take my time but it really does help me.

[Deryck Griffith]

I purchased Golflogix and having the exact front, middle and back yardages helped my game by reinforcing confidence on a shot to the green.  It also sped up my round by eliminating the need to pace out yardages from sprinklers or the 150, 200, etc yards stakes.  All I have to do is pull up to my ball and boom, there is the yardage.

With a rangefinder, the same would apply.  Keep in mind that you don't only have to laser flags.  You can laser trees in the distance, sand traps, water, front of the green, people, whatever you want.  You can also easily laser stuff from other fairways vs. pacing out the distance from a sprinkler or yardage stake all the way on the hole that you were playing.

The point is, a rangefinder is much more versitile than ONLY flag lasering and for me, knowing how much room I have to "play with" yardage wise while course managing helps tremendously.

[BDMplayer910]

They are pricey, but worth it. Bushnell makes the best. I use a Garmin G5 because I was given it by a member. I love it, you are able to pinpoint yardages. I prefer the display ones, but Bushnell makes a damn good laser finder. I used the free apps on my Droid and did not like them, the battery is sucked up faster than you can snap hook one OB. If you use your phone though, put it on Airplane mode and leave your GPS on (or disable wireless communications). I was able to keep my phone fully charged alive for about 4 hours when I did that. If you got the cash go for it, if not, the phone apps will do just fine.

[ronbo25]

My take on rangefinders vs gps vs nothing at all -

Having either a rangefinder or gps is like having a microwave: No one needs a microwave, but once you've had one, you can't live without it.

I have had a rangefinder, a gps, and a gps app on a droid phone.  I prefer the rangefinder, I like to know the exact distance to objects (i.e. flags) rather to the middle, front or back of the green.  I don't think the gps on a mobile device is all that accurate, and as such i think the yardages on a mobile device are inconsistent (at least with my anrdoid phone).

[BDMplayer910]

Originally Posted by ronbo25

My take on rangefinders vs gps vs nothing at all -

Having either a rangefinder or gps is like having a microwave: No one needs a microwave, but once you've had one, you can't live without it.

I have had a rangefinder, a gps, and a gps app on a droid phone.  I prefer the rangefinder, I like to know the exact distance to objects (i.e. flags) rather to the middle, front or back of the green.  I don't think the gps on a mobile device is all that accurate, and as such i think the yardages on a mobile device are inconsistent (at least with my anrdoid phone).

Couldn't agree with you more. I really never fretted over distances too much before I started getting really serious. I was fine walking off distances and taking educated guesses at courses I was familiar with. However, once I used my Droid for distances, that all changed. I hated the phone apps because they killed my battery faster than I could play. I personally am not a big fan of rangefinders where you shoot your own distances, I always am shaky on the pins and am annoyed when branches or trees are in the way. Laser-Links are great, but useless at most muni's and resort courses.

I'm on a vacation now in Palm Springs, and when I played the other day I brought my Garmin G5 Approach with me, and forgot an extra set of batteries. My batteries were dead upon arrival, and it was the WORST round I've had in years. I still used my phone app, but I really missed distances to bunkers and hazards, etc. Once you have one, there is no other way to play, that's for sure.