When inside 100 yds

[Gerald]

I usually either pace my way in from the 100 yard marker or just eyeball it based on that marker. If I'm within about 30 yards of the green and there's a bunker or elevated edge that must be cleared, I'll often walk up to the green and count paces on my way back, both to scout the landing area and to get a more accurate distance.

We are not very fond of handicappers 28.2 walking up to the green and back before taking a shot

[CalBoomer]

Outside 60 yards I use my range finder. At or inside 60 yards, I visualize a throw from home to 1st base (30 yards) and decided if I am 30, 45, or 60 yards out. No point in my cutting it finer than that.

[Jaywun]

Thanks everybody, I think I'm gonna just get in the habit of taking more time to figure my yardage. My green percentage from 100 is very good. It just hurts to follow up a great drive or 2nd on par 5 with a 20 yd shot when I needed 30yd. I think I also need to spend more time practicing these shots on the range.

[zeg]

We are not very fond of handicappers 28.2 walking up to the green and back before taking a shot

I thought I might get some ribbing for this. This is why I'll only do it for

[Jell0b0y]

I use my GPS up to about 40-50 yards then I pretty much go by feel after that. I am not great from 60 to 100 yards that why I still look at my distances.

[RandomRaiderTTU]

Where I practice, they have a bunch of different yard markers between 40-100 yards. Having practiced out there a bunch, my body associates how hard to swing with a number, so I have to know when I'm on the course.

I used a rangefinder until i'm inside 40 yards give or take. To me, I MUST know if it is 60 yards or 71...just the way I'm built i guess.

[ohiolefty]

The drop dead yardage for me is 90 yards. 95 is a full L-wedge, but I never hit it 95 unless the lie and conditions are perfect...so I go off 90. Inside of 90, I do feel. I practice and play enough that I know what an 85 yard LW feels like vs. a 75/65 etc. Also, I can pinch off trajectory with my LW to eliminate wind, all that stuff...

I think pacing off a yardage in a fairway is pretty odd. The only time I EVER pace off anything is on the tee box of a par 3. other than that, basic geometry and common sense will get you a long way, and will save you a lot of d*cking around and a lot of aggravation from the person behind you that's p*ssed because you're pacing yardages on an 82 yard shot like a tool or fiddling with some rangefinder that looks like you could use it to shoot mallards.

[WUTiger]

For pacing off yardage, I pace off about halfway to the flag, and then multiply distance by two. Also adjust for uphill or downhill shot.

Also, some courses do better job of marking yardages than others.

[zeg]

I think pacing off a yardage in a fairway is pretty odd. [...] the person behind you that's p*ssed because you're pacing yardages on an 82 yard shot like a tool

It's not a problem if you are walking and you do it right. I choose a path up the fairway so that I can just count steps from the 100 yard marker and then when I get to my ball I know where it is. Takes zero extra time.

[Leftygolfer]

If you can't use a range finder in less than 10 seconds you probably shouldn't be on the golf course. I lean on mine from inside of 100 yards and like knowing the yardage. I really find it quite funny for someone to knock on people who want to know the real yardage and not just "guess". Come on.

[wrx_junki]

Don't have a rangefinder but have been playing with someone who does and it is quite valuable at all yardages inside 200 yards.

At some angles to the hole it only seems to be 50-60 yards away but when checked with the rangefinder it's actually 80 yards.

[ohiolefty]

Math and common sense are helpful.

[tasker]

NO

Sorry, I disagree. I can walk to my ball with rangefinder in hand and be ready with club and distance by the time my playing partner has shot. I actually believe it has helped me play faster in the sub-100 yard range since I can ow have comfort in knowing the distance.

And as an aside, a few years ago I started to find my short distances were way off. So I spoke with my eye Doctor and she said it is not uncommon for the ability to properly perceive depth to have this issue - same with other depth judgment sports. So I got the rangefinder and did some experimenting in the sub 100 range. First I would guess, then I would laser and in about 90% of the cases, my guess was more than 25% too long and as I got to within 50 yards the difference was nearly 50%. So, while unscientific, I found that the ability for me to accurately guess yards was not sufficient. Markers are helpful but some of the courses I play don't seem to be that accurate as well. So Rangefinder for distance inside 100 yards is now automatic for me. And the proof is in the pudding - my sub-100 yard game is now much better all around and my scores, particularly the short components have fallen by about 25%.

[Chas]

If I really wanna know, rangefinder. Doesn't do me much good inside 100 though, so it's really about feel for me at the moment.

I need to spend time on the wedges, quantitatively. That and the putter is where the numbers are for me.

[Leftygolfer]

Math and common sense are helpful.

I must not have any then since I use a range finder from distances from 40 yards to 135. Mine is old and doesn't get flags past that and at that point I'm not accurate enough to care if it is 145 or 148.

[soloredd]

I use my GPS up until about 40 yards. I get the distance to middle of green (doesn't matter where pin is at this point) and then go by feel from there. Usually use my 50* unless the lie calls for something else. Then I pray I don't slow up on the through swing!

[Harmonious]

Since scoring from inside 100 yards is so important, I think anyone who relies solely on "feel" rather than actual yardage is missing a valuable piece of information. As a result, they may be leaving strokes out on the course. I know that I can't accurately eyeball the difference between a 70 yard shot from a 65 yard shot, and that 5 yard difference is the difference between a 20 foot putt and the 5 foot putt.

Many courses do not have yardage markers inside of 100 yards, so having a range finder/GPS for those distances is very helpful. Combining a good knowledge of how far you hit your partial wedge shots with an accurate distance makes it easier to get closer to the hole.

[Billy79]

Not consistent enough to really utilize the distance very well.