Which Rangefinder is best

[Philfest]

I am considering a new Range Finder ( I know a lot of players are against them), but I think it could be very handy.

Any experiences or opinions on this.....?

[shortgame85]

I use the Pinseeker 1500 without the slope feature. It is easy to use and very helpful. It has not transformed my game but it has made club selection easier and I don't have to hunt around for yardage markers. I chose the model without the slope feature because mine is sanctioned for tournament use, the one with slope is not. Also, I don't have to download programs or worry about going from course to course; it works the same everywhere. All in all, it has proven to be a very simple, useful device, if not indispensable.

[NM Golf]

I use a Bushnell Yardage Pro. It is not as powerful as the pinseekers but is much more compact, and is quite a bit cheaper. My father has a pinseeker and when we walk the course (which is most of the time) he leaves his in the locker and uses mine. Mine works very well out to about 225 from the flag and can give yardages on trees from 300+. It does everything I need it to and is as valuable to me as any of my clubs are. If you walk and carry your bag I would strongly urge you to take a look at it.

[Philfest]

Don deal... It's the P/S 1500 in the bag.

[pingman360]

dosent matter which one you get cause any bushnell is great but i like the PS1500 the best personally...

[shortgame85]

Don deal... It's the P/S 1500 in the bag.

Good for you. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoy mine.

[J.P.]

I use my Pinseeker 1500 no slope at practice too - getting to know how far my different wedges go - with different length backswings etc. . . How far a soft 7i goes versus a hard 7 etc . . .

Also use it's 7X magnification to scope out greens up closer before choosing exactly where to aim . . .


Love it! You will too!!!

[Guest]

I bought the Nikon Monarch 800 and love it. The Pinseaker is also a good unit but somewhat less versitile. I went with the Monarch becasue I also intend to use it for hunting and the Nikon is completely water and fog proof. The target priority aquisition mode can be easily changeed on the Monarch from far target (best for many hunting situations) to near target priority, which is obviously best for golf.

[hurley9192]

the Slope edition is a better choice if you don't play tournaments...it gives you yardage, plus elevation and adjusted yardage. Would be good for a beginner to get the idea of how much a difference downhill or uphill shots are affected.

[iacas]

the Slope edition is a better choice if you don't play tournaments...it gives you yardage, plus elevation and adjusted yardage. Would be good for a beginner to get the idea of how much a difference downhill or uphill shots are affected.

I think it's a waste of the extra $50. It's a guess what the "adjusted" yardage is and it's absolutely useless in tournaments, if you ever play them. Even if you just play a scramble someone will probably get upset with you if you have it.

[Matt P]

Erik,

Based on your reivew ( http://thesandtrap.com/equipment/acc..._wslope_review ) I thought you liked the slope version. Have you had a change of heart or is it simply b/c the slope version may not be accurate for different players?

[withdrew]

Erik,

Interesting

and for me the SG4 is the way to go!

[iacas]

Erik,

It's illegal and thus a waste of money. I didn't feel as though I commented much on the "slope" feature - everything else I reviewed is the same in the non-slope version. I called the slope feature "quite handy" and "somewhat accurate" but that's about it. If your ball flight is not a "standard" one - higher or lower than normal - you're out of luck.

And again, given the illegality of it (no such rule existed at the time of my review - it was just legal for handicap rounds and that sort of thing), it's not worth the extra $50. You'd literally need to buy a second without slope if you want to use it in a tournament.

[Matt P]

I agree about the prohibition of use in tournaments of the sloped version...in fact it is something I would take into consideration if and when I buy one, although I don't know how many tournaments I will ever play in, I am just picking the game back up (well for 2 summers now) after 10 year hiatus for shcool.

I also see people getting upset about them in scrambles with larger prizes on the line. Thanks for the insight...and keep the reviews coming, your guys analysis of the products is great and really helpful.

PS, keep you eye out for one with a dispersion mode to tell me how far my imminent fade to slice will go, I would buy that in a second, maybe it can even predict the winning lotto numbers.

[hurley9192]

For the price, the Tourney edition makes the most sense since it's legal and costs less. However, the slope edition would be a great scouting tool because you can track the slope on the range and get more accurate readings and take that to the course. It would be great for taking notes pre-tournament because there are subtle slopes on new courses that you may never realize.

[iacas]

For the price, the Tourney edition makes the most sense since it's legal and costs less. However, the slope edition would be a great scouting tool because you can track the slope on the range and get more accurate readings and take that to the course. It would be great for taking notes pre-tournament because there are subtle slopes on new courses that you may never realize.

I don't believe in judging any distance-related things on the range. Heck, I don't even judge trajectory based on the range. The balls are very much different than the ones I use on the course.

I disagree that the sloped version is worth an extra purchase. Very few people scout a golf course like you're suggesting - I'm far more likely to hit a few shots from a yardage to see if a shot plays longer or shorter if I'm confused. If you have an extra $50 to burn, will never use it in an actual competition (i.e. will limit its use only to practice/scouting rounds), and are close enough to the ideal trajectories built into the unit for the "adjusted" yardages to be somewhat accurate - if you meet all those criteria - then maybe the Slope version is a good purchase. But the people that meet those criteria are a very small minority.

[NXT No. 3's]

SG 4 here too. But only because where I work is affiliated with Sky Golf GPS so I got it for a discounted rate. God I love working for a marketing firm.

[DBake]

Anyone else have experience with the Yardage Pro, like NM commented on? Very interested in this model.