Someone PLEASE explain Leupold's PinHunter

[Brooke]

At the Golf page of Leupold.com, click the PinHunter feature, just under Overview. You will see a view through the rangefinder. It moves back and forth slightly over the pin -- WITH NO YARDAGE READINGS UNTIL THE PIN IS LOCKED ON TO. This lack of readings says to me that this is not the usual scan mode, wherein the display would be constantly be reading out yardages - which is the result I get, meaning I have to be sure to catch the shortest reading to indicate the pin. Surely this isn't the vaunted PinHunter ??? Can anyone explain how to get my GX-3i to behave as in that demo?

[tristanhilton85]

Pinhunter is something that is always on on the Leupold Golf Rangefinders.  Basically what it does is give you the yardage to the closest item it picks up which is good when it comes to golf because you'll end up with the number to the pin and not the tree behind the green.  If you were to try to use a hunting range finder, it would be harder to pick up the pin as it usually will return the yardage on the larger item in its sight.  When I use mine, I press the power button with the "+" over the pin and I'll usually get the right reading... if there is a significant amount of crap behind the pin I'll press and hold the power button and scan the "+" back and forth over the pin, it'll usually pick up something in the background first and then I'll see the yardage drop down to whatever the pin is as I scan over it and pick it up.

Unless you have a model from a few years back, the Leupolds also have a feature where it will beep and lock on the prisms that some golf courses put on the pins so you know for a fact that you locked onto the pin.

Anyways, hope this helps out.

[iacas]

It won't behave as in that demo if you hold the thing down. It'll constantly read out numbers showing the closest thing it's found, so as you move across and "hit" the flag, it'll say "155" or something, and then the numbers will stop changing because everything else (the trees, etc.) behind the green are > 155.

[Brooke]

Thanks, both. So in the demo, I guess that the shooter was simply fortunate that he pressed the button directly over the flag? I like the unit, but really prefer the Bushnell here: when it recognized a flag, it tells you.

[iacas]

Originally Posted by Brooke

Thanks, both. So in the demo, I guess that the shooter was simply fortunate that he pressed the button directly over the flag?

I like the unit, but really prefer the Bushnell here: when it recognized a flag, it tells you.

No, the "demo" on the site isn't really a demo of how the unit actually works.

[boogielicious]

The Leupold will beep when it hits a reflective target.  If you aim it at a flag with a prism reflector, it will beep and lock on the distance.  If you aim it at a Speed Limit sign, it will beep.

If the course does not have reflectors on the flag stick, the scan method works best as Erik indicated.

[jeffwyman]

I just bought the gx 4i. My course has prisms on the flag sticks. How di I get the range finder to lock on to the prism? I press the button once and then press and hold it again to go into the scan mode. Only on occasion does it lock onto the pin and beep. What am I doing wrong?