Best laser rangefinder

[mazza78]

Hi everyone. Been toying with idea of laser rangefinder and gps watch and decided for similar money a laser rangefinder would be best!!!! Problem I've got now is picking between; Nikon coolshot Bushnell Or any others people can suggest!!

[David in FL]

You won't go wrong with any from a top manufacturer. I use a Leupold and 2 of my buddies use Bushnells. All are accurate, easy to use, and about the same price. If you look for an older model, like my GX-1, you can probably find one at a bit of a discount. I'd recommend staying away from any models that compensate for slope. They're not allowed for tournament use even if the committee allows the use of distance measuring devices in the tournament. BTW, you're gonna LOVE having a rangefinder!

[Golfingdad]

You won't go wrong with any from a top manufacturer. I use a Leupold and 2 of my buddies use Bushnells. All are accurate, easy to use, and about the same price. If you look for an older model, like my GX-1, you can probably find one at a bit of a discount. I'd recommend staying away from any models that compensate for slope. They're not allowed for tournament use even if the committee allows the use of distance measuring devices in the tournament. BTW, you're gonna LOVE having a rangefinder!

Was gonna say the same, any Leupold or Bushnell is gonna be good, but avoid the slopey ones! (The even numbered Leupolds, for one). I have the same one as David and am very happy with it (check my review) and a friend has Bushnell v3 which he loves as well.

[smellysell]

What's the difference between the gx-1 and gx-1i?

[David in FL]

What's the difference between the gx-1 and gx-1i?

Newer version of the gx1. I don't know the specific differences. No slope and tournament legal

[CarlSpackler]

I've been shopping around. I didn't realize the ones with slope were banned for tournament use. I'm not a tournament golfer, but wondering if I should still shy away from the feature. It kinda had me .

[Golfingdad]

I've been shopping around. I didn't realize the ones with slope were banned for tournament use. I'm not a tournament golfer, but wondering if I should still shy away from the feature. It kinda had me .

Actually, there is a newer version of one of the Leupold's that has slope and is perfectly legal.  The original idea was that you take off the yellow plate and that disabled the slope function, but USGA said no-go because the slope function was still IN the unit, not in the plate.

So the newer version (not sure which one though, so be thorough in your research) has the actual function in the plate , such that when the plate is not attached, nothing at all to do with the slope function is part of the unit.

Seems like silly semantics, but that's how they got it to work.  I believe I learned that from @tristanhilton85 so I'll just page him to proofread my info.

[CarlSpackler]

I ordered up the Nikon Coolshot AS. I don't play tournaments, so it wasn't a huge deal for me.

[flopster]

I've been shopping around. I didn't realize the ones with slope were banned for tournament use. I'm not a tournament golfer, but wondering if I should still shy away from the feature. It kinda had me .

I own a bushnellv2 slope and it is a nice feature to have on hilly courses, if you don't have slopes more than 5* it's really kind of useless IMO.  I also own a Garmin S1 for tournament rounds, I know someone will probably chastise me but I turn off the feature for casual rounds even though it's not completely legit I know I'm not using it. The only time I'll use it is when it's a practice round that I'm hitting many shots over and want to make notes on the yardage book.

[tristanhilton85]

Actually, there is a newer version of one of the Leupold's that has slope and is perfectly legal.  The original idea was that you take off the yellow plate and that disabled the slope function, but USGA said no-go because the slope function was still IN the unit, not in the plate. So the newer version (not sure which one though, so be thorough in your research) has the actual function in the plate , such that when the plate is not attached, nothing at all to do with the slope function is part of the unit. Seems like silly semantics, but that's how they got it to work.  I believe I learned that from @tristanhilton85 so I'll just page him to proofread my info. :beer:

That would be the GX-4i2

[ElJay]

If you want a perfectly functional and compact model, pick up a used Bushnell Yardage Pro Tour on ebay for about $100.

I've had mine for 5 years, and it's still among the best golf purchases I've ever made.

[cristphoto]

I have the Bushnell S6 Jolt and it works great. Locks on pins real easy and is small enough to put in my pocket which is real convenient.

[Strandly]

I was just looking at these things on the Dick's website a couple hours ago.  I'd like to have one but wow.. $300 is gonna be a hard pill for me to swallow.

[whatwoodtigerdo]

I was just looking at these things on the Dick's website a couple hours ago.  I'd like to have one but wow.. $300 is gonna be a hard pill for me to swallow.

I agree. Most of them are so damn expensive. I could buy a new set of mid grade irons or a used set of higher grade irons for that price.

[CarlSpackler]

I agree. Most of them are so damn expensive. I could buy a new set of mid grade irons or a used set of higher grade irons for that price.

Bear in mind that most GPS units require a membership fee, so when you look at the cost of the GPS plus several years of membership, you are above the cost of a laser. When I was shopping, Dick's seemed to have the higher cost on comparable units. I ended up buying mine through Amazon. Here was a unit that was more bare bones and not terribly expensive. It had some good reviews, but I spent a little more for the Nikkon unit.

I used it for the first time yesterday BTW and liked it. It took some getting used to, especially where I had a blind shot. I kept my GPS app running for those situations.

[inthehole]

I"ve got over 300 rounds on a Bushnell lazer - been rock solid so far.   Its indispensible ... the few times I've forgotten it, I've tanked - I'm so used to knowing yardage - it's hard to search for sprinklers, yardage markers & guess.    Other than a putter, its the one piece of golf equipment I won't play without - so to the poster above hesitant to spend the $$, once you get used to it, it'll be worth every penny

[cristphoto]

I agree that a laser is a valuable piece of equipment. I have a friend that has a gps watch but after seeing how I can measure most any place on the course he asks me for yardages. The laser is simple to use and works on any course and doesn't require updates, downloads, etc. it isn't as convienient as a gps watch but is as convienient as a pcket model gps (my Bushnell Z6 Jolt is small enough to easily fit in my pocket).

[Motley01]

I recently purchased my very first laser rangefinder. The Laserlink White Magic. Golfsmith has them on sale right now for $129. Killer deal, well worth it.

I used it for the first time on Saturday, and it works great I love this thing.