Game Golf vs. Rangefinder

[Fairway_CY]

Another vote for a rangefinder.  I got Game Golf in January, and I was using the Golfshot GPS app for distances.  I didn't have problems until I was playing in a tournament in early June.  I was just outside the 100 yard marker, but I knew the pin was back.  Golfshot was telling me I was 137 to the center of the green from where I was standing, which I knew was not right, and not even close.  Just eyeing the distance, I guessed it was about 120 to the back pin, so I hit my pitching wedge, which ended up being 10 yards too much.  That happened several other times throughout the round.

When I got home, I immediately started researching rangefinders.  I found a Nikon on sale for a really good price, and it had really good reviews.  When we got to Target, they didn't have that unit, so they gave me the next model up for the $199 price.  I've used it every round since then.  It's made a world of difference, especially on par 3s and shots from 120 and in, where I tend to be more precise (if a 17+ handicap can be called precise).

Game Golf is great for going back and looking at what your round looked like, but it doesn't factor poorly struck shots into the averages, and it takes quite a bit of work post-round to get data correct.  For example, it almost NEVER has me in bunkers when I'm in them.  It also counts a fairway as hit when the ball wasn't in the fairway, and no matter where I move it, sometimes it still tags as fairway, and there is no way to manually change that, which is frustrating.

So... my vote is rangefinder.

CY

[phillyk]

I voted for game golf and wedge and never explained myself the other day... Being a bogey-ish golfer, you are not going to be hitting to exact yardages consistently enough for a range finder to really matter.  Plus, if you know front/middle/back for the pin and have a general sprinkler head or 150yd stick or something, you can usually estimate to within 5yds most of the time unless you are far off the fairway.  For example, I use a range finder and my golfing buddy will ask the yardage but will take a guess first.  He's within 5yds 95% of the time because of using those markers.  Game golf will help with course management to some degree and having a wedge you can really trust and hit well makes a world of difference in short game (from spin to bounce etc.).

But, certainly having both in the future is a good choice!

[Golfingdad]

Voted rangefinder.  Very valuable tool.  GG is fun but I don't know how valuable it really has been.

[Dave2512]

Honestly the only thing I learned from GG is I was just as bad as I thought I was it was simply visual confirmation. Really didn't change what I needed to work on. Seems like a lot of people buy it then stop using it. I started following local guys thinking I could make some connections with guys that frequent the same courses I do. At first they posted a lot of rounds then just a few then none. Every time I edit and sign a round I look at it and think they all look the same. It's just kind of cool, could be a lot better as a stat tracker, but hasn't changed the way I approach the course.

[DustinB812]

I use the Bushnell Tour v3 without the slope option, and while the vibration feature is neat, it's also a bunch of hooey, it will "Lock" onto a pin that is actually a tree behind the green, It's a solid range finder, but I think a less expensive one would have been just as good.

Funny after the first few votes for the rangefinder I went ahead and purchased the V3.  Hopefully you just got a bad one and colin007 is right!

[colin007]

Funny after the first few votes for the rangefinder I went ahead and purchased the V3.  Hopefully you just got a bad one and colin007 is right!

You won't be disappointed. It's top of the line.

[DustinB812]

I look forward to getting it in so I can make my shot zones.  Loved LSW, so logical.