Best range finder

[syedadilmahmood]

Hi folks, this is Adil, I am looking to find best golf range finders. 

Can you suggest some good one?

[dennyjones]

This year I bought a Leopold GX-2i2.   It has the option to turn off the slope feature and the view is very clear.   I find it to be very accurate.    Give it a look.    I debated between it and the Bushnell V3.  

[Shindig]

I bought a laser a year or so ago after losing - losing!- my Callaway uPro.

Now I can't see going back to GPS.

It's probably the only thing in my golf bag whose exact brand and model I don't know.  It's the same model used by @Golfingdad uses (a big part of my decision was his recommendation).

[Golfingdad]

28 minutes ago, Shindig said:

I bought a laser a year or so ago after losing - losing!- my Callaway uPro.

Now I can't see going back to GPS.

It's probably the only thing in my golf bag whose exact brand and model I don't know.  It's the same model used by @Golfingdad uses (a big part of my decision was his recommendation).

I don't think that was me - I use a Leupold.  But I haven't heard a negative review from anybody on any brand of laser.  They're all pretty good. :)

[DaveP043]

My wife and I both use Bushnells, and they're just fine.  I like the JOLT feature in my new one, but its not really a requirement.  I wouldn't pay the extra to get one that reads out in tenths of a yard, that seems excessive.

[Shindig]

40 minutes ago, Golfingdad said:

I don't think that was me - I use a Leupold.  But I haven't heard a negative review from anybody on any brand of laser.  They're all pretty good. :)

I do too.  GX-1 i^2.  Not sure why they have both "-1" and "i squared" on it (they're the same number), but there we go.

After losing my GPS last year around this time, I think you suggested I get this model, which I've been using since.  

[Golfingdad]

Just now, Shindig said:

I do too.  GX-1 i^2.  Not sure why they have both "-1" and "i squared" on it (they're the same number), but there we go.

After losing my GPS last year around this time, I think you suggested I get this model, which I've been using since.  

LOL ... I'm a dummy.  I read everything too fast.  I saw the callaway mentioned and then I skipped over the "don't" in the line "...whose exact brand and model I don't know..."

hashtageggonmyface

[amoline]

I have one from GolfBuddy. It's just the most basic one of the two they have. It seems to work very well - sometimes I have trouble just my own if I try to rangefind a pin and the flag isn't blowing or anything at all it can be difficult. So instead I rangefind to a tree nearby the green and guess from there. It's pretty obvious though if the green is 163 yards out or 391 depending on what I hit around the green.  

may or may not apply to your course though. They have an 'S' and non S version for slope. I know some brands have it in the same that you can turn off but again this is just basic so I got it without slope. It does have 3 modes though. 

I got mine at a discount but I think even without a discount the model is somewhere around $200. Gets the job done. 

[Vinny Cap]

I have a Bushnell V2 that I got a couple of years ago.  Still working great.  It has helped me over the years get pretty good at guessing the yardage.  I am usually within 5 yards with my guess.

You can shoot trees down the fairway to see how far OB is, you can shoot a bunker to see how far to fly it and the best feature.....

I can see how far the beer girl is!!!    Can't do that with a GPS unit!!!

The only thing about the slop edition units are they are not legal for competition.  Something to think about if you play in a lot of competitions.

Edited August 5, 2016 by Vinny Cap

[Kalnoky]

Another vote for Bushnell V2. They are pretty affordable on eBay now. I got a V2 Slope for $125. Works perfectly.

I mostly use mine on the range and practice greens to learn the yardages of my clubs, and for different shots, including for lag putts. It has really helped.

[DaveP043]

20 minutes ago, Vinny Cap said:

The only thing about the slop edition units are they are not legal for competition.  Something to think about if you play in a lot of competitions.

The wording of the USGA's suggested local rule has been changed.  As it now reads, you're allowed to use a distance-measuring device only to measure distances.  If you use it to measure anything else, you're in breach of the rules:

Quote

"(Specify as appropriate, e.g., In this competition, or For all play at this course, etc.), a player may obtain distance information by use of a distance-measuring device. If, during a stipulated round, a player uses a distance-measuring device to gauge or measure other conditions that might affect his play (e.g., elevation changes, wind speed, etc.), the player is in breach of Rule 14-3."

 

[Vinny Cap]

Thanks Dave.  I didn't know that but when I bought mine the rule was brought up so I got the regular unit.

[Shindig]

5 minutes ago, DaveP043 said:

The wording of the USGA's suggested local rule has been changed.  As it now reads, you're allowed to use a distance-measuring device only to measure distances.  If you use it to measure anything else, you're in breach of the rules:

So if I owned one that measures slope, I could use it in competition, as long as I only use the distance-measuring portion, not the other feature?  

[No Mulligans]

I have a Bushnell Jolt rangefinder, it works great.

I also have a Bushnell GPS watch.

I prefer a quick glance at my wrist on the GPS watch as opposed to grabbing the rangefinder, sighting the target, pushing the button, and reading the distance (not to mention the double or triple checking sometimes required when not sure it is catching the pin).  So, the rangefinder is on standby for when I play a course that is not loaded on the GPS watch, haven't found one yet though.

[DaveP043]

 

4 minutes ago, Shindig said:

So if I owned one that measures slope, I could use it in competition, as long as I only use the distance-measuring portion, not the other feature?  

That's the way the USGA's suggested local rule reads.  The OLD version of the rule was:

Quote

[Specify as appropriate, e.g., In this competition, or For all play at this course, etc.], a player may obtain distance information by using a device that measures distance only. If, during a stipulated round, a player uses a distance-measuring device that is designed to gauge or measure other conditions that might affect his play (e.g., gradient, wind speed, temperature, etc.), the player is in breach of Rule 14-3, for which the penalty is disqualification, regardless of whether any such additional function is actually used.”

So you can see that its no longer a breach to use a slope-enabled device like it used to be, its only a breach if you actually USE the slope feature.

[RFKFREAK]

I use a Leupold GX-3i2 Digital Golf Rangefinder.  I kind of wish I had gotten the 4i2 that measured slope, especially now that they USGA change the rule, but, oh well, what's done is done. 

[ZappyAd]

I bought a Nikon that was on special (I think it is coolshot 150 from memory). It is very basic but does the job and I have found it very useful.  If I was getting a new one I would probably want slope and some kind of pin seek.

I'd want slope because I think it would be useful to have solid numbers to help train my eyes to see the clubbing difference.  Pin seek because I have had a couple of shots where in retrospect I didn't laser the flag properly, hit the yardage and ended up in the bushes behind the green.

[70sSanO]

Best is tough to recommend, because to get there you'll need the highest magnification with the brightest viewfinder that also gives you slope.  There are tons of reviews online and if price isn't an issue, then get all the bells and whistles.

I recently bought a basic Lofthouse rangefinder and it works great for me.  It is around $160 with free shipping, but I can't say it is the best.

John