Watch or range finder?

[Davie81]

My skycaddie watch has died and I'm looking for a replacement device. What's people's thoughts on another watch or range finder? My watch just had front,middle and back yardages so is it worth spending the extra?

[newtogolf]

I use a watch and rangefinder, the watch gives you general yardage numbers so you know how far you are from the green on your 2nd shots and rangefinders can give you exact distance for approach shots.  

I'm not good enough to care if the flag is 100 yards or 105 yards but it helps me mentally to know the exact distance to the flag rather then estimate it based on the numbers the watch provides from front, middle and back of green.  

If I had to pick one, rangefinder.  

[Davie81]

4 minutes ago, newtogolf said:

I use a watch and rangefinder, the watch gives you general yardage numbers so you know how far you are from the green on your 2nd shots and rangefinders can give you exact distance for approach shots.  

I'm not good enough to care if the flag is 100 yards or 105 yards but it helps me mentally to know the exact distance to the flag rather then estimate it based on the numbers the watch provides from front, middle and back of green.  

If I had to pick one, rangefinder.  

Which watch or range finder would you recommend?

[TourSpoon]

I love my rangefinder. I can hit the flag and then get front or how much to cover a bunker. It is also very useful on new courses to catch distances to hazards, trees, etc.  It has helped me more than any club purchase for sure!  I have never used a watch, so I can't really offer much there. 

[newtogolf]

3 minutes ago, Davie81 said:

Which watch or range finder would you recommend?

I use the Garmin S4 and for rangefinders I use Leupold GX-4i2 and Bushnell Tour X

[David in FL]

There are several threads on this subject that you might also find interesting, but as someone who has owned both, it's not even close for me.  The rangefinder wins hands down.

[drmevo]

52 minutes ago, TourSpoon said:

I love my rangefinder. I can hit the flag and then get front or how much to cover a bunker. It is also very useful on new courses to catch distances to hazards, trees, etc.  It has helped me more than any club purchase for sure!  I have never used a watch, so I can't really offer much there. 

This.  You can shoot pretty much anything you need a distance for with a laser so to me it's a little more useful. Sometimes I just want to know how much fairway I have before the corner on a dog leg. I think it's definitely helped me drop a few strokes per round. 

[Brian W]

I played with my grandfather this summer and he uses a watch because he is getting a little older and he struggles holding it straight and using it with his glasses.  He attaches the watch to his golf bag so when he is picking out his club, he knows what to grab.

I have used the Bushnell Tour V3 for a year now and love it.  I have some experience with the watch and am very glad I got the product I did.  I think the rangefinder is going to cost more but for me, it is definitely worth it

[No Mulligans]

I started with a rangefinder (Bushnell Tour V3) and moved to a watch.  I like the convenience of being able to make a quick glance at my wrist to get distances.  Note that my watch gives me front, center, back, and distances to hazards and other distances like end of fairway.  But mostly I just use the first screen which is always on display which is front, center, back.  I like the flow of a round with minimal distractions/overhead.

 I'm not fond of 1) opening the case (which I admit is really easy) 2) bringing it to me eye, 3) pushing the button 4) sighting the target and holding down the button 5) putting the rangefinder back in the case... and then sometimes doing it all again to make sure I didn't bounce off something in the background.

For me there is no comparison, I use my watch.  The rangefinder is still attached to my bag and I use it once in a while when I'm trying to get the distance to something that my watch is not showing (on average less than once a round, as I think about it I can remember I didn't use it at all on my last two rounds).

[Degenerate GC]

22 hours ago, newtogolf said:

I use a watch and rangefinder, the watch gives you general yardage numbers so you know how far you are from the green on your 2nd shots and rangefinders can give you exact distance for approach shots.  

I'm not good enough to care if the flag is 100 yards or 105 yards but it helps me mentally to know the exact distance to the flag rather then estimate it based on the numbers the watch provides from front, middle and back of green.  

If I had to pick one, rangefinder.  

Same here.  I have a MS Band which I use for tracking fitness on the course, but generally happy with as a Golf buddy.  I also have a cheaper Nikon Rangefinder for exact distances.  I use the Band to check my front and back, and the Nikon to check my distance to pin placement.  Before I got the Nikon, I wasn't making the adjustments to club selection I am now -- which has really helped save a couple strokes.  Don't underestimate the value of both; I never wanted a RF before.  Now I use both regularly (or an app in place of the band when I forget it).

[chilepepper]

Id vote rangefinder, they even work at the practice range. At present though I'm using a GPS app on my phone. More info than a watch as fast as a rangefinder but probably slightly less accurate. The apps are cheaper or free

[Groucho Valentine]

Range finder for me. I cant use those things in tournaments so its a unnecessary expense. Ive been using a Leupold GX model for years and it still works good. 

[TN94z]

I previously had a skycaddie (not the watch, but the handheld) and I decided to go with a range finder this time. Best decision hands down! It's nice, like mentioned above, being able to shoot different targets to get various distances. I also like the fact that I can shoot the poles at the driving ranges to know the distances for practice. They have colored poles and a plaque indicating the distances, but they change so much by moving the teeing area around that I prefer using the range finder. I originally purchased the range finder for my boy to use in his high school matches, but I love the thing. I'm not a big watch guy anyway.

[bkuehn1952]

If you are kind of lazy and do not have a precision game, which is my situation, then a GPS works.  One glance and you are good to go.  A laser rangefinder gives superior information but as some have said and as I have observed, using the laser takes a bit more effort.

I have used a Garmin G3 (older handheld device) for several years.

[Slowcelica]

I've had a watch and sold it to get a range finder, I would go range finder. Because with the cheaper models are not much more, and you can find the distance to anything on the course pretty much, with a watch you dont have that option.

[dennyjones]

I have the newer Leupold GX-2i2.   It has an option to use slope or turn it off within the rangefinder.   It becomes a good learning tool in practice and can be used in tournaments.   I can use it to target something not on the normal cell phone app or watch.  

Whether it be a Leupold or some other, I highly recommend a rangefinder.  

[Jameson]

I use a watch, easier for use and enough for me (and it´s faster which is important these days when we are trying to avoid horrible 5,5 hours matches). I don´t have level yet to use a range finder... By the way, and I don't want to bother no one, when I see a guy using a range finder, and then hitting an ugly shank, I laugh. It doesn´t make sense in my humble opinion.. I mean, it´s just reserved for really good players. Maybe if I were a single digit player, I would buy one. But again, if you are 30 handicapper, and want a range finder, go for it!

[imsys0042]

I have a rangefinder and a voice caddy.   In general when the greens are weird shapes and I don't feel that front/middle/back tells me enough I use the range finder.   Otherwise I feel that center of the green tells me enough on many courses.   Voice Caddy is pretty much the same information as a GPS watch.   I happen to already wear a watch on both wrists, so I don't have room for a third.