Watch or range finder?

[DaveP043]

I prefer a laser rangefinder to GPS.  I've seen just enough occasions where GPS was off by 6 or 8 yards to distrust them. I'm sure the technology is continually improving, but there's still a little doubt in my mind.  Like others have said, the laser can get you other distances beyond front middle back, but a full-featured GPS can do the same, where maybe the GPS watch can't.

[No Mulligans]

In case some aren't aware, some GPS watches give you a lot more than front, middle, back.  My watch has front middle back displayed as default and automatically advances to the next hole as you proceed through the course.  In addition, with the push of a button it toggles to a couple of screens with additional distances like (only applicable for current hole distances are shown):

So with all that info. from my GPS watch, when do I use my rangefinder? ... Very infrequently, but when I use it I'm close to the green trying to get specific distance to the flag.  I want to know if it's 20 yards or 30 yards for instance as with a chip or pitch that's a significant yardage difference for me.

[DaveP043]

5 minutes ago, No Mulligans said:

In case some aren't aware, some GPS watches give you a lot more than front, middle, back.  My watch has front middle back displayed as default and automatically advances to the next hole as you proceed through the course.  In addition, with the push of a button it toggles to a couple of screens with additional distances like (only applicable for current hole distances are shown):

That was a rather gentle way of letting me know how unaware I am about the capabilities of the GPS watches.  It still wouldn't be my choice, but its definitely a lot of information made available by one little device.

[drmevo]

18 minutes ago, No Mulligans said:

In case some aren't aware, some GPS watches give you a lot more than front, middle, back.  My watch has front middle back displayed as default and automatically advances to the next hole as you proceed through the course.  In addition, with the push of a button it toggles to a couple of screens with additional distances like (only applicable for current hole distances are shown):

So with all that info. from my GPS watch, when do I use my rangefinder? ... Very infrequently, but when I use it I'm close to the green trying to get specific distance to the flag.  I want to know if it's 20 yards or 30 yards for instance as with a chip or pitch that's a significant yardage difference for me.

That's cool it has all that info, but is it really easier scrolling through everything to get the distance you want and having to remember the codes than quickly shooting whatever it is you want with a laser?  

[No Mulligans]

3 minutes ago, drmevo said:

That's cool it has all that info, but is it really easier scrolling through everything to get the distance you want and having to remember the codes than quickly shooting whatever it is you want with a laser?  

Yes it is easier, much easier.  It's on your wrist, it's one or two button pushes for extra info, most of the time you don't need the extra info. as you just use distance to the green.

[Braivo]

On 10/3/2016 at 5:03 PM, No Mulligans said:

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).

I agree. I enjoy the simplicity of my Garmin watch. I rarely do anything more than just glance down at the yardage to center of green. I usually go for the center of the green anyway and the watch does not disrupt my rhythm at all. 

I like to keep things minimalist. The watch keeps things simple. I don't even use the other features like scoring, although I like the pedometer that tells me how far I walked and how long my round lasted. Good stuff. 

[Slowcelica]

The other thing that killed my watch for me was having to remember to charge it before every round, with my leupold range finder it just has a battery that has lasted over a year. Having to charge my gamegofl is enough for me.

[Braivo]

2 hours ago, Slowcelica said:

The other thing that killed my watch for me was having to remember to charge it before every round, with my leupold range finder it just has a battery that has lasted over a year. Having to charge my gamegofl is enough for me.

That is the one downfall to the watch, and it does not charge quickly. 

[newtogolf]

The watches have gotten much better but there is still a margin of error that gets compounded based on pin placement on a large green.  

Today we played a par 3 with a white flag (middle) that the watches said was 165 yards to the middle, when I used my rangefinder it reported 180 yards from tee box to flag, that's 1- 1.5 clubs difference and for many mid - high handicappers the difference between using a hybrid or iron off the tee.   

[Divotmaker77]

Have a Bushnell Rangefinder (with slope) and it is the best golf purchase I have ever made.  I have used the Garmin GPS in the past and ended up being a piece of garbage.  I now have Golfshot on my iPhone and use it to keep my scores and stats.  Will also use the GPS on it when I am figuring out a layup spot, but that is about it.

[Davie81]

On Monday, October 03, 2016 at 0:23 AM, 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.  

Thanks everyone. Any feedback on the Nikon Coolshot 20?

[dave s]

On 10/2/2016 at 8:30 PM, David in FL said:

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.

Ding!  Thread winner.

I'll add that the rangefinders, (I use a Bushnell) are invaluable when you get to 120 or so and closer.  You have the EXACT yardages to pins when the shot really counts.  Lucky for me, I have my short irons and wedges completely dialed in from practice USING my range finder.  I know exactly how far each club flies and rolls out on a green.

dave

[RussUK]

Im a little too tight fisted to buy a rangefinder so i use Freecaddie on my phone and never had any issues. If i have issues with that i then revert to Eyes V1.0 

[dennyjones]

I had the same question last year.   I bought a Leupold GX2i2.    I love it.   It works great and I can get distances to any object.   It's nice to get a distance to a tree on a dog leg hole. 

[Blackjack Don]

Got a used Garmin off eBay and it works fine. In fact, it works better than my Classic Game Golf, which I forget to tag all the time. Plus I can easily keep score and go to the next hole without even thinking about it. Not good enough to need accuracy, as my precision with clubs is "close enough is good enough."

[LarryEdwards]

I’m still new to the game and trying to figure out yardage is still an issue. I know most courses have bushes or markers, but sometimes I just don’t know where they are. What do y’all prefer, GPS watch or lase range finder?

[Shorty]

There are many conversations about this already. You can do a search.

[NM Bruce]

I'll just add that a rangefinder can also tell you if the group ahead of you is out of range.