Are Rangefinders contributing to slow play?

[Pretzel]

A rangefinder is 10x faster than looking around for a yardage marker and trying to pace off your yardage from that. Rangefinders speed up play (in 99% of cases), not slow it down.

Edited December 5, 2017 by Pretzel

[Marty2019]

In my experience, slow play is caused by bad players- people hunting for their ball, or hitting too many shots before they reach the green, or blading their chip shot over the green, etc.   

Rangefinders are usually used by more serious players who play fewer shots, and better shots, and therefore play pretty quickly. 

I don't use a rangefinder; I use a GPS app on my cell phone.  The courses I have played have very obvious 150 markers, and when I am near one, I don't look at the app.  Where I need a yardage is inside the 150 marker.  I'm just no good at looking at the pin and looking back at the 150 marker and being able to tell if I am 90 yards away or 70 yards away. 

Edited December 5, 2017 by Marty2019

[Lihu]

I'm kind of amazed that 3 people answered it slows down play. Pace of play at their courses must be really good to have no time while waiting for people to finish putting. I expect that their rounds to be 2 hours or less?

[saevel25]

17 hours ago, Golfingdad said:

I occasionally use mine when I'm in the vicinity of 40-70 yards.  I have a reason - because I know that my "full swing" pitch shot goes 50-55 - but I will also admit to feeling a little silly and chuckling at myself as I'm doing it because it might look funny to some people.

For me, if it's a pitch shot then I tend not to laser the pin. If it's a distance wedge shot then I will shoot the pin.

 

[ghalfaire]

I believe that if rangefinder/GPS is used correctly they speed up play. Much faster than looking for range markers then stepping off yardage to your ball.

[Zeph]

I definitely play faster with a rangefinder. No need to check distances on the map on my way to the ball to start figuring out the distance. No need to search for yardage markers and walk out a somewhat accurate distance. No need to look for flag placements (if a course even got them).

As I walk to the ball, I look at the position and decide on where I want to hit the ball. If it's a new course or one I don't play a lot, I will look at the map while walking to get an impression of the green area and where the flag is. Once I reach my ball, I use the rangefinder to shoot the flag or some other useful object in the near vicinity. Once I got the distance, I either add or retract to the length if necessary and pick a club based on what I got.

Also very useful on tee shots and fairway shots where there is a lack of distances marked on the map.

Slow players contribute to slow play. Some probably get slower by using a rangefinder, but that's still very much because the player is slow, not because the rangefinder provides different options. Someone taking five minutes to decide on club and hit the ball with a rangefinder would probably not be much faster with a GPS or no gadget at all.

[rehmwa]

19 hours ago, Kalnoky said:

They had a little "three stooges" routine, impersonating a clown with a rangefinder wasting time.

this is the worst type of jerk on the golf course, sad that they have to try and boost their own little egos by putting down others.  the fact that they are ignorant about the topic but still do it makes them even worse

 

On a side note - I know people that think you are slow if you aren't constantly running up and waiting on every shot and every tee.  You do not impact pace of play if you 'keep up' with the group in front of you.  If you are just frantic and tense and pushing all the time and waiting 5 minutes on the tee box to hit, you are NOT faster than the guy that comes up to the tee box 5 minutes later and hits immediately.  You are just a jerk and might possibly have a little 'stooges' routine.

Edited December 5, 2017 by rehmwa

[cutchemist42]

Legit asking as I dont own one, but how quickly does it take to get a reading? Like do most people keep it in a pocket on their bag? 

So unzip pocket, pull out finder, take reading, and putting it back in pocket takes how long each time?

[iacas]

39 minutes ago, cutchemist42 said:

So unzip pocket, pull out finder, take reading, and putting it back in pocket takes how long each time?

I put mine in a cup-holder or something. No need to "unzip" anything.

Or some people are now putting them right on the column of the cart, with the Frogger Latch-It stuff.

It takes only a few seconds to get a reading.

[Pretzel]

57 minutes ago, cutchemist42 said:

Legit asking as I dont own one, but how quickly does it take to get a reading? Like do most people keep it in a pocket on their bag? 

So unzip pocket, pull out finder, take reading, and putting it back in pocket takes how long each time?

The pocket doesn't require zipping, at least on mine (which is the most common out there, Bushnell Tour v3). There's a little elastic strap that is secure enough to hold the rangefinder (hasn't dropped it in the 2-3 years I've had it, not once) but still takes only ~0.25 seconds to flip off and open up the case.

Pulling out the rangefinder itself is done before I even set the bag down in most cases, so the time that takes is moot. Assuming I set my bag down first, though, for a worst case scenario, we're looking at 1-2 seconds total to get the rangefinder ready to shoot. Once I have it up to my face it takes me maybe another 3-4 seconds to get my distance and any other distances I want to know (lip of a bunker, mound behind the green, etc.), followed by 2 more seconds to put it back and relatch it.

The whole operation, even if I do it the slow way and wait until I set my bag down to get a distance, takes me no longer than 10 seconds per shot. These 10 seconds are also usually spent while waiting for one of my playing partners to play, or while waiting for the group ahead to clear the green/fairway, meaning they add no time at all to the round and leave me better prepared for the shot to come (leading to fewer shots and less time!). 

At least for me, it's a sub-10 second operation. Others have different routines or levels of practice with it, but it's REALLY fast once you've used it for just a bit and have learned how to most efficiently shoot the flag (aim up at the flag itself, not the middle of the stick) and you know exactly what distances you want before you get to the ball (look and see what you'll want as you walk/ride up to the ball). 

I specifically just have mine clipped with that little carabiner to the same loop that holds an extra towell and my pouch for tees and ball marks. It's a simple solution that is quick and secure. If I'm riding in a cart, I just put mine in the cupholder of the cart (it's a perfect fit, actually) and then there's no little strap to undo, saving me a full second or so per shot (don't have to undo or redo the latch)!

Edited December 5, 2017 by Pretzel

[rehmwa]

cupholder on the cart.  grab it and zap the distance (even while I'm sitting in the cart) - zero time because this happens when others hit.

If I have to grab a few clubs and walk to the ball - I carry it with me, zap the distance, and lay it down with the clubs I didn't need. zero time again, pre-shot routines normally happen while others are hitting.  Breaking this all down is goofy.  Slow players play slow because they play slow.

The worst experience I ever had was when some butt-head left a cigarette butt in the cup holder and I couldn't figure out for a few holes why it STANK every time I took a range reading.  But that's not a rangefinder issue, that's a 'this is what happens with smokers' issue.

 

BTW - rangefinders also reduce cholesteral, improve musculature, and make your married life better.  They also reduce fat and clean your gutters, and walk the dog.

Edited December 5, 2017 by rehmwa

[saevel25]

1 hour ago, cutchemist42 said:

Legit asking as I dont own one, but how quickly does it take to get a reading? Like do most people keep it in a pocket on their bag? 

So unzip pocket, pull out finder, take reading, and putting it back in pocket takes how long each time?

If I am pushing a cart or carrying my clubs, then probably 5 seconds. Probably the same when riding in a cart, depending on where I end up placing it.

I keep it in one of the pockets just above the pocket for my golf balls. I typically keep it unzipped during round for easy access.

 

[sjduffers]

9 hours ago, cutchemist42 said:

Legit asking as I dont own one, but how quickly does it take to get a reading? Like do most people keep it in a pocket on their bag? 

So unzip pocket, pull out finder, take reading, and putting it back in pocket takes how long each time?

I keep mine in the accessory compartment of my push cart, right in front of me. It's already outta there by the time I stop walking at the side of my ball and out of its case (magnetic closing, no zipper) and against my eye. It takes a second to take a reading, more (like 3-4s) if I need more info, like a lip of a bunker or two, front of the green, etc.. Another second or 2 to put it back in its pouch and in the push cart compartment, while I think about the club I want and grab it in the next motion.  Really negligible amount of time vs. the time it actually saves.

If I am riding in a cart, I keep the rangefinder in a cup holder as many have said, and shoot my target right through the lowered windshield, and add or subtract a couple of yards as appropriate for the ball position relative to the cart. Easy, peasy. All done and put away in 3-4 seconds, at the most.

Like I said above, you have to have a good holding technique (think photographic gear) to register a correct reading quickly and it really helps to have an idea of the distance you are measuring within 10-15 yards ahead of time, so you don't erroneously target a tree behind the flag and add 20-30 yards to the real number. Most rangefinders have a feature that reacts to the reflectors found on flagstick and give a vibration, a flash, a noise, or a visual indicator in the viewfinder when the reflector was hit. That saves time too.

[Pretzel]

3 hours ago, sjduffers said:

Most rangefinders have a feature that reacts to the reflectors found on flagstick and give a vibration, a flash, a noise, or a visual indicator in the viewfinder when the reflector was hit. That saves time too.

It depends on the rangefinder what it triggers off of exactly. I'm pretty sure mine triggers a vibration if it finds a thin enough object, because it will trigger off of skinny trees for me (but not pines or thick cottonwoods). Others do the reflector though. To mitigate the problems with potentially shooting behind the target I usually shoot 3 times to make sure the number doesn't change between each measurement. If it stays the same each time I know I've generally hit the flagstick so long as my aim on all 3 wasn't terrible.

[Zeph]

I don't have a pin seeker, so hitting flags in windy conditions from 150-200 meters away is sometimes a bit of a struggle. Mostly since I have to keep it steady while it shoots.

[saevel25]

8 hours ago, sjduffers said:

Most rangefinders have a feature that reacts to the reflectors found on flagstick and give a vibration, a flash, a noise, or a visual indicator in the viewfinder when the reflector was hit. That saves time too.

Vibration will just drain the battery. I turn it off. The vibration doesn't necessarily confirm flag readings. It could register that you got a yardage. At least that is what mine did with my Bushnell Volt.

I do recommend getting a golf rangefinder and not a hunting rangefinder. I believe most golf rangefinders are designed to pick up a flag easier than with other rangefinders.

[iacas]

9 minutes ago, saevel25 said:

Vibration will just drain the battery. I turn it off. The vibration doesn't necessarily confirm flag readings. It could register that you got a yardage. At least that is what mine did with my Bushnell Volt.

I do recommend getting a golf rangefinder and not a hunting rangefinder. I believe most golf rangefinders are designed to pick up a flag easier than with other rangefinders.

All that Matt said, yeah.

My Leupold will beep when it gets a really strong signal, but that is almost always when it finds the prism on a flagstick.

[Fourputt]

2 hours ago, saevel25 said:

Vibration will just drain the battery. I turn it off. The vibration doesn't necessarily confirm flag readings. It could register that you got a yardage. At least that is what mine did with my Bushnell Volt.

I do recommend getting a golf rangefinder and not a hunting rangefinder. I believe most golf rangefinders are designed to pick up a flag easier than with other rangefinders.

From what I learned back when I first shopped for a laser was that they work under a couple of different algorithms.  The hunting type are designed to pick up a large object even when they have to cut through a little bit of foreground clutter, such as picking up a deer that is in the woods with some branches between you and it.  I had a non-golf Nikon first and it was tricky to hit the flagstick when there was no reflector, and back then very few courses had installed them.  The way it was programmed made it default to the background clutter, so hitting a flagstick could be difficult, especially from more than 150 yards.  I had to hold it steady on the stick for a couple of seconds to get a read, and still was often uncertain if I had the right object.

My next laser was the first Bushnell V-2 golf laser, and it was like night and day from the Nikon.  The V-2 laser is programmed to pick up and lock on the nearest object that it sweeps across, and since that nearest thing is usually the flagstick, that is a desirable feature in a golf rangefinder.  The V-2 did a great job of picking out the flagstick from a cluttered background.  I'd just press the button then sweep slowly across the flagstick and watch the numbers change.  Once I passed the closest object on my sweep, the numbers locked.  That was the flagstick 99% of the time.  I very rarely got a funky reading.  The best thing about it was that it didn't require me to hold on the flagstick, just sweeping across it was enough for a good reading.

At the time I had both the laser and a Garmin GPS.  I ended up preferring the GPS and gave the laser to my brother.  Used properly, the laser took minimally longer than my GPS, but if used during waiting times whenever possible, didn't add anything to the length of a round.

Edited December 6, 2017 by Fourputt