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GPS vs Range Finder

SuperStroke
I own both and like both quite a bit. However I will say the GPS is faster to use while playing. Simply glance down and there it is.

I like my Rangefinder. Quite a bit. But my courses that I play have doglegs on almost every other hole making them quite hard to use. And those that say you do not need the distances if you cannot see it, have never played a few holes on my course where unless you want to play 7 iron off the tee, you need to go over the trees or around the trees. My Tour V2 does neither.
 
JB said:
I own both and like both quite a bit. However I will say the GPS is faster to use while playing. Simply glance down and there it is.

I like my Rangefinder. Quite a bit. But my courses that I play have doglegs on almost every other hole making them quite hard to use. And those that say you do not need the distances if you cannot see it, have never played a few holes on my course where unless you want to play 7 iron off the tee, you need to go over the trees or around the trees. My Tour V2 does neither.
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To be honest JB, when I'm playing a strange course I will usually not hit farther than I can see unless I have someone with me to serve as a guide. Yes, that will sometime add a stroke here and there, but not as many as the it does when I hit into ugly situations because I went for a blind shot. Even with the GPS I've gotten into trouble that way. :confused2:
 
Fourputt said:
Laser (with a Pinseeker feature)

1) You can measure accurately to anything you can see.... anything... tree, bush, mound, bunker lip, stream bank, driving range markers. You aren't limited to what the programmer thought was important.
2) Accuracy... to within +/- 1 yard to whatever you sight on.
3) No fees, no internet connection needed... it's always ready to go.
4) For me, one battery lasts an entire season.
5) The only real downside I've found to a laser is that you can't get a reading if you can't see the target, but that has almost never been a problem. I can usually still shoot something nearby, or take foreground and background sighting to get a safe layup distance, etc.
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I am a big supporter of a laser over GPS as well. Agree with all of these points and will add one more, the one that is most important to me.

6) There is no guessing. With a GPS all you get are the yardages to areas on the course that were programmed. What they can't program in is the pin position each day. So you end up guessing. A few of the courses I play have GPS in the carts and big greens. It is nice to see the front/middle/back yardage, but if it says 165 to the middle, where is the pin? Is it 7 yards behind, 10 yards in front? Don't know, I could mis-club by one if I guess. I pull out the rangefinder and know I am 171 to the flag so can at least attempt to hit that shot.

I know some have a cursor that you can move and get more accurate than just a front/middle/back yardage, but it is still a guess. If you have an elevated green that is 35 yards deep, how do you know where the pin is? With the rangefinder you can point at the flag and know the distance without a guess.
 
Some that are on carts are broken up into 8-12 quandrants. That is almost to the exact pin depending on the size of the green. With the cursor on mine I can get to the hole pretty close. WHen I am good enough to need the exact yard, I can see where that is a problem.

But I do not know anybody good enough to need the exact yard including a few pros here. BUt different strokes for different folks.

As for knowing where the flags are. Every course I play uses a marker on the stick or different flag colors to tell you where it is. Or they have it diagrammed with a sheet in carts.
 
JB said:
Some that are on carts are broken up into 8-12 quandrants. That is almost to the exact pin depending on the size of the green. With the cursor on mine I can get to the hole pretty close. WHen I am good enough to need the exact yard, I can see where that is a problem.

But I do not know anybody good enough to need the exact yard including a few pros here. BUt different strokes for different folks.

As for knowing where the flags are. Every course I play uses a marker on the stick or different flag colors to tell you where it is. Or they have it diagrammed with a sheet in carts.
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My course uses the colored flags, but sometimes I swear that the guy cutting the holes in the morning is either color blind, or he's an idiot. The last round I played, we had one on the 9th hole that was dead center in the middle of the green. It was a blue (meaning back, supposedly) flag and I was the only one who was below the hole because my laser gave an accurate reading despite the flag color. The other guys went by a SkyCaddy and they were all long by some 20 feet or more.

I won't try to change anyone's mind though. Personally I like having both available, for different reasons. Both units have their pros and cons, and since the GPS is marketed as more "cool", with all of the "neat" features, that is what will look attractive to most average players. The laser isn't cool enough... just looks like a pair of binoculars... where's the fun in that???
 
The only thing I am looking for in a newer model GPS (other than a color screen) is the ability to program driving range marker yardages into the device. Of course I can do the same thing with my laser right now. So I guess I need to rethink my actual needs.

As for yardages being off a few yards, I still have to think about the other things about the shot required before selecting my club. What the GPS says, and what the golfer might "feel" are two different things. Up hill, down hill targets. The type of lie I have. How's my club distance playing that particular day might be another issue. Am I hitting the ball longer or shorter than normal that day. Is the wind blowing, and from which direction. If the GPS tells me that the carry distance of a bunker, or water hazard is 50 yards, you can bet I am selecting a club, and swing for at least 60 yards.

GPS, and lasers are really nothing more than a "handy" starting point for the shot, and club selection at hand.
 
provisional said:
As for yardages being off a few yards, I still have to think about the other things about the shot required before selecting my club. What the GPS says, and what the golfer might "feel" are two different things. Up hill, down hill targets. The type of lie I have. How's my club distance playing that particular day might be another issue. Am I hitting the ball longer or shorter than normal that day. Is the wind blowing, and from which direction. If the GPS tells me that the carry distance of a bunker, or water hazard is 50 yards, you can bet I am selecting a club, and swing for at least 60 yards.

GPS, and lasers are really nothing more than a "handy" starting point for the shot, and club selection at hand.
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Good point. Anyone who uses any kind of rangefinder as a substitute for his brain is going to disappointed with the device, and the results. :banghead:
 
Fourputt said:
Good point. Anyone who uses any kind of rangefinder as a substitute for his brain is going to disappointed with the device, and the results. :banghead:
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Can also be used too often and become too dependant as a crutch!
 
provisional said:
GPS, and lasers are really nothing more than a "handy" starting point for the shot, and club selection at hand.
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Fourputt said:
Good point. Anyone who uses any kind of rangefinder as a substitute for his brain is going to disappointed with the device, and the results. :banghead:
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ProV - For the average golfer - I would agree with you. I'd also agree with Fourputt in terms of the average golfer. However, I don't agree as far as a low handicapper goes. I think a GPS and laser are the next step beyond the starting point. It's the tool that helps them make a shot even more precise. It's going to tell them if they're 73 or 72 out and at their level of play - that makes a huge difference.
 
Diane said:
ProV - For the average golfer - I would agree with you. I'd also agree with Fourputt in terms of the average golfer. However, I don't agree as far as a low handicapper goes. I think a GPS and laser are the next step beyond the starting point. It's the tool that helps them make a shot even more precise. It's going to tell them if they're 73 or 72 out and at their level of play - that makes a huge difference.
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It's still true for anyone, regardless of skill level. Golf is a game that is still more than 75% mental. All the rangefinder does is give you a reasonably accurate distance to an object or target. From that point it's still the player's brain that uses that information in conjunction with the factors of wind, elevation, lie, slope etc. to plan for a successful shot.

However.... there is a tendency for players to use the information garnered from a rangefinder as if it was some sort of magic potion. All you have to do is look at the distance, pull the club you hit that far, and you'll get a perfect result. No thought of the fact that that club only goes that far from a perfect lie with a perfect swing with no wind and no slope. This is one of the biggest dangers with an electronic rangefinder. The player depends on it to do things it isn't capable of doing. Even the illegal ones that do slope calculations and pick the club can't account for all of those factors. In a way they are even more damaging to a person's game, because the more the player thinks the unit can do, the less he is likely to think about himself.

And all of those factors apply, no matter how good or bad a player may be. Even for a high handicapper there is nothing more frustrating than to make a rare perfect swing and hit a perfect shot, yet come up in a bunker one club short because you were so focused on the GPS that you forgot the breeze in your face. :banghead:
 
Fourputt - Those people have no course management skills with or without a GPS or rangefinder. They're never going to be bothered to learn them.
 
I believe the game is 75% mental for experienced players. I do not believe it is 75% mental for everybody. Physical swing still plays a major role.

If you take money out of the equation, GPS and Rangefinders help everybody. Knowing your distance and calibrating your clubs is extremely important.
 
I appreciate the dialogue. Again, if you were to buy one which one and why?

Rangefinder Pro's
1. More accurate distances
2. No subscriptions (fees, upgrades)
3. Battery life is longer

Cons
1. Can't get accurate measurements with blind uphill or doglegs.

GPS
1. More features (fly-overs for u-pro), able to see blind hazards, scoring
2. Fancier technology

Cons to GPS
1. Less battery life
2. Not always exact measurements
3. Subscription fees for some

Any brands or models better than the other or recommended based on what you have, other than what JB mentioned earlier?
 
If i had to buy only one device right now. And I must buy one right now it would be the Bushnell XGC Tour GPS unit. It has everything someone would want. The Bushnell name behind it. The accuracy and speed is phenomenal and so much more. I have reviewed all kinds and bought all kinds. The Bushnell is my favorite.
 
I've never owned or used any kind of yardage device. If I ever did get one I'd like to know distances to hazards, how many yards to lay up or clear them, etc.

They seem kinda pricey though.
 
DefCon1 said:
I've never owned or used any kind of yardage device. If I ever did get one I'd like to know distances to hazards, how many yards to lay up or clear them, etc.

They seem kinda pricey though.
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They tell you all that :good:
 
Bushnell XPC Pro is not mac compatible.

Looks like I will buy the yardage books at the courses, hahaha.
 
calebt17 said:
Bushnell XPC Pro is not mac compatible.

Looks like I will buy the yardage books at the courses, hahaha.
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Are these available at most courses? I've noticed that bigger courses will have these (like country clubs and some private courses).
 
Oh ok, guess I should have checked Bushnell's website instead of some other golf comparison chart on the web stating it was pc only. Bushnell looks like a good route to go.


Yeah it depends on the course but some do have yardage books you can buy, I've seen them around in my area.
 
True but if, (and only if) that GPS device the lower handicappers are using are more accurate than most of GPS units available today. If, as you say the GPS units say 72 -73 yards to the target but is only be accurate to say 4 +/- yards, that 72-73 yards might be anywhere between 68, and 76 yards. The lower handicapper does not get enough credit for their mental game. Most low handicappers/scratch players I know don't need a range finder during a round of golf. They can look at the target, and in their own mind they know pretty much what the precise distance is. They have seen these distances so many times before, it's second nature to them. This brings up another question. What number constitutes a low handicapper? This is a good thread. :clapp:
Diane said:
ProV - For the average golfer - I would agree with you. I'd also agree with Fourputt in terms of the average golfer. However, I don't agree as far as a low handicapper goes. I think a GPS and laser are the next step beyond the starting point. It's the tool that helps them make a shot even more precise. It's going to tell them if they're 73 or 72 out and at their level of play - that makes a huge difference.
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For our magazine rankings we checked with so many fitters and professionals and the average came to low is 6 or less.
 
I believe for the majority of the GPS devices that charge a subscription fee, once you've downloaded a course you have it forever, so if you play a majority of your golf at a handful of local courses, within your 1-year subscription you can download all the courses you need, and then not renew your subscription until you need additional courses, if at all.

JB, please correct me if that is not accurate.
 
Cwill, Not all are like that. Many are, but not all. In fact I do not think my Skycaddie is like that.
 
Sky Golf (sky caddie) will make your unit unuseable from their end if you do not pay the annual fee. Don't know about the rest.
cwill said:
I believe for the majority of the GPS devices that charge a subscription fee, once you've downloaded a course you have it forever, so if you play a majority of your golf at a handful of local courses, within your 1-year subscription you can download all the courses you need, and then not renew your subscription until you need additional courses, if at all.

JB, please correct me if that is not accurate.
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