Why Golfers Need Rangefinders

The recent Bushnell golf Rangefinder commercial with the slow motion shot of Sergio Garcia hitting a tee shot over water while a Bushnell Rangefinder reticle is targeting the flag, sand trap, and the wooden water embankment in front of the hole is great. It’s a great commercial because it’s about time Bushnell started getting high profile golfers to promote golf equipment that actually help golfers lower their scores. While Titleist, TaylorMade, and the other golf club manufacturers focus on promoting the latest drivers, putters, and gimmicky clubs; rarely does a new club or new putter actually help an average golfer lower his or her score like a rangefinder can. This article lists 3 great reasons why the average golfer (handi-cap of 8 or higher) should always have a good rangefinder in the bag.

Good rangefinders are relatively inexpensive. I say relatively inexpensive because $200 to $400 may seem like a lot of money to spend on another golf gadget. Consider this: most golfers change drivers every three years, and buy new sets of irons every seven years. A $299 Bushnell Pinseeker Rangefinder should hold up for ten years. And for ten years, you get the benefit of accurate distance measurements to flags and other objects on golf courses that will help you play golf holes more intelligently. New drivers can run you anywhere from $200 to $500, while a new set of irons cost anywhere from $400 to $1500. If you do the math, these costs add up and make rangefinders a relatively inexpensive investment over the course of a ten year span. And remember that without a good golf swing, golfing intuition, and hand-eye coordination, those expensive hi-tech clubs won’t help you any more than a Spaulding starter set that goes for $199.

Golf Rangefinders can absolutely lower your score. Average golfers don’t have caddies. USGA rules also do not allow Rangefinders and other electronic measurement devices to be utilized during official tournament play. Sergio’s caddy, however, is allowed to walk the course each morning and pace off distances from the tees to anywhere he wants to and then write them all down. Caddies even use rangefinders to record these distances to save time while they are preparing for an event. By the time a PGA tour event starts, every golfer’s caddy has all distance measurements needed so that both he and the golfer are extremely prepared. In reality, Sergio Garcia wouldn’t even need a rangefinder if they were allowed. The rest of the golfing world (us) barely has time to squeeze in a round or two each week, and if we do-the only preparation we may have time for is studying the scorecard that includes tee yardages and distance measurements to holes, hazards, and dog legs. When we begin play, we rely on yardage markers. When you’re in between markers, however, a rangefinder will give you the exact yardage measurement so that you are not guessing between an 8 iron and 9 iron. It is these precise moments in a golf round where golf rangefinders can make the difference between coming up short and blasting it over the green. These area also the moments that that pars become bogeys, bogeys become double bogeys, etc.

Golf Rangefinders ARE allowed. USGA Rule 14-3 stipulates that under local rules, scores can be posted for rounds played while using a device that measures only distance; but NOT wind speed or ground slope. Take advantage of the rules. Golfing is both beautiful and unique in that imposes character on players by forcing them to be honest by adding penalty strokes and to not improve bad lies, etc. In this case, USGA rules recognize the difficulty that average golfers may have in measuring distances by allowing such instruments to assist them during a round. If the USGA says you are allowed to use golf rangefinders, you should use them. Putting it another way, if your ball ends up in casual water, would you NOT move it to drier ground? Of course not, because everyone knows that USGA rules allow you a free drop to dry ground provided your ball is no closer to hole. Knowing the rules and using them to your advantage is an integral part of golf.

Finally, good golf rangefinders really do work. They accurately range flags, trees, and other targets from up to 1,000 yards away; and to within +/- 1 yard of your targeted objects. They are also easy to use and are small enough to be kept in your pocket. I recommend trying the Bushnell Golf Medalist or the Bushnell Tour V2. Leupold’s Gx-1 and Gx-2 models have also received very good reviews by golfers. For a step up in price and performance, the Bushnell 1500 Pinseeker with up and down slope measurement is a great instrument. And if you and your friends can live with the USGA rule infraction, I recommend it; especially for courses being played for the first time.