Golf Rangefinder Reviews

Well if it was a simple answer, we all would be using the same make and model but it is never that easy and selecting a unit for you and your golf game will be different from golfer to golfer.

• ·         You can read rangefinder reviews from pages like this on the internet
• ·         You can ask your golf buddies about theirs or better yet ask to use it a few times
• ·         Check out your favorite golf store or your clubs golf shop out and check them out for yourself and ask questions put one up to your eye and take a shot at a object
• ·         Give yourself a price range to stick with they can range from $150.00 at the low end and on sale up to $599.00 for some of the Top of the line new technology laser rangefinders you can find on the market to day

Note:  I have phoned around many golf shops and stores in various parts of Canada and the USA and if they have a laser rangefinder in stock and on the shelves, they have only one model.  In most cases, they did not carry laser rangefinders at all.  It will depend greatly where you are in the world as to their availability, making the reviews from the internet more helpful than ever.

Just have to say that all of the rangefinders that I have reviewed do much the same thing, each will give you an accurate distance within seconds to your target, and they all have in one form or another a First Target Priority Mode.

You have fog modes, slope modes, top of the line optics waterproof compare to water resistant one units magnification will be 4x yet on another it will be 6x, what do you need or prefer.  One will fit in your hand much better than the next one will.  They all come with accessories making them more convenient.

To conclude when looking for the golf laser rangefinder that is right for you, it is best you to do your homework and check out a few different models and see what features are going to be important to you.  Easiest way to get reviews on different makes and model is the internet.

I have talked to many folks that have both a GPS and a golf laser rangefinder, I always ask why.  In the first place that comes with a cost plus the satellite fees.

They all had one thing in common though and that is they had purchased either a GPS or a laser rangefinder first.  The extra purchase was an afterthought on their part as one they say compliments the other.

Bushnell has come up with a dual unit that gives you two in one, the Bushnell Hybrid Laser-GPS Rangefinder.  Lets take a look at what this unit can accomplish as a two in one rangefinder.

 Where the GPS really comes in handy, is on new golf courses like on vacation, as it shows you the layout of the course and all you need to know really.  It shows you around the corner the bunkers, hazards, the front, middle and back of the green, tree lines a snapshot of the golf course.

All or most of the golfers that I talked to agreed that the laser golf rangefinder is by far the most accurate device.  Others say they are more rugged and easier to use right out of the box no membership fee, and they will travel anywhere in the world easily. 

 I haven’t heard of any other manufactures making Hybrid rangefinders.  Not saying there are not other companies making Hybrids just that I have not heard of them, if you have please leave us a comment.

My understanding is that the unit comes with only North American golf courses programed.  If you are from Europe or other country, you will have to make sure that you can get golf courses that are in your country. 

Well I guess that sums things up for combining the GPS and laser technology together.  Not sure about you but I think the people that bought both and probably paid near 500-600 dollars for them or more and plus a satellite fee wish they bought the Bushnell Hybrid Laser-GPS Rangefinder first.

I guess for the traveler or just the hard core golfer the Hybrid rangefinder is the way to go if you feel the need to own both. 

If you have used both or you own the Bushnell Hybrid leave a comment and let us know how this unit preforms on the course. 

A brief description of how a laser rangefinder operates. The unit sends an infrared light towards a target, the time that light takes to get to the target and back is the distance to the target. The information on the view screen will be in feet or meters. Since the speed of light is constant, it is directly proportional to the distance.

Having several pulses sent to the target is one way a laser rangefinder improves its accuracy. Battery power also has an effect on the accuracy of the unit; a fully charged battery will give the unit its utmost accuracy. That is a brief explanation of the workings of a Laser Rangefinder.

 Have you ever given any thought to why hunters and golfers have their own laser rangefinders, don’t they do the same thing; get you the distance to an object?

Well you would be right they do get you the distance to objects with speed and accuracy but they have different software governing their operation.

Rangefinders | Hunters

They have many modes that parallel each other, and maybe just a few that actually set them apart.  The modes that set them apart make the difference between owning one for golf and one for hunting. 

Second Priority Mode

Perhaps one of the biggest differences in the targeting of each unit, a hunters rangefinder has a second priority mode (different manufactures may have various names for this). 

Taking the distance of an object (deer) in the background instead of the trees, boulders or some brush instead, giving you the distance to the game for an accurate shot, not a branch.

They are usually a bit longer in maximum yardage up to 1300-1600 yards, they may be a bit smaller (not by much if any) but I have found no golf laser rangefinder that is bullet proof like the models for hunting. 

•          Rifle mode – giving you the bullet drop and the holder information in inches
•         Bow mode – gives you the horizontal distance from 1-100 yards

Rangefinders | Golf

Let us take a look at the golf rangefinder and see what makes it so useful for golfers.

First Target Priority

The hunting model has a second target priority mode a golf rangefinder has a first target priority mode. 

The difference being that the golf rangefinder is going to give you the distance to the first target it acquires which would be the flag and not what is behind it. 

These may be the biggest differences between the models, different manufactures will have various modes that will enhance your game such as slope modes that will give you the distance to the flag taking into account the slope of the course, say like a bunker shot.

In Conclusion

Both laser rangefinders will get you the distance to your object in relatively no time at all and accurate to +/- 1 yard or even better at 1/10 of a yard with newer models with newer technologies. 

One gives you the first target that is taken and not background noise and the other gives you the background object and not the branches or brushes in front of the object.

The big question is can one do both, yes they can.  In choosing, one that will do both you must first make sure that they each have a separate mode for the first target priority and another mode for the second target priority.  

 Make sure you read the specifications when looking for one that does both.  It may cost a bit more than just a single unit used for golf or hunting, but will be much cheaper than buying one laser rangefinder for each sport.

Taking it to practice is one of my best-kept secrets, I say that because I don’t see many people taking them to the practice range, just to the golf course. It is just great for this, too many times at practice the yard markers have been moved so many times, who knows if they are accurate or not.

Taking precision readings is essential to getting better at your golf game.  Not knowing is not the answer, think of your rangefinder as a tool a learning tool.  A learning tool that takes some time to get the hang of.

It is best to teach yourself at home before taking it out, the instructions are easy enough to tackle as they are user friendly.

Ten Advantages

1.        They are much more accurate than their cousins the GPS models
2.        No memberships fees
3.        Scan the course and take distances as you scan, get the lay of the land
4.        Ease of operation
5.        Open the box install the battery (most come with battery) and use it right away
6.        You can take the laser rangefinder to  any course in the world and be able to use it
7.        Level the playing field and get the competitive edge on your fellow golfers
8.        Check to see what the cart girl is doing
9.        You can get various models with different specialized modes like slope mode or a fog mode
10.    Makes choosing the right club easier
11. Bonus…they will help you lower your score in time

Some say that they are useless and not needed, well in reality I guess they are not really needed.  You can always play golf without one but it makes it easier to know your distances you get from different clubs. You can get to know what you can do with each one of your clubs, now you know what distance you can get out of a three iron. If they were, useless companies like Bushnell would be spending a lot of money on nothing then.

Well if you get the laser rangefinder with the slope mode, no more guessing at how the slope of the field is going to affect your shot.  The slope mode will make quick diagnoses of the situation and give you the correct distance taking into account the slope of the course.  Giving you the actual distance to the flag, the slope is quite hard to calculate.

Well chalk it up to bad advertising, did you know Leupold had enhanced their already popular GX-3 & GX-4 golf laser rangefinders for 2012.  Talking to a Leupold associate, he told me that they launched them in January 2012, beginning of the year.  I looked and seen no media release for these two rangefinders.

I checked the golf stores around home and nothing; they did not seem to know anything about the new models at all. 

That made me wanting more, so I took off to my favorite golf forums and checked them out.   Sure enough first, one they were talking about the GX3i and most were wondering the differences between the two, so was I, after all how old are the GX3 models.

This is the scuttle butt I gathered in the forums they were reported to be more accurate, faster acquisition, accurate to 1/10 of a yard, besides that they are pretty much like their cousin GX3.

Talking to Chuck an associate from Leupold and he confirmed what I have been reading that the new GX 3i models are equipped with up to date circuitry that enhances the older models.  I just had to ask about the web site and the media releases, he told me that they were behind in the website updates, so they are. 

Well the next thing is what do these cos,t well I went to four or five outlets on the internet as no store in my area seem to carry them.   The best price I seen was $385.00 compared to $399.00 at all the other sites I went to so the price range seems to be close from retailer to retailer.

In conclusion, is this new model with enhanced circuitry worth the extra money comparing to their counterparts GX3 and the GX4 models? 

I do not think they are I really do not go in for new electronic gadgets every year so if I had a GX 3 already would I upgrade no.   Would I buy a 3i over a GX3 looking at them side by side and knowing what I do about the Gx3, as I have used one.  GX3 are around the $320.00-350.00 most places no I would go for the already proven to be top of the line golf rangefinder the Leupold GX3.

That’s me, maybe you will want the newest updated electronics and do not mind the extra cost, and hey, that’s ok too.  I guess we will have to wait a bit longer for real reviews from golfers using the new GX3i and the GX 4i models, giving them a bit more time to get around and talked about. 

Have you used one like it, not really sure, lets us know leave a comment, where did you get yours they are not everywhere just yet.

Here it is 4 months into 2012, almost 5 as May is near; let’s look at what is new for the 2012 line up of golf rangefinders from Bushnell. 

Pro 1M

Bushnell brought out the Pro 1M earlier in the year and as I have not really been on the golf course this year, but I have been at the driving range haven’t seen any in use yet.  That sent me looking for what I could find out about the Pro 1M.

Well it wasn’t a lot but then again it hasn’t been on the market for a year yet.  Here is what I found out, it is a very expensive unit and for sure is for the person with a deeper pocket book than I have, it is up in the range of $599.00, wow I know expensive.

So is it worth the extra cost, the only thing that I found out is the owners of them like them very much.  Some seem to like the much-improved optical quality; others seem to like the ease of use of the unit.  They all do agree that it is a supureior model than previous Bushnell rangefinders.  I wonder sometimes how much better do we need them to be, yet they keep them coming, although new technology has always been a big draw for about anything these days, I guess.

Still maybe too early to tell the full outcome of this new rangefinder from Bushnell, but it seems the ones willing to go the extra yard on cost have high reviews for the unit calling it a top of the line rangefinder.  I think the cost factor gets a lot of golfers second guessing themselves on this unit, but the ones that spring for this model like it.  Who knows?

Tour Z6

Not to stop there Bushnell has another golf rangefinder, which is just hitting the market about now I believe, I have no real news on the exact date it became available to the public sometime in May, I think.

Another rangefinder do we really need one I guess the folks at Bushnell thought so; this one seems to be taking the place of the Tour V2 or at least compete against it.  This unit is just on the markets so no reviews on this rangefinder as of yet, not that I found but there seems to be golfers are talking about them.  

The best I can tell is that it has enhanced electronics faster and more accurate than the V2 model, one real difference I noticed is that the Z6 model has a rubberized armored metal housing making it a bit more rugged I would think.  Making it 100% waterproof is what I read I would imagine the rubber housing helps that.

What’s next for golf rangefinders, do we really need more to choose from, I found my V2 just fine and still going strong.  Just as anything the technology for anything-electronic moves at a rapid pace, what is new today can very be old by the time tomorow gets here. At the same time making their counter parts obsolete in time, is it just a marketing ploy.

I guess it depends if you have owned a prior Bushnell before, any way we will have to wait for more time to pass before we can get a good handle on the reviews from the Z6.

If you have used either unit please leave your comment on the unit behind and lets us all know how they are preforming out there on the golf course.