Bushnell Pinseeker 1500

[ApexGrind]

Not sure of the specs on that one. They pretty much all have the two modes of acquisition. Generally they are far target and near target (within the center of where you're aiming it). The pinseeker model (and I suppose the others) will remember the last mode it was in. If not it's a matter of a button push and there is an indicator in the view finder. For golf you want the near target mode. ie. pin on green with trees close behind. For hunting you generally want far target. Bambi standing within the tree line. Scan mode is different and means the unit will constantly give target distance as you pan -- not sure but I think it very much narrows it's "focus" and reads exactly where it's pointing.

The Pinseeker 1500 seems to work very well since it's view finder is 7x(?). This gives just about a perfect field of view for golf. Something with greater magnification is harder to target at longer distance and harder to hold steady on your target visually. Something with less magnification is going to be hard to determine exactly what you're targeting at distance. It's easy to raise the unit to your eye and immediately target a pin at 200 or so yards. You're not hunting around to find the pin and you're also sure that's what you're targeting. I don't know that I have a back light... but I've only done a Golf In The Dark (charity tournament) once. Basically a drinking affair with glow sticks, glow balls, 1 flashlight per foursome and 6, fully stocked, free bar carts driven by nubile young wenches. Range finder wouldn't have made any difference...

It's also a nice size, form factor, and weight to hold steady while targeting. Something that's too light/small, heavy/large is hard to hold steady. This seems to be just right (for me).

I suppose you are already aware that the ARC/slope feature is not allowed within the Rules.

[3_Jack_Par]

I got my pinseeker 1500 from Austads at around the beginning of the year last year for $299. I love it. It's easy to target flags and bunkers, and it's much quicker and more accurate than finding a sprinkler head or other yardage markers. It's especially nice when you hit a wayward shot (not that I ever do that) and you're too far from yardage markers to make a good guess at the yardage. Battery life is good. It seems to last about 20 rounds or so before batteries need to be replaced.

 

One thing to be careful of is that in the pinseeker mode, if the flag is behind a hill, you need to be careful that you are picking up the flag and not the hill. I left a few short when I got the wrong reading.

[bosoxfan]

Anybody know where you can find a deal now on the slope version?

KH

[buggyman]

I have had a Bushnell 1500 for several months now. It is by far the BEST investment I have EVER made in 16 years of golf. I don't think I could play golf without it. I am going to say on average it saves me 3 strokes a round, and that is a safe figure. I also like it at the range when I want to dial in how far I am hitting a club. Mine came with the same bag you see on the pros bags. It also had a free coupon for some $120 sunglass from Bolle. I have gotten to the point that if I didn't have it for the day I would probably not golf that day.

[Golfchicago]

I used to own a rnage finder many years ago, but I don't have steady hands, so the finder was useless. Does the pinseeker technology work for people like me?

[I_HATE_SNOW]

Try someone else's out. You can steady yourself against the cart roof. The 1500 is very quick at getting the distances, should work.

[ijuswanagolf]

The Pinseeker is hands down the best rangefinder on the market today. It is a huge leap forward in rangefinder technology. It allows you to lock onto the flag very quickly and very easily even from long distances. I recently compared it on the course with my Nikon 500g and the Nikon seems like a dinosaur compared to the Pinseeker.

 

I could not agree more. I also switched from a Nikon to the 1500 and was blown away. Very fast and always hits the flag. You will not go wrong with this purchase.

[Golfchicago]

Try someone else's out. You can steady yourself against the cart roof. The 1500 is very quick at getting the distances, should work.

 

Great idea, I did and it works for people like me.

[buttuh]

I have both the yardage pro and the 1500 +/- and the 1500 is the clear winner. It picks up yardages much faster and with relative ease 200+ yards from the flag. The yardage pro is accurate also, but it is harder to pickup small target. I ended up selling my 1500 +/- on ebay because I don't need both.