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Yardage book or gps/rangefinder?


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Not really a debate on which is better, but which do you prefer and why? Mainly for your home course (or at least courses you play more than once a month).

 

 

 

 

 

For me I play 2-3 courses pretty regularly, and while I enjoy the simplicity of a GPS or laser, I have found that on occasions when I have played using a yardage book (professional printed purchased at the course or hand sketched through numerous rounds) that I play more high percentage shots and manage my misses much better than when I just grab a number and hit. I don't take a bunch of extra time when using a book, I just manage my idle time a little better. Seems the visual reminders of where to hit it, how much room I have and where not to hit it help me make better decisions than just visual cues and a yardage to the front/middle/back.

 

 

What's your preference and experiences?

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GPS/Rangefinder. I don’t have the patience for yardage books and stepping off yardages.

Driver: TaylorMade Sim2 Max - 10.5*
Fairway: Callaway Epic Max - 15*, 21*, 25*

Hybrid:  Ping G425 30*
Irons: TaylorMade Stealth 7-AW
Wedges: PXG 0311 Sugar Daddy II 56* 

               PXG 0311 Sugar Daddy II 62*
Putter:  Directed Force 2.1
Ball:  Callaway Chrome Soft

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I use a laser regularly, both at my home club and when I travel. But I love yardage books, and collect them when I play new courses. I honestly like a combination. I can get a "middle" distance from a yardage book, and pin distance with the laser, and try to pick the smart distance to hit. I like the awareness of the entire hole layout that a good yardage book gives. The best I've found were just recently in Scotland, the StrokeSaver books had a ton of information on green contours that really helped in selecting a target on the green. You can see a sample here:

http://www.strokesaver.co.uk/dundonald_links_2014

Playing in the wind, there was no need for very precise measurements, I bet I didn't use the laser more than a dozen times in 10 rounds.

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I just use the fairway markers, pretty easy to tell I find, but I'm also not at the level of playing where I know my exact club yardages, nor do I accomplish the exact shot every time with every club. Cant stomach the price of a laser finder at my level of play.

TM SIM Max 9*  Tensei blue AV 65-S

Mizuno ST180 3w 15* Tensei blue-S

Cobra BioCell 5w 19* Matrix RedTie-S

Ping G30 4h 22* TFC 419-R

Taylormade R-11 5-PW KBS Tour 90-S

Cleveland CBX 52* 58* DG 115-W

Mannkrafted rebar Rattler 

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neither. eyeball it and let it rip

 

This, or if I remember to charge my phone the night before I often use the 18 Birdies GPS. Proves to be fairly accurate in my area and honestly has helped me improve a decent amount.

Driver - Taylormade M2 2017 9.75*

3W - Cobra RadSpeed Draw 14.5*

5W - Callaway Epic Flash 18*

7W - Taylormade M4 5HL 21*

5H - Callaway Rogue 24*

Irons - Taylormade P790 6-PW

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Putter - Nike Method Converge B1-01

Grips - MCC clone| Ball - TP5

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Garmin Approach S6. Front, middle, back, layup and hole diagram with hazards. Just can't get the pin. Need a laser for that.

 

Dr#1 Cobra Speedzone 10.5 – HZRDUS Yellow HC 65 TX @ 46”
Dr#2 Mizuno STZ 220 9.5 (10.5) - HZRDUS Smoke IM10 65 Low TX @ 46"

Mizuno ST190 15 - HZRDUS Smoke Yellow 70 TS @ 43"
Mizuno STZ 220 18- HZRDUS Smoke Yellow 70 TS @ 42"
Mizuno MP15 4-PW - Aldila RIP Tour 115 R
Cobra MIM Wedges 52, 56 & 60 – stock KBS Hi-Rev @ 35.5”

Odyssey V-Line Stroke Lab 33.5"
Grips - Grip Master Classic Wrap Midsize

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I will use all, GPS and yardage book really make me feel good.

TM SIM2 Max 10.5 UST V 2 
TM SIM Max 15 UST V2 66g
TM Stealth HL 17 Aldila RIP Alpha 6
TM Stealth UDI 19 UST V2
TM Stealth UDI 23 UST v2 
TM P790 6-PW Nippon Modus 3 105
TM MG 3 Black 50 Nippon Modus Tour WV115
TM MG Hi-Toe 3 RAW Wedge 54 Nippon Pro WV115
TM MG Hi-Toe 3 RAW Wedge 58 Nippon Pro Modus 105 T
TM TP Hydro Blast Bandon 3

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Laser.

 

It gives me all the info I need. I can get yardages to bunkers, hazards, different parts of green, etc in addition to distances to flag.

 

I’ve never used a yardage book, but with tee boxes getting shifted, and my ball not always landing next to a marker or land mark, I’m not sure what a yardage book would offer that a range finder couldn’t give me.

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I've never had a yardage book, so I'll say my GPS.

 

It's gotten annoying to me to see the pros on TV continually pull out their yardage books. For some, it looks like a habit, like when my teenager continually looks at his phone.

Driver: Ping G25

4w & 7w: Ping G25

23° Hybrid: Ping G25

5i - pw: Mizuno MP64

54° & 58°: Cleveland RTX 4 raw

Putter: The Wilson 8802 (vintage model)

Ball:  Titleist Pro V1x
Bag: Original Jones Golf Bag (green)

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I am not a fan of lasers for the vast majority of golfers, and I'll tell you why. I firmly believe that having the exact number to the pin leads to far to many people playing for only their best shots (the top tip of their shot/scatter pattern) to even come close to being a good shot. Shots bury in greenside bunkers, in rough, and in hazards, even though they may have been reasonably executed attempts.

 

Much preferred, at least to me, is GPS/Yardage book. Find out the middle to middle-back yardage to the green and start your calculations there. Also, you need to know how deep the green is a different points and angles to come up with the best number for the center of your shot/scatter pattern. Sure, this can be done by someone playing their home course where they get a bunch of rounds a year in. But on a blind or even seldom played course, no chance.

 

How many of us have played the typical "upside down triangle" shaped green with two bunkers guarding the narrow front third of the green? You laser it and now you are trying to fit a shot onto a spot where you need to be a tour-quality ball striker to hit that spot consistently. But you lasered it and you know your yardages, right? So, you make a birdie or two, but you also bury it in the two bunkers over and over again, making bogies (and doubles) all while the frustration mounts. But just 6 paces back from that front hole location the green widens out to 25 yards across and all of the sudden, you just about can't end up with worse than a 45' chip back towards the hole, and the majority of the time you'll have a 20' - 25' birdie putt coming back at it.

 

nGIR is the #1 stat that correlates to score. Play a round using the yardage exactly between the middle of green yardage and the back edge yardage (except in very drastic or obvious situations) and see if your round isn't more fun and your score a lot lower. To me, those numbers are just hard to get with a laser.

AI Smoke TD 8° w/shaft TBD

Big Bertha 815 Alpha 14° w/Voodoo VS

'24 Apex UW 19° w/Rogue Silver

'16 Apex Hybrid 23° w/DG 
'24 Apex CB 5-7; '24 Apex MB 8-11 w/DG

MD2 55° + PM 1.0 58° w/DG
Odyssey White Hot 2 Ball Frankenstein (Fowler style)
[img]http://pxc86358mpx1hyn3hdxen4o1.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/171831.png[/img]

 

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Laser here. Yardage books are fun though

 

I do really enjoy just using a book. I find the garmin gps gets you close, but you can really pin point distance with a yardage book.

 

I don’t use a range finder as it would be even better than both the other two. Not that I wouldn’t, I just haven’t bought one because my gps does the job.

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My problem is getting those pin placement books from the pro shop. They look at me funny every time I ask for one. Cork Soakers!!!

 

BT

 

Dr#1 Cobra Speedzone 10.5 – HZRDUS Yellow HC 65 TX @ 46”
Dr#2 Mizuno STZ 220 9.5 (10.5) - HZRDUS Smoke IM10 65 Low TX @ 46"

Mizuno ST190 15 - HZRDUS Smoke Yellow 70 TS @ 43"
Mizuno STZ 220 18- HZRDUS Smoke Yellow 70 TS @ 42"
Mizuno MP15 4-PW - Aldila RIP Tour 115 R
Cobra MIM Wedges 52, 56 & 60 – stock KBS Hi-Rev @ 35.5”

Odyssey V-Line Stroke Lab 33.5"
Grips - Grip Master Classic Wrap Midsize

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Laser rangefinder provides the most accurate distance to target. I want to minimize all error sources so distance measurement needs to be accurate. Given how I am having to judge wind, elevation change, lie, temperature, etc... I don't need the additonal error of GPS or walking off steps relative to a yardage book that is only accurate relative to course features at best.

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Laser, I tried gps, it was ok but I wasn’t pin high very often, gps is useful especially when you have a pin sheet or combined with a laser.

 

The battery went flat in my laser during a match last year, it was actually fun going old school and pacing out the distances, just for one round.

Taylormade Sim 2 Max - 10.5 Ventus Blue 6X
Titleist TSR3 - @15.75 Tensei 1K Black 75X
Titleist TSR3 Hybrid - @20 Tensei 1K Black 85X

Titleist 620 CB  - 4 iron - Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100

Titleist 620 MB - 5-pw - Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100

Vokey SM9 - 52.08, 56D & 60M Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400
Scotty Cameron Studio Stainless Newport 2.5
Titleist - Pro V1

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I use an old Bushnell neo plus gps. Gives front, middle, back. There's a feature for distance to hazards that I haven't used. Very quick to pull out, look at, and keep moving.

 

I have hand drawn a yardage book for a course I sometimes play. It helped me visualize a strategy for the course, but I didn't use it -- and frankly wasn't good enough to capitalize on the strategy.

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I just use the fairway markers, pretty easy to tell I find, but I'm also not at the level of playing where I know my exact club yardages, nor do I accomplish the exact shot every time with every club. Cant stomach the price of a laser finder at my level of play.

 

What actually happens is that you become aware of your club distances after spending time with the laser rangefinder instead of the other way around.

 

I got my Nikon Coolshot 40 for $130.00 on ebay. Money well spent.

 

As for the OP's question, I've never seen a yardage book.

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I just use the fairway markers, pretty easy to tell I find, but I'm also not at the level of playing where I know my exact club yardages, nor do I accomplish the exact shot every time with every club. Cant stomach the price of a laser finder at my level of play.

 

What actually happens is that you become aware of your club distances after spending time with the laser rangefinder instead of the other way around.

 

I got my Nikon Coolshot 40 for $130.00 on ebay. Money well spent.

 

As for the OP's question, I've never seen a yardage book.

 

I agree with this. I was skeptical of the utility of GPS, etc. back in the mid-2000s, until a course I played regularly added GPS to the carts. It had auto-shot advance, and would tell you how far you hit each shot. It was an eye-opener, and very useful, and so much quicker than looking for markers/sprinkler heads.

 

I bought a handheld GPS shortly after.

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If you play a course so often, why do you even need a rangefinder? At my local course I pretty much know what club to it from various point after playing it many times.

 

Im also not that good and cant dial any club in to a 5 yard range. I play along the lines of "I can hit the green with a 7i from here." Im no where near the point of being good where I would use 7i for the front or 6i for the back edge of the green.

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