Range-finders might slow play even more

[Gxgolfer]

By Vartan Kupelian

Click for Article>>>Here

There is cause for skepticism that range-finders will be the cure-all for slow play, if that's the ultimate goal.

In theory, golfers with distance devices will execute shots more precisely and by hitting those shots more accurately will need fewer strokes and less time to complete a round of golf.

There are flaws in the theory.

The average handicap index for men hovers around 16. For women, it's about 28.

How many average golfers really need to know within a yard -- within five yards -- the distance they face? How many 16-handicap golfers are capable of hitting within 10 yards of their distance goal with any sort of consistency?

[Johnny]

the course I play has in cart GPS...so I better not see rangefinders out there...

 

rangefinders are for hunting too right ?...I'll bring my rifle

[br61]

I feel rangefinders or GPS in carts will speed up the play since one won't have to search for sprinklers anymore but I will say that GPS in carts are probably a better option for speeding up the play.

 

With rangefinder, it only takes me less than 5 seconds to get a yardage to the pin then I'm ready to fire at it within few seconds of pulling my club for my shot.

[tpariff]

The GPS systems in many carts don't automatically compute distance carries over bunkers, water, to lay-ups, etc. The ones that give you the option of moving the cursor to a particular point take longer to use than a rangefinder.

 

I use my Nikon 500G even if the cart has the GPS because the rangefinder is easier and faster to use. And, when the cart is not near my ball, I can estimate my yardage, take 3 clubs (covering 30+ yards worth of distance) and my rangefinder and have my exact yardage before my playing partner gets there with the cart/GPS. I'm usually hitting right after my playing partner, so there's a big time savings vs. waiting for him to put his club back, drive to my ball, give me a yardage, etc.

 

My .02.

[acrazygolfer]

The GPS systems in many carts don't automatically compute distance carries over bunkers, water, to lay-ups, etc.  The ones that give you the option of moving the cursor to a particular point take longer to use than a rangefinder.

 

I use my Nikon 500G even if the cart has the GPS because the rangefinder is easier and faster to use.  And, when the cart is not near my ball, I can estimate my yardage, take 3 clubs (covering 30+ yards worth of distance) and my rangefinder and have my exact yardage before my playing partner gets there with the cart/GPS.  I'm usually hitting right after my playing partner, so there's a big time savings vs. waiting for him to put his club back, drive to my ball, give me a yardage, etc.

 

My .02.

46197[/snapback]

 

A friend has a Dell Axim x50v with Bluetooth and starcaddie. He download the course to the Dell prior to the round. The starcaddie is great because you can use the stylus to calculate the distance to carry the hazard, to front - center - back of the greens, etc. It also provides picture of the hole, from tee to green. I like this system much more than the range finder or the skycaddie. However, it is expensive since the Dell runs about $500, a good Bluetooth another $250-$300, and the starcaddie, which starts at $150 for 5 courses plus $19.95 for each additional course

[MGB]

PGA Tour's okayed range finders for practice rounds only for now, right? So it shouldn't make too much difference at tourney time.

[cpa49707]

What ever happened to the human element of the game of golf? How about using your judgement when making a shot. Thats the part of golf I like. Determing the wind, the yardage, and using MY ability to think the situation out quickly and executing a shot. Come on folks lets keep some human thought process in the game.

[magic1]

Were not all 23 hcp some of us accually play a respectable round of golf and there is nothing worse than playing a new course and your score suffers simply because you didn't know the yardage. This game is hard enough and not having basic information is not a virtue. I would like to ask those who have used several types of range finders which one is the best?

 

Magic1

[mrfols]

Were not all 23 hcp some of us accually play a respectable round of golf and there is nothing worse than playing a new course and your score suffers simply because you didn't know the yardage. This game is hard enough and not having basic information is not a virtue. I would like to ask those who have used several types of range finders which one is the best?

 

Magic1

I have used a Rangefinder for 3 years now. My first one was a Nikon 500G worked good but not waterproof. It was also difficult to get a range on anything over 225yds. I am now using a Nikon Monarch 1200 (Callaway has a version of this under their brand). I bought it new on Ebay for $350. It works great in low light and rain conditions. I would highly recommend the Nikon. It aquires the target very fast and easily reaches over 300yds.

 

As far as helping pace of play, I think that it will do so if used properly. I am usually ahead of my playing partners on the course, so I will measure the distance to the pin while in the cart waiting for them to get their yardages. I will then measure the distance to my ball from the cart. After subtracting the difference I have my distance and my chosen club long before the others have hit.

 

I can't stand when a player waits until everyone else hits, and then starts pacing off distance from a sprinkler head. I think that no matter what tool you use to determine your distance, you need to be ready to hit when it's your turn.

[Titleist Striker]

Rangefinders are great no doubt about it. What's better spending 5 seconds looking at your GPS or spending 3-5 minutes looking for yard markers?????? :russian_roulette:

 

I love my skycaddie. Best thing I have ever asked for.

 

TS

[TM golf guy]

I have been playing with a range finder for the past 3 months. Before that, I used a GPS system for 2 or so months. I can honestly say that my pace of play has not changed at all. I play ready golf. I normally have my distance ready by the time it is my turn, or even ahead of my turn.

[SJFP]

A friend has a Dell Axim x50v with Bluetooth and starcaddie. He download the course to the Dell prior to the round. The starcaddie is great because you can use the stylus to calculate the distance to carry the hazard, to front - center - back of the greens, etc. It also provides picture of the hole, from tee to green. I like this system much more than the range finder or the skycaddie. However, it is expensive since the Dell runs about $500, a good Bluetooth another $250-$300, and the starcaddie, which starts at $150 for 5 courses plus $19.95 for each additional course

 

Wow dude ... StarCaddy runs on pretty much any WindowsMobile or Palm device available today, a good bluetooth GPS receiver costs about 50$ (SirfStarIII chips or better) and a lot of smartphones have one built-in nowadays. The 20$ per course is way to costly though.

 

I really don't understand the whole fuzz about rangefinders and GPS thingies on the course though. If it's a new course, you're not familiar with, ... OK maybe i can understand that but on a course you play regularly?? How many of us are that good that they need the exact yardage to the pin? 2-3%??

i'm perfectly happy with the yardages on sprinklers or a stroke saver and some good common knowledge.

 

Next thing you know, they're installing launch monitors on the front of carts with touch screens inside so you can analyze every shot by parking the cart behind the player.

[HCEG1]

Rangfinders are fantastic, accurate and are the quickest way of getting yardages.

 

Pacing out from sprinkler heads, etc, is a waste of time when a simple click will give the info required instantly

[rge]

What ever happened to the human element of the game of golf? How about using your judgement when making a shot. Thats the part of golf I like. Determing the wind, the yardage, and using MY ability to think the situation out quickly and executing a shot. Come on folks lets keep some human thought process in the game.

 

I don't think the human element is lost by using a rangefinder. The objective is just to get more accurate yardage in a manner perhaps more expedient than looking for yardage markers. You still have to factor in the wind direction and speed on your own. You still have to determine whether you are going to lay up or go for the green. The best judgement is oftentimes brought about by having the proper information or facts, wouldn't you agree? It's pretty hard to make the most sound decision if you are only "guesstimating".

[tarheel]

my range finder has sped up play for my group. to start with we play with carts in country clubs which have clear distance markers and fairway markers already. the use of the range finder just takes all need for estimation out of play, helping us cut at least 15-30 mins off each round. of course, it only works if you play the early flights, since the delays are always down to the lowest common denominator (ie. the idiots who pace off constantly, and take 5 mins or more on the greens to putt).

[resist_hard.]

IN MY OPINION rangefinders are lame. Whatever happened to simply judging the distance by yourself? I am much more of a feel player and like to play alot of gripped down/ 3/4 shots. For me its one of the aspects of the game i find fun.

 

I can understand if its a tournament or something but just pulling out the rangefinder for social games seems daft.

[harold baines]

of course range finders slow play down,

 

just like spending time looking for sprinkler heads slows play down,

 

any added step will add time to your, and everyone elses round

 

 

that's why as you walk down the fairway, you look for yardage markers as you approach your ball, and pace your yardage off from the closest marker behind your ball (or just eyeball it if your course has the blue/white/red stakes, 150 yard trees..... whatever)

 

using a rangefinder on every full shot will add about as much time as doing about one extra practice swing per shot

[MAK2525]

Range finders only slow play down when it is in the hands of a SLOW player! The fault is in the operator - NOT the technology. If used properly, there should be an improved pace of play with the ability to quickly locate your yardage and choose your weapon for the next shot. I know pace of play is generally better at courses with cart GPS systems than without. Sorry, but there is no way a rangefinder should take more time than having to find a yardage marker and then figure your distance accordingly!

 

To paraphrase:

 

Rangefinders don't kill the pace of play - People kill the pace of play! :russian_roulette:

[kbrussell]

They are Particularly helpful and save literally minutes when your ball is not in the fairway. During a tournament, and having a ball in the rough, finding the closest sprinkler, then triangulating to the ball, just to get close to the right yardage... is reduced to 5 seconds and hit...

 

My opinion is that it saves 10-15 minutes during a competitive round when all parties have access to it. Now that yardage is classed as information, I usually give the right distance to my competitors as well to save time, when their ball is close to mine...

[ricar1610]

I can't see a bad thing about range finders or GPS - I walk a lot and I take one glance at my Skycaddie and pull the club. It is a lot faster. Even if you just estimate distances you are still taking time - I do not know anyone who just fires at it with no distance in mind. I am not all for anything technological, but the GPS (handheld) is great. Even if it does not save a ton of time (as some have mentioned), it saves frustration in not finding a sprinkler head that actually has a distance on it, then measuring it off. It's another one of those "if you don't like it don't use it" but don't say it's a bad thing just because you don't like it. It serves a great purpose for a lot of golfers.

[harold baines]

Range finders only slow play down when it is in the hands of a SLOW player! The fault is in the operator - NOT the technology. If used properly, there should be an improved pace of play with the ability to quickly locate your yardage and choose your weapon for the next shot. I know pace of play is generally better at courses with cart GPS systems than without. Sorry, but there is no way a rangefinder should take more time than having to find a yardage marker and then figure your distance accordingly!

 

To paraphrase:

 

Rangefinders don't kill the pace of play - People kill the pace of play! :russian_roulette:

 

I haven't used a rangefinder, so pardon me if this is a stupid question

 

can you use a rangefinder while you're walking to your ball?

 

without a rangefinder you can pace of your distance from a marker as you walk to your ball, depending on how well the course is marked for yardages it could add zero time and not even make you walk out of your way to find a mark (not all courses are that well marked though)

 

seems like walking to your ball, pulling a rangefinder from your bag, using it, putting the rangefinder away would take more time to me. It sounds small, but pulling that rangefinder out in and out of the bag 20-30 times a round and figuring the yardage 20-30 times has just got to add time

 

even things that don't seem to take much time, add up to a few minutes on the round after you've done them 30 times, certainly people wouldn't like a guy plumb bobbing every single putt he lined up

 

and if you can rangefind while walking, my whole point is shot :-)

[swgolfer]

I cant believe there is this much question about whether these devices speed up play or not. Lets make it real simple, what takes more time: 1.Walk around looking for a yardage plate then pace it off, then determine if the pin is center or back or front then a quick calculation of actual yardage 2. Point and shoot the yardage or look at your GPS, done.. If you think option 1 is quicker then please explain your math.

[harold baines]

I cant believe there is this much question about whether these devices speed up play or not. Lets make it real simple, what takes more time: 1.Walk around looking for a yardage plate then pace it off, then determine if the pin is center or back or front then a quick calculation of actual yardage 2. Point and shoot the yardage or look at your GPS, done.. If you think option 1 is quicker then please explain your math.

 

if you "walk around for a yardage plate" correctly, you'll pass one 15-20 yards before you get to your ball, without going out of your way at all

 

some courses have colored posts, trees, rocks that you can see from a long ways off (often on both sides of the fairway), once again you don't have to spend time looking for anything

 

I have a very sophisticated way of determining the pin location (front/middle/back) I look at the flag, red/white/blue will tell you where the pin is.

if the course you play at doesn't follow this setup, my fall back method is to look at the flagstick. If I can't tell where it is by looking at it, I have worse problems than not knowing where the flag is

 

I've done all my distance calcs as I walk to my ball

 

the gadget guru, walks to his ball just like I did, but then has to access a device to figure out what I learned as I walked and looked around.

 

it doesn't take much time to use your gadgets once, but using it 30 times (even if it just takes 10 seconds to get the device out, use it and then put it away) adds 5 minutes to your round

 

 

a lot is in the hands of the golfer though, a fast player with a rangefinder could certainly play faster than a slow golfer without one. but i don't use a rangefinder because personally, I feel it would slow me down.

[ChiGolf]

IN MY OPINION rangefinders are lame. Whatever happened to simply judging the distance by yourself? I am much more of a feel player and like to play alot of gripped down/ 3/4 shots. For me its one of the aspects of the game i find fun.

 

I can understand if its a tournament or something but just pulling out the rangefinder for social games seems daft.

 

On average, most people aren't able to judge distances themselves. That's why yardages were provided by caddies, even before yardages on sprinklerheads, yardage books, and rangefinders were implemented.

[swgolfer]

You are assuming that everyone walks to their ball and can count down the yardage, here in Arizona virtually no one walks 7 months of the year and there is no opportunity to utilize your strategy. Also your method does not work if you are 25 yards left of the fairway and there are no yardage plates or other measurments. Rangefinders speed up play and proven in two different studies done scientifically, one done here at ASU. There are always going to be those who dont like technology in the game and want it kept "traditional" but to say it slows the pace of play is false.

[SpinMill75]

I'm a laser fan, sorry.

 

I have found that it totally speeds up pace of play for me. Nothing drives me more insane than walking around a course trying to find a yardage marker of some kind. When I play with a laser, its just zap, pull club, pre-shot routine, and swing.

 

Pure pleasure!

[Viking Golfer]

I use both a laser range finder (have a Callaway Nikon LR800 in my bag next week) and a GPS unit (have a Sonocaddie V300 Color GPS in my bag next week) and this speeds up play a lot more, than you would think it would :)

[Viking Golfer]

I'm a laser fan, sorry.

 

I have found that it totally speeds up pace of play for me. Nothing drives me more insane than walking around a course trying to find a yardage marker of some kind. When I play with a laser, its just zap, pull club, pre-shot routine, and swing.

 

Pure pleasure!

 

I agree 110% :yes:

 

I also use my laser range finder from within 200 yards. I use my GPS from outside 200 yards and on dog leg holes (and also for keeping my score)

 

It's a lot quicker than searching for markers and trying to judge/guess the distance to the flag :D

[SpinMill75]

I'm a laser fan, sorry.

 

I have found that it totally speeds up pace of play for me. Nothing drives me more insane than walking around a course trying to find a yardage marker of some kind. When I play with a laser, its just zap, pull club, pre-shot routine, and swing.

 

Pure pleasure!

 

I agree 110% :yes:

 

I also use my laser range finder from within 200 yards. I use my GPS from outside 200 yards and on dog leg holes (and also for keeping my score)

 

It's a lot quicker than searching for markers and trying to judge/guess the distance to the flag :D

 

 

Amen brother!

 

My golfing partner always finds it funny when I say out loud that I'm going to shoot the guy in front of us at the dogleg.......

Shoot him with my laser that is.

 

You can golf with me anytime you're in Central Oregon!

[Viking Golfer]

I'm a laser fan, sorry.

 

I have found that it totally speeds up pace of play for me. Nothing drives me more insane than walking around a course trying to find a yardage marker of some kind. When I play with a laser, its just zap, pull club, pre-shot routine, and swing.

 

Pure pleasure!

 

I agree 110% :yes:

 

I also use my laser range finder from within 200 yards. I use my GPS from outside 200 yards and on dog leg holes (and also for keeping my score)

 

It's a lot quicker than searching for markers and trying to judge/guess the distance to the flag :D

 

 

Amen brother!

 

My golfing partner always finds it funny when I say out loud that I'm going to shoot the guy in front of us at the dogleg.......

Shoot him with my laser that is.

 

You can golf with me anytime you're in Central Oregon!

 

Thanks for that offer, mate :)

 

I'm in Europe now, but will probably take a trip to the US in summer 2010 - a looooong trip, where I basically won't be doing nothing but playing golf for 3 months - all over the US :D