How do you judge yardage?

[Middler]

GPS, feel lost without my Garmin S3 during a round. Ease of use (just look down at my wrist), ability to move the flag around, and keep score a big plus for me.

+1. My G10 wouldn’t start one round last season. Turned it off and on several times, no luck. Had to search for marks all day, some there, some missing.

 

I plugged it in and synced when I got home and it’s worked perfectly ever since. There wasn’t a software update, so I don’t know what the glitch was that one day.

 

It’s funny, I play in a league with more than half the guys don’t have anything - it’s usually not long until they’re at THEIR ball asking me ‘what’s your yardage thing say?’

[NC IA Hacker]

I typically use a gps that gives me front, middle, back during league play. Tbh...I prefer a good yardage book. Quick morning rounds on the weekend I'll just go with the stakes, and then usually shoot better than with my gps.

[Shakester]

I use two things. I use a laser scope which doesn't have slope and I use a GPS app on my phone, but I'm actually pretty good without anything. Many times, I get up to a buddies ball and they ask for a yardage and I usually give them an initial guesstimate and I'm usually pretty darn close.

[SnapHooker_307]

I use a range finder until I get within 80 yards (full swing 58 degree sweet zone). Anything closer and I usually just go by feel and a number usually makes me overthink it when it is not a full swing.

[Bye]

Laser, I tried using a gps which was great for the front and back of the green, but have stuck with my Bushnell for a while now.

 

It is a real pain when the battery goes. Mine went on the 3rd hole of a match this year, had to old school pace it out. I think it drove my opponent crazy!

[Fredk1107]

I use the Golfshot app on my iPhone from the tee thru my approach shot. Gives me all the hazard,bunker tree distances etc. For approach shots and other issues I use a laser to get exact distances. If I need additional info on my approach I.E. it's a large green or bunkers by the flag I'll use Golfshot for Front, back and middle plus it gives me bunker carry yardages. Using both gives me all the info I need and I can get thru the info quickly.

[Sh00terMcgavin]

Laser 95% of the time. On creative shots from under 50 yards I usually go by feel. I tried the phone GPS thing and I cannot be bothered fumbling around on a phone while playing golf. Doesnt bother me if other people do it, just clouds my game because I think to much while looking at the GPS on my phone. I use my Bushnell for just about every shot up to 50 yards or so. I carry 2 extra batteries with me in my bag for it that way if it ever dies mid round (which it will lol) it takes 30 seconds to swap a new battery in.

[YoungJedi]

I use a rangefinder, as well as make my own yardage books. So definitely a combo... But rangefinder usually trumps.

[buckrogers71]

Laser and local knowledge (how much room past the 150-100 yd marker to the junk etc). Might go back to pacing it off next season. If a new course, then I'll use the golfnow app just to see the hole layout etc.

[Mr_Wolfe]

Garmin GPS watch. If they were off from the lasers, I would switch. Many of my friends use lasers and I can tell them almost every time what the distance is to the flag and their laser will confirm it. lol

 

Mr. Wolfe

[gripandrip]

I typically use GPS, with a feature that allows me to move the flag around on the green, but if it is difficult to determine pin location, I will break out the laser.

 

My GPS is pretty good at hazard yardages, but if I have doubts, its back to the laser.

[Kylemck]

i always have my gps watch on and my rangefinder in the cart

[BeerPerHole]

I understand that gps lacks accuracy compared to the laser. My buddy wears the gps watch so I should start comparing that to my laser. We acquired a cheap laser sight recently and the club I just joined doesn't have distance markers on the sprinklers, or poles. That may change, though. I usually do fine with sprinkler markers. But, I have found some holes in our region where I think the markers and/or score cards seem off.

[Mr_Wolfe]

I wear my Garmin watch. I thought many times about getting a laser, but anytime I ask my friends their distance with the laser, it is dead on with my GPS. My golf game is not even dead on. I usually aim for the middle of the green 90% of the time unless I am in between clubs and then I take into account a front or back pin placement. I do find that better players use the laser.

 

Mr. Wolfe

[hahanice]

always have my garmin vivoactive on (its mostly for notifications), which gives me a distance to the center.

 

if i dont care i will just stick with that number. if i care for some reason i will use my rangefinder

[Sean2]

Rangefinder.

[mneumann]

Use a laser. However funny thing, last round it went dead on 9 and had to old school pace things off, look for 100-150 markers, check the stick positions, and hit the first 6 greens and 7 of 9 total with reasonable birdie putts on 6 of them and shot even.

 

I feel like my swing may have been a little freer, it's hard to hit a wedge 108 and not over think it, but 115-ish and it feels more like a swing on the range. I also feel like doing it the old way made me stop and think more about lie, slope, wind, and where to miss.

[Tight-right]

I generally feel out the shot. I have a Bushnell and only use it for confirmation purposes.

 

I stick to that strategy in competitive or casual rounds. The only time I get the Bushnell out and use it on a regular basis is important rounds on tracks I haven't seen before...

[PaulCGaffney]

combo of on course markers and instinct

[RacineBoxer]

Laser. Much faster than trying to find sprinkler heads and pace things off.

[Petunia Sprinkle]

I guess from the 150 marker. When a friend mine uses his rangefinder, I usually turn out to have been exactly right (five minutes earlier). Too bad I don’t know how far I hit any of my clubs.

[mjforn]

I've been using Golf-Driod GPS app, the last 2 years like the way it works when I'm wide right or left. Knowing the front, middle and back. I'm not good enough to shot to a 5 foot circle, just the front half or back.

This winter I've purchased a lazor, so we'll see how it helps me zero in a few things.

 

 

:golfer:

[raynorfan1]

I play the same course 100+ rounds a year - I just “know” what club to hit from every place on the course. I carry a laser and probably use it once every two rounds if I’m trying to get the carry yardage to some obstacle that I don’t usually encounter.

[North Butte]

I play the same course 100+ rounds a year - I just "know" what club to hit from every place on the course. I carry a laser and probably use it once every two rounds if I'm trying to get the carry yardage to some obstacle that I don't usually encounter.

 

I'm in the same situation but often can't for the life of me tell the difference between front and back hole locations. So if I'm in a spot where I know it's 7-iron to the front but I need a 6-iron to the back I'll shoot the flag to decide which one.

 

In theory, our course uses numbered sets of hole locations each day but in practice it's not at all unusual for them to be a bit mix and match.

 

But really, I'm a creature of habit and am often playing far, far slower than my natural pace. Either playing with slower players or playing behind slower groups. So I've fallen into the habit of basically lasering everything in those rounds. I figure it's a way to kill 10-15 seconds without pulling out my phone and posting to GolfWRX because I'm bored. :busted_cop:

[nitram]

Laser 90+% of the time. But it seems of late I'm using the Garmin watch to find the distance to center of green.

[raynorfan1]

I play the same course 100+ rounds a year - I just "know" what club to hit from every place on the course. I carry a laser and probably use it once every two rounds if I'm trying to get the carry yardage to some obstacle that I don't usually encounter.

 

I'm in the same situation but often can't for the life of me tell the difference between front and back hole locations. So if I'm in a spot where I know it's 7-iron to the front but I need a 6-iron to the back I'll shoot the flag to decide which one.

 

Our greens are so small (average of about 3000 square feet) that front/back/middle doesn't really come into play.

 

It got me into big trouble at St. Andrews when I was just trying to "be on the green" (which gives a shot at birdie at my home club) and found myself with 40 yard putts to contend with...

[ThinkingPlus]

I use a laser rangefinder on most everything I can; pins, trees, bunkers, etc... . Making a good swing with bad yardage information is a wasted stroke.

[mcs4]

Laser. Being in South Florida I tend to play a bunch of different courses, and it's easy to be off by a half-club or more if you only know the distance to the center of a green from a marker and aren't strongly familiar with the greens and pin placements.

[ChipNRun]

Most of the time I use my GPS watch. I take a look at the course online the night before, and get an idea of the green size. I can usually tell where the pin is, and add or subtract a couple of yards from the GPS front-middle-back readings.

 

For inside 80 yards I usually lase it.

 

At my home course, we often have wet day cartpath only rules. It's a hassle to walk around with a couple of clubs and a towel and a rangefinder, so I usually rely on the GPS watch and adjust visually.

[Cicero]

GPS app on phone for full shots, eyeball anything like about 60 yards and in or so (I don’t know the yardage or look for it, I just look at a spot and try to “throw” the ball there).