GPS vs Rangefinder in 2020

[Mikey5e]

Just for the heck of it I often stand on fairway markers that give the yardage to the center of the green and my Bushnell GPS watch is always within one yard of the marker and a lot of times right on the yardage. GPS is very accurate and I don't see how anybody can say it is off 5 to 10 yards. It just isn't so.

[brew4eagle]

GPS I use let's you move the pin location. I don't always bother moving the pin, but when testing vs laser I have and they'd be within a couple of yds of each other.

[ronster]

I’m probably going to buy an inexpensive Laser to go along with my GolfShot + Apple Watch I use now. I’ll use it for some hole but I really want for the range to laser the flags(most ranges around here don’t post the actual flag yardages as they could change daily, depending if they move the hitting area).

For me Golfshot is accurate enough most of the time.

[ThinkingPlus]

The GPS specification is 10 m SEP (Spherical Error Probability). While the majority of that error is vertical (around 9 m or so), that leaves 3 m in each of the horizontal axes giving a net of 4 m in the horizontal plane. If you are getting better than that it is due to differential GPS based on local transmitters that enhance the positional accuracy. Differential enhancement like that isn't available everywhere.

[jons1]

Lasers are far more accurate. GPS can be very convenient to get yardage at a glance, but you have to accept that there is a margin of error with the devices. Some people are lucky to get the ball within 15-30 feet of a pin so they think it's really accurate to get that kind of accuracy from a GPS device. For others, it could mean the difference of which club they use and whether they will work the ball one way or another or hit a 3/4 shot. Lasers might be overkill for the average golfer, but not the better golfer imo. No serious caddy on any tour would get yardages from a gps device, lets put it that way.

[Nels55]

I did compare my Garmin watch with my laser quite often when I first got the laser and I also compare every now and then with other folks GPS. Usually they are very close but there have been a few times when I have seen 5 to 10 yards of delta. So it can happen and there were a couple of spots on my course where the watch was definitely wrong. Based on my observations the vast majority of the time the GPS is very close and easily good enough. I remember that I was really happy when I first got the watch and was able to quit searching to find yardage markers! I bought the laser later on because I noticed that the scratch golfers all seemed to have lasers so I figured that they knew something. At my level I don't believe it really makes a difference one way or the other I simply like using the laser better.

[BlackDiamondPar5]

Spot on gents. Thats why I'm an advocate for splitting the budget and getting both GPS and laser instead of buying 1 platform with all the bells and whistles.

 

Both have advantages and disadvantages over the other. Yes low cap golfers certainly benefit from the extra accuracy of a laser but there's instances where the laser can't see the target nor provide front/back green distance - - so they can benefit from GPS.

Debating which is better is a little like debating whether you should have regular pliers or needle nose pliers in your tool box. You should have both :)

[dcmidnight]

I use both a new S62 watch and a few years old Bushnell laser, so not taking sides - but that chart is just silly. The slope calculation on the laser is great but at most I will see a few yards difference, maybe that gets into double digits. But I've never seen anything approaching this.

How often are you hitting 150 yard shots into a green **100 vertical feet** above your current location. Go stand 150 yards from a ~9 or 10 story building and see if that seems reasonable LOL.

 

[Hateto3Putt]

I have both, a Callaway laser, and a small Golflogix GPS.

 

Although they're both handy, I use the laser far more often than the GPS, I call it "Pinformation". I do refer to the GPS on unfamiliar tracks, especially with blind doglegs and such.

 

I've never understood the "I'm not good enough for the accurate information from a laser" argument.

 

Whatever you use, please, Please, PLEASE make your decisions quickly and hit the ball.

[BirdieBob]

The diagram simply shows the inaccuracy of using line-of-sight distance which is what you get with gps/laser uncorrected. If you don't have slope adjusted then you are guessing about the distance!

 

[dcmidnight]

I think my point is more - its really not as much as people think and that chart is ludicrous and done to make a point.

The most severe change in elevation on my course is +7 yards up. I've measured them all with the slope function. But 7 yards isnt even a full club and logic dictates for most people you could look at it and say "OK, this is an extra club".

And I'm not saying we couldn't all point to SEVERE holes and say see, this one is a really big difference. Just that for most people on most holes - its not a huge difference. On top of that, the same margin of error applies. So you tell me its +6 yards on the slope, is it really +4, is it really +8. And does that make a difference? Even with the Bushnell, which IMO is great, if you shoot a pin from 150 yards a handful of times, you're going to get variations in the response.

TLDR - I dont think the slope adjustments are as big a deal as people make them out to be for most players on most holes.

[BirdieBob]

Thanks...yes of course the diagram is to make a point. I prefer to have an idea of what the adjustment is instead of guessing. It is helpful and is one less factor to deal with during a shot calculation decision. If what one uses does not have this adjustment then you can factor in some adjustment based upon use and come close I would say.

[Nels55]

Range finders that calculate slope are not legal for tournament play or as far as I can tell rounds where you are posting your score. So they are only legal for practice rounds. Is it worth it to have the slope calculation only for practice rounds? Or do you use it for scoring rounds and don't worry about what the rules say?

[Sean2]

I use a RF over a GPS unit because of its simplicity. I see guys on the course constantly fiddling with their GPS's, having to charge them, etc. With the RF all I do is point and shoot. I am not interested in stats as I know what parts of my game need work. I used to keep stats and found I was getting obsessed with them. I also find RF's more accurate. A playing partner will look at his GPS and say, it's 135 to the middle. With a GPS I can get the exact yardage.

[BirdieBob]

I don't play in tournaments, but I do post scores for handicap purposes and won't be changing that which I understand is ok.

[BPetry]

I went through this same thing earlier this year. I decided on getting both. I use a Garmin S20 and a Precision Pro NX7 with slope. My course has severe elevated greens on a few holes and the slope feature has helped a few times. I probably use the laser 8-10 times a round, but the watch on every shot..

[jons1]

With newer Bushnell laser RFs, don't they have an app you can also use on your phone that gives you something like the GPS benefits? How is that app? Because it's a free app, so if that covers the gps scenarios it seems like Bushnell RF is the way to go.

[cristphoto]

I have a Bushnell Excel GPS watch that gives you access to the Bushnell app. Very handy. Gives you overviews of each hole and flyover shots. Plus you can track your score and it also has a pedometer feature to count your steps. What I like is it Bluetooth's to the watch and gives you the ability to measure swingspeed and tempo. Obviously not as accurate as the $$$ units but lets me know if my swing gets faster when I try different techniques.

[Dpavs]

While I like my GPS (simple Garmin G10 @ 99 bucks) ... a laser rangefinder can shoot any target for layup options. Also you can shoot the flags at the range when practicing to see the true yardage to the flag and with slope what yardage it is actually playing at... can't do this with a GPS.

[brew4eagle]

Agree with benefits of laser at a practice range. I don't ever go to the range, but if I did I'd probably favor the laser vs gps.

[dlygrisse]

I like having both. Knowing F/M/B is very useful as you don't want to err on overshooting a back pin or clearing a false front. This is especially true on courses you don't play often. On courses I know well a RF is usually enough.

[Lobby]

That's exactly what I did. When I compare the Golfshot app to my Nikon laser, I get about the same answer. The app is accurate enough for me. I haven't figured out how to get the free version to tell me how long a drive I just hit, tho

But many of the courses I play have a built in GPS on the golf carts, and I end up using neither.

[Dan13]

BlackDiamond - Did you intentionally choose the Vivoactive 3 over the S60? With the additions to the S62 it seems worth the extra money compared to the Vivoactive 4. I will use it for golf, running and swimming.

[brew4eagle]

^ fwiw I had the S60 and didn't like it for running compared to the Forerunner 245. 245 is awesome for running. I found the S60 took longer to pick up satellites and was just very watered down vs 245. Of course the 245 doesn't have golf at all. Can't win, unless the S62 has greatly improved on the fitness side of things.

[BlackDiamondPar5]

Yes I chose the VA3 over the S60 because the S60 does not have an integrated heart monitor. I weighted fitness and golf of equal importance to me. While the S60 is a more robust golf solution it fell well short of fitness without the heart monitor. They seem to have closed that gap by adding a heart monitor to the S62 but it's still $200-$250 more than the VA4.

If I were in the market today I'd personally still go with the VA4 over the S62 Those extra golf features and prettier display may look cool but they really don't provide anything additional I need. Near, center, far and occasional distance to a hazard and scoring is all I want--- the VA4 does that nicely. Yes the S62 is also preloaded with all courses whereas the VA4 requires the course be loaded via your smartphone each time, which might be nice for some. But if I had a $500 budget I'd go with the VA4 and a quality $180-$200 laser.

If you go to the Gamin website you can compare the features of the VA4 vs S62--- those differences may or may not be important to you so check it out. Good luck! Garmin vívoactive® 4 | Smartwatch with GPS | Fitness

Garmin Approach® S62 | Premium Golf Watch

[Dan13]

Thanks. The features on the S62 that are maybe worth the extra money for me are the preloaded courses, full vector maps, touch targeting and tempo training. Realistically I will never use any of them but the tempo on the home course. Annual Golf trips and the occasional new course those features would be nice to have. No wrong answer here. It is tough to justify the extra money when 90% of the time the V4 would give me all I need. I’ll post when I pull the trigger on something.

[Philomathesq]

@Dan13, you should check out the Fenix 6. More expensive, but all the features make it worth it in my opinion.

[Mikey5e]

I like the conversation and the points of view in here, they are quite helpful. I had my Bushnell GPS watch on yesterday and seem to always get very accurate yardages with it. While on a par 3 the tee GAM (Michigan tee marker) said 147 yds to the mog, I stood right on top of the marker and that's exactly what my GPS watch measured. My Bushnell is a very accurate watch, and Bushnell customer service has stood by their product in my opinion and I am very happy with it. With that being said, I still would like to get a rangefinder, most likely without the slope measurement to save some cash. Also, to my knowledge you still cannot use a slope measuring device in tournaments. A question I would appreciate some answers to is would you purchase a rangefinder without the slope feature? And why or why not?

EDIT

This is the one I had my eye on:https://golftamers.com/rangefinders/bushnell-tour-v4-review/

[Stehal]

I use my GPS until I get to scoring distance, then I find the laser more accurate. I have a new Shotscope GPS watch/tracker coming that is claiming 30cm ( 1 foot) accuracy so should be interesting to see if it's more accurate than the Skycaddie I have been using. The laser is great for practice too, nice to get accurate distances to the targets.

[brew4eagle]

If you're looking at the V4, consider the Precision Pro NX7, on closeout at precision pro website for $170 (also use code golfwrx)