Mid-Priced Rangefinder that can ALWAYS FIND THE FLAG

[jcwooddt]

Right now I have the Bushnell Sport 450 and it is basically worthless outside of 100-120. I think this is because it does not have the "pinseeker" technology. I know this one is around 5-8 years old.

 

I want to find one that can actually find the pin. I am open to spend up to $200-$250 USED. I will only buy used because I can a better rangefinder for the money.

 

If people could list some that they have and some features or things you like or dislike about particular models.

 

I am also not against GPS, I have just not tried it yet. This is my first day doing research into a new rangefinder, so please someone tell me one that does not suck.

[KaTooM]

Leupold GX-1

[pgfree]

Agree. Worth the money, easy to use, not overpaying for a solid tool.

[Fourmyle of Ceres]

I think any unit that gives priority to the closest target (i.e. "Pinseeker" on Bushnell) will be the ticket. New, used, cheap, expensive, just find whatever you can that uses that sort of feature. Most of the name-brand units are pretty decent quality and pretty similar in how they work IMO.

It does help a lot if your course has little prisms atop the flagsticks. Without the prisms, even a "Pinseeker" needs a pretty steady hand outside of 150 yards.

[Stuart_G]

The Nikon 550/Callaway Octane are very good at locking onto the pin. Of course, for any laser range finder you have to be able to hold it somewhat steady even for the pin seeker to work.

[lost&found]

[quote name='pgfree' timestamp='1339570557' post='5082716']
Agree. Worth the money, easy to use, not overpaying for a solid tool.
[/quote]

I have the new Bushnell Tour Z6. Even with the Pinseeker feature, there are times when I have difficulty locking in on the pin. This can be due to operator error (unsteady hands), limp flags, long distance to the flag, limited view of the flag, visual clutter behind the flag, etc. It works well 90-95% of the time and I would not trade it for anything, but there is no perfect rangefinder, or GPS, for that matter. As for the price, my son landed a Bushnell 1500 on Craigslist at a very reasonable price. Good luck.

[sleuth]

I bought a Bushnell V2 used for $140. Best money I have spent this year on golf equipment. I can't tell you how many times this thing has helped in my pin hunting and definitely has me scoring a stroke or two better every 9.

Pinseeker isn't perfect. It works pretty well, but when you're at a certain distance it just isn't very good. I'd say it's accurate from 150yds and in. Once you get outside that range it's really hard to lock in on the pin if there are trees. I have to hit the button 5x to get a good read, and then hit it a few more times to confirm that yardage. This is the same problem as my buddies Bushnell 1600. Some times it'll pick up the pin right away, but I still go through the routine of confirming it.

And then once you're outside 200 yards, it's pretty sketchy. Then again, who cares. Are you really pin hunting at that range?

These are pretty common issues among all laser rangefinders though. For the price, I think the Bushnell v2 can't be beat.

P.S.
The problem with GPS (which I also use), is that it only reads front, middle, back. You can get this as an app on any phone for $2-$20 now. Just go that route. It's nice to know the size of the green and have an overview map. I wouldn't buy a $200-$400 GPS, however.

[mahanate]

Just one caution against GPS smartphone apps- they drain the battery on many phones, and since they triangulate using cell phone towers, and not GPS satellites in most cases, their accuracy is worse than a good GPS. I played a couple of rounds this past weekend with a friend with a GolfLogix iPhone combo, and he was off by 10 yards almost consistently. My Callaway UPro Go and a Bushnell were almost always in agreement.

[baseballfrk8998]

[quote name='sleuth' timestamp='1339953577' post='5113738']
I bought a Bushnell V2 used for $140. Best money I have spent this year on golf equipment. I can't tell you how many times this thing has helped in my pin hunting and definitely has me scoring a stroke or two better every 9.

Pinseeker isn't perfect. It works pretty well, but when you're at a certain distance it just isn't very good. I'd say it's accurate from 150yds and in. Once you get outside that range it's really hard to lock in on the pin if there are trees. [b]I have to hit the button 5x to get a good read[/b], and then hit it a few more times to confirm that yardage. This is the same problem as my buddies Bushnell 1600. Some times it'll pick up the pin right away, but I still go through the routine of confirming it.

And then once you're outside 200 yards, it's pretty sketchy. Then again, who cares. Are you really pin hunting at that range?

These are pretty common issues among all laser rangefinders though. For the price, I think the Bushnell v2 can't be beat.

P.S.
The problem with GPS (which I also use), is that it only reads front, middle, back. You can get this as an app on any phone for $2-$20 now. Just go that route. It's nice to know the size of the green and have an overview map. I wouldn't buy a $200-$400 GPS, however.
[/quote]

Just hold the button down until it locks on. I can pick up flags with absolutely no problem inside of 220 or so with my V2.

[ntagger]

[quote name='mahanate' timestamp='1340135213' post='5130044']
Just one caution against GPS smartphone apps- they drain the battery on many phones, and since [b]they triangulate using cell phone towers[/b], and not GPS satellites in most cases, their accuracy is worse than a good GPS. I played a couple of rounds this past weekend with a friend with a GolfLogix iPhone combo, and he was off by 10 yards almost consistently. My Callaway UPro Go and a Bushnell were almost always in agreement.
[/quote]

I agree, that the phones are not as accurate as a rangefinder, but I'm pretty sure these apps don't use the cell tower triangulation to pin point the location of the phone. In that case I doubt you'd see the battery drain to the extent it does.