Should the Pro's use Rangefinders? Commentators say yes.

[Chief Illiniwek]

Honest question, I don't know the tech at all. Is there any danger of lasering a spectator in the eye?

[tbowles411]

Absolutely yes. To me it's all about speed. When golfer X hits it off line and he sees his target, it would be easy to laze it and go. No more walking off yardage and using Kentucky windage.

[tbowles411]

[quote name='Chief Illiniwek' timestamp='1359637977' post='6335553']
Honest question, I don't know the tech at all. Is there any danger of lasering a spectator in the eye?
[/quote]
There might be. That is, if said spectator is the target...

[RRFireblade]

Won't make a difference, they will still walk it off to get the slope.

[baseballfrk8998]

[quote name='RRFireblade' timestamp='1359641231' post='6335751']
Won't make a difference, they will still walk it off to get the slope.
[/quote]

What do you mean?

[tbowles411]

[quote name='baseballfrk8998' timestamp='1359642965' post='6335895']
[quote name='RRFireblade' timestamp='1359641231' post='6335751']
Won't make a difference, they will still walk it off to get the slope.
[/quote]

What do you mean?
[/quote]
I don't think he realizes that many rangefinders account for slope these days. New fangled inventions.

[nitram]

No.
It makes too much sense.

[gvogel]

If I were the czar of pro golf, they would all play with 10 clubs and have to carry their own bags - just like I do. There would be no caddies, and they would have to eyeball their shots - no pacing allowed.

but since that isn't going to happen in the near future, laser range finders should be allowed.

[Skydiver22]

[quote name='tbowles411' timestamp='1359644154' post='6336035']
[quote name='baseballfrk8998' timestamp='1359642965' post='6335895']
[quote name='RRFireblade' timestamp='1359641231' post='6335751']
Won't make a difference, they will still walk it off to get the slope.
[/quote]

What do you mean?
[/quote]
I don't think he realizes that many rangefinders account for slope these days. New fangled inventions.
[/quote]

Rangefinders that have the slope feature are considered illegal equipment... I think thats what he was suggesting, they would still need to account for the +/- of the terrain.

[Shiram]

I think we know which side Bushnell and Leopold would come down on this.

Now... would this allow for tour issued range finders? Or do those already exist and I'm missing an opportunity!?

[baseballfrk8998]

[quote name='kvnhlstd' timestamp='1359647972' post='6336447']
[quote name='tbowles411' timestamp='1359644154' post='6336035']
[quote name='baseballfrk8998' timestamp='1359642965' post='6335895']
[quote name='RRFireblade' timestamp='1359641231' post='6335751']
Won't make a difference, they will still walk it off to get the slope.
[/quote]

What do you mean?
[/quote]
I don't think he realizes that many rangefinders account for slope these days. New fangled inventions.
[/quote]

Rangefinders that have the slope feature are considered illegal equipment... I think thats what he was suggesting, they would still need to account for the +/- of the terrain.
[/quote]

Lol I understand that. I didn't get why he was suggesting that they'd have to walk it off though..

[tbowles411]

[quote name='baseballfrk8998' timestamp='1359650079' post='6336681']
[quote name='kvnhlstd' timestamp='1359647972' post='6336447']
[quote name='tbowles411' timestamp='1359644154' post='6336035']
[quote name='baseballfrk8998' timestamp='1359642965' post='6335895']
[quote name='RRFireblade' timestamp='1359641231' post='6335751']
Won't make a difference, they will still walk it off to get the slope.
[/quote]

What do you mean?
[/quote]
I don't think he realizes that many rangefinders account for slope these days. New fangled inventions.
[/quote]

Rangefinders that have the slope feature are considered illegal equipment... I think thats what he was suggesting, they would still need to account for the +/- of the terrain.
[/quote]

Lol I understand that. I didn't get why he was suggesting that they'd have to walk it off though..
[/quote]
Point taken.

[Barto78]

I think the tour should allow Laser or GPS devices 1 week and see how quickly it speeds up play. If it helps, then that's great. If it doesn't then at least we will know once and for all.

One thing i've always wondered is maybe the TV networks don't want to speed up play because they get more time for commercials and air time in general if the final round runs long.

[baseballfrk8998]

[quote name='tbowles411' timestamp='1359650731' post='6336741']
Point taken.
[/quote]

I wonder if they'd allow 200+ yard tape measures? Even that would speed up play at this point. They could have it attached to the flag and have a person run the other end out to each player so that he'd have an exact yardage.

[SadTrombone]

[quote name='Barto78' timestamp='1359651403' post='6336817']
I think the tour should allow Laser or GPS devices 1 week and see how quickly it speeds up play. If it helps, then that's great. If it doesn't then at least we will know once and for all.
[/quote]
That's a great idea. Maybe even at a "silly season" event (Tiger's tournament) or bring back the Skins game and have them all use lasers and GPSs. Hell, Bushnell and Garmin would probably sponsor a skins game if that was the set-up.

[Truman]

It would save the caddy a couple of days a week, so the pro could justify paying a little less.

[RRFireblade]

[quote name='baseballfrk8998' timestamp='1359642965' post='6335895']
[quote name='RRFireblade' timestamp='1359641231' post='6335751']
Won't make a difference, they will still walk it off to get the slope.
[/quote]

What do you mean?
[/quote][quote name='baseballfrk8998' timestamp='1359642965' post='6335895']
[quote name='RRFireblade' timestamp='1359641231' post='6335751']
Won't make a difference, they will still walk it off to get the slope.
[/quote]

What do you mean?
[/quote]
Your body senses changes in elevation WAY more acurately than you can judge with your eyes alone.

Thats one of the primary reasons we walk off yardages in the first place. Works quite well reading greens too.

[Desert Golf]

Absolutely Yes! I'd even go one better and allow the yardage to the pin to be posted on the giant screen leaderboards. The pro would just need to look up at the screen, and the gallery would know the yardage too.

All of this pacing yardage off seems silly to me. It's what I used to do when I first started playing, before I bought a rangefinder.

[HackerVance]

No, they are anchored to the body. It just doesn 't look like golf. Seriously, they should be allowed to use them.

[MendonGolfer]

I think the main solution to the problem of slow play lies in Jr/College golf. The AJGA is very strict with pass of play, which is a great practice. But college golf is some of the slowest rounds in history, especially in the bigger conferences. The AJGA just added rangefinders this year, and I expect the pace of play to drop below 4 hours. (Its about 4:15 now)

[CheckJV]

[size=6]Yes...but they should not be able to anchor it to their eye.[/size]

[Petethreeput]

I would think they already use them. I presume during their practice rounds the caddies have them and laser from different points on the course to the green. So why not just let them take them out onto the course while they play so they don't have to walk off the yardage from a pre-lasered spot. Kind of silly if you ask me. But the question is, would it speed up play, or would it give them another thing to fidget with?

[fore]

I suspect they will start using them once they realize there's a whole untapped source of endorsement dollars.

[PaddyK]

put a shot clock on the green, the amount of time the pros spend stalking putts is ridiculous. 45 seconds with 2 timeouts should cover it.!

[KYMAR]

While i really don''t care if they make them legal for use or not, I am a little surprised by the number of people that believe this would significantly speed up play. There are few places these guys find themselves that they don't already know within 5 yards how much they have left to the center of the green. I think, especially on courses played annually, Phil or Tiger or Sneds et al can tell you what club they're probably gonna have for an approach shot on almost every hole before the round even starts. The delay comes from the conversations about the wind, about the green conditions, about the spin they anticipate getting or not getting. about a possible flier lie. I realize they walk off yardages at times, but, as someone else said, that is rarely yardage to the pin. As someone else said, the delay on the tour comes from the most basic ruling situations that players should be handling themselves requiring an official, and then another official, Its 2 freaking clubs, no closer to the hole, put your tees in the ground, drop the damn ball and get on with it! And also around the greens is a nightmare. I don't care what device they have at their disposal from 200 out. if they have to look at every 8 foot putt from 4 different sides, the pace will still crawl.

[Paul Stewart Jones]

This will not happen, as the health and safety of a caddie miss using the laser, and the playing hitting the ball long into a crowd.

FACT from the European tour.

[No_1]

[quote name='KYMAR' timestamp='1359835403' post='6350697']As someone else said, the delay on the tour comes from the most basic ruling situations that players should be handling themselves requiring an official, and then another official, Its 2 freaking clubs, no closer to the hole, put your tees in the ground, drop the damn ball and get on with it! And also around the greens is a nightmare. I don't care what device they have at their disposal from 200 out. if they have to look at every 8 foot putt from 4 different sides, the pace will still crawl.[/quote]IMHO, calling in an official has been de riguer since the player is in constant "surveillance" by some one in front of a TV monitor. I offer Tiger in the desert 2 weeks ago and D. Johnson's grounded club ruling at the 2010 PGA Championship. If the ruling was made by an on-the-spot rules type, then I stand corrected.

No matter how the call was made, if a player is in doubt as to a ruling, calling the in official is the only way to avoid the penalty. Kinda like a corporation clearing all statements through an attorney before making a public statement.

Must agree that the most time consuming practice - scutinizing a putt from all angles and elevations (standing, bent over, crouched like a catcher) - would not benefit from using a rangefinder. 2+ minutes is not unusual.

No way the non-PGA player would ever get away with that at the local course.

[J13]

it's a joke that they are still frowned upon. Blame the R&A for a lot of stuffy rules being kept in place.

[FairwaysToHeaven]

Wanted to bring this back up after what i saw this weekend in the Match Play. How many topics or ideas have been tossed around about how the Tour could improve pace of play.

This weekend Mahan had a shot within 100yds. probably an area they hadnt planned in being but due to the wind wasn't able to reach the green so the caddy was without accurate yardages. Mahans caddy then walked to the green and stepped off 71 yards to get the exact number. yes, pace of play isnt quite as important when playing the weekend of match play, but its ridiculous that with the technology that is available in getting the yardages that we still require caddys to pace off the yardages.

[Vindog]

Whatever, rangefinders aren't going to be a magical fix for any pace of play problems.

now instead of two books, they'll have books and a rangefinder.