Rangefinders/Recommendations

[John]

Hey lads, i'm thinking of picking up a rangefinder for this season and I don't know if I want to spend the dough on a pinseeker 1500 even though I hear they are the best.

I'm looking at the Bushnell V2 Tour which is around 300$ on Ebay. Anyone out there have recommendations on good rangefinders a little less than that?

Thanks!

[jvincent]

I've got the older version of the V2 Tour and it's perfectly fine.

If you get a "hunting" version it's called the "Yardage Pro Scout". I think it might be cheaper than the golf version.

[Gropper]

I've got the older version of the V2 Tour and it's perfectly fine.

If you get a "hunting" version it's called the "Yardage Pro Scout". I think it might be cheaper than the golf version.

Here is one here, don;t know much about this version, I still say pinseeker is the way to go, the 7x magnification makes a big diffrence

http://www.usedottawa.com/classified-ad/5075118

[golfott]

the 1500 is amazing. it is so quick steady and you easily get ranges in excess of 300 yards, ( longer to i imagine just never bothered to look at anything longer really)

it is well worth a few extra $, and on ebay they are not that much more. i got mine for $300 on ebay last year, love it every time i use it.

[sillywilly]

GPS is the way to go... range finders can't see around corners

[gbower]

I have been using a Bushnell yardage pro tour for a few years now and although it has been great I would highly recommend the pinseeker 1500.
I can take my rangefinder to any course in the world and use it but the gps units have to already have a course measured. If you're playing the same course all the time they are good but still don't give the distance to the pin.

[jeffc]

how many courses in ottawa can you get on your gps?

[Kiwi]

I posed the same question some months ago, and based on the feedback I just purchased the Medalist model. $350 at GT. I had that in gift cards so a great deal. When I originally went into GT some months ago I spoke to a chap there who appeared very knowledgable and convinced me that there was little advantage to me to pay the extra $120 for the 1500. The Medalist is 4 X 20, will pin-seek up to 250 yds, pick out a tree at 500 yds and a highly reflective object up to 1000 yards. All more than enough for me (17 hcp). Taking it to MB in two weeks to give it a good test on courses I have never played before. Will report back.

[golfott]

the medalist sure is a good option if money is a question you can save a few bucks by going with it.

there is no doubt the 1500 is by far the best, but for almost all golf activities the medalist will sure be good. but if you can spare a few extra bucks, get the 1500.
and for GPS, well that have been hashed it seems over and over, but like posted above, not all courses are charted, and if they are some markings are suspect. the laser is accurate, quick and you measure to anything at all, not just preset marks. it is amazing on a range for knowing exact distances for each club and each type of swing.

[Smoothie]

I may try and pick a laser range finder up before the season starts.
I'm wondering which features and model I should get, don't want to spend what the 1500 is going for. The courses I play all have the reflective flags, Clublink. What is the difference between the infamous 1500 and some of the older or cheaper models. The Yardage Pro Scout or Trophy models look similar in features for much less. What am I missing in not getting the 1500.
Thanks!!

[jvincent]

The 1500 Pinseeker is better at picking up hard to hit targets.

If you are at Clublink then you would have no problem with a Pro Scout. With the reflectors it's like shooting fish in a barrel.

[Kiwi]

What are reflectors on the flag sticks? Are they like the reflectors on a bike? Never seen/heard of them.

[jvincent]

Kind of like the bike ones. They put them on the top of the flagstick and they have mirrors at multiple angles to allow you to pick up the flag easily.

[sharkhark]

Anyone heard of the golf buddy gps? I saw it in my air miles merchandise list online and went to do some online research.
Was shocked at the low price on ebay. Was also shocked that there is no membership fee. They ship it based on your 'zone' you live in and provide 1000 courses pre loaded. If you need other courses regardless of where you live, or if you want to add US courses you just go to website and download.

The cool thing is in theory out of the box the thing powers up and if you are on a golf course no need to scroll it is immediately recognised, apparently will even ask which tees you are playing. Its also waterproof. Sounds too good to be true. Here is one of the few reviews I could find (almost all other gps companies require annual $35-65 fees and can only hold 10-20 courses, this unit holds 1000????)

Equipment Review: The Golf Buddy Plus GPS Range Finder

<script src="http://www.google-analytics.com/urchin.js" type="text/javascript"> </script> <script type="text/javascript"> _uacct = "UA-1043385-2"; urchinTracker(); </script>With several range finder and GPS options on the market today, I thought we would take a look at the newest entrant in the race to the proper yardage. Its called The Golf Buddy Plus. We enlisted the help of sales rep John Goulet to get the low down on the Golf Buddy Plus. Here's the info John provided for us.
The Golf Buddy Plus is the most accurate GPS unit on the market for golf course applications. Its small, lightweight, and fast. There is never a membership fee to download new courses, and it comes pre loaded with courses from your area. Golf Buddy distributes according to zones, so you never have to worry about finding courses in your area. They are already loaded when you take the unit out of the box. It automatically finds the course you are at and tells you what hole you’re on with no scrolling to find the course. There is never a membership fee in the can hold up 1000 courses and they can be preloaded so don’t have to download them. If you have a golf buddy that is not pre-load you can go to the website golfbuddyusa.com and download any of the courses available for free. You can buy golf buddy at finer golf retailers or check the website for the nearest retailer in your area. A few other notes: we measure as the crow flies, straight to the green. We measure to all bunkers front and back. All hazards are measured to front and carry. You can customize to your own needs by having the option to put down up 13 more spots per hole. It can also measure your shot to know how far you hit every club. The golf buddy allows you to set the exact pin positions so you know exactly the yardage to the hole. It has 12 channel receptions. It can be used right out of the box in 3 to 4 minutes because it is preloaded and pre-charged. It comes with a poly/lithium battery the best in the business that carries a 12 to 13 hour charge. It comes with 7 languages and the options for meters or yards. The major benefit is the ease of use. <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"></st1:place></st1:country-region>
We found that the Golf Buddy Plus is the easiest GPS unit to operate. In a round at Dallas Athletic Club, it came right out of the box, asked if we wanted to play the Blue or Gold Course, and we were on our way. During the round, if we wanted simple yardage to the greens, we never even clicked a button. With a few clicks we could get yardages to carry bunkers, lay up yardages, and green depths. If you're looking at a GPS unit, we highly recommend the Golf Buddy Plus.

Other customer comments:
-Jason, Mesquite, TX- "Very easy to read easy to use. When you think you are on the 150 marker and you find out that you are really 160 out."
-Robert A., Garland, TX- "What I have found out is that I pull the right stick because I have the correct number right in front of me."

[jvincent]

Never heard of it. I'd be curious to know how they mapped the courses since that is the hardest part.

Off the top of my head I think that you could do a pretty good mapping job with the "Pro" version of Google Earth but any other method would require a lot of manpower which translates to cost.

[sharkhark]

Never heard of it. I'd be curious to know how they mapped the courses since that is the hardest part.

Off the top of my head I think that you could do a pretty good mapping job with the "Pro" version of Google Earth but any other method would require a lot of manpower which translates to cost.

I just went to their site and did a search to see what the ontario courses are that come loaded. Was shocked that I could not find one of my many regulars that was missing. It even had camisle which is a dump course in burlington west of TO that stays open even in winter. They even had it?
here is the link. I am pretty excited, I like the other options for gps but they all require the annual fees. this one doesn't.

http://www.golfbuddyusa.com/en/cours...rse_search.asp

[Smoothie]

The 1500 Pinseeker is better at picking up hard to hit targets.

If you are at Clublink then you would have no problem with a Pro Scout. With the reflectors it's like shooting fish in a barrel.

Is it fair to say any rangefinder that can read reflectors would do for me? There are some cheaper options, as you mentioned the pro, scout, tour and trophy etc. that can read reflectors, are 4x magnification or greater and have scan mode. Would any of these do? Does the 1500 pick up the reflectors faster, or have something better that I'm missing?

I'd use it for ~225y and in for pins, and would use it for bunker lips, banks infront of water and seeing how far the trees are before I drive it trough the fairway.
Thanks!

[jvincent]

There's nothing special in the rangefinder for reading reflectors, it's just that they reflect more of the IR beam back, which makes it easier to read.

Ideally you want higher magnification because it is easier to pickup targets.

The Pinseeker editions have some extra technology that helps zero in on the flags better but that's part of the extra cost.

[Txxxxxxx]

I'd go with the 1500 TE.

[dbleber]

The yardage pro works really well for the cost. You can pick them up for around the $100 mark. I got mine onhere and I'm really happy with how easy it is to use. If your courses have the reflectors then you won't have any problems.

[Kiwi]

Used my Bushnell Laser Ranger Finder (Medalist) for the six rounds in Myrtle Beach. I am very pleased with the results. The pin seeker technology works great and there was only one time that I could not pick up the flag. Did not really test it out on the lips of bunkers or water hazards but nevertheless it was a great investment. I felt very confident hitting shots knowing the exact distance to the pin or an object. Seemed to have a lot fewer long putts at the end of the round knowing exactly which club to use. Now if I could just straighten out my drives...

[Gropper]

I've used my Pinseeker 1500 for 2 rounds now and love it, i find it fast and makes my club selection alot easier, plus i feel i'm pin high more often now, just not always straight on target !

Also had no problem picking up the flag on number 7 of the central course at Manderly, its 508 not 512! lol you know just in case i needed to club down!