I thought that use of range finders had at some point in recent years become allowed by the rules... in some but not all circumstances.

The conversation came up this afternoon and it seems that it is now pretty much allowed everywhere and just about any time? I played in my club championship on the weekend and kept my laser in the bag - I will admit I assumed and did not think to ask anyone if using it was allowed or not. Apparently they are/were allowed in Intersectional matches? I've played in the Cornwall Open twice in the last three years and again assumed I was not allowed to use it (at Cornwall and in the club championship I didn't ever see anyone using one)... but one guy I played with said he DID use his at Cornwall last year.

What I learned from this is... ask, stupid! I have noticed some people seem to depend on them now almost exclusively to help them make decisions on the course, EVERY SINGLE SHOT. I even tried understanding why one guy absolutely had to scope out the flag on a flat par-3 that was 190 yards, white flag (middle of green) with tee blocks that seemed to be where they "should be"... so basically, what difference would it make if it were 187 yards of 194? Are 5, 10, 15 or 20 handicap amateurs that good (or that bad) that they need to get TO THE YARD the distance for as few as many to as many as ALL shots before hitting the ball?

I'm not that old (35) but I've been playing for 28 years and have prided myself for being a 'feel' player - having said that, I do have a range finder but I find I might only use it 4-6 times in a round to get me out of a mental jam (or if I'm really off track somewhere and could use a hint on which to base my club selection decision. I will pace to or from yardage markers and add "this or that" based on the flag colour, etc., but if you took my range finder and stomped on it, my golf game wouldn't go all to pieces. It seems that more and more people are using it as crutches.

Philosophy aside, bottom line: is it only RCGA Amateur, Mid-Am and PGA events that prohobit use of range finders now? Can/should I use it in two weeks at Cornwall? Should I use it more?!