Just bought a laser range finder

[Kilroy]

Certainly none of the public courses over the last 30 years or so.

Exactly. For "the last 30 years or so" the regular joe has been playing without the benefit of a caddy who knows the terrain. For over 500 years prior to that, just about everyone who played had the assistance of a caddy supplied by the course. How is it so wrong for us to have access to correct yardages? When I was a kid I had a buddy who caddied at the Hunt. You don't see that anymore.

[jvincent]

I wouldn't be surprised if this rule gets changed eventually.

After all, don't forget that at one point the stymie was legal too.

[NoBack]

All I am saying is if you have 2 guys with the same handicap playing in an OVGA or amateur tournament, and one has a lazer rangefinder because he has more money and can afford to buy this, he DOES and WILL have an advantage. To me this is now not a level playing field. And not the way it should be.

IMO figuring out the yardage IS part of the game. It's like judging wind and elevation and the more you play the better you get at it. .

[Kilroy]

And if you have an R7 and ping irons you have an advantage over the guy who plays Nortwesterns and can't afford good clubs.

[NoBack]

He has 14 clubs and so do I.
In tournament play the rangefinder is the 15th club

[1972Apex]

I don't own a rangefinder, although I've been considering one.
As long as the person who has one uses it properly and doesn't slow anyone down I'm all for it. They could walk around looking for every yardage marker and then walking and counting the steps back to their ball and agonizing over the distance like some people I play with... but I'd prefer they just aimed a scope at the flag that said '157'. Then they can step right up and shank their 6-iron 70 yards to the right just like they always do.
I always try to remember that golf is fun. If it makes the game more fun for someone if they use a rangefinder, then I'm all for it.

[dbleber]

All I am saying is if you have 2 guys with the same handicap playing in an OVGA or amateur tournament, and one has a lazer rangefinder because he has more money and can afford to buy this, he DOES and WILL have an advantage. To me this is now not a level playing field. And not the way it should be.

IMO figuring out the yardage IS part of the game. It's like judging wind and elevation and the more you play the better you get at it. .

So should professional caddies be outlawed? There are guys coming up the ranks that have their wifes/husbands/friends and family on the bag because they can not afford a professional caddie. How do you think most pro caddies get the yardages now? They use a laser on the practise rounds and when they do there walk off. I would agree with you %100 about judging wind, elevation, yardage and where to land the ball as being a great skill that all should have. The fact is most tour pros look at their caddie right away and say "how far to the pin", "how far to that ridge at the back of the green", "how far to carry the water". I don't see to many stupid stakes in the middle of the fairways on TV and I am sure the pros don't look at that stupid map at the tee box that says 153, but the tee box is moved back 2 feet from the gold and the flag is at the front of the green. It is only information that we should all have, if we cannot all have it. Then lets really change the game and make everyone figure out their own yardage and see how well everyone, pros included do.
Denny

[NoBack]

So should professional caddies be outlawed? Duh
There are guys coming up the ranks that have their wifes/husbands/friends and family on the bag because they can not afford a professional caddie. And?
How do you think most pro caddies get the yardages now? They use a laser on the practise rounds and when they do there walk off. Thanks for making my point!
I would agree with you %100 about judging wind, elevation, yardage and where to land the ball as being a great skill that all should have. The fact is most tour pros look at their caddie (who has already walked the course and noted what he needs to know)
I don't see to many stupid stakes in the middle of the fairways on TV (they will be back in the ground come monday morning)
and I am sure the pros don't look at that stupid map at the tee box that says 153, why should they - the caddies has that info already
Then lets really change the game and make everyone figure out their own yardage and see how well everyone, pros included do. if only
Denny

[mberube]

How long have you been playing and which courses in this area had a caddie service? Certainly none of the public courses over the last 30 years or so. I believe they tried to get it going at one course here (not sure which) but to say most courses would be far fetched.

I have not been playing for that long and don’t know that every golf course in the region had a caddie service in the region but 60+ years ago, a caddie service was very popular. At lest that’s what they say in the historic books.

All I am saying if a caddie can tell you what is the accurate distance why not a GPS. It’s only information.

[CDELA]

So for all those against EMDs, what do you do when you play a course like the Marshes? Tape your score card over the GPS display?

[Kilroy]

In tournament play the rangefinder is the 15th club

I have never even considered hitting a ball with my rangefinder.
I guess my rainsuit is my 16th club, my hat is my 17th, my sunglasses are my 18th club. Anything else I have in my bag that you don't is an unfair advantage too.

[1972Apex]

You and I are in 100% agreement on that subject Dan!
I have to say this as well: Obviously some people are a little more serious about the Tour than I expected. Not that there's anything wrong with that...

[GarthM]

So for all those against EMDs, what do you do when you play a course like the Marshes? Tape your score card over the GPS display?

In a tournament the GPS is either turned off/covered or you walk, that simple. In a casual, fun, drinkin' round, use 'em and make some skins!

GarthM

[NoBack]

Reid , why do dance around the issue, "Steve" is more serious than others about the tour. Yes I care about it,

[NoBack]

I have never even considered hitting a ball with my rangefinder.
I guess my rainsuit is my 16th club, my hat is my 17th, my sunglasses are my 18th club. Anything else I have in my bag that you don't is an unfair advantage too.

Now you get it. If it wasnt such a big deal then why the heck dont they allow them on the PGA.

[dbleber]

Now you get it. If it wasnt such a big deal then why the heck dont they allow them on the PGA.

I feel really bad for people who are this affraid of change. If you are a good enough golfer to take these tournment so seriously then you should not care if your FC knows if it is 200 or 203 to the hazard, because you will still beat him by being a better golfer and making better scores. Wouldn't you rather win because of your skill not because your opponent drop his shot in the pond because he did not have the right yardage from the course.
Denny

[Kilroy]

Now you get it.

I have no idea what you mean by that. However I do understand your position. It just seems to be getting stronger with every post. I think you have now dug your heels in so far you can never waiver. That's fine. It really isn't "such a big deal".

[NoBack]

Wouldn't you rather win because of your skill not because your opponent drop his shot in the pond because he did not have the right yardage from the course.

But isnt that a skill too, knowing the yardages?

[dbleber]

Not when the course is not marked properly, then it comes down to who guessed best. Also, that is a great skill to have but unless you want to be a caddie you shouldn't have to worry if the 200 yrd marker is really 200 yrds.
Denny

[Kilroy]

But isnt that a skill too, knowing the yardages?

I guess for the last 30-60 years it has been, but prior to that it was in the hands of your caddy.
Loosing the caddy was a step backwards in providing information to the golfer. Why should we be stuck with it?

[challengegolf]

I guess I'll jump on the band wagon too. I believe that laser range finder should be used during fun play and tournament. Why not? I have played courses that had markers at 150 and 100 yds and I am pretty accurate with my irons and would take the club that I know I hit for 150 yds to find myself short or too long, and then I played with a friend who had a range finder and found that there was sometimes up to 20 yds difference from what the courses marked as the 150 yds marker. If Tiger and all the PGA dudes can have the help of their caddies with distance why should I be penalized for not having one to tell me the exact distance to the hazards or the pin. I play a lot in South Carolina in the winter and almost all the courses have those little books which tells you the distance to the hazards and the lenght of the greens. Maybe if range finders would be allowed maybe us poor week-end golfers would score better. Have you seen the ad for the Sky caddie? If they are advertising it as a tool to save you 5 strokes or more and make you play faster why should you not take advantage of the new technologie. At that point we might as well go back to the 1980 driver's technology.
Just my opinion.
Thanks
Claude

[Colby]

I don't own a rangefinder, although I've been considering one.
As long as the person who has one uses it properly and doesn't slow anyone down I'm all for it. They could walk around looking for every yardage marker and then walking and counting the steps back to their ball and agonizing over the distance like some people I play with... but I'd prefer they just aimed a scope at the flag that said '157'. Then they can step right up and shank their 6-iron 70 yards to the right just like they always do.
I always try to remember that golf is fun. If it makes the game more fun for someone if they use a rangefinder, then I'm all for it.

Exactly.

The person still has to know the distance they hit their clubs and they have to execute their shot! Saying the range finder is a 15th club is a bit ludicrous. It doesn't correspond to any description of club according to the rules of golf, and as Dan has mentioned, he wouldn't try to hit a ball with it.

How about allowing caddies out for the OGT events. Maybe I'll pay a guy to walk the course during a practice round, use a laser range finder to build up a course map and then caddy for me during the event. Would that be unfair? It's allowed under the rules of golf, would it be unfair because I could afford it and someone else can't?

On the OGT we can roll the ball in the fairway (stickhandle) to get a decent lie because a lot of courses we play on have some poor fairways, the OGT organizers can't get out to mark every bad spot as ground under repair, etc. Some courses have terrible markings for distances, even wrong markings. We played Heritage yesterday and the signs on the holes and the yardages on the card were different on several holes. How fair is that to the average golfer?

I think they should be allowed everywhere, anytime.

My $0.02

["Richard"]

You give me the top 100 players in the world, take away their caddy's and make them carry or pull or push their own clubs and they won't score nearly as well as they do right now. Will they still be better than me, yes on 71 out of 72 holes they will Anyway, the rangefinder helps but for $230 I didn't need it and returned it. I have a better idea of distances now after using it for only 3 weeks. GT returned it, full price. What more can I ask for.

[Rusty]

Talk about timing, last night on the Golf Channel, Frank Thomas the ex-USGA honcho, responded to a question about laser rangefinders/GPS, that he thought that you would see a change in the rules very soon to allow them in tournament play. He implied that it would even out the advantage a pro/caddie has from the amature.

Rusty

[Kilroy]

Perhaps sooner than later then

[el tigre]

Now you get it. If it wasnt such a big deal then why the heck dont they allow them on the PGA.

From what I have heard, the PGA, USGA and RCGA do not have a big problem with allowing rangefinders. There are already a couple of local mini-tours in the US that have them. The only group that is dead set against them is the R&A in Britain. The rules will be changed - it is only a question of when.

[powerlefty]

From what I have heard, the PGA, USGA and RCGA do not have a big problem with allowing rangefinders. There are already a couple of local mini-tours in the US that have them. The only group that is dead set against them is the R&A in Britain. The rules will be changed - it is only a question of when.

That's interesting - the last place you need a range laser finder is in links golf. The wind and turf conditions are such a factor the pros usually can't rely on yardages to the same extent as in stateside target golf. Maybe the R&A is agaisnt them for some other stodgy reason.