Range Finder Reviews » FAQ

Whats the best Rangefinder or GPS for golf?

Admin — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 13:05:31 +0000

Nathan T asked:

I am thinking about getting some kind of a range finder to help my golf game, I don't know if it will help but I like cool gadgets.

Do you have to get a membership to skycaddie in order to use it for golf courses?

Another question, would you think that a laser rangefinder or a Golf GPS is better all around?

Whatever your answer, which do you think is the best laser range finder or GPS to buy?

Our Answer

Wow..Nathan this is the kind of question that if you were to ask 10 people, you will probably get 5 that answer one thing and then 5 that answer something else. There are pros and cons to both laser rangefinders as well as golfing GPS units.

GPS units seem to be "cooler" and GPS is hot right now but they have some cons too. They aren't as accurate as you would like and can be off by as much as 10-15 yards depending on the unit or the course. They can have issues on days when it is overcast or cloudy, this is minimal but it happens. You also need to have your course mapped into the GPS if it isn't already there and you pay yearly membership fees along with fees to download courses etc. Add this up and sexy suddenly can become not so attractive in a hurry.

Laser rangefinders are simpler and not quite as sexy as a gps but they work well in about any weather condition. They don't require that the course be loaded into them and the best thing is you can use it for other things than golf courses. You can use it to hunt or for photography or simply to entertain the kids. It's a judgement call as to which way you want to go. Simple and dependable or sexy and still dependable most of the time.

As for a recommendation, it's hard to say because I don't know what you value the most but I prefer a laser range finder like the Nikon Callaway series.

How Does a Laser Range Finder Work

Admin — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 12:49:03 +0000

Tom F asked:

I just talked with a friend of mine who just bought a laser range finder and he's raving about it. I've never heard of these things but they sound pretty cool....how does it work, so I don't sound like an idiot to my friend. I hate when he knows something that I don't because he never lets me hear the end of it.

Our answer

Tom..I can relate. I have friends like that too...let's see if we can help you out with your question. A typical laser rangefinder will use an invisible, eye-safe Class 1 Laser beam which is "bounced" off distant targets with just the press of a button. Then, the range finder's high-speed digital clock measures the time it took for a laser beam to reach a target and return to the unit. Next, using advanced digital electronics, the rangefinder instantly calculates the distance within ±1 yard and shows the range in either yards or meters on a through-the-lens LCD Display. The entire process is so fast that less than a second elapses between the time you press the button to generate a laser beam to the time the exact range to your target is displayed.

Recommend a Good Golf RangeFinder

Admin — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 03:45:06 +0000

Neil asked:

I am going to be buying a golf GPS range finder in the next couple of weeks. Does anyone have any suggestions as to which one would be best for me. I play twice a week and am a 10 handicap. I will only be palying 2-3 courses in the Southern Cal area. I need to get the yardage right.

Our Answer

Great question Neile and one that you will likely find a lot of answers that vary depending on who answers it. Opinions vary but you won't go wrong with one of the nice rangefinders from Nikon, specifically the Callaway series. A great starting point is to check out the Nikon LR800 Callaway rangefinder. It's a great all around choice and a good way to get started using a laser rangefinder.