At the risk of turning this into yet another pointless discussion about GPS/laser or utility/legality of various types of DMD, I open up a discussion on a very specific piece of kit.

So I sees the ads on this site, and others and through none-to-subtle hinting gets one of these new toys for Christmas.
Rangemaster Golf Laser Distance Measuring Device.
You know it…the one advertised on this site and backed by a former tour player/champ.

Does anyone else have one of these? Does it work as expected? I have a couple of issues with it…

I can only measure flags 150m or less in distance (and arguably this is all that is really needed for metre-accurate measurements);

Sometimes I can’t even get close-up flags measured, particularly if the wind is not blowing (and therefore the flag is not sticking out from the pole);

The “scanning” feature does not seem to work i.e. the feature that is supposed to help identify the flag as opposed to background objects (trees, carts, buildings etc), or quickly give distances to bunkers or other carries;

The “quality indicator” does not show up even when I can get a measurement.

nb: When using it, I hold it with two hands, elbows locked in and even hold my breath to minimise wobbling. I put the little box on the flag with the vertical line aligned to the flag pole.

So question please: is this much the same as the bushnells or leopold other big name DMD? Do they lock onto target more reliably and from greater distance?

I guess my next step is to find someone with a “name” brand and do side-by-side comparisons.

Try this, NW.

Sight up on something beyond your target, such as trees at the back of the green. Press and hold the range button and the figure displayed should start flashing. Pan across the flag (slowly) and the reading should then show the distance to the flag.

‘Pinseeker technology’ has nothing to do with the actual pin, it shows the lowest scanned distance. So if your panning drops to the front of the green, the reading will be to there, not the pin.

That’s how my ‘el cheapo’ model works and I expect all brands will be using the same logic chips. RTFM and see if that’s what yours is supposed to be doing.

OB
thanks for that
does your “el cheapo” give you distances to targets further than150?

Try this, NW.

Sight up on something beyond your target, such as trees at the back of the green. Press and hold the range button and the figure displayed should start flashing. Pan across the flag (slowly) and the reading should then show the distance to the flag.

‘Pinseeker technology’ has nothing to do with the actual pin, it shows the lowest scanned distance. So if your panning drops to the front of the green, the reading will be to there, not the pin.

That’s how my ‘el cheapo’ model works and I expect all brands will be using the same logic chips. RTFM and see if that’s what yours is supposed to be doing.

OldBogey

GolfLink

OlindaGolfClub

One word in this post jumps right out at me….....”slowly”.......I am against these things (and I’ve copped my fair share of flak in here as a result) and one of my arguments is they can encourage slow play. That has drawn many comments from the pro DMD brigade saying that they actually speed up play.
The defence rests…..and my humblest apologies for the thread hi-jack….couldn’t help myself….sorry.

OB
thanks for that
does your “el cheapo” give you distances to targets further than150?

http://www.golflink.com.au/...

Yes, supposedly something like 500m. But anything over, say, 170m is pointless. I have a gps as well and that gives me a starting figure so i know what to expect. Hence I can readily determine whether I’ve stuffed the reading.

Yeah, like I said in OP, 150m is fine if you accept you don’t need metre-precise accuracy beyond that. My sureshot is always there so like you I have a fair idea of what to expect. A lot of the greens at my course are elevated so it can sometimes be difficult to tell if the pin is short/long, and on visiting days it can be helpful.
I’m out for a casual hit tomorrow so I’ll give the scanning thing (another) try.

Try this, NW.

Sight up on something beyond your target, such as trees at the back of the green. Press and hold the range button and the figure displayed should start flashing. Pan across the flag (slowly) and the reading should then show the distance to the flag.

‘Pinseeker technology’ has nothing to do with the actual pin, it shows the lowest scanned distance. So if your panning drops to the front of the green, the reading will be to there, not the pin.

That’s how my ‘el cheapo’ model works and I expect all brands will be using the same logic chips. RTFM and see if that’s what yours is supposed to be doing.

OldBogey

GolfLink

OlindaGolfClub

One word in this post jumps right out at me……..”slowly”…....I am against these things (and I’ve copped my fair share of flak in here as a result) and one of my arguments is they can encourage slow play. That has drawn many comments from the pro DMD brigade saying that they actually speed up play.
The defence rests…..and my humblest apologies for the thread hi-jack….couldn’t help myself….sorry.

Consultancy….if you’re not part of the solution, there’s big bucks to be made prolonging the problem.

The manual says slowly. But I just scan back and forth across the flag a few times. Takes about 1 second. Overall much quicker than calculating adjustments from markers on the course.

Try this, NW.

Sight up on something beyond your target, such as trees at the back of the green. Press and hold the range button and the figure displayed should start flashing. Pan across the flag (slowly) and the reading should then show the distance to the flag.

‘Pinseeker technology’ has nothing to do with the actual pin, it shows the lowest scanned distance. So if your panning drops to the front of the green, the reading will be to there, not the pin.

That’s how my ‘el cheapo’ model works and I expect all brands will be using the same logic chips. RTFM and see if that’s what yours is supposed to be doing.

OldBogey

GolfLink

OlindaGolfClub

One word in this post jumps right out at me……..”slowly”…….I am against these things (and I’ve copped my fair share of flak in here as a result) and one of my arguments is they can encourage slow play. That has drawn many comments from the pro DMD brigade saying that they actually speed up play.
The defence rests…..and my humblest apologies for the thread hi-jack….couldn’t help myself….sorry.

Consultancy….if you’re not part of the solution, there’s big bucks to be made prolonging the problem.

The manual says slowly. But I just scan back and forth across the flag a few times. Takes about 1 second. Overall much quicker than calculating adjustments from markers on the course.

OldBogey

GolfLink

OlindaGolfClub

Nup, sorry OB, no offence to you, but by the time I get to my ball I have the distance in my head and my club in my hand ready to play the shot. I’ve watched people using DMD’s and they start the process AFTER they arrive at their ball…..and sometimes it’s a tedious process.

I’ve always hit my shot within 30 seconds of arriving at my ball, unless there’s a reason I can’t hit yet.
I know players who would take at least 2 minutes every bloody time and without using a DMD.

So, I did what I said and tried a side-by-side with a name brand.
Bushnell 1600.
no comparison.

I guess you get what you pay for.
The bushy was quick to target, captured flags that my Rangemaster could/would not.

I think I know what my next piece of written communication will be.

Pity this site does not provide the opportunity for for reviews/feedback on the products advertised herein.