Go laser, dropped a few strokes when getting better yardages/meterages?? ... really helps on courses with the bigger deeper greens, ……......

thebeerman

A distance measuring device only helps if we actually can hit the green. Other than that it’s as useful as a a bus timetable on a golf course.

Seems most on here leaning to lasers… I have actually gone the other way. had a Bushnell V2 for the past couple of years. Was finding recently playing with various golfers the difference between the GPS and the Laser was litterally +/-1m i.e. the GPS are pretty accurate these days.

When I bought the Laser GPS had more upcosts i.e. costs of adding courses etc. Nowadays many have unlimted downloads. I read on here about the Garmin G3 at JB’s and was looking to get one but after researching ended up going the Garmin G6. (The G6 came with unlimted course downloads worldwide!)

Only had two games out but love it. Has the movable flag on the green so you can approximate where the green is and is instant feedback where ever you are on the hole.

I was finding I was only using the Laser around 4-5 times a round (see reasons below) but with the G6 used it pretty much every hole.

My opinion:

Lasers
Good if you are up the middle of the fairway all day so have site to the green and to give you accurate distance to the flag. Also good for new courses where it might not be mapped for the GPS units yet.
Bad if you are off in the trees with no direct site to the flag and if there are moving trees etc behind the flag making it hard for teh flag to lock on.

GPS
Good to give you a reading to the green from anywhere on the course i.e. next fairway over etc… probably were most of us are off the tee. New models now with unlimted course downloads and movable pins on the greens= awesome.
Bad for new courses that aren’t mapped out yet. But this is pretty rare.

IMO having owned both I am liking the Garmin better then the Bushnell Laser, but as mentioned above each to their own.

Cheers,
Waz

Thanks for the replies I agree the range finder may not be more accurate but more flexible I think it might be. The eBay job looks like A good. Cheap option.

Never argue with an idiot, they will bring you down to their level and beat you with experience.

“Ledgend Status” acheived, offically endorsed by “Godly”.

Don’t waste you money. I had the cheap JCS something model laser and my hands were not steady enough to hit the pin. Spend a little more on a Bushnell with Pinseeker and you will never have to worry about upgrading.

Seems most on here leaning to lasers… I have actually gone the other way. had a Bushnell V2 for the past couple of years. Was finding recently playing with various golfers the difference between the GPS and the Laser was litterally +/-1m i.e. the GPS are pretty accurate these days.

When I bought the Laser GPS had more upcosts i.e. costs of adding courses etc. Nowadays many have unlimted downloads. I read on here about the Garmin G3 at JB’s and was looking to get one but after researching ended up going the Garmin G6. (The G6 came with unlimted course downloads worldwide!)

Only had two games out but love it. Has the movable flag on the green so you can approximate where the green is and is instant feedback where ever you are on the hole.

I was finding I was only using the Laser around 4-5 times a round (see reasons below) but with the G6 used it pretty much every hole.

My opinion:

Lasers
Good if you are up the middle of the fairway all day so have site to the green and to give you accurate distance to the flag. Also good for new courses where it might not be mapped for the GPS units yet.
Bad if you are off in the trees with no direct site to the flag and if there are moving trees etc behind the flag making it hard for teh flag to lock on.

GPS
Good to give you a reading to the green from anywhere on the course i.e. next fairway over etc… probably were most of us are off the tee. New models now with unlimted course downloads and movable pins on the greens= awesome.
Bad for new courses that aren’t mapped out yet. But this is pretty rare.

IMO having owned both I am liking the Garmin better then the Bushnell Laser, but as mentioned above each to their own.

Cheers,
Waz

I agreed in principle that there is not much difference in the 2 when it comes to accuracy. But as the GPS is reliant on someone/thing doing the mapping there have been lots of errors. I’ve found that with every course I’ve played there has been a few holes out by about 8-10m, which for me means playing a different shot and/or a different club. Not all holes, but enough to throw doubt into the equation.

With no direct path to the flag, I leave my bag where my ball is walked up to where I can see both the flag an my bag. Laser both, add them up and have a yardage.

i’ve got bushnell hybrid. The courses as loaded on the GPS arent greatly accurate but its easy to do your own mapping of courses that you play regularly. The GPS part is really handy for measuring things the laser struggles with e.g. creak crossings, end of fairways, distance to objects on doglegs that are otherwise obscured by trees.

the laser is very good. I did course ratings using a cheaper bushnells device ( 3 of them actually) and they struggled to pick up a person at 200m. mine will pick up a pin at 400m. only real problem i have struck is picking up pins on steep downhills as it gets the ground behind ( even with the pinseeker technology), but just as easy to aim at the hole in that instance and get the same result

some people do have issues with holding them steady enough to get a reading though

It has certainly had a positive impact on my game

you need to remember that on steep uphill/downhill you will get a quite different reading to the GPS as the laser is using the hypoteneuse of the triangle where the GPS uses a straight line on the ground. can make a difference of several metres on steep hills

Seems most on here leaning to lasers… I have actually gone the other way. had a Bushnell V2 for the past couple of years. Was finding recently playing with various golfers the difference between the GPS and the Laser was litterally +/-1m i.e. the GPS are pretty accurate these days.

When I bought the Laser GPS had more upcosts i.e. costs of adding courses etc. Nowadays many have unlimted downloads. I read on here about the Garmin G3 at JB’s and was looking to get one but after researching ended up going the Garmin G6. (The G6 came with unlimted course downloads worldwide!)

Only had two games out but love it. Has the movable flag on the green so you can approximate where the green is and is instant feedback where ever you are on the hole.

I was finding I was only using the Laser around 4-5 times a round (see reasons below) but with the G6 used it pretty much every hole.

My opinion:

Lasers
Good if you are up the middle of the fairway all day so have site to the green and to give you accurate distance to the flag. Also good for new courses where it might not be mapped for the GPS units yet.
Bad if you are off in the trees with no direct site to the flag and if there are moving trees etc behind the flag making it hard for teh flag to lock on.

GPS
Good to give you a reading to the green from anywhere on the course i.e. next fairway over etc… probably were most of us are off the tee. New models now with unlimted course downloads and movable pins on the greens= awesome.
Bad for new courses that aren’t mapped out yet. But this is pretty rare.

IMO having owned both I am liking the Garmin better then the Bushnell Laser, but as mentioned above each to their own.

Cheers,
Waz

I agreed in principle that there is not much difference in the 2 when it comes to accuracy. But as the GPS is reliant on someone/thing doing the mapping there have been lots of errors. I’ve found that with every course I’ve played there has been a few holes out by about 8-10m, which for me means playing a different shot and/or a different club. Not all holes, but enough to throw doubt into the equation.

I have nothing against Laser Pin Seekers or their accuracy. But I have to call bullish*t or at least exaggeration on your comments about GPS “inaccuracy”. I have owned two different types of GPS devices. I’ve played at a significant number of SEQ courses with both and I’ve found both to be very accurate. I’ve frequently played alongside Laser Pin Seekers and found the accuracy to be comparable. The only accuracy problem (if it can be called that) is if a course is reconfigured and it hasn’t been remapped but the only instance I found of that was at Ipswich Golf Course and by the time I played there the 2nd time the course had been remapped.

It seems that every time there’s a discussion about Lasers & GPS devices it turns into a pissing contest about which one is better and exaggerations abound. In a previous post I mentioned about an experience playing alongside two guys at my home course who had Laser Pin Seekers & at one hole they couldn’t lock onto the pin because of trees moving in the wind behind the hole. That was the only instance I’ve come across but it would be oh so easy to stretch that into a general condemnation of Laser Pin Seekers.

Even the cheap lasers have pinseeker, but check the advertising blurb to make sure.

TTR, I agree that both have their good and bad points. That’s why I use both.

The gps has an instant read to the centre of green, provided the mapping is accurate, weather isn’t affecting the readings and the pin is somewhere near the middle.

The laser is very accurate providing you can see the flag and you have a reasonably steady hand.

I think with the GPS accuracy it comes down to each course.

I have the Garmin G3 and love it, but I know there is one spot on my course that is out by 10-15m.

But no big deal. I also like that it is far quicker than a laser to use. I keep it clipped to my belt, I dont even have to pause to check the distance.

Cudos for HWCT for using the word hypotenuse on this site.

i dont think its the inaccuracy of the GPS but the inaccuracy of the Mapping that is generally the problem. My GPS is excellent on my own course AFTER i remapped the entire course. on neighbouring courses it is often 10-20m out which is unacceptable

TTR, I agree that both have their good and bad points. That’s why I use both.

The gps has an instant read to the centre of green, provided the mapping is accurate, weather isn’t affecting the readings and the pin is somewhere near the middle.

The laser is very accurate providing you can see the flag and you have a reasonably steady hand.

OldBogey

GolfLink

OlindaGolfClub

I generally agree OB. I think that both distance measuring devices are great options & it’s a matter of personal preference. I’ve only ever used a GPS but that’s not to be taken as a criticism of Laser Pin Seekers. It’s just that I rail against a lot of the urban myth exaggerations about GPS devices. I’ve used them in all sorts of conditions; rain, cloudy weather, the lot & I’ve not had an accuracy problem. Both DMDs are very common these days & more often than not whoever I’m put with in comp rounds will have one or the other. So in a large number of cases I’ll be standing side by side with a “Laser guy” as we’re doing our measurements & our readings are usually no more than a metre apart => if at all.

Having said all of that, knowing the distance is one thing. Being able to put the fecking ball on the green is another. ;)

I have a Sonocaddie. I’ve had occasion where the reading to CoG was out by 10m (in 100m), even though it was spot on a week earlier. Mate next to me with a SureShot had the same 10m disparity. Pin was clearly near the middle, we were near the 100m post which I knew was accurate (same spot as always). It was obviously a satellite problem.

Usually both gps and laser give surprisingly similar results.

The comical thing that I find is when you have two guys standing beside each other on the course, both with DMDs & arguing about 1 metre disparity between their devices’ measurements to the pin …

Seems most on here leaning to lasers… I have actually gone the other way. had a Bushnell V2 for the past couple of years. Was finding recently playing with various golfers the difference between the GPS and the Laser was litterally +/-1m i.e. the GPS are pretty accurate these days.

When I bought the Laser GPS had more upcosts i.e. costs of adding courses etc. Nowadays many have unlimted downloads. I read on here about the Garmin G3 at JB’s and was looking to get one but after researching ended up going the Garmin G6. (The G6 came with unlimted course downloads worldwide!)

Only had two games out but love it. Has the movable flag on the green so you can approximate where the green is and is instant feedback where ever you are on the hole.

I was finding I was only using the Laser around 4-5 times a round (see reasons below) but with the G6 used it pretty much every hole.

My opinion:

Lasers
Good if you are up the middle of the fairway all day so have site to the green and to give you accurate distance to the flag. Also good for new courses where it might not be mapped for the GPS units yet.
Bad if you are off in the trees with no direct site to the flag and if there are moving trees etc behind the flag making it hard for teh flag to lock on.

GPS
Good to give you a reading to the green from anywhere on the course i.e. next fairway over etc… probably were most of us are off the tee. New models now with unlimted course downloads and movable pins on the greens= awesome.
Bad for new courses that aren’t mapped out yet. But this is pretty rare.

IMO having owned both I am liking the Garmin better then the Bushnell Laser, but as mentioned above each to their own.

Cheers,
Waz

I agreed in principle that there is not much difference in the 2 when it comes to accuracy. But as the GPS is reliant on someone/thing doing the mapping there have been lots of errors. I’ve found that with every course I’ve played there has been a few holes out by about 8-10m, which for me means playing a different shot and/or a different club. Not all holes, but enough to throw doubt into the equation.

I have nothing against Laser Pin Seekers or their accuracy. But I have to call bullish*t or at least exaggeration on your comments about GPS “inaccuracy”. I have owned two different types of GPS devices. I’ve played at a significant number of SEQ courses with both and I’ve found both to be very accurate. I’ve frequently played alongside Laser Pin Seekers and found the accuracy to be comparable. The only accuracy problem (if it can be called that) is if a course is reconfigured and it hasn’t been remapped but the only instance I found of that was at Ipswich Golf Course and by the time I played there the 2nd time the course had been remapped.

It seems that every time there’s a discussion about Lasers & GPS devices it turns into a pissing contest about which one is better and exaggerations abound. In a previous post I mentioned about an experience playing alongside two guys at my home course who had Laser Pin Seekers & at one hole they couldn’t lock onto the pin because of trees moving in the wind behind the hole. That was the only instance I’ve come across but it would be oh so easy to stretch that into a general condemnation of Laser Pin Seekers.

Call as much bullshit as you want, there are a lot more variables with the GPS’s. I’m not saying they are not good, but in my exp they are not as accurate as Lasers.

My recommendation to GT earlier was to keep the 8850 and add a Laser so he can have the best of both worlds.

I appreciate the difference between the two thanks. I have a GPS and don’t Allways remember to load the course I am going to play. So I might buy a cheap range finder for those days. I would have to be under $200 unless my licence for the GPS runs out soon then I might buy a better GPS preloaded.
For my golf plus or minus a meter on 99% of holes is close enough.
Thanks for your feedback.

I appreciate the difference between the two thanks. I have a GPS and don’t Allways remember to load the course I am going to play. So I might buy a cheap range finder for those days. I would have to be under $200 unless my licence for the GPS runs out soon then I might buy a better GPS preloaded.
For my golf plus or minus a meter on 99% of holes is close enough.
Thanks for your feedback.

Never argue with an idiot, they will bring you down to their level and beat you with experience.

“Ledgend Status” acheived, offically endorsed by “Godly”.

GT
i use both,
(sureshot 8850 and 1000x) laser with pin seeker
as i dont hit the ball far i tend to use the laser to find how far the carry’s are off the T and par 3 pin placements & wedges to greens
helps make decision making quicker.
can show you sunday
Kiwi

there’s always the bushnell combo unit.
the gps and the laser both get very good reviews and as a combo the units seems very good.

just don’t get sucked in by the RANGEMASTER advertisements you might see around (including on this site). I have one, it does not do what it suggests it should do and there is absolutely no response from their customer service – in Sydney.

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

...and to set the record straight…I (finally) made contact with the Rangemaster folks who accepted my return and sent me a new unit. The new unit works fine (seems to have a couple of slightly different features, or presentations of features, to the old unit).
Once contact was made, service was quick and friendly.

What i do like is the 7x magnification…a lot.