Best Golf Laser Rangefinder In 2016

I am a golfing fanatic and have played the wonderful game of golf for about 40 years. I think you could safely say I am committed, or as my wife might say, I should be committed. For those of us who love our golf, then you will already know how addictive, frustrating, challenging and satisfying this game can be.

Now with reference to using range finders, some people may argue that it is cheating. I have even heard some people state that it is not allowed to make use of these. Well to be honest I think both of these statements are wrong. In the article below I will explain why I believe this to be the case, and I think more importantly, I will also be able to convince you that it is a very natural thing to do.

I will also make recommendations on what to look for when buying a range finder, and hopefully by the time I have finished, you will agree with me that these are a very useful golfing accessory to have with you, when out for a round of golf.

There are millions of people playing golf every day. There is of course a whole technical side to the game that involves your grip, stance, swing and positioning. These for me are the fundamental or the basics of your game. Being able to swing through and consistently strike the ball accurately comes with much practise and effort.

A side of the game though that is seldom discussed, is the ability to manage your way around any course. Knowing where to try to place your ball is clearly very important. For years this has been done using a score card or a book, where distances are marked out from the different tees on the course.

There are also the usual 150 yard and 100 yard marks on the course itself (if you can find them, and if you are in the middle of the fairways)

My point here is that knowing your distances is really important so as you can pick the right club for your shot, avoid traps, get over water hazards and be as accurate as you can. Now I can not speak for everyone, but the professionals have a caddy who does that and takes notes.

They also walk the course and can make adjustments. However for the keen amateur like myself, I can neither afford a caddy, have the time to walk a new course, nor am I able to look ahead over several hundred yards and "guess the distance."

As you may already know, there are a lot of rules in golf. Therefore you can be pretty sure that there will be rules around how you can measure distances.

Check out the video below from the USGA and find out exacly what those are.

The simple version is that if a local rule is in effect that allows these then they can be used, but only if they are devices that measure distance and nothing else. You will be able to find out if that local rule is in place by asking at the Pro shop.

If you are in a competition then you will need to check with the rules of the specific competition.

• Distance only devices allowed
• The local rule must be in place
• No other advice can be offered
• No local course apps are allowed

If your rangefinder allows for a slope measurement, then technically you should not be using this on a course. Now that said, if you are having a friendly round of golf with a few friends, then I honestly do not see the big deal.

I play with a number of people who use these when I am out with them. Some use an app from their Smart Phone and others us range finders like the Bushnell. It makes no real big difference to the overall fun of playing a round of golf. At the end of the day you can measure any distance you like, but when you hit the ball, it does not mean it will end up there.

The slope adjustment rangefinder may tell you something like 150 yards to the hole...however as there is an uphill gradient, it really measures 160 yards. That should help you pick the right club, but strictly under the local rule that is not allowed.

Please take the short poll and have your say on the use of range finders. I am always keen to hear other people's opinions on what they think of certain products.

Well this is the one that I bought and it was a big decision for me. Initially I could not make my mind up as to whether I wanted to use one or not. When I got past that, then I really struggled with which one to get.

I am 56 so at my stage of life I was not going to be joining the world of Rory and Tiger. I simply wanted to enjoy the game and the one thing I had truly always struggled with was distance. It is something that many people struggle with and I finally decided to give it a try. That is when I started reading the reviews.

Heaven knows there were any number of choices to be made.

My main reason was to help me on the driving range. I know that most ranges have flags placed as a guide but to be honest, these are really not that accurate. In many cases, depending on where you are positioned at the range, these can be out by around 10-15 yards.

In addition to that, these markers don't exist on the course so you never really get a proper sense of distance. I knew that by using this Bushnell then I could get a much better idea of what distance I was hitting a particular iron or driver by measuring my averages. That just made more sense to me anyway.

Then when I was actually out on the course I could put this new awareness into action. That strategy has certainly worked for me.

Ease of Use

Many of the ones that I looked at were simply too complicated to use - this one was pretty simple to work out, and can be operated by one hand.

Accurate

Even over really long distances, this finder is accurate to within a couple of feet and that is impressive.

Driving Ranges

We will all be familiar with elevated tees, and different angles at the driving range. This range finder removes all the guesswork and has made my practise at the driving range much more useful.

Size and Weight

It fits nicely into the hand and is light in weight. That makes it fun to use

Optics

Nice clean and clear optics that are accurate and easy to read.