Golf Rangefinder: Expensive Toy or Essential Kit?

From a beginning as a high end and expensive electronic toy, golf range finders have become an essential piece of kit for any golfer looking to improve their score. Let us look at some of the features that have made golf range finders so popular.

One of the most significant advantages added to most if not all golf range finders in recent years is the ability to measure slope and take into account its effect on how far the golfer needs to hit the ball and, as a consequence, the correct club to use for the shot as well as how hard to swing.

Slope

Slope is an important factor for any golfer to take into account when deciding which club to use for a shot. This is because you don't hit the ball in a straight line. It follows a trajectory that is a factor of how hard it's been hit and the effect of gravity. This determines how far it actually goes. All of this was worked out by Isaac Newton to create a table that the English army could use to determine how to deploy their cannon. It's the science of ballistics but the principle is easy enough to grasp.

After your shot hits its peak, it begins to fall. And as it falls it continues to move forward. Depending on the slope of the land, this could affect the distance of your shot anywhere from 20 to 50 yards. That’s a significant distance and failing to take it into account will have an unfortunate effect on your score.

People who design golf courses use subtle changes in elevation to fool the golfer into thinking that they need to hit the ball further or shorter than is actually required.

This is why knowing the slope is so important. It's critical for determining which club to use, how hard to hit the ball and spin. In other words, pretty much all of the criteria for hitting a good shot.

Golf balls will travel a shorter distance if you're hitting uphill (positive slope) and a farther distance if you're hitting downhill (negative slope). Knowing just how much change in elevation occurs between you and the pin is therefore very important but very difficult to do by eye.

This is where a modern rangefinder is invaluable.

You can check out golf rangefinder specifications and reviews to determine whether the slope measurement feature can be switched off. This is only significant if you are involved in tournament play, where using a rangefinder is allowed, but the slope feature is not.

Some models have an added faceplate that makes it clear when the slope function is enabled or disabled. You should check your particular model to see just how easy it is to switch the slope calculation off and indicate to others that it has been disabled.

Birthday or Christmas Gift

If your significant other doesn’t have one of these recommended golf rangefinders, you should definitely consider putting one under the tree for Christmas or a surprise birthday, Mother's or Father's Day gift.

A new rangefinder will always bring a smile the face of the avid golfer. It has become close to being the most useful tool in the golfer's bag. It makes the game faster and more fun.

Basically, the rangefinder allows the golfer to instantly measure the distance to any object, whether it is the flagstick, the corner of a dogleg on the course or a hazard. The laser technology allows this to be done accurately and instantly, rather than trying to work out a yardage by the seat of your pants.

So which model should you choose? There is something for all budgets from the most basic to the top of the range. For a good quality, well reviewed laser rangefinder with slope technology, you’ll pay between $90 and $500. Yes, the range is that broad, so do your homework.

... and be prepared to be told (exactly) how far it is from the back door to the fence and from the remote to the TV!

Laser Vs GPS

Over the past few years, golf GPS rangefinders have used global positioning satellites to help golfers map out courses, measure on-course distances and improve shot accuracy. Being able to know how far the green is relative to your location eliminates the need to check maps, look for markers, or engage in other time-consuming information gathering techniques.

Unfortunately, GPS signal reception is often poor and unreliable or inconsistent. This results in golf GPS devices not being the best way to measure distances. GPS reception can be poor due to location or, even in a good location, bad weather conditions. And, of course, not all golf courses have GPS maps available for all units.

The emergence of laser golf rangefinder technology has allowed for greater accuracy when it comes to measuring distances. GPS devices can only give you a rough measurement of the distance between you and the flag, the next hole or water hazard. Laser golf rangefinders hit the target with a laser beam and measure the time it takes for the reflection in order to measure the precise distance. The more accurate your data is, the easier it will be for you to refine your game.

Your golf game has a huge advantage if you know exactly how far you are from the pin, a bunker, or a treeline just left of the tee. You can get the answer to two of golf's most important questions, "How far is it?" and "Which club should I use?" You know the answer to the latter question because you've taken your laser rangefinder out to the driving range and measured how far you hit the ball with each club, and done it enough times to get a reliable average. And, of course, the side benefit of all that practice is to improve your consistency with each club.

With enough practice, the right technique and one of our recommended golf rangefinders, you will be cutting strokes off your handicap in no time.

All golfers, from the best pro's to the golfing beginner, understand that their golf game can be improved. This is why laser golf rangefinders are here to stay. Whether you prefer a monocular or binocular design, there is little doubt that laser rangefinders can only work towards improving your game. With the advantages of being able to deliver pinpoint accuracy, convenience, ease of use and affordability, laser range finders have changed the game for both amateur and professional golfers.

To figure out just what club to use and how hard to hit the ball, you’d need to know the slope from you to the hole. Slope is calculated by dividing the run by the rise. Although this is a relatively simple calculation, it would be far too time consuming to measure and calculate with a protractor and pocket calculator. The group behind you and those further back would definitely not put up with the wait.

All you really need is a quick way of finding out how far to actually hit the ball.

This is where your laser rangefinder with slope calculation shines. It does all the trigonometry you learned at school but have now probably forgotten. And it does it instantly!

Your rangefinder immediately gives you the one thing you need and that’s the adjusted distance that you should shoot for. This adjusted distance is what you need in order to choose a club and know how hard to swing.

The laser golf rangefinder with slope will give you two readings: the actual distance to the hole and an adjusted slope distance. That is, a distance to shoot for given the slope that the rangefinder has calculated.

You might not be the best golfer on the course now, but if you stay with it, put in the work, and have a little help from one of our recommended golf rangefinders, you will be well on your way to raising your golf game to the next level.