I'm interested in buying one, in particular, the Bushnell scope sold at onlinegolf.co.uk for £29, or the Radioshack one sold at golfshopper.co.uk for £15. Are any of these good? How accurate are they? Are pins of a standard height or what? How do I adjust if the pin is of different height? I'm not looking for the laser type as they are too expensive

Any comments appreciated

Many thanks

They're not legal in competition - what do you want to do with it, plot yardages around your course?

How accurate do you need it to be? If you hit your clubs inch perfect every time then fine (do you know exactly how far you hit each club?)

Most course plans give reasonable distances from various landmarks. I think rangefinders are a gimmick - save your money.

Also, using one in front of your mates could make you look a bit of a nerd.

Range finders are good if the particular course does not do a yardage book.I was lucky enoughto be given a lazer range finder and have used to great effect in practice rounds.I still have the problem of actually lining it up with the flag from longer distances it tends to range a lot behind the flag eg: bushes and trees.
If you were to buy one I don`t think the cheaper one would be any good as the one I have is quite high spec and has the problem I mentioned above.The manufacture says you can range a flag from 200 yds in but I have yet succeeded in doing this as it is hard to hold them steady enough.

Andrei is dead on re: holding it steady long enough to get a reading. I have the yips in one hand so have to lean against a tree or the cart to keep it steady. People in homes off the fairway look at you as if your a peeping tom. So be mindful of where you aim it.

Excellent tool for adding 20 minutes to your round while you fiddle around then!

Take a camera as well and make a day of it eh! Ian.

:)

Doesn`t take any longer than some people take reading a yardage chart.If they could make them easier to target, then they would be better than a yardage book because you would get a reading directly at the pin and not a reading to the centre or the front of the green.

Wouldn't matter a damn if I knew the exact yardage - I'd still have to hit the right club (and do we know that precisely?)and to also hit it perfectly (do we do that every time?)

Sorry, I think rangefinders are a gimmick and people that use them, gadget freaks.

: o )

Well your pretty sad, I bet if you had the chance you would buy a yardage book, and how do you think they get their measurements!!.If yoiu practice correctly and put some time and effort in, you would know roughly what distance you hit each club, isn`t that what the game is all about!!. :0)

FOR SALE: -

'Acculaza' rangefinder/nightsight - ex Ministry of Defence, satellite linked.

Type in the name of the Golf Club, point and shoot at any flagstick and within seconds the exact distance (+/- .oooooo35 mm) will be given - plus a little print out map of all obstructions.

Price includes back pack containing; satellite uplink, batteries, printer, night vision goggles and Armalite semi-automatic rifle.

Send $175 to:
golfcon@pontlottyn.co.uk

Haf you guys notice ow lady golfers haf der much better judging of distance zan men.
I neffer hav use rangefinder and have der gud figures.

I sink it is cos you hav der bad judge of measure - you sink fumf und zer halb inches is der seben - what chance you got make der 100 metre pitch?

How many times have you ever been on the course and wondered, How far is that? Quite often I expect, if you had a range finder you`d know wouldn`t you.

I wish I had one Sunday - to tell me the height of the tree that my pitching wedge nearly got the ball over - ho hum!

I tend to agree that they can be an expensive gimmick for golfers but was interested to learn how Colin Montgomerie and his new caddie used one prior to his third round in the Deutsche Bank.
He woke up with a sore back and discovered he could hit the ball consistently but not as far as the previous day. He had to re-assess his yardage potential on the practice range using a lazer.
I agree we don't want to be adding more time to our round but it's important for all of us to know (within, say 5 yards) how far we consistently, hit each club in our bag. Must get round to it, one day!

Koon, if you did buy one and you see this thread, I'd be interested to see how you're getting on with it. Whilst I'm not about to go out and buy one myself, I do play a lot of different courses, rarely buy a stroke saver, and do often find myself wondering exactly how far a shot is into the green. I tend to do it by sight - and more often than not come up slightly short.

Judging by some helpful responses, I've decided that this is something which I won't buy. Playing in lots of competitions and societies at different courses, I would feel more confident in preparing yardages to hazards, so that I know when to lay up to a bunker, say, instead of going for the pin. I know they are illegal in competitions, and also look nerdie when playing with mates - it's purely for calculating yardages prior to matches. I think only the laser ones would be the most accurate, but as I said, they are way too expensive.

Funny to hear all the negative views, calling people gadget freaks and saying they are useless. I'd say 90% of the Tour pros use them to some degree. I know Nick Faldo uses one regularly when he doesnt have his caddy with him and I know that players with their caddies use them to plot courses before tournaments. Faldo eh, what a gadget freak !! I would think though that you need to spend a few pence beofre you get one that is easy to use.