Using a Rangefinder
If you have never used a laser rangefinder on the course to measure distance to the pin on the fairway, you are really missing out. I don’t personally own one, but I use a friends Bushnell on occasion and it is fantastic. A laser rangefinder is an electronic instrument that measures distance using a laser. It calculates distances to any target you point it at. According to Bushnell, it’s 1500 model is supposed to be accurate up to one yard. Distances are displayed instantly through the LCD display while peering through the lens.
Before you start going off on the dangers of laser, these new rangefinders use an invisible laser which is completely safe and won’t blind anyone. You basically look through the lens, find a target, push the button and the distance will be displayed. The way it works is the rangefinder calculates the time it takes for the laser to bounce off the distant object and return to the rangefinder.
I really like them because I feel it’s too complicated to figure out the course landmarks and color of flags to exactly calculate the yard from ball to pin. Plus, when you peer through the rangefinder, you often can see how the green is sloped and how the greenside bunkers are setup. Once you start using a rangefinder, you’ll find it extremely difficult to switch back to the old way, it almost seems like you are golfing blind without the rangefinder. Perhaps Phil Mickleson should’ve used one last week.
Just how much will one of these babies run you? The Bushnell Yardage Pro Golf Pinseeker 1500 Laser Rangefinder retails for a cool $575.
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