We all need a rangefinder right? Well, not really. I actually don’t use mine most of the time. I have a watch and just use my GPS golf watch in most of my rounds. It’s not as accurate as a rangefinder but my distances aren’t that spot on either.
But rangefinders are almost essential for today’s round of golf.
There are generally 2 types of rangefinders when it comes to technology. There is laser and there is GPS. Most are laser and some are both laser + GPS for better accuracy (at least in theory). I have not seen a GPS only range finder (but if so, that would pretty much just be a watch).
Since most rangefinders are laser, I’ll focus mostly on that.
Slope is also a feature found in most modern rangefinders. This simply means that the calculated distance will take into consideration the slope so if you’re hitting into a lower green from above, it will deduct distance in the calculation. If you are hitting into a green above you, the distance will be automatically adjusted to be higher so that you club up. Slope is not legal according to USGA rules so rangefinders will have a switch to turn off slope. If you compete in tournaments, it’s a good idea to put some tape or something to ensure that the switch for slope is off and stays off. It would be a shame to mistakenly get that switched turned on when taking out your rangefinder and get disqualified, etc.
Rather than talk about rangefinders by brand (although I’ll mention brands), rangefinders can mostly be split up in to categories by price.
$500+ – this is the top range of rangefinder. The best rangefinder is pretty much the Bushnell Pro X3 (MSRP $599.99). Most pros use the Bushnell Pro X3 but there are some slightly cheaper Bushnell rangefinders as well and those are all good. In addition, there are some high end Korean brands such as Voice Caddie that makes the SL3 (MSRP $549) and includes both laser and GPS. There are some additional features in the Voice Caddie such as green undulation on a small screen in the front, etc. Personally I have a Voice Caddie SL2 (the prior version) and I like it a lot.
$300 – these are mid range rangefinders. The major brands mostly have rangefinders in this price range and include brands such as Nikon, Callaway, etc. There are also some golf rangefinder brands such as blue tees that are good in this price range. Most brands such as Bushnell make rangefinders across multiple price points so they have rangefinders in this price point as well. My wife has a caddytalk minimi and it’s great because it’s really small and just a cute rangefinder.
$100 – these are low end rangefinders. They seem to work fine but you tend to lose a little bit in terms of build quality (more plasticky, buttons aren’t as nice, overall not as durable, etc.). The lasers in them seem to work ok though. You can usually find rangefinders in this price range on amazon or aliexpress, etc.