Hey guys.

I know we have had a few discussions on this already, I went back and searched the old threads, but... I thought I'd get a more recent opinion from you guys.

I use the oob app with GPS and have done for some time now... the only complaint is if you go landscape in the android app it doesn't show you your hole by hole like the iphone one does, but i digress.

I'm wondering if I should get a Laser sight, maybe the Bushnell V2 (top selling amazong golf laser sight) but wondering if people think gps or laser is best... and for those laser users, which ones do you have and do you recommend it, or not.

Thanks for your input guys.

I use GPS (GolfBuddy) and love it. Layup yardages are the best and I don't have to shoot anything for that. I believe GPS is best if you play many different courses and are not familiar with the layup's.

The answers to this question are quite varied. Yes, the laser is more accurate, but a GPS unit will be good inside of three yards. Plus, you get more than just yardage to the pin with a GPS unit. And my favorite aspect about the GPS I use is that I get a map of the hole with a cursor I can move to get exact yardages to certain places. This helps immensely if you find yourself in a strange place and just want to get back to the fairway. Nothing like hitting an escape shot 30 yards too far because you picked the wrong club.

I have strong opinions on this and feel I can offer good feedback BECAUSE I USE BOTH! There are pros and cons to each option, but frankly, if you have any type of consistency with your irons, a rangefinder is more useful. Again, I have and use both, consequently, I feel my opinion is not narrow-minded in any way.

A rangefinder is extremely accurate. A GPS is fairly accurate too, but not to the pin. The pin moves every day. The GPS distance is only to the front, middle and back edge. And, yes, most GPS models these days allow you to point to a spot on the screen to get a distance to that point, but you are only guessing at that point when you attempt to do so. (FYI, I use a Garmin G5 Approach.) You can shoot anything you want with a rangefinder to find the exact distance from you. Yes, I want to know the pin is exactly 137 yards from my ball, but just as importantly, or maybe more so, knowing that the lip of the greenside bunker of which I need to clear to get to the pin is 122. GPS won't give you that info. A rangefinder is invaluable. More important than a 3W to me.

On the other hand, there are some instances where a GPS can be helpful. If you can't see the pin due to a hill or obstruction of some sort, then you can't shoot it. So having a general idea of how far it is based on the GPS is convenient. Usually, I will walk to a place in which I can see it, shoot it, then pace off back to my ball for a more accurate read. Another good use for GPS is measuring the true distance of your shots. Very helpful to know for realistic averages of each club. This can also be done with a rangefinder, but I find it easier with GPS, and quicker.

If you use a cart and play when conditions are wet, you will run into "cart path only" days. This can make shooting your target before you leave the cart inaccurate with a rangefinder. So, what I do, especially if my ball is on the other side of the fairway, is use my GPS "distance to" function, which will measure the spot I point to on the screen, of which I estimate that my ball is in the general vicinity of, and from there the GPS will give the distance to the center of the green. That number will give me enough information to pick two or three clubs to use before I leave the cart. I carry my rangefinder as well. When I get to the ball I shoot the pin or anything else I need to consider. Then I decide which club to use.

The battery life on most GPS units and apps is very short. Sometimes only a round or two. I get 3-4 months out of my rangefinder battery and I play 3-4 times a week.

Another thing I have noticed is that GPS sometimes loses the signal. Or, on one particular course I play, it always gives me extremely inacurate readings, or none at all. This has happened on some other courses too. Without a rangefinder in those situations, I'd be back to stepping off yardages.

Lastly, GPS is useless for practice. Using a rangefinder, I know the distance for every shot I make on the range. It's great for dialing in your distances for each club in the bag. Of course, hitting them well is even more important! Using a rangefinder has really made a difference in my practice sessions, which has translated well to my game.

There are many rounds, that I don't even bother turning on my GPS. But, I am lost without my rangefinder.

If you can only do one, I would recommend the Bushnell Tour V2 rangefinder.

Just my experienced, yet humble opinion.

I use the Callaway/Nikon Laser Rangefinder, I prefer it to the smartphone apps because it is fast and you get the distance to any object in line of sight.

But sometimes wish I had a good GPS unit for things which are out of line of sight, such as front of hazards down hill, etc. Especially when at a tourney on an unfamiliar course.

GPS.
Layup yardages are a game changer.

Range finder. GPS can be inacurate, the small screen can be hard to read (even more so in blazing sunlight) amd the maps can be wrong. Especially when using a smartphone app using google maps (or bing or whoever else provides the maps) imagery often is from 5 years ago or so and courses change over time.

Not to mention some courses have been photographed in the midst of summer. Completely dried out and very hard to recognize the fairway outlines.

No, to me, range finder all the time!

What's the most important shot? In my opinion, its the one which gives you the best opportunity to one putt. All the arguments about, blind shots over a hill where you can't see the pin, behind trees where you can't see the pin, etc. aside. I would rather know the exact distance to the pin when it is in range, for example tee shot on par 3s, second shot on par 4s etc. The GPS usually cannot give you that number accurately. What's the use in being picky about which ball you use if you don't even know how far the pin is? The GPS will be off from 9 to 30 feet very frequently, that's all it is designed to do. Get a laser, change the battery every 6 months, and have accurate distance to every point every where you play...won't must, bust, crust, collect dust, corrode, or explode, and spring loaded to the pissed off position.

Thanks Guys.

I know when we discussed it before, some of you have said some similar stuff, and it just reinforces those ideas now, and I think I believe you.

I like my gps, its a good rough tool, but me and my brother on the same oob app, 2 different phones on the same spot can be 5-10 yards off... so its not accurate, but just close.

I love the app for scoring and the front and back, but I think I want a range finder, for the range, and pin seeking, so I just wanted to confirm, and you have done that.

I think I'll order the patriot v2 from bushnell.
The way I'm dialing in my shots... I think it will help me to the next level.

Thanks

FWIW, I play with a guy who uses a laser on a regular basis. We compare yardages all the time. I try to guess what he has based on what my GPS is telling me, and I'm always within a yard or two...never more. But the interesting thing is, he asks me for yardages a lot more than I ask him for yardages.

But I have also found that having both is extremely awesome.

Yeah, looking forward to having both.
Especially for the range... we always hope someone pulls one out so we can sneak some yardages.

My game's not ready for a laser yet, but when it is, I'm going (based on my research) with the Nikon/Callaway. I've heard that it's target acquisition is superior to all other brands.

Duke, don't sell yourself short. Your game will improve vastly when you start knowing distances more accurately. I started breaking certain average scores when I got my sky caddie. It was a real eyeopener to assign each club it's distance. Then I found I could even improve on that, with the laser. Take one variable out of any equation and the result is more reliable. GPS CANNOT be more accurate than the laser, There WILL be 9 to 30 feet in variation by DESIGN. Don't make the game harder than it already is. To make a good shot you only have to do two things. Hit it in the right direction and the right DISTANCE. The GPS in my Learjet, which cost thousands of dollars, sometimes shows the airplane taxiing in the grass when I'm on the yellow stripe.

I absolutely concur with DougE above.

I used to use GolfCard Pro (now renamed GolfCard Classic) on the iPhone for GPS and it's quite useful, but it's also not allowed in tournaments as a smartphone can give you wind and more information deemed illegal... I still turn it on on practice rounds as it keeps my score card as well, but I rarely look at it, except when out of position or to measure my awesome drives, once in a blue moon!

Anyway, I also noted many instances where the GPS yardage was off, sometimes severely so, so I invested in a Leupold GX-3 rangefinder: it's great for all the reasons that DougE mentioned, and that unit is even (much) smaller than the Bushnell. It saved me several strokes since I acquired it, as it's so easy to guess wrong how much the flag is up or away (particularly on uphill shots). Don't think for a second that you are limited to measuring distance to the pin: you can pretty much target anything, i.e. that barber pole in the middle of the fairway, the far edges of bunkers, trees in the dogleg, etc...

Highly recommended!

I mentioned I like my laser rangefinder, but I'm seriously thinking about a GPS unit as well. Had a couple things happen in my round saturday that I think would have been avoided if I had an glanced at the overhead view of the hole and yardages to things I couldn't see from the fairway.

A few examples:

1. One of the par 5's had a collection of fairway bunkers, pot bunker-ish, right in the layup zone of one of the par 5's. You can't see them from where I was in the fairway. I lasered the flag and it said ~250 so I decided to lay up. Hit a nice 5 iron only to find it went in one those bunkers!

2. The course had white stakes in the center of the fairway on the 150 yard markers. One par four, super short. I was inside the marker (decided not to laser the flag, was getting very tired) and blasted gap wedge over the back of the green. Turns out on this hole, the marker was for the 100, not the 150.

There were other holes with blind doglegs and I was kind of guessing where to aim and where the green was. I knew my cart partner had a GPS and I finally asked him to see what it looked like. SkyCaddie SGX I believe it was called. Had illustrated versions of the golf holes.