Bushnell or Leupold?

[GolfSpy Dave]

The Laser v GPS is an discussion that we have at the shop with customers on a daily basis. IMO it comes down to this...

IF you are playing the same course or courses most of the time, I'm pretty sure that most players have a goods idea if they can carry the fairway bunker on 7, or get into the lake on the right on 12. If you are playing a bunch of newer courses, and are unsure of the carries, then a GPS does a fabulous job of telling you that. The one thing GPS does not do is tell you how many yards it is to the Pin.

What I find is that most of my competitive players lean toward laser, while the more recreational player enjoys the GPS. For the competitive player, the really important number is the flag. not the front and back of the green.

Again, this is just my ramblings. Take it fwiw.

Makes sense. I didn't even think about the laser working on the practice range though. That is a big plus for the laser. Nobody with a cute backpack has walked our range yet...

[Matt Saternus]

The Laser v GPS is an discussion that we have at the shop with customers on a daily basis. IMO it comes down to this...

IF you are playing the same course or courses most of the time, I'm pretty sure that most players have a goods idea if they can carry the fairway bunker on 7, or get into the lake on the right on 12. If you are playing a bunch of newer courses, and are unsure of the carries, then a GPS does a fabulous job of telling you that. The one thing GPS does not do is tell you how many yards it is to the Pin.

What I find is that most of my competitive players lean toward laser, while the more recreational player enjoys the GPS. For the competitive player, the really important number is the flag. not the front and back of the green.

Again, this is just my ramblings. Take it fwiw.

 

I think this is a pretty good summary, though I prefer lasers and I'm not exactly a "competitive" player. One other thing I would add for the laser, is that I get to choose what I want to know the distance to. What I mean is: say there's a stream in front of the green and I want to lay up. The GPS will probably tell me how far to the stream, but where does the fairway run out? With my laser, I can shoot the yardage to a tree that is on the edge of the fairway. This isn't the best example, but it's what I could come up with. Basically, it comes down to control: I can get the yardage to the things I care about, not the things somebody else decided are important.

[MmmmmmBuddy]

I think this is a pretty good summary, though I prefer lasers and I'm not exactly a "competitive" player. One other thing I would add for the laser, is that I get to choose what I want to know the distance to. What I mean is: say there's a stream in front of the green and I want to lay up. The GPS will probably tell me how far to the stream, but where does the fairway run out? With my laser, I can shoot the yardage to a tree that is on the edge of the fairway. This isn't the best example, but it's what I could come up with. Basically, it comes down to control: I can get the yardage to the things I care about, not the things somebody else decided are important.

I cant believe that somebody read all that drivel.. Impressive.

[Matt Saternus]

I cant believe that somebody read all that drivel.. Impressive.

 

You referring to your post or mine?

[MmmmmmBuddy]

You referring to your post or mine?

all that nonsense I wrote. Most of the time I think that I am just making my fingers hurt typing all this stuff... nice to know that SOMEONE is reading it..

[NGage]

I've got the Bushnell 1500 Tournament model, and it's point and shoot easy. I've also got the Callaway UPro, and once you get used to it, it's very good too. I love that you don't have to have direct line of sight with it, can measure to any point on the course, is compact, and that it's got actual satellite imagery.

[Addicted2Golf]

all that nonsense I wrote. Most of the time I think that I am just making my fingers hurt typing all this stuff... nice to know that SOMEONE is reading it..

 

I appreciate your reply and the others. That really helps me get it straight in my head. Hmmm... its tough because as we were discussing in the gadgets thread, there are downloads coming out from the various companies for smartphones also. Lots of options out there.

 

I guess the other major advantage of the lasers is they don't require a subscription which has pretty much been the bane of my existence since I've owned a Skycaddie. I hate that I have to "lease" the courses I've paid to download and have to renew every year to keep them. Even though its a price of one greens fee it just bugs me for some reason.

 

So, at this point, I might be looking for more reviews on laser rangefinders...

[Matt Saternus]

I appreciate your reply and the others. That really helps me get it straight in my head. Hmmm... its tough because as we were discussing in the gadgets thread, there are downloads coming out from the various companies for smartphones also. Lots of options out there.

 

I guess the other major advantage of the lasers is they don't require a subscription which has pretty much been the bane of my existence since I've owned a Skycaddie. I hate that I have to "lease" the courses I've paid to download and have to renew every year to keep them. Even though its a price of one greens fee it just bugs me for some reason.

 

So, at this point, I might be looking for more reviews on laser rangefinders...

 

Ah, subscriptions & buying courses, I forgot about that. Definitely two other major reasons why I went with the laser. It seems that more of the GPS companies are giving away the courses for free now. I may be wrong about that, but it seems like I've seen that in ads lately.

[Addicted2Golf]

Ah, subscriptions & buying courses, I forgot about that. Definitely two other major reasons why I went with the laser. It seems that more of the GPS companies are giving away the courses for free now. I may be wrong about that, but it seems like I've seen that in ads lately.

 

No, you're right about that. Just not the ones that I currently own. LOL.

[MmmmmmBuddy]

I appreciate your reply and the others. That really helps me get it straight in my head. Hmmm... its tough because as we were discussing in the gadgets thread, there are downloads coming out from the various companies for smartphones also. Lots of options out there.

 

I guess the other major advantage of the lasers is they don't require a subscription which has pretty much been the bane of my existence since I've owned a Skycaddie. I hate that I have to "lease" the courses I've paid to download and have to renew every year to keep them. Even though its a price of one greens fee it just bugs me for some reason.

 

So, at this point, I might be looking for more reviews on laser rangefinders...

Go with a laser..... Go with a laser.......

I have played with both a laser and a GPS at the same time. I prefer the Laser because it is sooo much more accurate. I will have to upgrade to a Leupold GX4 this year though. mans is THAT thing sexy.

[Tony Covey MGS]

Go with a laser..... Go with a laser.......

I have played with both a laser and a GPS at the same time. I prefer the Laser because it is sooo much more accurate. I will have to upgrade to a Leupold GX4 this year though. mans is THAT thing sexy.

I couldn't agree more. I own a Leupold GX-I and a Callaway/uPRO GPS. The GPS is great once or twice a round when I can't see a reachable pin. In any other situation I'll take the Rangefinder.

[Matt Saternus]

Big as I am on lasers, $500 for the Leupold GX4 is tough to stomach. I am ever grateful that I found a club pro who had a bunch left over when he got fired from his club. Picked it up new for very little cash. Hopefully it will last forever.

[MmmmmmBuddy]

Big as I am on lasers, $500 for the Leupold GX4 is tough to stomach. I am ever grateful that I found a club pro who had a bunch left over when he got fired from his club. Picked it up new for very little cash. Hopefully it will last forever.

The New GX4??? How much??

[Matt Saternus]

The New GX4??? How much??

 

No, not the GX4, I have a Bushnell 1500 w/slope. It gets the job done; I'd be happy if it lasted forever.

[MmmmmmBuddy]

No, not the GX4, I have a Bushnell 1500 w/slope. It gets the job done; I'd be happy if it lasted forever.

I was getting a little excited. I have a 1600 tournament edition, and a SkyCaddie SGX on the way. I wonder which one I will like better.

[roguepixel]

I'm scoping out the Tour V2. I may have to wait though since I'll have to request this for Christmas.

[CliffJ]

I like them both but own the bushnell..

[golf_goddo]

I am using a local companies range finder, works great and is much less costly than Bushnell and others. $160 USD

[Addicted2Golf]

The original question was Bushnell or Leupold. In researching laser range finders, I found that Leupold has less complaints about reliability - particularly versus earlier model Bushnells. But, they are also generally more expensive. I guess you get what you pay for.

 

In terms of GPS versus Laser Range Finders, my update is I'm still in limbo. I have a Skycaddie SG2.5 that is sitting in a drawer more out of protest than anything else. I know I should use it or sell it, but I haven't made up my mind yet.

 

Funds not withstanding, I'd love to go with a Leupold - even an older model. But, I just can't do that right now. Overall, if I look at things realistically, I've been playing without either for a couple of months now and haven't missed it too much. About half of the courses I've played have onboard GPS that I've been able to bum readings off of (even if I'm walking usually somebody in my group is playing cart golf). The other times I've relied on old fashioned sprinkler head yardage, course knowledge or local knowledge.

 

So I'm thinking this is more of a luxury rather than a necessity. I can wait and make a decision later or ask for a Leupold for Christmas in the off-season.

[~AD]

I'm looking at getting a Laser Range Finder with slope, but I'm wondering if there are major differences between the Bushnell 1500 and the Bushnell 1600. Anyone have any thoughts on this?

[Maverickping]

I've been thinking about the Leupold GX-3.

[harrison101]

I've been thinking about the Leupold GX-3.

I was just looking at https://www.golfclubs.com/ and the Leupold GX-3 got a great review. Now I'm thinking about buying it as well !