GPS vs Rangfinders

[GolfSpy_BOS]

By the way BBoston, desert golf means farther drives. I’m also 6’2” 245 lbs. I’m a big boy.  I posted earlier in another forum that I get this Statement  or variations of it a lot from people I play with.  “Nice drive man, even better bogey”.  My short game despite my practicing it is bad.  

Best I can share right now is this one which isn’t bad for a 40 degree day in November but I’m I small guy at 5’4. And desert or not a bomb is a bomb!


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[BrownBearGolf]

That’s a bomb drive in those conditions and your size.  Well done. I remember those cool days. I learned to play gold just outside Washington DC in Northern VA.  Fall and winter gold were fun! 

[GolfSpy_BOS]

3 minutes ago, T2Grn said:

That’s a bomb drive in those conditions and your size.  Well done. I remember those cool days. I learned to play gold just outside Washington DC in Northern VA.  Fall and winter gold were fun! 

I've played some interesting late fall and early spring rounds... more than once its started to snow. haha

I remember the first time I got to play with the AP2's my dad wanted to go in on the 7th hole since it was cold and windy.  It ended up snowing for the 8th and 9th but I played out much to his dismay.  haha

One day I'll get myself to a desert course.  Bet you still get some cool mornings/evenings out there too.

[BrownBearGolf]

I once played on New Year’s day and didn’t reach a par three over the pond. It was frozen so when the ball hit it, it made an incredible and weird sound and the ball bounced up to the green!  Yes I’ve had some frost delays here. But rare. I don’t miss the sting in my hands. I’ll play in rain. I’ll play in the cold. I won’t play when it’s cold and raining!

[BrownBearGolf]

33 minutes ago, B.Boston said:

Best I can share right now is this one which isn’t bad for a 40 degree day in November but I’m I small guy at 5’4. And desert or not a bomb is a bomb!


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Ummm that tee shot looks incredibly narrow off the box.  Gotta walk single file out of there?

[GolfSpy_BOS]

8 minutes ago, T2Grn said:

Ummm that tee shot looks incredibly narrow off the box.  Gotta walk single file out of there?

haha tall trees casting quite the shadow there.  It is on the narrow side, with a marsh in for the first 60 yards or so.  But it opens up once you get to the landing area left and long of the bunker.  If you hit a nice fade off the left hand side of the fairway everything feeds back to the middle and down towards the hole.

[Lacassem]

48 minutes ago, B.Boston said:

Best I can share right now is this one which isn’t bad for a 40 degree day in November but I’m I small guy at 5’4. And desert or not a bomb is a bomb!


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Is this 4 B? If so luckily they have cut the marsh down some before you had to be 40 yards back just to be able to clear it!

[GolfSpy_BOS]

6 minutes ago, Lacassem said:

Is this 4 B? If so luckily they have cut the marsh down some before you had to be 40 yards back just to be able to clear it!

No that was 6.  I think you went into the bunker. 

[Lacassem]

9 minutes ago, B.Boston said:

No that was 6.  I think you went into the bunker. 

Ohhhhhh and no I wasn’t I was past you on the right tree line. Pretty sure I didn’t get through lol

[UncleDanger]

I use both. GPS is “always on” for yardage to layups and green center. Laser is used on par 3 and holes where there is a hazard near green that I need specific yardage info for.

[cycleguy55]

On 4/28/2020 at 6:05 AM, UncleDanger said:

I use both. GPS is “always on” for yardage to layups and green center. Laser is used on par 3 and holes where there is a hazard near green that I need specific yardage info for.

Similar here, though I will occasionally pull out the rangefinder for hazards or obstructions on hole, not just par 3s. Primary tool is Garmin GPS watch, with secondary being rangefinder. New rangefinder has slope, so I may be using it more on hilly courses than I did the old rangefiner (without slope).

[ole gray]

I wish they made a gps watch that tracked how many steps/miles you walked. 

[Siamese Moose]

13 hours ago, ole gray said:

I wish they made a gps watch that tracked how many steps/miles you walked. 

Most, if not all, of the Garmin watches do. My watch (Vivomusic 3) is primarily a fitness tracker, and getting the golf GPS was a bonus. 

[ole gray]

9 hours ago, Siamese Moose said:

Most, if not all, of the Garmin watches do. My watch (Vivomusic 3) is primarily a fitness tracker, and getting the golf GPS was a bonus. 

Thanks dude!   I'll have to check into one of those. 

[Hitnhunt]

I prefer the range finder.  As some others have said, I use it to look at a number of items around the target.  Bunkers, hills, things I want to avoid, so I can plan out a safe strategy.  I'll look at a front bunker, a back bunker, and see how deep the green is so I know whether I have a better chance of sticking it between them or playing to a more open part of the green.  It's just hard for me to visualize how that strategy would work looking at a GPS or something.

[CarlH]

I find myself using the rangefinder for distances to pin and I leave the GPS set to large numbers for a quick glance as to front/back/middle numbers.  Occasionally, I'll check the GPS to see distances to water to determine layup shots.

[Erik-M]

I prefer the range finder. I like to use it to find different carries and where the trouble is.  I like to use it as binoculars to see slope on the greens are and different run offs and things of that nature. The GPS is very handy on blind holes and dog legs and such and in a scramble when you will inevitably try to hit a stupid sit that you would never try otherwise. That 290 yards green that suit directly behind a dog leg on the forward tees.

[808nation]

If I had one choice, it would be the rangefinder for its accuracy on approach shots. Having a GPS as a back up would be nice when I have no line of sight shots to the green.

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[vnmslsrbms]

Rangefinder doesn't give you the green front/back yardages.  GPS does.  GPS doesn't tell you where the flag is (duh), rangefinder does.  Like many, I use both sometimes.  Always use rangefinder though.  It's easier too when you have a routine so you don't feel hurried trying to get the GPS working (I use an app on my phone).  Don't care for the watch option as I realized I could just do better by unlocking my phone. 

[tony@CIC]

Rangefinder doesn't give you the green front/back yardages.  GPS does.  GPS doesn't tell you where the flag is (duh), rangefinder does.  Like many, I use both sometimes.  Always use rangefinder though.  It's easier too when you have a routine so you don't feel hurried trying to get the GPS working (I use an app on my phone).  Don't care for the watch option as I realized I could just do better by unlocking my phone. 

A couple of manufacturers have incorporated gps into a LRF so you get both with one device.


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