Golf Lasers

kod12

Hi Just wondering what is the best place to get a good deal on a Laser for distances and what brands are decent.

I am an 23 handicap golfer just starting out so dont want to spend too much on one but dont want a dodgy one either.

Many thanks in Advance

golfguy1

kod12 wrote: »

Hi Just wondering what is the best place to get a good deal on a Laser for distances and what brands are decent.

I am an 23 handicap golfer just starting out so dont want to spend too much on one but dont want a dodgy one either.

Many thanks in Advance

My best advice would be a GPS watch that u can pick up for under €200.
GPS will give u front,middle and back of green distances as well as hazards
No need for a laser until a much lower handicap

kod12

cheers for that

I seen a second hand one for the same price as the watch so was just checking what i should be aiming for.

bmay529

If you don't want to wear a watch you can pick up a Bushnell Neo Ghost new online for about €100 which will give you front, middle and back and clip it onto your bag. You can also pick up a Bushnell V2 rangefinder (laser) for €100 - €130 second hand on Adverts.ie which is still an excellent rangefinder.

Seve OB

IMO, stay away from watches. if you are going for a gps, get a proper one. it gives you maps, you can move pins, see hazards, record scores, and bigger screens.

i just got a laser though...... gps hasn't had a look in since really

First Up

Laser all the way. A 23 handicap won't be worrying much about front, middle or back pin positions They will be much more interested in how far it is to bunkers or water hazards and other features between tee and green.

Mantis Toboggan

Picked up the neo ghost last year works really well. Keep mine in my pocket.

Personally I'd stay away from the the lasers, nothing worse than seeing high handicappers wasting time lasering flags only to duff it into the water or straight into bushes.

golfguy1

First Up wrote: »

Laser all the way. A 23 handicap won't be worrying much about front, middle or back pin positions They will be much more interested in how far it is to bunkers or water hazards and other features between tee and green.

Most gps give u distance to and past hazards without the bother/human error of measuring.
Regarding pin positions. Higher handicaps defo don't need exact yardage to flags.

kod12

Cheers for that

First Up

Tyson Fury wrote: »

Picked up the neo ghost last year works really well. Keep mine in my pocket.

Personally I'd stay away from the the lasers, nothing worse than seeing high handicappers wasting time lasering flags only to duff it into the water or straight into bushes.

They don't duff it when they use GPS?

Sultan_of_Ping

At the OP's handicap level I'd suggest a GPS device would be a better investment - any half decent one should give you front, middle and back distances, and most give you mapping.

I've just bought my first laser and I use it in conjunction with my Garmin S60......laser comes out at about 130 to 150 yards, but I feel justified in my purchase given I've moved into category 2.

The device I bought was a Precision Pro NX7pro......does yardage down to 0.1 of a yard, slope and pinseeking......for about half the price of the equivalent Bushnell. Locks on rapidly too.

golfguy1

Sultan_of_Ping wrote: »

At the OP's handicap level I'd suggest a GPS device would be a better investment - any half decent one should give you front, middle and back distances, and most give you mapping.

I've just bought my first laser and I use it in conjunction with my Garmin S60......laser comes out at about 130 to 150 yards, but I feel justified in my purchase given I've moved into category 2.

The device I bought was a Precision Pro NX7pro......does yardage down to 0.1 of a yard, slope and pinseeking......for about half the price of the equivalent Bushnell. Locks on rapidly too.

Can the slope be turned off

Sultan_of_Ping

golfguy1 wrote: »

Can the slope be turned off

Yes. Although unlike the Bushnell, there's no outward indication which mode you are using, so you are being trusted not to be a cheat.

GreeBo

https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=106304831#post106304831

Check out the laser above, £80

dan_ep82

So you can now be fit by your handicap for distance finding?What a load of crap. The guy ranging the flag to only duff it in the water will do the exact same thing with a GPS or by walking the distance.

They're the same price roughly, laser rangefinder doesn't need to be charged and its more accurate.

I've had mine over 3 years and changed the batteries once, generally play 1-2 times a week.

Had the watch ( S1) and didn't like it on my wrist, forgot to charge it, had to wait for it to load the course, was out quite a bit on Headfort Old but perfect on the New course etc. Just not as easy to use in comparison to a laser rangefinder. Granted some of the newer ones might be better and you can get a yardage on a blind shot where as with the laser you have to run up,laser then laser the bag and add them together but its worth it imo.

Sultan_of_Ping

dan_ep82 wrote: »

So you can now be fit by your handicap for distance finding?What a load of crap. The guy ranging the flag to only duff it in the water will do the exact same thing with a GPS or by walking the distance.

They're the same price roughly, laser rangefinder doesn't need to be charged and its more accurate.

I've had mine over 3 years and changed the batteries once, generally play 1-2 times a week.

Had the watch ( S1) and didn't like it on my wrist, forgot to charge it, had to wait for it to load the course, was out quite a bit on Headfort Old but perfect on the New course etc. Just not as easy to use in comparison to a laser rangefinder. Granted some of the newer ones might be better and you can get a yardage on a blind shot where as with the laser you have to run up,laser then laser the bag and add them together but its worth it imo.

Crap?

There's no absolutes, and the OP was just looking for advice which posters gave based on their experience. A different experience doesn't invalidate others.

Neither are perfect - lasers don't work well in rain, mist etc and work only when you see the flag. GPS devices - Golf Buddy excepted - can suffer from errors due over-reliance on aerial survey data. Even GB gets caught out occasionally when a club changes its course.

Maybe best advice to the OP is to try and borrow different devices and have a try before they buy?

First Up

Sultan_of_Ping wrote: »

dan_ep82 wrote: »

So you can now be fit by your handicap for distance finding?What a load of crap. The guy ranging the flag to only duff it in the water will do the exact same thing with a GPS or by walking the distance.

They're the same price roughly, laser rangefinder doesn't need to be charged and its more accurate.

I've had mine over 3 years and changed the batteries once, generally play 1-2 times a week.

Had the watch ( S1) and didn't like it on my wrist, forgot to charge it, had to wait for it to load the course, was out quite a bit on Headfort Old but perfect on the New course etc. Just not as easy to use in comparison to a laser rangefinder. Granted some of the newer ones might be better and you can get a yardage on a blind shot where as with the laser you have to run up,laser then laser the bag and add them together but its worth it imo.

Crap?

There's no absolutes, and the OP was just looking for advice which posters gave based on their experience. A different experience doesn't invalidate others.

Neither are perfect - lasers don't work well in rain, mist etc and work only when you see the flag. GPS devices - Golf Buddy excepted - can suffer from errors due over-reliance on aerial survey data. Even GB gets caught out occasionally when a club changes its course.

Maybe best advice to the OP is to try and borrow different devices and have a try before they buy?

A laser can measure to a lot more than the flag.

higster

Hole19 app on your phone. Free.

Easy measure to front back middle hazards blah blah and keep track of scores. Have tried on numerous courses and never a problem and accurate (at least to me).

All you need with 23 handicap (says he with his 24 handicap).

Sultan_of_Ping

First Up wrote: »

A laser can measure to a lot more than the flag.

That is indeed true, but you can only zap what you can see. And sometimes you can get a false read if you aim for something but hit something else, for example trees behind a green.

As I said each device has its own strengths and weaknesses. On a fairway you can usually zap the flag and get a very precise measurement (mine gives measurements down to a tenth of a yard), but if you're stuck with a blind shot because you've gone off the reservation then unless you're going to go forward and take two readings, you're goosed.

Also, a decent GPS or app gives you mapping, and in the case of some, my S60 for example, you can tap the map to get distances to features or other points on the hole. However, they're unlikely to be as precise as a measurement obtained from a laser.

Cover all the bases and get the Z80

dan_ep82

Sultan_of_Ping wrote: »

Crap?

There's no absolutes, and the OP was just looking for advice which posters gave based on their experience. A different experience doesn't invalidate others.

Neither are perfect - lasers don't work well in rain, mist etc and work only when you see the flag. GPS devices - Golf Buddy excepted - can suffer from errors due over-reliance on aerial survey data. Even GB gets caught out occasionally when a club changes its course.

Maybe best advice to the OP is to try and borrow different devices and have a try before they buy?

I listed the pro's and cons of both that I found from owning both and said which I thought was better.


I said saying one suits another because of a certain handicap (fitting for a rangefinder for god sake) is a load of crap.


Maybe read the post fully before making an assumption on a quick glance.

Sultan_of_Ping

dan_ep82 wrote: »

I listed the pro's and cons of both that I found from owning both and said which I thought was better.


I said saying one suits another because of a certain handicap (fitting for a rangefinder for god sake) is a load of crap.


Maybe read the post fully before making an assumption on a quick glance.

Sorry, I mis-read the "what a load of crap" statement.

Corkblowin

Playing off 5 - have had a laser for years & won my first GPS last year. I’d say the gps is now used for most shots & I only pull the laser for 130 in or to see how close the flag is to the front/back when there is danger (ie over a bunker)

Outside that if you get within 5 yards at our level you’re doing well.

It’s a watch, which I hate wearing, so I just strap it to the handle of the bag

GreeBo

Corkblowin wrote: »

Playing off 5 - have had a laser for years & won my first GPS last year. I’d say the gps is now used for most shots & I only pull the laser for 130 in or to see how close the flag is to the front/back when there is danger (ie over a bunker)

Outside that if you get within 5 yards at our level you’re doing well.

It’s a watch, which I hate wearing, so I just strap it to the handle of the bag

I'd rather know if I'm 150 or 165 to the pin, though maybe we just have longer greens?

I bought myself a golf buddy platinum about 6 years ago and loved it.

Wife bought me a Bushnell 3 years ago, haven't taken the buddy out of the bag since!

First Up

Sultan_of_Ping wrote: »

First Up wrote: »

A laser can measure to a lot more than the flag.

That is indeed true, but you can only zap what you can see. And sometimes you can get a false read if you aim for something but hit something else, for example trees behind a green.

As I said each device has its own strengths and weaknesses. On a fairway you can usually zap the flag and get a very precise measurement (mine gives measurements down to a tenth of a yard), but if you're stuck with a blind shot because you've gone off the reservation then unless you're going to go forward and take two readings, you're goosed.

Also, a decent GPS or app gives you mapping, and in the case of some, my S60 for example, you can tap the map to get distances to features or other points on the hole. However, they're unlikely to be as precise as a measurement obtained from a laser.

Cover all the bases and get the Z80

Sure, line of sight is a limitation on lasers but its a rare enough problem. As for accuracy, it doesn't take that much care to get it right.

A device that does both covers all the angles but a laser doesn't need a satellite in space to find you in order to be usable.

Corkblowin

GreeBo wrote: »

I'd rather know if I'm 150 or 165 to the pin, though maybe we just have longer greens?

I bought myself a golf buddy platinum about 6 years ago and loved it.

Wife bought me a Bushnell 3 years ago, haven't taken the buddy out of the bag since!

Generally yes - but you can tell roughly were the flag is on most holes - & if you hit the middle of every green in a round you’ll be doing pretty good

First Up

Corkblowin wrote: »

GreeBo wrote: »

I'd rather know if I'm 150 or 165 to the pin, though maybe we just have longer greens?

I bought myself a golf buddy platinum about 6 years ago and loved it.

Wife bought me a Bushnell 3 years ago, haven't taken the buddy out of the bag since!

Generally yes - but you can tell roughly were the flag is on most holes - & if you hit the middle of every green in a round you’ll be doing pretty good

Am I the only person in this thread who understands that there are more things to measure on a golf course than distance to the pin?

Fann Linn

First Up wrote: »

Am I the only person in this thread who understands that there are more things to measure on a golf course than distance to the pin?

Am I the only person in this thread who is wondering why a 23 handicap golfer would need a rangefinder or laser?

First Up

Fann Linn wrote: »

First Up wrote: »

Am I the only person in this thread who understands that there are more things to measure on a golf course than distance to the pin?

Am I the only person in this thread who is wondering why a 23 handicap golfer would need a rangefinder or laser?

Wonder no more. Every golfer benefits from knowing where they should and shouldn't hit it. For a 23 handicap, there are usually more important questions than the position of the pin.

GreeBo

First Up wrote: »

Am I the only person in this thread who understands that there are more things to measure on a golf course than distance to the pin?

No, but we are specifically taking about distance to the pin here.

Fann Linn wrote: »

Am I the only person in this thread who is wondering why a 23 handicap golfer would need a rangefinder or laser?

Yes. Distance is a fact, it doesn't change based on player handicap.

GreeBo

Corkblowin wrote: »

Generally yes - but you can tell roughly were the flag is on most holes - & if you hit the middle of every green in a round you’ll be doing pretty good

Not if you were aiming for the front or back!
That would leave you 15 yards on plenty of our greens.

Fann Linn

GreeBo wrote: »

No, but we are specifically taking about distance to the pin here.



Yes. Distance is a fact, it doesn't change based on player handicap.

Correct, however I was out this evening with some of my pals, all 15 and 16 h/caps. My mate knew on the 14 hole that the water on the left was approx 130 yds out. He went into it, not because he didn't know the distance but because he played a poor shot and likewise, when I went oob on the second, it wasn't because I didn't know the distance,but because I keep falling back into my old grip and slicing the ball.

There is a place on the GC for lasers etc, but would it not be more beneficial for high handicappers to concentrate on the 'fundamentals' and get down to a stage where the laser becomes an added benefit rather than an accessory.

And in all honesty, I don't mean to be disingenous to the op who has raised an interesting topic.

GreeBo

Fann Linn wrote: »

Correct, however I was out this evening with some of my pals, all 15 and 16 h/caps. My mate knew on the 14 hole that the water on the left was approx 130 yds out. He went into it, not because he didn't know the distance but because he played a poor shot and likewise, when I went oob on the second, it wasn't because I didn't know the distance,but because I keep falling back into my old grip and slicing the ball.

There is a place on the GC for lasers etc, but would it not be more beneficial for high handicappers to concentrate on the 'fundamentals' and get down to a stage where the laser becomes an added benefit rather than an accessory.

And in all honesty, I don't mean to be disingenous to the op who has raised an interesting topic.

I've no problem with a bad shot going in water, I've a huge problem with a good one going in, just because I didn't know how far away the water was or how long the carry was.

Montgolfier

I use my leupold gxi 3 to laser players who are too slow on the feckin green.
Seriously though I find mine very good (leupold is the preferred scope of the US military) I'm a sucker I know.
There's a fog mode but it doesn't work on Irish fog probably because its too thick.

Its very handy for getting your club distances. You can hit a drive walk to your ball and laser the next guys on the tee box or the Tee box signs.

When the course is quiet I sometimes stick a alignment rod with a hat on top to check exact distances. You can take the laser to the range although range balls are not exactly comparable for distance.
Not sure a GPS is that versatile.

First Up

GreeBo wrote: »

No, but we are specifically taking about distance to the pin here.

Says who?

GreeBo

First Up wrote: »

Says who?

Says the two posts you quoted

Corkblowin

standing on the tee I can glance at my watch & see instantly distances to bunkers, water etc, and similar for approach shots - front middle back bunker etc - without having to laser each one.

The guy asked for opinions & mine was that, overall, I’ve found the gps very useful after years of only having a laser. I use both in every round of golf I play now.

That’s my tuppence worth op - hope you see the benefits of whatever you go for

one man clappin

Op, if you do buy a laser, don't be a dick and laser the flag from just off the green.
I played with a guy one day, hit his second shot approx 30 yards short of pin. Took out the laser to see the distance. I was close to walking in at that stage.

Russman

Having used both, I generally prefer the gps watch. My course has a number of doglegs and tbh its just a little bit handier than a laser. That said, much of my golf is on my home course and I don't need either. On an away course a laser is much handier as you'll often need more than front, middle & back of the green. Although as mentioned above, middle of the green is rarely a bad place to be. When I'm accurate enough to hit twenty 6 iron shots and have them all land within 5-10 yards front to back then I'll worry about being more exact than what a gps watch gives me.

Op, purely just my opinion, DMDs are nice to have and can help in certain situations. Over time you'll probably learn how far you don't hit your irons - that's mostly what I found tbh. But in Irish conditions, where wind is almost always a factor along with elevation, at club golfer level they're often redundant. Guys usually want them as a crutch for their routine more than anything.

Russman

one man clappin wrote: »

Op, if you do buy a laser, don't be a dick and laser the flag from just off the green.
I played with a guy one day, hit his second shot approx 30 yards short of pin. Took out the laser to see the distance. I was close to walking in at that stage.

This ^^^^, a thousand times this !!!:):)

First Up

GreeBo wrote: »

First Up wrote: »

Says who?

Says the two posts you quoted

But not the OP.

valoren

Just that someone is a high handicapper doesn't mean they have a crap swing, duff shots, hit the ball wildly all of the time.
You can cream your drives, hit brilliant iron shots but with a poor short game you're still a high handicapper.

If you're serious about it then you'll realise that scoring is all about the short game once your long game is competent.
A laser is important for dialling in the wedge shots, knowing how far the pin away is exactly and not a gps guesstimate.

For me a 'nomad' golfer, someone playing intermittently and socially, a GPS is fine. For competition, a laser is a necessity I guess. If you have your gapping with the clubs done (either old school or with trackman) then a laser will help you get pin high as well. With blind shots, then you just have to go old school and use the course markings themselves and a pace off.

GreeBo

Corkblowin wrote: »

standing on the tee I can glance at my watch & see instantly distances to bunkers, water etc

Do these distances change often on your course?

I pull out the GPS the odd time if I am on a strange course, even just to see the hole layout, but even then it would be vary rare that the laser doesnt do exactly what I need.

one man clappin wrote: »

Op, if you do buy a laser, don't be a dick and laser the flag from just off the green.
I played with a guy one day, hit his second shot approx 30 yards short of pin. Took out the laser to see the distance. I was close to walking in at that stage.

Sorry, he was "approx" 30 yards away?
So he could have been 25 or actually 35? I think I'd rather not leave myself a 10 yard putt...but thats just me!

First Up wrote: »

But not the OP.

Then mayhaps you should quote the OP when you reply instead.

golfguy1

valoren wrote: »

Just that someone is a high handicapper doesn't mean they have a crap swing, duff shots, hit the ball wildly all of the time.
You can cream your drives, hit brilliant iron shots but with a poor short game you're still a high handicapper.

If you're serious about it then you'll realise that scoring is all about the short game once your long game is competent.
A laser is important for dialling in the wedge shots, knowing how far the pin away is exactly and not a gps guesstimate.

For me a 'nomad' golfer, someone playing intermittently and socially, a GPS is fine. For competition, a laser is a necessity I guess. If you have your gapping with the clubs done (either old school or with trackman) then a laser will help you get pin high as well. With blind shots, then you just have to go old school and use the course markings themselves and a pace off.

Honestly how often does a handicap golfer finish pin high on any given round.
GPS is enough info for any handicap golfer above 2/3 imo

Corkblowin

GreeBo wrote: »

Do these distances change often on your course? .

Walked into that one! . But then again - most holes have 3 tees so can vary alright. Just thinking now - I’ve only played 6 games of golf this year & it’s been 5 different courses!

GreeBo

golfguy1 wrote: »

Honestly how often does a handicap golfer finish pin high on any given round.

Maybe thats because they didnt know accurately how far away they actually were?
I think you just disproved your own point

golfguy1

Sorry, he was "approx" 30 yards away?
So he could have been 25 or actually 35? I think I'd rather not leave myself a 10 yard putt...but thats just me!



Sorry greebo. u must be a seriously good golfer to be able to control it yardage to that level

JCDUB

I've a laser, and love it, apart from blind holes obviously. Trying to pick out hazards can be tricky though. I feel I'm never sure that it's actually picked up the face of the bunker, that it may have picked up the front bank etc.

I used to have a Bushnell neo XS watch, which was fine.
However one day at an away course myself and a playing partner stood shoulder to shoulder on a par 3, both using the exact same watch, and there was 9 yards in the difference between my watch and his. We stood there for a while wondering if one was calibrating, but no such luck. That was the end of the watch for me.
9 yards is a scandalous difference IMO, that's a club for some golfers.

GreeBo

golfguy1 wrote: »

Sorry, he was "approx" 30 yards away?
So he could have been 25 or actually 35? I think I'd rather not leave myself a 10 yard putt...but thats just me!



Sorry greebo. u must be a seriously good golfer to be able to control it yardage to that level

From the distances we are talking about, yes I am.

I'd be seriously disappointed to be 25 yards away and hit it 35. Likewise if I was 25 away and hit it 35.

Its much easier to be accurate distance wise the shorter the distance is.

golfguy1

GreeBo wrote: »

Maybe thats because they didnt know accurately how far away they actually were?
I think you just disproved your own point

It's got nothing to do with distance.
For handicap golfers it is about lack of ability

GreeBo

JCDUB wrote: »

I've a laser, and love it, apart from blind holes obviously. Trying to pick out hazards can be tricky though. I feel I'm never sure that it's actually picked up the face of the bunker, that it may have picked up the front bank etc.

I used to have a Bushnell neo XS watch, which was fine.
However one day at an away course myself and a playing partner stood shoulder to shoulder on a par 3, both using the exact same watch, and there was 9 yards in the difference between my watch and his. We stood there for a while wondering if one was calibrating, but no such luck. That was the end of the watch for me.
9 yards is a scandalous difference IMO, that's a club for some golfers.

Yards Vs Metres?

Mantis Toboggan

I find my GPS unit to be extremely accurate, gives distance to hazards and greens back, front and middle. It can also measure shot distance, very handy when trying to determine how far each club goes. Definitely the best 90 euro I've spent on atgolf product.

OP both have their benefits.
If you want to go for a laser there are cheaper options available than the bushnells you'll see for €400+, how good these are I'm not sure but you'll find plenty of reviews online.