When you're in the market for a rangefinder, there are many choices out there. I have been using laser rangefinders for years. Most do a very good job with distance measurement. The differences will be in the features each unit offers. The Bushnell brand is probably the most well-known and they provide a line-up that will satisfy most golfers. I would recommend visiting a golf retail B&M store and seeing the rangefinders in person. Some rangefinders will feel better in your hands, and you can only verify this in person.

I use both a laser rangefinder and a watch GPS (Galaxy Watch 5 Pro). I usually use the laser rangefinder but there are instances when you will not have a "line of sight" of the target and the watch becomes very helpful. Garmin (Z82) makes a laser range finder that has a built-in GPS and also provides a color graphic of the hole you're playing.

The last thing to consider is your budget. You could expect to spend as low as $100 to $500+. Good luck.

Curious myself. I've been on the fence about switching from the watch to a rangefinder. Can't wait to see the suggestions/recommendations.

I use a Garmin Approach G10 GPS that I keep in my pocket. Also have a Bushnell laser rangefinder for when I can't tell the pin placement. I try to keep it simple and quick, don't need any of the fancy stuff. I like to get in some walking even when using a cart so with the pocket unit I can grab a few clubs and walk to my ball to make the game a bit quicker.
Don't get one of the rangefinders that talk, unless you never want to play in my foursome.

From years of experience, I would recommend a Bushnell laser rangefinder, HANDS DOWN. check out their site for their pricing and sales. I play with a lot of retirees who have the GPS watch and find that my Bushnell Pro XE (600 yard range) is so much easier and quicker to use. Maybe even a little more accurate, if a yard or two matters at our level. Unfortunately, I can no longer walk and my XE has a magnet and attaches to the golf cart for quick access. This site will give you all the specs on the models available.


www.bushnellgolf.com/.../

Pro X3 is the newer model. Love the optics, accuracy and the size. If the flag is hidden by a trap/bunker I want the exact yardage, so I cannot attack that flag. On our course not something you want to take on, you just have to lag up and take that two putt or hope for a longer birdie. Getting a quality rangefinder is about choices, but for quality and performance, Bushnell and Leupold are the best rated on the market for golfers. For those who make a living using them, caddies, most will have a Bushnell in their bibbs.

I personally use a Bushnell Tour V5. I generally use my rangefinder for yardages under 300 yds and they are very accurate. I prefer the rangefinder over the GPS watch. Personal preference.

Neither is perfect. GPS doesn’t locate the actual pin distance. Laser needs line of sight. Dog legs and hills can hide the green. I use just the GPS most of the time, for hazards as well. My accuracy is pretty much limited to 150 yards. I may use both in that range. Laser gives me distance and GPS lets me know how far the front or back is to the pin. I find that useful to decide if short or long would be preferable.

I like Bushnell V5shift as it has Jolt and Slope, however my hand has tendency of shaking and would lock a tree or something else after the green. I found that Eagle Eye laser compensated that, and when I compare with my fellow players and their Bushnell lasers it is with in a yard or so. Good Luck

Hi Anna:

I find my GPS is good enough for me. It gives me yardage to front, middle and back and hazard distances. I am an 8 handicap, so getting yardages like that are accurate enough for my game. Easier to carry and a quick glace is all I need, rather than waiting for the group in front to put the pin in so I can shoot exact yardage.

I love my Bushnell Pro X3. It's easy to read, it can pick up flags, and other objects to give distances to help navigate the hole. I personally don't like the feeling of wearing a watch but Bushnell does have an app that you can use on your phone with yardage information too.

I'll throw in my two cents. I think they both have their place and it depends on what you do day in, day out.

A Laser Rangefinder gives you excellent and accurate distances to flag, bunkers, and really any hazard or object which has relief (i.e. some vertical side you can range from). Many of the better ones will give you options to see raw distances or adjusted distances for elevation changes. What it doesn't do well (with a few minor exceptions like Z82) is give you green front/back distances or distances to hazards which are essentially flat and hard to lase off of. They are bigger (generally light) but easy to leave on a green or tee box and take up room in your golf bag. IMO Bushnell makes the best of the best but there are many fantastic devices - just avoid the cheap/knockoff versions on line, you get what you pay for in most cases.

Watches are super simple (generally), and come with tens of thousands of pre-loaded courses (avoid subscription based watches IMHO). They give excellent awareness of front/back/middle of greens, some can let you adjust for pin position, keep score and other features and some also do elevation changes. Very High end watches adjust for wind and barometric pressure though I am not sure how well these features actually work. Garmin (again personal view) are the gold standard here and can keep track of steps, heart-rate and other features. Several are also multi-sport devices. They are less precise to actual flag position and can have some errors depending on satellite coverage but are generally pretty close. Super light and generally have great battery life but you do need to recharge them much more often than a rangefinder which can go a season on a single battery.

Personally, I carry both and use them differently. 85% of the time, I take a quick look at the watch for how far I need to carry (front edge) how far I can miss long (back edge) and aim for center/center-mid back of green. I use the watch for scoring and find it just the easy/go to device. Only when I am feeling a bit more aggressive and/or there is a really gettable pin will I lase the distance to the pin. I also use the laser if there are bunkers or whatever I need to know the back edge of (or to lase distances for buddies going for pins they really ought not to.....:-). And finally, it is always in my bag for the times I forget to charge my watch!

Long winded all to say, IMO they both have there place, but if I were to only carry one it would be a watch and that watch would be a Garmin mid to higher range version. Again, just my two cents.

I just use my Garmin fenix 7 watch. I've played with some guys that have laser rangefinders and it's usually pretty close. I've considered getting one but I like my watch. My biggest complaint about the rangefinder crew is that it seems to take some of the users a lot longer to hit. Got paired up with a few guys this year that were slower than Patrick Cantlay. They laser the pin from the cart, then from the ball, walk back to the cart, check GPS, grab a club, re laser pin and check GPS again, take rangefinder back to cart, check the wind, switch clubs and when they finally hit, they chunk it about 45 yards into the rough. Then they repeat the process 45 yards closer to the hole. Haha.

I’m an Arccos loyalist. It’s helped me shave 5 strokes off my game and mostly I now play to the center or subtract/add 5 yards for front or back pins. Otherwise I shoot for the largest landing area on the green.

Happy Huinting!

I’m not a lover of watches personally, I use the Bushnell x3 which is fantastic and has a really clear display. It’s has slope adjustment and is really good at picking up flags. It was expensive, but well worth it. Whatever you choos I am sure it will help you.

I think eventually it’s nice to have both. Personally, I would start with a GPS. For many people, including me, this is all you ever need. Bear in mind that the places I normally play, they have red, white, or blue flags to tell you the approximate pin location (front-red, etc). Almost all GPS rangefinder’s will tell you distance to the front, middle, and back of each green so you would have an idea that would put you within around 10 feet from each flag. If your golf game is such that you can place your shots from 50 yards on out closer than 10 feet, by all means add a laser later if you wish. My only pet peeve with the laser is when a playing partner will take way too long gauging precise distance to the flag when they may only put the ball within 10 feet once in a great while.

I use a Bushnell and a garmin watch. I good to have both. I use the Bushnell mostly for pins and use the watch mostly for front middle and back of greens measurements

I like a combination of both GPS and Rangefinder (laser). For years I used the Bushnell Phantom GPS but recently switched to the Bushnell Wingman View. I use the GPS a lot of time for quick reference, it's only when I get within 160 or so that I use the Bushnell Tour V4 rangefinder for increased distance accuracy.

With this, the GPS stays in the cart and is quite handy when in situations of Cart Path Only (like we had this past weekend). It gives me a quick idea of distance so I can pull 2-3 clubs and my rangefinder out to the fairway to get an accurate distance.

I default the GPS setting to reference the middle of the green as our club uses the Red (front), White (Middle) and Blue (back) flags.

I perfer the accuracy of my laser over the speed of a GPS (even though I am not good enough to hit it to the exact yardage lol).

Laser plus's
accuracy
ability to zoom in and see terrain

laser cons
you need to be sure you hit the pin and not a tree behind the flag
if its a lazy round sometimes its too much effort to pull out the laser

GPS plus's
front middle back distaces are probably all thats needed and isnt information overload
it can give you an overview of a hole if its a new course so you see hidden danger
very fast to use

GPS con's
hopfully courses are updated so you accurate rangers
If its a phone or watch GPS some people dont like to have their phone or a watch on

Cant really go wrong either way

I have a couple of Bushnells that are probably considered 'relics' - a Tour Z6 (great display!) and a Tour V4 Slope (I hardly ever see the slope number as I just get the yardage and put it down before the adjustment shows up). It is terrific for making notes on an unfamiliar golf course, say a practice round for a tournament.

Sadly, my game is now at the point where walking from 100 and 150 markers is probably quite sufficient, although I'd like to think I still benefit from yardage inside 100 yds!

I learned to do yardage by reading the markers on the courses and walking it off from there. Then I went with Bushnell rangefinders which I found to be very accurate in order to speed up play. There V series have proven over the years to be very accurate and reliable. The Tour V6 is considered by most as the top rated. Lightweight, accurate and easy to use. Most courses that have riding carts provide a lot of information regarding yardage, hazards and pin placements. Due to medical issues I need to ride a golf cart, unfortunately. .

Just like @JYoung, I use my Garmin Fenix S7 with the Garmin Golf app. It will give the same readings as a laser range finder as far as hazards go as well and front / back / middle of the green which is good enough for my game. I can think of a few instances where specific spots would benefit from the rangefinder, but for me I'm content with the GPS watch. I've stood next to guys with range finders and can usually extrapolate distances within 1-2 yards based on pin placement and GPS data from front / back / center. I'm not good enough to drop in within that distance, but I guess it makes me feel better knowing that my 15 yard offline approach shot landed pin high in the bunker.

I have the Nikon Cooolhands and love the stabilization feature. I think it’s super easy and helps a lot when windy, too.

That said I think GPS from arccos is what I mainly use. I use the range finder for closer in shots to get a better wedge distance but I recommend the Nikon for sure!