My pal was disappointed in me when I told him I’d become a member of the golf laser rangefinder owner’s club. While I agree there are some “old school” reasons for not using a GPS or a laser rangefinder, I prefer to have an exact yardage from wherever I am without having to walk all over the course looking for markers. I do think this speeds up play and helps my game.
Bushnell Tour V2
With all my connections, and all the prize money I have at a couple of clubs, I could have chosen just about any golf yardage device. I chose the Bushnell Tour V2 for one simple reason, or should I say one number.
One number please
Several “cheap” laser rangefinders I tried were infuriating. “What’s the yardage Tony?” My buddies would ask. I’d reply, “157, 204, 95, 334, 140, 271….” All of those numbers I’d recite, while standing on a sprinkler head which said 182. Crappy rangefinders don’t give you a solid and accurate number. You have to “guess” which of the 14 numbers (which flashed in 2.3 seconds by the way) are correct.
The Bushnell Tour V2 uses “Pinseeker” technology to lock in on the flagstick and give you one solid yardage. One number and it is right.
Convenience
The Tour V2 is a convenient size. It fits easily in my hand. The V2 isn’t bulky. It mounts on my golf bag (picture #2) with the included magnetic and zippered pouch.
Why not use a GPS?
While golf GPS devices are a big rage right now, I still prefer laser rangefinders. Why? Precision. Some of the greens I play on are huge. A “middle” flag could be a 2-3 club variance in distance. GPS devices typically give yardages to front, middle and back of the green. Countless times I’ve shot a pin and gotten more than 10 yards difference than my buddy who was using his GPS.
I like being able to shoot anything with my laser too. If I want to know how far it is to the front of a hazard from the tee, I can shoot it. If I want to know how many yards the tier behind the flagstick is, so I can hit a shot to use the contours of the green, I can shoot it.
The only time a GPS has an advantage over a laser is when your line of sight is blocked, say behind a bunch of trees and you can’t see the target.
Conclusion
The Bushnell Tour V2 is a solid laser rangefinder and gives me great yardages. I used it for about 35 rounds before I had to replace the battery, which only cost me $8.00. I recommend the Tour V2 over any GPS device.
HOGWire – Golf Industry News
This is another great review. Bushnell is one of the best brands anyone could care to buy. Although I have heard that the Tour V2 is the best, I have heard a lot of golfers that were satisfied with the Medalist with Pinseeker, which is almost $100 less expensive.