Golf Buddy has been a world leader in GPS golf yardage devices for many years and now they’ve added laser rangefinders to their product lineup with the LR5 laser rangefinder.
Golf Buddy LR5 Laser Rangefinder
The LR5 is a very small and handy laser which produces dependable yardages. Let’s take a look at some of the features.
- Compact design, easy to handle. Nearly half the size of some lasers on the market.
- Three targeting modes: scan, standard, pin
- 6x magnification in the viewfinder
- Accurate to 1 yard
- Water resistant. Not waterproof though, so don’t throw it in the lake.
- Reasonable price. Though it retails for $299 I’ve found the Golf Buddy LR5 on Amazon for around $180. Beats the hell out of $399 or $499.
- Carrying case
On The Course
First I really dig the footprint of this laser. Some lasers are ridiculously large. This one fits nicely in my hand and stows away in the included carrying case, or inside a pocket in my golf bag.
The laser locks onto the target quite easily and delivers solid and consistent yardages. Consistency is a big deal to me. Other lasers will produce different yardages every time you shoot the same target. That’s not a confidence builder!
The carrying case works just the same as most other brands’ cases, barring the little rubber strap which is supposed to aid in securing it. The mesh grabber on that strap fell apart. Not a crucial part though.
Conclusion
Finally companies are pricing golf lasers and golf GPS devices in a more reasonable range, not the crazy $500 price tag of years past. That money needs to be saved for this week’s latest driver, guaranteed longer and straighter than ever!
The Golf Buddy LR5 is small, accurate, and dependable. Solid.
For a few months I’ve had the Bushnell 201540 Bushnell Tour X Jolt Golf Laser GPS/Rangefinder in play. I’ve been very happy with the performance and accuracy of this rangefinder. If only I could be as accurate at hitting my yardages as this unit is at supplying them to me.
Bushnell TourX Golf Laser Rangefinder
Bushnell TourX Golf Laser Rangefinder Features
- Front plate is interchangeable. One plate (red as pictured above) turns slope on (not legal for tournament or stipulated play). The other plate (black) turns slope off making it legal for tournaments and stipulated play.
- Two display modes for varying conditions. One mode produces bright red numbers (my favorite) and the other black.
- PinSeeker with JOLT Technology locks onto pin super fast and the unit vibrates to indicate pin-lock.
- 2nd generation E.S.P for fast and accurate yardages
- 6x magnification and accurate +/- 0.5 yards
On The Course
As the flagship laser from Bushnell I would expect nothing less than a fast, dependable, and accurate reading. That’s exactly what the unit produces. The reading is probably the fastest of any laser I’ve reviewed to date. The yardage is spot-on the first time, unlike some less expensive Bushnell units which can sometimes produce a different yardage every time the same yardage is shot.
Accessing the unit is easy in the very nice zippered case which can hang on the golf bag. An elastic loop
I tried the slope feature for a few holes but ended up switching to the non-slope mode. I record all of my rounds for my handicap and don’t want any illegally used clubs or accessories affecting my handicap.
Once again, the red plate is the not-for-tournament-play version. To be legal the black plate must be installed.
Pros and Cons
The pros to this unit are super-accurate yardages with lightning (maybe I should say “laser”) speed.
The cons are the size of the unit and the cost. This laser is larger in size than many on the market. The retail price is an astounding $680 but most street prices are at or below $499.
Conclusion
The Bushnell TourX is a case of “you get what you pay for.” This is the fastest and most accurate laser rangefinder I’ve tested to date.
I’ve started testing the new Golf Buddy LR5 laser rangefinder. My first round with the unit was a couple of days ago. Here’s a photo of the unit below.
Golf Buddy LR5 Laser Rangefinder
One round is not enough for me to write a review, but first impressions are that it is accurate and I love the small size. It fits in the palm of my hand.
Stay tuned for my full Golf Buddy LR5 Laser Rangefinder review soon.
Father’s Day alert…
I just got in the Bushnell TourX laser rangefinder for review and logged my first round of testing with it yesterday. This is a super top of the line unit (yes, such genius writing).
Bushnell TourX Golf Laser Rangefinder
During today’s round I was amazed at how quickly this golf laser locked onto the pin. I’m talking fractions of a second. When it locks, the unit vibrates.
I was also amazed at how crystal clear the display is, along with the yardage data shown.
I will need to log more rounds before my review and there’s one major drawback to this unit to discuss. Stay tuned for the full HOG Bushnell TourX review soon.
I’ve been gaming the new Score Band Pulse golf laser rangefinder for about 10 golf rounds now. You can surely enjoy the rest of my review below, but I’ll start with saying the Pulse is by far the best value in golf laser rangefinders by a long shot (pun intended).
ScoreBand Laser Rangefinder – click to buy
What I need from a golf laser rangefinder is pretty simple: quick and dependable yardages to the pin, and whatever else I shoot with it. The Score Band laser nails the pin quickly and gives me ONE solid number I can count on. The reason I highlighted the word “one” in the previous sentence is that I’ve had other lasers which seem to play a random number game. I can shoot the pin four times and get four different numbers. Not the case with the Score Band laser. One number.
I love to use the unit to shoot no only the pin, but other very important target areas, or areas I need to avoid. I’ll shoot the top lip of a bunker I need to be sure to carry. I’ll shoot the front edge of a false-front on a green. If I see a player in front of me on a par-4 or 5 who looks to be in a perfect position in the fairway, I’ll shoot him or his cart with the laser so I can know exactly how far and what club to hit off the tee for that position.
Golf GPS’s are great, but I could not survive a round of golf without a laser.
Features
The Pulse can shoot objects up to 400 yards away, for you big hitters who are debating between clubs on a shot that’s 387 yards. The flag-lock feature is good for up to 250 yards.
Accuracy for this golf laser is plus or minus one yard.
The viewfinder is 6x magnification. I’ll often look through the viewfinder to see where my ball sits on a long approach shot.
Measurements are taken in yards or meters.
Unit comes with a carrying case. The case is a bit on the weak side, but I just put the unit in a pocket in my golf bag.
Conclusion
At $173 on Amazon, I’ve not seen a better value in golf laser rangefinders. Not even within $100 of that price. My previous laser was $299 and not as accurate.
The Score Band Pulse laser is a no-brainer. If you’re shopping for a golf laser, check out the Pulse.
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