gps vs rangefinders

anybody any experience using any of these. im going back and forward between the likes of a sky caddie gps and this bushnell laser range finder

http://completegolfer.co.uk/store/accessories/rangefinders/bushnell-tour-v2-laser-rangefinder.php?brand=bushnell

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ybody offer any advice on whichwould be better before i shell out a load of my hard earned?

David,

A laser range finder will be cheaper in the long run and easier to use.  Just pull it out the bag, look at where you want to go and it will give you and exact yardage to that point.  No downloading courses (especially the wrong course, isn't that right Mr Flood!), subscriptions, etc.  It can also be used for any target, such as a hazard, instead of just the flag.  However, if you can't see your target, you can't use it.  Imagine you you've left yourself behind some trees on a dog-leg or have a blind shot over a hill and want to know how far the flag is.  In this situation, it can't help you. 

A GPS will/may cost you more in the long run and will likely have just a set of predefined points to measure to from where you are.  There may be a subscription and/or a cost to download courses and dependent on the model you buy there may not be much detail or the course may not be available.  Not quite as accurate, they are however within a couple of yards and at our standard that makes no difference to us.  The positive side is that no matter where you are on the course, you will always get a yardage and, subject to the model you buy, it will also give you a map of the hole.  This is really useful to see hidden dangers and saves you buying a shot saver.

All in all, I would go for the GPS.  I have a couple of apps on my iphone and on new courses I find it very useful to get distances.  I have been playing The Bristol recently and on the 7th hole your second shot is blind over a hill.  I have found the GPS a great help in getting the right club selection and I couldn't do that with a rangefinder unless I walked to the top of the hill and then paced it back.

David, we have all been blessed with the best device in the world, ones own eyes and a brain that can calculate very quickly, the wind, direction and strength, the temperature and ground conditions.

No GPS or Range finder can do all of these things, so that makes them just a tool for a starting point in ones own calculations as to what club to play.

When I first started playing there were not even 150 yard markers, yet I still managed to play to a pretty high standard and have continued using the same method all my life.

I love it when my friend looks at his Sureshot, selects the club for that distance and then thumps it straight over the green.

David

There is already a thread about this subject, but briefly I have used both rangefinder and GPS or ( statnav ). The range finder had a downside of would only pick up flags when the wind was blowing as the flagstick on its own was not a big enough target. Also if there are trees or bushes behind the green then it would be very hard to get a yardage. A cure was to aim at the players in front when they were putting out although not always just behind the group in front. Ive now had a sureshot for 2 years and think its an invaluable tool. Gives confidence in club selection. I would highly recommend even though it costs £20 a year to subscribe, I think its worth it.

Dave CAC handed Geordie. 

Chris,

What features on a smartphone are non-conforming then? I have an Iphone and I can't see any other way that it is going to help apart from being a distsnace device. I have no apps that I can think of that would assist me in gaug=ing temperature, gradients, wind speed, or direction or any other environmental factor that can help me.

I don't use a GPS application when playing at my home course so wouldn't get DQ in a comp for using it, but just wondered what aspect were no conforming and if they could potentially be removed to bring the phone in line with the rules.

Gary

I think this will become more of a problem as more apps are developed for the newer smartphones.  First, it's a mobile phone and most courses expressly forbid there use on a course.  Admittedly you won't (or shouldn't) be using it as a phone on course but if they wanted to get arsey about it they could possibly DQ you if they wanted to simply because of that.  Secondly, a smartphone has the ability to both receive and transmit data, so what's to say you aren't sneakily getting in touch with the latest weather patterns, atmospheric pressure or even some sort of internet based Ordnance Survey data.  Of course most of this would be completely useless, and most people would only use the app as it's intended, but if an excuse is needed.....  

So clad I went back to working out the yardage ,wind speed,gradient all by myself it's a much better feeling than shooting to a number.

And the last time I played in Wales no electronic aids were allowed, not even dedicated GPS's, as they were then outlawed by the WGU.  Don't know if this is still the case.

I remember Tim when the group of guys in the Pro shop said they didn't need a Strokesaver as they had GPS, Laser finders etc. There face was a picture when he told them they couldn't use them

Glad I rang up the day before to check.

re mobile devices - Interesting topic and something the R&A could but a stop to, see the re release August 2010 of previous note on electronic devices.

Gary in relation to mobile phones they can now easily be used to:

Check temperature

Check wind speed

Check slope of greens

plus I guess it wouldn't be to hard for the likes of Engineer Hawkins to create an app with calculations of distances using information of altitude, temp, wind etc.  Thus how mobile devices can pose a risk. 

http://www.randa.org/en/RandA/News/News/2010/August/Joint%20Statement%20on%20Electronic%20Devices.aspx 

I'm assuming this also applies to the Bushnell devices that have the 'slope' ability?