Re: GPS range finders

There's a few points to be made about GPS rangefinders (versus lasers).

1) Most are accurate +/- 3 yards
2) You still need to think about the shot you want to hit (it speeds up club selection as your yardage is known)
3) You still need to execute the swing

I worried at one point that having a GPS and laser rangefinder would 'cripple' me going into a competition, but I find that the mind squirrels away the yardages so that the eye can recognize them (in other words, I'm not too far off in comps)

It may save a stroke or two especially in risk-reward situations like trying to cut doglegs or hitting a green from the next fairway over, as your yardage is good, but overall I don't think it has much of an impact. Of course, try telling that to the players that don't have a GPS!

As I understand it the R&A and USGA are allowing rangefinders by local rule or condition of competition.

Re: GPS range finders

Being a little sceptical, I think the benefit of any "distance device" will be directly proportional to the ability of the user.

For the likes of Bernhard "is that measured from the front of the sprinkler head" Langer they would be invaluable, and he already uses a "distance device" - his Caddy.

For the rest of us there will be a sliding scale depending on our handicap and our ability to send the ball a consistent distance in the correct direction

Wandering away from the OP for the moment, for most of us, and this is my resolution for the new golfing year, I'd suggest that we would gain more benefit (drop more shots) by roughly estimating the distance to the centre of the green and taking one more club than we think we need.

If we think we need an 8 iron then our best 7I shouldn't go through and we can still make our two putts or better but if we take the 8I then a fair few of the 7/10 that we don't get just right will be in that green side bunker the rest will be as short as the 7I was long.

Back to the topic though I think your committee has set you an impossible task; I doubt if the evidence is really out there to be collected.

Re: GPS range finders

Every forum has someone wondering if they are legal or if they are cheating by using them,etc. I say let them be used everywhere. It's just another tool. Like the markers(which are wrong a lot of times), the scorecard distances, the titanium drivers, the oversized heads, the three and four piece balls,etc.,etc. It doesn't HIT the ball for you...Sheesh!