Wednesday 28 March 2012

Which Is Best: Golf GPS System or Rangefinder?

By Stephen Harvey


In the past the only way to gauge the distance on a golf course was to rely on your sight and good old fashioned intuition. The best golfers knew instinctively where the hole was and how hard they had to hit the ball to avoid the water hazards or the bunker.

In recent years there has been a revolution in the world of golf, with players both new and old using electronic devices to help them calculate much more scientifically and accurately the distances they need or even telling them exactly how far they are from course landmarks based on their actual position! This means they have even more chance of picking the right club or stroke strength. It makes golf into a more scientific and calculated game, and with technology being so prevalent in our lives it is no real surprise it has ended up on the golf course as well!

Of the many devices on the market, there are two main categories of systems, a golf GPS and a range finder. Here we explore the difference between these technologies.

The GPS system can be likened to a sat nav system in a car, as they both run off the same technology. They are handheld, and within them they store the actual GPS positions of the landmarks on each course. Then, based on where you are standing, it calculates your exact distance from all of the landmarks.

Using a laser range finder is maybe not quite as advanced as a GPS system, but it still does the job required. You fire a laser out of the front at a target such as the pole or a bunker. The lasers hit the target and bounce back, and the device will calculate the exact distance between the start and end points on the screen.

Both rangefinders and GPS units serve the same purpose...to help you improve your game!




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