A Guide to Laser Rangefinders
If you want something that will give you an accurate estimate of distance from you to your target, a laser rangefinder might answer your needs.
If you want to know how a laser rangefinder works, take one and look through its scope to find a target - pick any target from any reasonable distance.
Once you've picked your target, an optical laser is fired at the target to measure the distance. There is a certain amount of time it will take the laser to get to its target, hit it, and bounce right back. The time delay is than assessed and converted to the target's accurate distance.
You'll get a read back instantly and you'll know how many yards there are to that target. You'll get the best results if the target reflects light well.
Most newer range finders have a 7x viewer magification in their scopes. This gives you a better idea of what the green looks like. You will be able to see the contour and slope of the green better than with a naked eye at over 150 yards.
You should be able to tell if the green has a couple of tiers so that you can pick a good landing area. You can also use the rangefinder on the driving range to determine the distance of the different clubs in your bag.
One drawback is that you need line of sight to figure out the distance, which sets it apart from GPS. You can't shoot a laser through hills, after all, so you sometimes will not be able to get readings.
Nowadays, a great number of courses have prisms atop their golf pins to help with rangefinders. This prism will be on top of the flagstick so it can reflect the laser beam. Just point the laser at the prism, and you'll get a more accurate measure of distance to the pin. Otherwise, the rangefinder could have trouble finding the pin, and pick up a tree behind the green or a more reflective object by the green.
I had an experience about 4 months ago that showed the difference between laser range finders. I was playing with a couple of friends on a course that didn't have prism's on the flagsticks.
As we approached my ball I asked the friend I was riding with the distance to the pin. We could see that we where well within a 100 yards. He had a Laser Link range finder and shot the flag and came back with a 154 yard reading. The flags at this course didn't have prisms on them so he was apparently picking up the trees behind the green.
He tried two more times and came back with the same distance. My other friend came along side of us in his golf cart at that time and I asked him to give us a reading with his Bushnell Pinseeker range finder. He shot the flag at 68 yards which was much more realistic.
The Laser Link works great on courses that have flagstick prisms but, not that good without. If your playing the same courses with prism's the Laser link works fine. If you play a verity of courses without prism's you would be better off with another brand of range finder.
One big difference between Laser and Gps range finders is the fact that GPS rangefinders only give distance to objects that have been mapped out previously. With a laser you can target any spot or hazard on the course and get a good distance reading.
If you want to know which is better, a GPS or a laser rangefinder, there is no easy answer: there are pros and cons to both products. They have different strengths and weaknesses.
What type of courses you play is an important factor. Do you primarily play one course or do play around to several. Do they have prisms, have they been mapped for GPS are determining factors.