Rating:

Cons

It’s Bulky You most likely will not try to keep this unit on you while playing. While you can clip a GPS unit on your belt without noticing it, not so with this thing.

Possibility of (Lens Damage A nice case comes with it but the only lens cover included was for the eyepiece. The laser lens and view lens had no cover included most likely because these lenses are recessed into the case and would be cumbersome to remove every time you want to use it. Because they were tucked back in from the surface of the case, it might have been thought that damage to these lenses was unlikely. Being an avid photographer, however, I find any naked lenses to be unprotected.

Possibility of Theft Because the all the pockets on my golf bag were full, I had the case strapped to by bag on a pull-cart during one of the few times I walked the course. This arrangement worked great on the course but I felt compelled to take it with me when I went in to the clubhouse before teeing off on the back nine. The case has Bushnell boldly written in on it and it attracts attention. I just thought it might not be there when I came out. If you’re playing out of a powered golf cart, you just leave it out of site in one of the cart pockets and it’s really not an issue.

Stability/Accuracy Trying to range distances over 200 yards was challenge for me without stabilizing the unit on my cart or some other object. If you’re out on a breezy day, the flag is moving and you’re moving. The center circle on this unit is small and keeping the flag centered, can be challenging. I ranged one distance at about 493 yards from the tee to a par 5 green (flag). That seemed like a correct yardage based on the yardage listed for this hole, but when I ranged the trees that were 30-40 yards farther, the unit read one yard shorter at 492 yards. The pinseeker indicator indicated that I was reading the pin on the initial reading, but this unit was unable to distinguish any distance between these two targets. I only did this once so I will be conducting further tests.

Distance to the Flag versus Distance to the Center of the Green From distances outside 120 yards, I do not hit the ball accurately enough to worry about the distance to the flag. I would rather know the distance to the center of the green that a GPS unit would show.

Target Obscured If you cannot see the target, you cannot get the range. For those of us that spend more time than we like to admit in the woods or on adjacent fairways, this can be an issue in you’re considering a rangefinder rather than a GPS.

Pros

Accuracy I hit no further than 225 yards off the fairway so distances beyond this range are rarely needed. Inside this distance, I was easily able to range the flag, even on breezy days, and the distance seemed right on.

Practice Range This a big one for me. I enjoy hitting practice balls on real-grass practice ranges but never really know how far the yardage markers are as the tees are moved regularly. With this unit, I can know the range to all targets on the range.

No Subscription Necessary Most of the GPS units require some form of subscription to be able to use your unit and, even then, your course might not be “marked.”

Utility I like the advantage of being able to range any area of the course. Knowing the distance to sand traps, trees, lakes along with any variety of other hazards is very helpful.

I am sure that I will think of more that I could have written but those might be for another review once I’ve had a chance get more experience with this unit. As a rangefinder, I am very impressed with this product, but I still think a GPS unit might find its way into my bag unless my game improves a lot in the near future.

And as a last note on Amazon.com, I have had nothing but good luck with this vendor. I have purchased, in addition to this unit, a Samsung 52 inch LCD TV and a “Monster” Power Center all without incident and with excellent service. Thank you Amazon.

Rating:

A GPS unit has it’s definate advantages and one of them is when you play a course that has a lot of blind shots. You can still use the LR but it takes a little bit more work than a GPS. Fortunately, I play courses that pretty much have line of site.

I chose this product over other manufacturer and models for the following reasons:

1) I used a Bushnell before and was confident I was getting a great product

2) It has Pinseeker technology which eliminates background distances.

3) It’s sturdier on my hands than smaller rangefinders.

4) It uses a long lasting 9v battery. Smaller rangefinders use a 3v battery.

Rating:

I found several things that another user of prospective purchaser might consider helpful:

1. The silicone/rubber surface resists all kind of inks, so that it is impossible to inscribe your name on the outside of the device. I even tried to write my name with a small soldering iron, but the cover even resisted this. Eventually I decided to include a label with my name on it in the battery compartment.

2. The pinseeker feature is excellent for picking up the flag. Using the other setting is helpful in picking layup distances.

3. The battery will become exhausted when you need the device most. Keep a fresh 9 v battery in your bag.

4. The door to the battery compartment will fall open if it is not securely and positively closed.

5. My pro tells me that this rangefinder IS now legal for use on most courses and in most amateur tournaments. This is a local exception to Rule 14-3 made by most local and tournament committees. Note that the model of rangefinder (Bushnell Pro 1600 Slope Edition Laser Rangefinder with Pinseeker and others) which computes slope IS NEVER legal, even if that function is not used, and local committees are not empowered to make an exception. It is the golfer’s responsibility to check with the local officials regarding the exception, and to point out prior to the round that this model does not indicate slope (gradient).

I am delighted with this purchase.

Rating:

I played a local course and took the rangefinder and my golflogix gps. The Golflogix told me I was 120 yards out, the Bushnell said 103. I hit my pitching wedge (normally goes 100) and landed a few yards from the pin.

So long as your approach shot distances are fairly consistent, you’ll benefit from not having to guess if the flag is front back or middle.

This particular unit is a little bulkier than some other rangefinders, but I find it very easy to hold onto. Also, the excellent pouch fits easily onto my golf bag, so taking it in and out to use is easy. I was able to easily grab pins under 200 yards instantly. Pins further out take a bit longer. Yesterday I was able to get a pin 353 yards out. An interesting experiment, but well beyond my golfing range.

I decided on this unit over a Leupold for 3 reasons.

1. The Bushnell comes with a 2 year vs 1 year warranty. These things aren’t cheap so that is important.

2. The Bushnell is really waterproof, not simply “weather resistant”. I could dunk this baby into a lake (should it happen to be be attached to my golf bag when I toss it in the lake).

3. Battery: I hate proprietary or hard to find batteries. The Bushnell uses a standard 9V, easy to find and replace.