Last Updated on July 14, 2024 by Britt Olizarowicz
I’ve been playing golf for 30 years. I was one of those who held out on getting a rangefinder for a LONG time. I knew my yardage pacing was pretty accurate, but eventually, I gave it up and invested in a rangefinder. However, when I bought my husband a GPS unit about a year ago, I wanted to see how it would impact my game. I’ll share a few of my golf pro tips with you and help you decide if the GPS or the rangefinder is the best for your game.
Initial Experience with Rangefinders
When I finally started using a laser rangefinder, I liked it. I got accurate numbers, and I knew exactly which club to use. The information came at me quickly, so I didn’t have to think too much—I just pulled the club that I knew covered that number.
It’s better than pacing.
What I didn’t realize was that it was making things a little too quick for my game.
Transition to GPS with Bushnell Wingman View
On Father’s Day 2023, I purchased the Bushnell Wingman View for my husband. We put it on the golf cart. He plays music, and the kids are on the back of the cart. I can look over, get a quick glance at the number, and take my shot.
The display on the Wingman View shows the center of the green, the front edge, and the back edge.
Three numbers instead of the one I was getting with my rangefinder.
At first, I still had the rangefinder, and I would shoot the pin and glance over at the GPS to see what it pulled up.
Then, I found myself looking over at the GPS unit more and more throughout the round.
Benefits of Using GPS Over Rangefinder
I kept looking because I wanted to know how much room I had.
Of course, I could use my rangefinder to try to pinpoint the front and back of the green, but that does take time (and patience).
Finally, I started putting the rangefinder in the bag and making club decisions based solely on these three numbers I was getting.
At first, I was concerned that I would see scores go up.
Insterestingly, the opposite happened.
My scores went down.
I started noticing that I was leaving the ball in better places. In addition, instead of firing at pins, I admittedly went for the center of the green more, which in turn gave me more opportunities for birdies.
However, my favorite benefit of switching to GPS was the increased feel that I felt in my game.
Let’s face it: when I was pacing off yardages years ago, I knew I wasn’t perfectly accurate. I knew it was a range I was trying to hit, and I played that range.
With the GPS, I’m playing the range again. I’m swinging more freely, trying to hit the ball in an area on the green. With the rangefinder, I had my number and only cared about my number.
I’ve found myself getting more creative with shots, taking clubs into greens that I never thought I would hit (both shorter and longer), and really changing my approach method.
Golf Pro Tip: What Do I Recommend?
At this point, I’m not saying tossing your rangefinder into the trash makes sense. In fact, I could easily argue that having the number to the pin and the numbers on the GPS would be even more helpful.
However, what I am saying is, if you are like me and you are pointing to the pin, grabbing a club and not thinking or considering the middle of the green, the front, the back, etc, you may want to take a second and focus on these things.
You won’t slow down your routine. You’ll just allow yourself to focus and zero in on what you are trying to do. I’m trying to hit my shot within the area of the pin (plus or minus a few yards).
Conclusion
After experiencing the benefits of the Bushnell Wingman View, I’ve decided to stick with the GPS device for a while. I’ve made it past the transition period, I feel comfortable with it, and I like how I’m playing.
I don’t think the particular GPS unit I’m using is the reason that I’ve started to have more accurate shots to the green; I think it’s just having a little more data (those three numbers) and making decisions like I used to when I was pacing off yardages.
At some point, I may add the laser rangefinder back into my routine, in addition to the GPS, and see how that changes things up.
