Range finder

[theabacus]

I play on a number of courses (sometimes setup just for a day for a tournament) that do not have posted signs on hole lengths. Gold range finders tend to be fairly pricey (digital ones), however, I have seen some manual ones that are fairly inexpensive (http://www.amazon.com/Bushnell-5x20-Scope-Rangefinder-Silver/dp/B006M7609U/ref=pd_rhf_dp_s_cp_5).

Has anyone used a range finder? Waste of money? Has anyone used the Bushnell? Thanks.

 

[aceshyze]

I never used one, but there are two problems that come to mind immediately. First is that it reads in yards, not feet. A small problem, but still not perfect. The second is that there are plenty of shots you need to range under 150 feet, so you couldn't use it for your approaches. But, for driving, it could be cool.

 

[iacas]

Has anyone used a range finder? Waste of money? Has anyone used the Bushnell? Thanks.

That one would be:

- Etched rangefinder reticle with numbers that align with top of flagstick

In other words it relies on how tall the flagstick looks (requiring a standard height flagstick) to tell you how far away you are.

 

[theabacus]

That one would be:

- Etched rangefinder reticle with numbers that align with top of flagstick

In other words it relies on how tall the flagstick looks (requiring a standard height flagstick) to tell you how far away you are.

Ah. Okay...I know nothing about ball golf so that didn't make sense to me. I assumed the flagstick was something in the scope.

Golf finders typically (from what I see) start at about 50 yards. I assume the pricey ones may go shorter, however, I am only interested in it for driving. If it is less than 310 feet, Teebird. More than 320, Saint. I may look at the hunting ones since 1) they may be cheaper, 2) perhaps more durable? 3) they cannot rely on a flagstick.

Now if someone made one specifically for discgolf, it could go off the height from the top to the bottom of the basket. Since Disc Golf is so much shorter than golf, I don't know how accurate it would be. Of course it wouldn't work on portables...which would defeat part of the purpose.

 

[HEATER]

I know range finders are illegal in PGA tournaments. Are there rules in place for PDGA tournaments?

 

[jrawk]

I have a pretty good quality range digital finder I used heavily when working on my form/distance in a large un marked field. I'm not sure of the model but it is a Bushnell. It is for ball golf and can work at ranges starting at 5 yards and pics up on the flag pole or baskets easily. Sometimes you have to target the trees off to the side and behind the basket so you can be sure the range finder was reading the basket. Plus or minus 3 feet is accurate enough for me. The only issue is when objects are in your way (line of sight). Then you'll have a hard time getting a good read.
I don't use it very much anymore but it is handy for tourney setup and long courses you never played before

 

[Dj1001]

have you tried a gps range finder app for a smart phone, I have found them to be accurate down to about 3 feet with good gps signal.

 

[theabacus]

I have a pretty good quality range digital finder I used heavily when working on my form/distance in a large un marked field. I'm not sure of the model but it is a Bushnell. It is for ball golf and can work at ranges starting at 5 yards and pics up on the flag pole or baskets easily. Sometimes you have to target the trees off to the side and behind the basket so you can be sure the range finder was reading the basket. Plus or minus 3 feet is accurate enough for me. The only issue is when objects are in your way (line of sight). Then you'll have a hard time getting a good read.
I don't use it very much anymore but it is handy for tourney setup and long courses you never played before

I just looked that up. Apparently any device to get distance beyond 10 meters is illegal in a PDGA tournament.

As far as GPS, technically that would also fall under the PDGA rules. The primary use would be field work and temporary courses setup for tournaments. In the case of a temporary course, I think it would be difficult to actually use GPS since the basket won't show up on satellite view and most of the courses I play have to many large trees creating a canopy to make an accurate guess. If the course was fairly wide open with minimal trees (i.e. golf course), I think it could work.

 

[Brodysseus]

I just use my eyes. If its close enough to me, I can range it pretty well. And if its not close enough for me to range well, it's out of my max D anyways.

 

[Cgkdisc]

Rangefinders will be legal starting 2013 in PDGA events. They can also be legal in ball golf events if the local club wishes to allow them in their event.

Least expensive useful rangefinder for DG we've found (course designers group) is this one: http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/bresser-range-finder-800.aspx?a=594540

 

[SoCal Mike]

Rangefinders will be legal starting 2013 in PDGA events.

Is this officially true now? I was under the impression that they were illegal.

 

[Grungedude42]

The important thing: can you fiddle with your range finder and still throw in under 30 seconds?

 

[banknwank]

I have ball golf pin ranger app. Take a picture of basket from known distance. Take picture of basket from any distance and it estimates distance. Just like the little monocular that measures pin height to give distance. Tested it in back yard and seems accurate enough for dg.

 

[Kenny53691]

I have a range finder that is for hunting that I've used to help lay out a potential course. I really enjoy it. It does only go by yards, but you can do the math, and it gave me close enough numbers to figure out a distance.

 

[SoCal Mike]

The important thing: can you fiddle with your range finder and still throw in under 30 seconds?

In a casual round this wouldn't be an issue. I don't see it being an issue if you were throwing third or fourth in a foursome as well.

 

[ERicJ]

Rangefinders will be legal starting 2013 in PDGA events.

Is this officially true now? I was under the impression that they were illegal.

Yes. The 2013 PDGA Rulebook no longer disallows distance measuring devices, i.e., the rulebook doesn't specifically say they are allowed, but they took out the rule that said they were not allowed. This makes for some frustrated players when they see you pull out a rangefinder in a tournament and try to bust you on it searching the new rulebook for a rule they "know" is in there.... :wall:

The important thing: can you fiddle with your range finder and still throw in under 30 seconds?

Easily.

 

[jeverett]

I have a Bushnell Yardage Pro 450 (fairly inexpensive as far as rangefinders go). It only reports values in yards (i.e. accurate to +/- 1.5 ft.), and seems to work just fine at close distances even. Tagging a basket at long distance, however, is basically impossible, even if it has a the 'chastity belt' top. In order to get readings at long range, I pretty much have to have a person standing at the target/basket (and tag them with it). I only use it to assist with course design, rather than during a round, though.

 

[pmatt1969]

I never used one, but there are two problems that come to mind immediately. First is that it reads in yards, not feet. A small problem, but still not perfect. The second is that there are plenty of shots you need to range under 150 feet, so you couldn't use it for your approaches. But, for driving, it could be cool.

Some rangefinders have will calculate in feet or yards. Otherwise you just multiply the yards by 3 to get the feet. They will also measure down to 5 yards so you could use it for approaches.
I carry mine in the bag at all times. You never know when you will want to use it. I never have a problem reading off of a basket. Mine is a Bushnell

 

[SoCal Mike]

Yes. The 2013 PDGA Rulebook no longer disallows distance measuring devices, i.e., the rulebook doesn't specifically say they are allowed, but they took out the rule that said they were not allowed. This makes for some frustrated players when they see you pull out a rangefinder in a tournament and try to bust you on it searching the new rulebook for a rule they "know" is in there.... :wall:

I saw where GPS devices were ok... even though I couldn't find anything that specifically said that rangefinders were allowed. I guess that you have to make the assumption that if one is allowed then the other one is covered as well.

 

[jongoff09]

There are 2 kinds of range finders. One kind can hit the thinnest of limbs and find the yardage to it (i.e. the closest thing to the laser is what you will have the yardage to) which is called "pin seeker," the other needs a large target for it to pick it up. I personally have a Bushnell range finder with pin seeker because I play golf and find it more useful for me on the golf course. I have used it extensively in DG as well, but I have to be careful that I have a perfectly clear shot at the basket to get the distance to it. That usually isn't too much of a problem.