Rangefinders during sanctioned play

[foxdawg10]

Lol, yep. My first statement gave my opinion and why it's not worth much.

I'm not discounting the fact that there is a certain measure of obnoxious behavior out on the course, I'm just saying it isn't necessarily limited to the use of rangefinders, lol.

My pet peeve is cigar guy, but that is a story for a different day, lol.

 

[nothinbuttree]

Where I play, we use a lot of elevation, so even accurate distance is deceiving. So, rangefind away, but I caution you that all 295s are not created equal.

Whoa, are you saying that elevation gain/loss is not part of the package? Would have thought as cheap as the small levels are (I have a laser I use for work that has one--Leica Disto), it would easily provide that info as well.

 

[coupe]

Where I play, we use a lot of elevation, so even accurate distance is deceiving. So, rangefind away, but I caution you that all 295s are not created equal.

All 295s aren't created equal, but some 295s are created more equal than others.

More to the point, many—if not most—rangefinders these days display slope as well as distance. Doesn't take more than a couple of practice rounds to dial in how slope impacts the "effective length" of a throw. (In my experience, with a rangefinder the old "3' for every 1' change in elevation" rule of thumb can be wildly inaccurate if the slope is > 2°)

 

[BogeyNoMore]

I just love when dudes use their rangefinder on like a 200 foot upshot.

How else am I supposed to know not to throw with 201' of power?

 

[DavidSauls]

All 295s aren't created equal, but some 295s are created more equal than others.

More to the point, many—if not most—rangefinders these days display slope as well as distance. Doesn't take more than a couple of practice rounds to dial in how slope impacts the "effective length" of a throw. (In my experience, with a rangefinder the old "3' for every 1' change in elevation" rule of thumb can be wildly inaccurate if the slope is > 2°)

I have no idea, having never used one....and now that they're available, I'm old and everything is further than I can throw, so it doesn't matter.

I suppose a little wind gauge (with automatic factor calculation) would be good, too.

 

[nothinbuttree]

All 295s aren't created equal, but some 295s are created more equal than others.

More to the point, many—if not most—rangefinders these days display slope as well as distance. Doesn't take more than a couple of practice rounds to dial in how slope impacts the "effective length" of a throw. (In my experience, with a rangefinder the old "3' for every 1' change in elevation" rule of thumb can be wildly inaccurate if the slope is > 2°)

Are the rangefinders displaying slope in degrees, or an elevation gain/loss from point to point?

 

[Ahildy13]

Are the rangefinders displaying slope in degrees, or an elevation gain/loss from point to point?

Ads for the new Edge seem to imply they show elevation in feet but I have not used it. Should be easy to calculate.
The 850 shows degrees.

 

[BillFleming]

Ads for the new Edge seem to imply they show elevation in feet but I have not used it. Should be easy to calculate.
The 850 shows degrees.

Bushnell rangefinders, if they show elevation, will show two figures. One is straight-line distance. The other is a +/- number using some algorithm. You then add or subtract that number to/from the straight-line distance to give you the 'true' distance.

For example, the rangefinder gives you 300 feet +25. That means it is 300 feet straight to the basket, but it goes uphill (the +) and the elevation change is equal to an additional 25 feet...making the distance equal to 325 feet.

(disclaimer: I have a Bushnell rangefinder for ball golf and that is how it works...I've also talked to people who have the Bushnell rangefinder for disc golf and they confirmed that is how those work).

 

[Puckstopper]

That's quite a judgement based on your entire lack of experience with this issue and just reading one random post, lol.

I sold my rangefinder to one of my buddies and he won the next two tournies he played in. He chalked it up partly to more accurate disc selection based on distance.

As long as players aren't going over 30 seconds I have no problem. I however would have a problem with the dude being overly helpful and giving the rest of the card their distance.

This. I wouldn't be without a rangefinder now that I've tried one. I'm analytical and detail oriented by nature and the rangefinder just quiets down the voice in my head that wondered if I had the right disc in my hand. Feel free to mock me, I use it way more on upshots than I do drives. Generally speaking if I'm caught between discs and in my own head, it's not going to be off the tee.

HOWEVER: I get my distance quickly, provide info to anyone who asks for it and no-one who doesn't and generally try to avoid having it be an issue. I also don't play tournaments, so I bought it just to try to get better.

I'm not discounting the fact that there is a certain measure of obnoxious behavior out on the course, I'm just saying it isn't necessarily limited to the use of rangefinders, lol.

My pet peeve is cigar guy, but that is a story for a different day, lol.

LOL, you really hate me then. I'm craft beer guy, premium hand rolled cigar guy, rangefinder guy, etc...

 

[ReinZ_96]

I just love when dudes use their rangefinder on like a 200 foot upshot.

I don't do this very often, but if the light is weird or some other different stuff I will especially if I end up in a place I've never been in practice. Or in practice rounds, if I constantly mess up the same shot I'll check the distance to check if I should be throwing something else. My depth perception is pretty bad and I've been off by over 50 feet on 200ft shots before when estimating distance.

 

[Agricolae]

I have told multiple people that if I want to know the distance I will ask- I would much rather my lizard brain do the measuring in most cases.

Smart.

I've played with the Range Finder-Guy who wanted to inform everyone of their distance. The trick is, like with most technology, you need to be able to work the thing and also know its limitations. There is not a lot of solid reflective material on a disc golf basket - Innova's chastity belt is pretty good if you have a steady hand. It's really easy to pick up trees, brush and other objects behind or in front of the target. The farther out you are, the harder it is to get an accurate reading on a basket.

Range Finder-Guy was announcing cardmates' distances that were clearly wrong. (I know because they felt wrong and I, too, was carrying a rangefinder <ahem> and checked them.) His own shots were anything but dialed in. He was not a threat ... unless you trusted his advice.

 

[glassila]

If your rangefinder, smoke, music, etc. is kept to yourself I have no problem with it.
If you are calling out my distances, blowing smoke in my face, blasting your music, etc. then I have a problem with that and will kindly as you to stop.

 

[ToddL]

Bushnell rangefinders, if they show elevation, will show two figures. One is straight-line distance. The other is a +/- number using some algorithm. You then add or subtract that number to/from the straight-line distance to give you the 'true' distance.

For example, the rangefinder gives you 300 feet +25. That means it is 300 feet straight to the basket, but it goes uphill (the +) and the elevation change is equal to an additional 25 feet...making the distance equal to 325 feet.

(disclaimer: I have a Bushnell rangefinder for ball golf and that is how it works...I've also talked to people who have the Bushnell rangefinder for disc golf and they confirmed that is how those work).

https://www.bushnell.com/on/demandw...dfFiles/DG850SBL_Edge_FullManual_1LIM-RV2.pdf

If the Rangefinder reads 300' +25', that means:
300' line of sight to the basket (straight line, up the incline, same distance as if you measured a rope from yourself to the basket)
+25' vertical change
You can do your own pythagorean math to determine that the horizontal distance is 299' (though you don't really need this information for much).

If you need to calculate your "power level" needed to reach the basket, that's your own problem. The rule of thumb of 1:3 means that you want to put 375' of power on your disc to reach a target that is 300' away and 25' up.

Adding 300' + 25' doesn't amount to anything that I can see.

 

[autocrosscrx]

The Apex Rangefinder has "power level" mode. There is a hole that I play that is listed at 225' and the Apex tells me it takes 317' power, which is the top end of my disc golf line power. And I'll put pin high or just past the pin on my best throws.