Rangefinder or GPS in the mountains and the cold

A laser gives you the exact distance to something you can see. A GPS gives you front, middle and back of a green you may not be able to see. Both are legal in normal play. Which helps depends on the courses you play and how quickly you want the number.

What a laser does well

Point, press, and you have the flag itself to within a yard. That precision matters inside 150 yards, where ten yards is the difference between putting and chipping. Slope models add or subtract for elevation, which is worth real money on a mountain course in Alberta or British Columbia, where a 150-yard sign can mean anything.

The limits are practical: clear line of sight, a steady hand and a few seconds.

What a GPS does well

A watch gives front, middle and back the moment you reach the ball, with no aiming. On an unfamiliar course those three numbers plus the carry over a bunker tell you almost everything. The trade-off is precision: the GPS reads a mapped shape, not the flag.

Slope, and when it must be off

Slope-adjusted distances are not permitted in most competitions played under the Rules of Golf. Devices sold for competition have a switch or a visible faceplate that disables the function, and it is your responsibility to check before any Golf Canada qualifying round. Read the local rules on the first tee.

Which one for which golfer

If you play the same two or three courses and want the exact number to the flag, the laser is the better tool. If you travel to unfamiliar courses, walk briskly or dislike stopping to aim, a GPS watch keeps the pace. Plenty of low handicappers carry both, the watch for the hole and the laser for the shot.

Where to buy

Golf Town stocks the main laser and GPS brands and lets you range targets in store, which is the only way to judge how quickly a device locks on. Sporting Life carries the same brands in Ontario, and Golf Avenue lists used lasers, where last season’s model is often half the price and functionally identical.

Your club professional will often lend a demo for a round, which tells you more than any specification sheet. Panxis Golf has no commercial relationship with any of these retailers and takes no commission on what you buy.

Cold weather is harder on batteries than on you

Lithium cells lose capacity in the cold, and a rangefinder left in a cart bag through an October frost may show a flat battery on the first tee. Keep the device in an inside pocket on cold mornings and carry a spare cell.

Before you spend

• Play a round using only front, middle and back. If your scores hold up, a GPS is enough.
• Check whether your regular competitions allow slope before paying extra for it.
• Learn your carry distances first, ideally on a launch monitor over the winter.

The device does not play the shot. It removes one excuse, which is worth about a stroke a round to a golfer who already knows how far the ball goes.