I only use a rangefinder (Bushnell) and am very happy with it - but play with people who have the gps watch and they seem pretty happy with it.

Yea, but - you can get a rangefinder for about the same price as a quality gps-thingy - and it's not dependent on the course being mapped by the company who manufactured the gps or anything. It just works.

If you find yourself in the rough and wondering if you should lay up or go over that lake, the distance to the green is pretty irrelevant. A rangefinder gives you the distance to whatever you want whenever you want it.

I love my gps in my car - I just don't get why anyone would use it over a rangefinder on the golf course. The rangefinder is so obviously superior.

The only time a gps is better than a rangefinder is if you have a blind shot to the green and can't be bothered to get a visual on the flag. In that case - be bothered imo.

I'm a massive GPS hater.

Why shoot any target in 2 seconds with literally laser-like accuracy when you could use GPS to get an inaccurate guesstimate to just the middle of the green? Just baffles me.

Seriously, just get a rangefinder.

I use a laser and a gps phone app (Golfshot). The laser is for approaches, the gps app for figuring out distances to layup to or carry when I'm on an unfamiliar course.

I use a gps watch and find it 1000x more usable than a rangefinder. A rangefinder is difficult to get a reading with, I often zap a tree behind the green, you have to take a few readings to make sure you are doing it right, you have this large object to keep track of and not lose. It's just slow, hard to use, and sucks sucks sucks.

Clearly a ymmv issue. I have found my gps watch to be very accurate to front/mid/back. I admit I do run into the issue with yardage for non green targets, however, that happens less than once per round and I have a phone app for those instances.

For me, I prefer the watch for simplicity. It is not bulky. I don't have to think about carrying it around. I don't have to worry about leaving it behind.

Pretty much this. I only use rangefinder and it never slows me down. Takes all of <10 seconds to pull it out, get the #, and put it away. Plus you can use it to see distance to a tree you want to try to carry or whatever. The only thing I could see a GPS useful for is this...

Would like to pick up a rangefinder to give as a gift, What am I looking at dollar wise?

$150-$400

somewhere around $300
http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oessrcst.htm

aren't rangefinders and GPS illegal unless there is a specific local rule allowing them? I was always under the impression that this was the case an almost never see that local rule published. If so then what makes using them instead of doing things like adding a 15th or 16th club ok?

Rangefinders tend to be allowed in every amateur tournament I have ever been apart of. I dont see this going away. GPS however is illegal at all levels unless there is a written rule allowing them.

This is also my experience. I think maybe it has to do with the fact that it speeds up play so they don't care about rangefinders... IDK, but every amateur tourney I've played allowed them.

There are people that prefer GPS?

Does not compute.

If you've had trouble shooting pins, you likely had an old/cheap model, I've used a bunch of Bushnell and leupolds and never had an issue getting any distance.

I've been told by a friend the thing to do is go to a hunting store and buy a Bushnell there for less than half the price of a golf branded one. Says its the same thing specs-wise and even questioned the manufacturer about the differences and they really wouldn't give him a straight answer.

But it might not have LASER PIN SEEKING IDENTIFICATION TECHNOLOGY.

I cant speak for anything current but my first range finder was a hunting one and is was awful for golf. This was like 10 years ago though so Im sure this has changed.

need to get one without slope or that you can turn the slope feature off.

It seems the USGA slightly changed the rule, if a local rule doesn't specifically say they are allowed to be used and player does use one it is a 2 stroke penalty instead of DQ

This is my experience too. The hunting ones didn't have the pinseeker mode. At least not a few years back, so if there was anything solid behind the green you'd get the distance to that instead of the flag. The ones with the pinseeker mode have never given me a problem.

I can lock on the pin within a couple of seconds with a bushnell. I even do it twice just to be sure of the number.

+1

Any pins or go they need to have that little prism reflector on the top of them.

That reminds me of the Summer job I had at taylormade. Me and my friend would have to hold those things while the robot hit different balls/clubs and one of us would mark how far it carried and the other how fall it rolled.

It was the dark ages of club/ball testing and I am not even that old

Seems to hit any pin

The rangefinders out now are really good. I dont see how they can improve them. I have a bushnell tour Z6 and it locks on in like a second. Seems to be within a yard always too if not perfect. I really dont know what else Id want in a rangefinder that would make me go out and buy a different one. I guess this is good for us consumers going forward.