Many would argue the most significant improvement to golf equipment in the last 10 – 20 years is the new GPS or Laser Rangefinders. These handheld instruments give you precise distances to greens, bunkers, lay up locations, or to hazards all in effort to allow you make a better club choice before you hit your shot. Simply said, they allow you to eliminate the guess work out of your game, and make better, more informed decisions.
Since the USGA approved them for play back in the mid 1990’s, these handy devices have become a staple in many golfers bag. And although still not allowed on the Professional Tours, you will find all caddies using them during the practice rounds to record important yardages and distances.
Rangefinders come in two flavors: GPS Rangefinders and Laser Rangefinders.
- GPS Rangefinders are very similar to what you probably have in your car. They use overhead satellite technology and pre-mapped courses to pin point where you are on the course, and what lies ahead of you (or behind you). Typically GPS Rangefinders are accurate to +3-5 yards and many (but not all) require an annual subscription.
The advantages of GPS rangefinders are: A complete overview of the hole can be displayed which is great when playing unfamiliar courses. Thousands of courses are pre-mapped. Many allow you to save information (digital scorecards, shot distances, …).
The disadvantages of GPS Rangefinders are: Most (not all) require an annual subscription. Accuracy of GPS Rangefinders is not quite as good as Laser Rangefinders. Distances must have been pre-mapped and course must be downloaded in advance. Battery life on some models is limited.
- Laser Rangefinders use a laser technology to determine the distance to an object that you aim it at. You simply take the device aim at an object you interested in and the distance appears in the view finder. So why purchase a Laser: Well Laser Rangefinders are considered to be more accurate (typically + 1 yard).
The advantages of Laser Rangefinders include: Accurate to within 1 yard. No pre-mapping is required … simply point and shoot. Excellent battery life. Can be used for boating, archery, …
The disadvantages of Laser Rangefinders include: Must have something to shoot to get a distance (not always great for layup shots). Sometimes difficult to get depth of greens. Must have line of sight to object of interest … can’t shoot through trees or around dog-legs. No hole overview display.
So there you have it. We have a good selection at GolfEtail.com all at discount prices, so be good to yourself and think about one.
Is there still some white on the green? Well, soon the snow will be gone and the greens keepers will be busy. We will be watching Tiger and getting excited about the new season of golf. Now is a good time to drag out our equipment and make sure we are ready for that day when a buddy comes along looking for a fourth.
A few questions are in order: Is the driver still “state of the art” or could I get ten more yards with a new one? I certainly need a new golf glove or two and a couple dozen new golf balls. Do I still have golf tees? And I seem to remember my golf shoes were in pretty bad shape. My bag is still OK but I did like that “Heavy Club” commercial I saw on TV, maybe I should get one and work on my tempo before I go out to play. So many decisions, good thing I have GolfEtail online. In this economy it’s good to know where I can get discount golf products I need and still have enough left over to pay my greens fees.
To all my golfing buddies, hit em’ long and straight, and sink a few putts too.
As the lovely Heather mentioned in her post below, we at Golf Etail attended the 2009 PGA Golf Merchandise Show last week. At the event, promotional booths crackled with new technology and golf industry professionals buzzed back-and-forth making sure they took in all of the electrifying new products.
With the introduction of so much new technology, my sparsely populated hairs were soon standing on end with excitement. At the show, new products are rated and measured by the PGA Merchandisers of the Year to see which ones are considered the best. This year, I was very impressed to see these 3 fascinating products earn top honors…
1. Amphibian Towel (Frogger Company)
Black and Red Amphibian Towels
The amphibian towel was created to meet the needs of golfers whom wish to keep their clubs clean on the course. The towel is designed so the interior retains water and keeps wet, while the exterior of the towel remains dry – all at the same time. It acts like a two-in-one cleaning and drying system to keep you competitive on the course. As a gadget man, I think everything should be at least a two-in one.
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Greetings ladies and gentlemen!
Last week was a very exciting time for us and the golf industry. More than 41,000 industry professionals from the US and 74 countries abroad attended the 56th PGA Merchandise Show last week from Jan. 29th – 31st. Participants were there to discover cutting-edge new products, absorb the latest trends, conduct golfer-to-golfer business and hone strategies for a tough economy in 2009. Not to mention, I’m sure they would all like to drive like Tiger Woods or Annika Sorenstam.
Needless to say, we at Golf Etail were there en force to happily share and interact with the innovative new 2009 world of golf! Check out the images below of one of our featured brands, Callaway, showcasing some dynamic new products at their PGA Show booth.
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