A Golf Rangefinder Is the Advantage You Never Knew You Needed

No matter how busy the daily grind gets, the golf course remains one of the few places where you can easily disconnect for several hours within a few miles of home. Stepping on to the links is like going on vacation, even if you’re just playing an after-work round at the local course.

Though the game of golf has a way of feeling like it’s stuck in time, technology has infiltrated the fairways, and laser rangefinders have become the newest gadget that every golfer wants in their bag.

Gone are the days of using arithmetic to calculate your shot distance: In the past, we had to search for a sprinkler-head marker with a yardage stamp, walk off the steps to our ball, then add or subtract to find the distance to the green.

The Best Golf Rangefinders

What to Consider

When searching for the rangefinder that best fits your game, it’s important to consider functionality, maximum range, and of course, price:

• Functionality: Laser rangefinders function by projecting a high-frequency laser and calculating the amount of time it takes to bounce off an object and back to you. Most of them have a “pin-seeking” feature that helps your gadget locate the pin, and some will notify you with a vibration or a beep. Additionally, some have this super handy “slope” option, which accounts for slope angle to give you a more accurate “play’s like” distance for uphill and downhill shots.

• Range: Most amateur golfers max out their drivers in the low 300-yard range, so a 400-yard rangefinder should be plenty. But high-end models can measure up to 1,200 yards (just for kicks).

• Price: Since most people have fixed incomes, a budget rangefinder around $150 will be just fine, but you can easily spend over $500 if you’re in the market to splurge.
  

How We Chose

Our editors have been golfing since the early ’90s. We know the struggle of scouring the fairway to find a 100-, 150-, or 200-yard marker, and we also know how inaccurate our calculations can be. We began using a golf rangefinder when they first boomed in popularity a few years back. Since then, we’ve identified what features we find most important, including pin-locating technology, slope calculation, and price.

We combined our first-hand experience using laser rangefinders with an analysis of current trends and user reviews to provide you with a review of the best models currently on the market. The right golf rangefinder has significantly helped us lower our handicap over the years, and we hope that an investment in one of the rangefinders below will do the same for you.

Life is so much simpler now: Just pull out your golf rangefinder, point it at the flag, and voilà — the distance to the pin magically appears in front of you. Not only is this a much easier, lazier way to play, but it also provides much more accurate measurements. And in theory, that should equate to a lower score. These are the best golf rangefinders to add more accuracy to your game.