4 Ways A Laser Rangefinder Can Improve Your Golf Game
Are you utilizing your rangefinder to its full potential? Here are four ways you can get the most out of this important piece of kit
Look around the bags of any touring professional on the practice day of a tournament, and without fail you will see a laser rangefinder attached to the bag or in the hands of their caddy. These small devices have become an essential part of the arsenal of the world's best and they use them for more than you might imagine. Here are four ways some of the best laser rangefinders can improve your game...
WATCH: Joe Ferguson highlights the features and benefits of the Shot Scope PRO ZR rangefinder
Pinpoint accuracy to flags
The first and most obvious way a laser rangefinder can improve your golf game is by providing you quick and accurate yardages to the flagstick. The best players in the world understand the importance of being pin high in their approach play. Generally speaking, if their game is in a reasonable state, their approach shots wouldn’t generally be significantly offline, so the only thing stopping them from hitting it within birdie range on every hole would be controlling distance.
Possibly even more so in the recreational golfers game, it is hugely beneficial to be pin high as much as possible. Simply put, if you hit an approach shot 50ft wide of your target, but are pin high, you will have a 50ft putt. However, if you miss the mark by the same amount width-wise and are 10 yards short as well, then you have a significantly longer distance to the hole, and proximity to the hole is one of the biggest influences on your score.
Understanding the effect of slope
With so many of the best rangefinders featuring slope adjustment, there is a real opportunity for learning and storing knowledge here. Whilst such features aren’t legal for tournament play, there is nothing to stop you from mapping out the par 3s and in fact any hole that features a significant elevation change, to establish a reliable and quantifiable number that you can either note down or mentally refer back to during competition. Consistently utilizing the slope feature will lead to a better understanding of how much elevation can add or subtract from the actual yardage, which can only be a good thing for your game. The Shot Scope Pro ZR rangefinder is an example of a model that features a very simple on/off toggle to allow you to switch in and out of slope mode easily when required.
Improving your practice
Ensure you take your laser rangefinder to the driving range when you are working on your game, otherwise, you are potentially missing out on some invaluable learnings. While many ranges have yardage boards to hit at, these yardages can often vary depending on which particular bay you are hitting from, a problem that can be avoided by using your rangefinder. So often, recreational players can be seen just aimlessly launching balls down the range with no real target and are often not getting the most out of their session.
A great way to practice effectively is to switch clubs after every shot, lasering different targets on the range, going through a full routine, and playing the shot with the mindset of being on the golf course. This type of variable, situational practice simulates real golf much more closely and can expedite the learning process.
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Avoiding danger
One of the most important jobs a PGA Tour caddie has is steering their player around the golf course, steering well clear of any hazards or potential pitfalls. They do so by creating a robust club selection strategy based on where the trouble is on each hole. Use your laser rangefinder to establish distances not only to the flag, but also to potential hazards such as bunkers and ditches, and pick your club accordingly. A Scan mode is an extremely handy feature that makes assessing the terrain ahead of you quick and easy. Furthermore, you can even scope out things such as the corner of a dogleg to ensure you aren’t making a silly course management error. Finally, you can literally avoid danger by lasering the group in front of you to ensure they are genuinely out of range before hitting your shot.
Interested in investing in a laser rangefinder? Visit the Shot Scope website to see the latest models.
Joe has worked in the golf industry for nearly 20 years in a variety of roles. After a successful amateur career being involved in England squads at every age group, Joe completed his PGA degree qualification in 2014 as one of the top ten graduates in his training year and subsequently went on to become Head PGA Professional at Ryder Cup venue The Celtic Manor Resort. Equipment has always been a huge passion of Joe’s, and during his time at Celtic Manor, he headed up the National Fitting Centres for both Titleist and Taylormade. He’s excited to bring his knowledge of hardware to Golf Monthly in the form of equipment reviews and buying advice.
Joe lives in North Devon and still plays sporadically on the PGA West region circuit. His best round in recent years came earlier in 2023 where he managed a 9 under par 63 at Trevose GC in a Devon & Cornwall PGA Tournament.
Joe's current What's In The Bag?
Driver: Switch between Ping G430 Max 10K & TaylorMade Qi10 - both with Fujikura Ventus Black 6-X
Fairway wood 1: TaylorMade BRNR Copper Mini Driver - Fujikura Ventus Black 7-X
Fairway wood 2: Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke TD 5 Wood - Fujikura Ventus Black 8-X
Irons: TaylorMade P7CB 3-PW with Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 shafts
Wedges: Callaway Opus 50, 54, and 60 degrees - Project X LS 6.0 shafts
Putter: Odyssey Toe Up #9
Ball: TaylorMade 2024 TP5x
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet 60R
Bag: Vessel Player IV Pro DXR Stand
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