Bushnell Tour Hybrid Rangefinder Review

Used by well over 95% of Tour players, Bushnell lasers are rightly considered some of the best rangefinders money can buy. While the brand's Tour V6 Shift and Pro X3+ are still considered its best to date, I think its latest Tour Hybrid laser is by far its best for the average, everyday golfer looking for simplicity combined with the perfect amount of on-course data to improve decision-making.

The Tour Hybrid combines all that's great about the best Bushnell rangefinders, with a built-in GPS that displays the yardage to the front, middle and back of the green all through the viewfinder. I can't stress how brilliant it has been to play with a laser that also provides these vital distances in one convenient package. Often golfers have to choose whether they'd prefer a GPS or a laser, but now these technologies have been superbly combined in an easy-to-use and premium package.

I know adding front, middle and back distances is only a small amount of added information, but knowing these numbers and how that corresponds with the yardage to the pin really allowed me to make better decisions when approaching greens. If you're not playing with pin sheets or colour-coded flags that tell you which portion of the green the flag is on, having this info gave me a far better understanding of what club I needed to hit into the green.

The Tour Hybrid offers slope-adjusted distances, both for the laser distance and the GPS distances, which is another invaluable feature when you're not in a competition. This, of course, can be easily toggled on and off with the slope switch on the side of the device. It's the first Bushnell device to offer slope-adjusted distances for both the laser and the GPS offers golfers a further layer of information when they are making decisions on the course.

My favourite part of my experience with the Tour Hybrid was how the GPS picked up my location without me having to do a thing. I test a lot of golf technology and have found the need to download accompanying apps, connect devices via Bluetooth, or sign up and create accounts on new apps to be incredibly laborious and time-consuming. Luckily, with the Tour Hybrid, there is nothing extra you need to do to fire up the device and get it working to its fullest. The GPS kicks in on its own and will pick up the course you're playing impressively quickly. I found that during my testing, it would take no more than 60 seconds for the device to find the course I was on and immediately. I've taken this device to Spain and across the UK to various courses, and each time it has immediately and accurately picked up the exact course I'm playing.

I managed to do all of this without even consulting the manual; such is how easy this device is to set up and become accustomed to.

Alongside the built-in GPS, the Tour Hybrid comes with all of Bushnell's tried and tested technology that has made it the market leader for laser rangefinders. The device offers a stronger tactile feedback when you've zapped the pin, thanks to the Jolt vibration, while a pulsing red circle confirms you've got your target. Elsewhere, it's got a total range of 1300 yards with accuracy within 1 yard from targets 500 yards or less. The 6x magnification makes the optics through the viewfinder strikingly clear, and the IPX6 waterproof rating means it can withstand even the most violent and persistent of rain showers.

My only criticism - and this is me searching for something here - is that the graphics could be a little clearer, especially in darker conditions. Some devices, like the ShotScope Pro ZR or Blue Tees Series 4 Ultra laser, can change the graphics between black and red, which helps in different light conditions. That being said, I never truly struggled to see the graphics on the Tour Hybrid. Nothing is perfect, and I don't want Bushnell engineers to walk away from this review thinking everything is perfect, though it nearly is!

What is next for the laser rangefinder category as a whole? Will we see distances to the front and back of hazards incorporated? How about full mapping? I'll leave that to the designers and engineers at the tech companies to work out first, but for now, this is quite simply the perfect rangefinder in my eyes.

It's the Goldilocks of the rangefinder world. Not too much information, not too little information, but just the right amount. The simple execution of GPS distances visible through the viewfinder has given me a wealth of extra information on the golf course, allowing me to make better decisions when approaching greens. Packed up in this premium, accurate and stress-free device, it is going to take a pretty special laser to ever take the Tour Hybrid out of my hands.