Equipment
GolfWRX Members Choice: The best laser rangefinders of 2018
With the addition of many laser rangefinders to the market in 2018, we wanted to find out what our members here at GolfWRX felt was currently the best one in golf. We posed the question recently to our members on our forums, and it’s time now to take a closer look at what laser rangefinders proved most popular amongst our members. Thanks for voting, and feel free to check out the full thread on our forums here.
Here are the top five laser rangefinders available on the market in 2018, according to GolfWRX members:
No. 5: Leupold GX-4i (7.95 percent of votes)
Possessing pin-targeting, prism lock, and the ability to scan across targets while receiving updated distance readings, our members rated the Leupold GX-4i as the fifth best laser rangefinder of 2018. The lightweight (8.0 ounces) rangefinder features one of the best lasers available, with accuracy to within six inches, and it also possesses a club selector feature.
The Leupold GX-4i is available here for $439.99.
No. 4: Leupold GX-5i (10.23 percent)
Boasting one of the fastest laser measurements, the Leupold GX-5i is the fourth best available laser rangefinder according to our members here at GolfWRX. At 7.8 ounces, it’s even lighter than the Leupold GX-4i, and it comes equipped with personal ranging information and club recommendations based on the hitting strength of the individual, slope, and current environmental conditions. GolfWRX Member Tour Winner says it’s not just the quality of the product, but the excellent customer service that makes the Leupold brand the best choice of rangefinder on the market.
“Excellent rangefinders, and the best customer service in the business bar none.”
The Leupold GX-5i is available here for $549.
No. 3: Precision Pro NX7 Pro (12.5 percent)
GolfWRX member CrazyGolfNut highlighted the affordability and high-level performance of the Precision Pro NX7 Pro as to why this rangefinder is his personal favorite, stating:
“Dollar for dollar, feature for feature, the best buy on the market today.”
He wasn’t alone either, with the Precision Pro NX7 Pro receiving 12.5 percent of the vote from our members here. Its adaptive slope technology, high-speed SD laser and pure vibration technology make this product a popular choice amongst our members at a very reasonable price.
The Precision Pro NX7 Pro is available here for $248.
No. 2: Bushnell Tour V4 (14.77 percent)
The Bushnell series of rangefinders are hugely popular amongst our members here at GolfWRX, claiming almost 50 percent of the votes. Featuring JOLT technology, which removes all doubt that you have locked in on the flagstick, and its accuracy to within one yard, the Bushnell Tour V4 is the second best rangefinder available on the market in 2018 according to those who voted.
The Bushnell Tour V4 is available here for $299.
No.1: Bushnell Pro X2 (26.14 percent)
The Cadillac of laser rangefinders according to our members, the Bushnell Pro X2 tops the poll, receiving over 26 percent of all votes. JOLT technology and its innovative slope-switch technology giving you compensated distance based on the holes incline and decline make this the best rangefinder available in the opinion of our members. The slope-switch technology can also easily be toggled off to comply with USGA rules in competition. The Bushnell series of rangefinders are used by over 97 percent of PGA Tour professionals, according to the company, and the Bushnell Pro X2 is the best one available on the market according to our members.
The Bushnell Pro X2 is available here for $424.99.
Click here to read the full thread and comments from the poll.
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- Kris Kim what’s in the bag accurate as of the CJ Cup Byron Nelson. More photos from the event here.
Driver: TaylorMade Qi10 (9 degrees @7)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K White 60 TX
3-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 Tour (15 degrees @13.5)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana WB 73 TX
Irons: TaylorMade P770 (2, 4), TaylorMade P7MB (5-PW)
Shafts: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K White 80 TX (2), Nippon N.S. Pro Modus3 Tour 120 X
Wedges: TaylorMade MG4 (50-09SB, 56-12SB, 60-11TW)
Shafts: Nippon N.S. Pro Modus3 WV 125
Putter: TaylorMade Spider Tour
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord
Check out more in-hand photos of Kris Kim’s equipment here.
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TaylorMade is continuing its UDI/DHY series with the successor to the Stealth UDI and DHY utility irons: PUDI and PDHY (which the company styles as P·UDI and P·DHY). TaylorMade is folding the designs in with its P Series of irons.
TaylorMade outlined the process of developing its new utilities this way. The company started with the data on utility iron usage. Not surprisingly, better players — i.e. those who generate more clubhead speed and strike the ball more precisely — were found to gravitate toward the UDI model. DHY usage, however, covered a wider swath than the company might have expected with six-to-18 handicappers found to be bagging the club.
TaylorMade also found that the majority of golfers playing UDI or DHY utilities were playing P Series irons at the top of their iron configurations.
Can you see where this is going?
Matt Bovee, Director of Product Creation, Iron and Wedge at TaylorMade: “As we look to the future, beyond the tech and the design language, we are excited about repositioning our utility irons into the P·Series family. P·UDI is an easy pair for players that currently play P·Series product and P·DHY is an extremely forgiving option for players of all skill levels. It is a natural fit to give these players the performance in this category that they are looking for.”
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TaylorMade PUDI
TaylorMade PUDI technology cutaway (via TaylorMade)
Crafted with tour player input, TaylorMade sought to develop a confidence-inspiring utility iron that blends with the rest of the P Series irons. Also of note: Interestingly, the PUDI has a more compact head than the P790.
In comparison to past UDI products, the PUDI has a more traditional iron shape, slimmer toplines, and less offset with a little of the backbar visible at address.
TaylorMade PDHY
TaylorMade PDHY tech cutaway (via TaylorMade).
Larger in profile than the PUDI, the PDHY seeks to position center of gravity (CG) lower in the club for ease of launch. The toe height is larger and the profile is larger at address — roughly five millimeters longer than PUDI — the sole of the club is wider for improved forgiveness.
Club Junkie’s take
Golfers who feel like they are missing something at the top of the bag could find the PUDI or PDHY a great option. The look of the PUDI should fit the most discerning eye with a more compact look, less offset, and a thinner topline. If you want a little more confidence looking down the P-DHY will be slightly larger while still being a good-looking utility iron.
For being small packages both models pack a pretty good punch with fast ball speeds, even off-center. The feel is soft and you get a solid feel of the ball compressing off the face when you strike it well. Your ears are greeted with a nice heavy thud as the ball and club come together. The PDHY will launch a little higher for players who need it while the PUDI offers a more penetrating ball flight. Both utility irons could be the cure for an open spot in the top end of the bag.
PUDI, PDHY, or Rescue?
TaylorMade offers the following notes to assist golfers in filling out their bags:
- PUDI has mid-CG right behind the center face to create a more penetrating mid-to-low ball flight
- PDHY has a lower center of gravity to produce an easier-to-launch mid-to-high ball flight.
- Both PUDI and PDHY are lower-flying than the company’s hybrid/Rescue clubs.
- PUDI is more forgiving than P790.
- PDHY is the most forgiving iron in the entire TaylorMade iron family
Pricing, specs, and availability
Price: $249.99
At retail: Now
Stock shafts: UST Mamiya’s Recoil DART (105 X, 90 S and 75 R – only in PDHY)
Stock grip: Golf Pride’s ZGrip (black/grey)
PUDI lofts: 2-17°, 3-20°, 4-22° in both left and right-handed
PDHY lofts: 2-18°, 3-20° and 4-22° in both left and right-handed
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Equipment
Coolest thing for sale in the GolfWRX Classifieds (5/3/24): Scotty Cameron Champions Choice 2.5+ putter
At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals that all experience and express our enjoyment of the game in many ways.
It’s that sense of community that drives day-to-day interactions in the forums on topics that range from best driver to what marker you use to mark your ball. It even allows us to share another thing we all love – buying and selling equipment.
Currently, in our GolfWRX buy/sell/trade (BST) forum, there is a listing for a Scotty Cameron Champions Choice 2.5+ putter
From the seller: (@wwcl): “Has been gamed as pics show. 33.5 includes original h/c and grip. $575 includes shipping and PP fees.”
To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link: Scotty Cameron Champions Choice 2.5+ putter
This is the most impressive current listing from the GolfWRX BST, and if you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum you can check them out here: GolfWRX BST Rules
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mera
Feb 2, 2019 at 11:28 am
it must be easily kept in top 5 laser rangefinder in nikon coolshot 80i. its really good rangefinder.
joe
Sep 15, 2018 at 4:11 pm
I bought a rangefinder from china for 120 bucks and it has slope .. quick scan and works great…don’t be scammed folks
shawn
Sep 12, 2018 at 6:21 pm
If you are the only one using a rangefinder, is it good golf etiquette to share it with the others in your foursome? Or should you tell them to buzz off!
Ardbegger
Sep 12, 2018 at 6:56 pm
Ask if anyone wants to know the distance. If they say no, keep it to yourself.
shawn
Sep 12, 2018 at 7:05 pm
If there is only one rangefinder in the group, won’t it take a lot of time reading distances for everybody? I told a player that he was in a non-rangefinder group… and he pouted the entire round.
Dr. Freud
Sep 12, 2018 at 6:18 pm
Some men and most women are spatially-challenged… it’s an evolutionary glitch. Men who use rangefinders tend to be insecure and effeminate in their perception of distances. Sad but true…
Speedy
Sep 12, 2018 at 5:39 pm
I’m still eyeballing, and doing fine.
They’ve helped cripple the amateur game further–a useless toy for most.
ogo
Sep 12, 2018 at 5:55 pm
Toys for boys… aka gearheads… who flaunt their toys because they can’t break 100, honestly.
Charles
Sep 12, 2018 at 11:33 pm
Loser
ogo
Sep 12, 2018 at 6:41 pm
…. and it slows down the pace of play with geeks aiming, reading, re-aiming, rereading… like playing a video game on the golf course. Golf has become a techno-war game …. sigh
buck
Mar 21, 2019 at 10:50 pm
shove your pace up your
Tom
Sep 12, 2018 at 1:19 pm
I use the Bushnell Hybrid which combines the Laser with Jolt and a GPS. The GPS screen is very easy to read front/middle/back when your not able to see the pin . The GPS needs to be recharged after 2 rounds while the laser battery is still functioning after 40+ rounds. This is a very nice product.
ogo
Sep 12, 2018 at 6:04 pm
You must be one happy golf trekker playing with yer rangefinder toy… sigh
buck
Mar 21, 2019 at 10:51 pm
if you spend too much time on the course, stay home
hrfdez
Sep 12, 2018 at 12:54 pm
No Nikon Coolshot Pro Stabilized? That’s the one I own and it is the best one I have ever used.
ogo
Sep 12, 2018 at 6:10 pm
I prefer the Nikon Hotshot Platinum Magnetic SuperPro NK3000…. more features like ball GPS tracking… when in the scrub… 😮
Scott bangerter
Sep 12, 2018 at 12:35 pm
Although the nexus/Precision is a good value for the money they do not hold up over time. I had my first when they launched and it broke. They replaced it, but unfortunately the second unit also failed. If I were to do it all again, I would have spent a little more coin on a higher quality unit.
shawn
Sep 12, 2018 at 6:24 pm
Do you share your rangefinder with your golfing buddies, or do you reject their requests?
Scot Macdonald
Sep 12, 2018 at 11:57 am
We offer the Bushnell Tour V4 if anyone would like to give it a try. Clublender.com
Richard Douglas
Sep 12, 2018 at 1:52 am
The one area where a good rangefinder improved my distance measurements was with the short game. Distances are not often available for shots within 100 yards or so, yet these distances are critical. A quick shot with a range finder lets me know if I’m looking at, say, a 40- or 50-yard pitch.
Another HUGE area is with chipping. Because I use ratios to select which chipping club to use and how far to fly the ball, I can take a quick shot of both the overall distance and my desired carry distance, which gives me a ratio I can use to select the chipping club. Before range finders I had to pace off all that. I still do for short chips, but long ones are way easier now with a rangefinder.
Again, I can get the same information from pacing off these shots, but this slows play. (I know that many readers secretly enjoy slow play, but guess what? It’s not a secret to the rest of us.)
JP
Sep 12, 2018 at 10:22 am
Those are feel shots. Learn to hit them. Using a laser from 40 yards would have me irate playing behind you.
Speedy
Sep 12, 2018 at 5:48 pm
Right on, JP. My blood’s boiling just reading about lasering from 40 yds. Not to mention skulling and laying sod over thereafter.
ogo
Sep 12, 2018 at 6:13 pm
I bet you spend more time fiddling with your rangefinder than playing golf. Do you also carry your phone with you for important messages from home?
buck
Mar 21, 2019 at 10:53 pm
you must spend too much time fiddling with your parts
Richard Douglas
Sep 12, 2018 at 1:41 am
My problem here is with the methodology. Golfers are likely to own only one model on this list. How can they possibly offer any comparative insight? Lists like these likely correlate strongly with sales.
Tiger Noods
Sep 12, 2018 at 3:02 am
Oh, you expected a subjective review here? heh… hehehe
Speedy
Sep 12, 2018 at 5:51 pm
Good point. Turn pro and try ’em all free.
ogo
Sep 12, 2018 at 12:53 am
Rangefinders… dumbing down the traditional game of golf. Might as well put yardage stripes on the fairways like a football field.
smarter than ogo
Sep 12, 2018 at 3:03 am
If you think knowing your distance to the target is dumb in a target sport, I don’t know what to tell you.
shawn
Sep 12, 2018 at 6:27 pm
Do you share your rangefinder with your golfing buddies, or do you tell them to buy their own?
dat
Sep 12, 2018 at 9:35 am
may as well bag 3 clubs and a niblick like they did in the old days.
ogo
Sep 12, 2018 at 6:29 pm
The fewer clubs I carry the lower is my score…. go figure !!!
Speedy
Sep 12, 2018 at 5:55 pm
Right on, ogo. Donate the money to a charity instead–Help the Handicapped.
brendan
Sep 12, 2018 at 12:46 am
Surprised the new Garmin rangefinder isn’t on here. Better design and technology than anything else on this list.
Garmin Sucks
Sep 12, 2018 at 3:08 am
WRXers won’t like it, because like all Garmin products, it’s terrible software, over-engineered, premium priced, doesn’t hold a charge, and crashes mid-round.
So ya, it’ll sell like hotcakes here.
ogo
Sep 12, 2018 at 6:32 pm
It crashes cause you are attempting to use it on putts… which puts a big strain on the battery, not to mention it confuses the algorithm too!
Doug
Sep 12, 2018 at 9:30 am
I’ve had the Bushnell and now using the new Garmin Approach and you’re correct. Leaving the Garmin off the list reduces the credibility of the reviews. Garmin gives exact yardage along with an electronic yardage book and then actually gives you a picture of the green and the approximate range of where the pin is located on the green – Seriously
ogo
Sep 12, 2018 at 6:02 pm
Wow… that’s awesome… why bother to play golf when you can walk the course reading yardages and fantasizing your imagination shots perfectly.
Speedy
Sep 12, 2018 at 5:57 pm
Watch for my app Eyeballing.
shawn
Sep 12, 2018 at 7:01 pm
How about hanging a club shaft in front of you to better estimate the distances… like for putting?
Rusty Chambeauner
Sep 11, 2018 at 10:14 pm
Would have liked to see the new Garmin laser rangefinder with GPS on this comparison.
James
Sep 11, 2018 at 9:51 pm
And sometimes they lock in on the deep woods 25 yards behind the pin. Then you airmail a beautiful shot right into the trees. Gotta check and compare with the regular yardage markers. Or pay the price.
Richard Douglas
Sep 12, 2018 at 1:43 am
I would hope you would know intuitively that the measurement you’re getting is off by 15% or more!
Speedy
Sep 12, 2018 at 6:00 pm
Plus, you still have to pure the shot.
ogo
Sep 12, 2018 at 6:38 pm
I feel for you… and your rangefinder woes… since you can’t seem to reject an obviously erroneous reading. Don’t believe everything you read and half of what you see.. 😮
bogeypro
Sep 11, 2018 at 9:34 pm
Let not kid ourselves… This is purely a popularity contest.
Robin
Sep 12, 2018 at 11:12 am
Since it’s called “Reader’s Choice”, and is based on individual voting, I doubt that anyone was confused by that.
golfraven
Sep 11, 2018 at 2:50 pm
I bought the Leupold GX-4i years ago and find it interesting this one is on the list here. One downfall of rangefinders is that they don’t work in foggy conditions which is very frustrating at times.
Speedy
Sep 12, 2018 at 6:06 pm
Not a problem. “Foggy conditions” describe most amateurs games
ogo
Sep 12, 2018 at 7:12 pm
It must really cripple yer game when the fog rolls in… and makes you feel totally impotent too …. 😮
buck
Mar 21, 2019 at 10:56 pm
get off the course idiot