Golf rangefinders, GPS devices, and mobile shot tracking applications continue to converge, helping golfers plan their shots, track their performance, and identify opportunities to improve their games using both on-course technology and off-course analytics. Most golf rangefinders include slope adjustment and pin-locking vibration as standard features. Products differentiate with features such as waterproof construction, distance triangulation, 'playing-as' distance that integrates environmental conditions, and built-in GPS mapping. GPS devices such as watches, handhelds, and speakers are improving rapidly with course mapping, pinpoint targeting, and shot tracking features. Rangefinder and GPS products increasingly pair with shot tracking applications designed for either their own brand ecosystems or standalone shot tracking and analysis products.
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Golf Course Play Technology
Learn More About On-Course Technology
The Rise of 'Playing-as' Shot Distance
Laser rangefinders and GPS devices integrate more information than ever to project your shot distance requirements. While flag-locking, slope adjustments, and front-center-back green distances are now virtually standard, environment conditions such as temperature, wind, barometric pressure, and humidity also impact ball flight. As a result, 'playing-as' distance can be calculated in some devices factoring in more data points than you may possibly need. For golfers who can dial in their wedge or iron approaches to the yard, 'playing-as' distance matters. For those with doubts, a variance in carry distance of 5 yards can mean the difference between putting for a birdie or taking the slow walk into a bunker.
Turn Shot Analytics to Action
Shot tracking applications are a fantastic and fun way to capture not only each shot's result and the club used, but analyze how your round unfolded compared your own typical performance, your improvement goals, and comparable golfer skillsets. However, seeing your average driving distance, accuracy, or GIR is great, but understanding your strokes gained off the tee, on approach shots, in your short game, and putting really helps identify areas of improvement. Taking action to improve by setting targets, using coaching applications or live coaches, and tracking progress is even better.
Course Management and Strategy
Good GPS applications do more than track shots and provide basic analytics - they help you plot your way around the course based on the architectural design, conditions, and tendencies of your own game. Good course management creates opportunity to cut strokes off your score. You may not hit every shot perfectly, but using the detail GPS course maps, target 'playing-as' distances, club recommendations, and green maps can increase the odds of putting yourself in good positions and avoiding the spots that can cost you shots.
Golf Course Play Technology
All in the Metrics
Courseplay metrics include on-course measurement, shot planning, shot tracking and results, relative performance of your overall game elements, and improvement opportunities. Rather than launch monitor metrics focused on shots in a simulator, on-course metrics identify how you performed in live conditions and where you can improve.
- Slope-adjusted Distance
- Shot distances adjusted for elevation change from shot to target. Standard feature now.
- Play-as Distance
- Beyond slope, includes impact of environmental conditions on ball flight and your own shot tendencies
- Front-Center-Back Distance
- GPS systems that cannot laser a specific target often provide distances to two or three points of a green, hazard, or landing area
- Strokes Gained
- Where you gained or lost strokes compared to a benchmark in driving, approaches, short game, and putting
- Shot Performance
- Includes common metrics such as GIR or Fairways Hit to detailed metrics such as putts left short
- Score Reduction Goals
- Targets specific areas of improvement relative to goals, such as putting outside 21 feet or approach shots 50-75 yards
Golf Course Play Technology
More Technology and Features
Golf GPS Devices
From wrist watches to portable speakers, a creative variety of golf GPS devices provide distance information, mapping for up to 46,000 courses worldwide, and front, middle, and back distances for greens and hazards through your round. Many include detailed hole maps and green undulations to help you visualize and plan each shot. Some track your shots automatically, building shot performance analysis that helps you understand your game and opportunities to improve.
Golf Rangefinders
Golf rangefinders give you precise yardages to any target on the course. While slope adjustment has become standard across quality devices, today's rangefinders go further — some combine laser precision with GPS data, others measure real-time wind conditions, and advanced models integrate with launch monitors to deliver club recommendations based on your actual shot tendencies. Features like pin-lock vibration and stabilized optics make getting accurate distances easier than ever. Whether you want basic laser accuracy or a device that factors in wind, elevation, and your personal shot patterns, a quality rangefinders can help you raise your game.
