Have you reached a point where you are tired of pacing off yardage, do you play so
many different courses that you just aren't sure what club to hit.

I reached that point last year. It's no fun to be pacing off yardage in the rain, or
marching past my playing partners in their back swing. Walking back and forth
across fairways to find a sprinkler head has gotten old.

Then again while I do like to be old and traditional, there are golf bodies like the
United States Golf Association (USGA), the PGA of America, the PGA Tour and others
all still preaching about the problem called "pace of play".

Several  people I played with last year just shook their heads as I paced off yardage.
Many just said hang on, then pulled out their rangefinders. After a simple click-click,
they would yell 165 and I could quit pacing.

I took a few golf trips last year, played some 25 courses I had never played before.
Then there was many more I had not played in a few years, it finally sunk in that it
was time to give myself and my game another advantage. It became time to go
invest in a rangefinder that could help me.

With all my years of working in golf or covering golf in the media, one thing quickly
became a realization. I didn't know anything about rangefinders, other than they looked
like binoculars and had a clicker on top to get the yardage. I could help people when
they asked about clubs, golf balls, places to play, golf travel destinations, but this was
one area where I was really a beginner.

I checked with a few friends who had rangefinders to get pointed in the right direction,
everyone had a different brand. Some had laser ones, others had switched to GPS
that actually had pictures of the holes on them. My mission to find what was right for
me, was becoming harder.

It was suggested to me to start with the Overland Park Kansas company called Bushnell,
www.bushnell.com 1-800-423-3537. I was familiar with Bushnell because of their product
line of binoculars.

Bushnell has a full line of laser rangefinders and GPS devices. They are number one in the
industry, who says Bushnell is number one. The PGA Tour professionals who play golf for
a living do. The Darrell Survey is conducted at PGA Tour events, it's workers stand on
the first tee box and count the brands of clubs, golf balls, shoes, gloves and other equipment
the pro's use. In 2009 like in 2008, 2007 and 2006 etc., the Darrell Survey said that Bushnell
products are the number one rangefinder on the PGA Tour.

Bushnell's website has comments from players like Sergio Garcia, Paul Azinger and Hale
Irwin who support and endorse Bushnell products.

The top of the line of the Bushnell laser style devices is, the PRO-1600 Slope Edition. The
model most professionals use that sells for $499.99. It gives a player the yardage to a flag stick
within one yard. The PRO-1600 Tournament Edition is legal for tournament play and sells for
$399.99. A more compact model the TOUR V2, retails for $349.99, while the TOUR V2 Slope
Edition sells for $431.99.

Bushnell's line of GPS rangefinders start at the top with the Yardage PRO-XGC for $349.99,
the XGC can store information on up to 100 courses. The Yardage PRO-XG legal for tournament
play, stores up to 20 courses and sells for $249.99. A third model of the Yardage PRO is listed
at $199.99. Carrying cases for these devices that fit in the palm of your hand sell for $19.99.
These devices provides yardage to the front, center and back of the green.

Bushnell has also introduced the Pin Pro. Which records its distances like one would shoot a
gun, Pin Pro can lock into targets such as trees, at up to 400 yards.The price of a Pin Pro was N/A.

Nikon www.nikon.com has its own line of rangefinders, but is also producing them for Callaway
Golf www.callawaygolf.com 1-877-callaway. The flagship of the line for Callaway is the LR-1200,
the model Callaway claims that most caddies use. The LR-1200 has a range of up to 1200 yards,
therefore the 1200 number. All models of Callaway match the number to the rangefinders maximum
yardage. Price for the LR-1200 was N/A.

The Callaway LR-800 is $399.00, while the LR-550Y is $299.00. The LR-550W a womans versatile
sport model is also $299.00. Callaway also introduced in 2009 the Idtech with Slope for $429.00.

On the GPS side, Callaway is teaming up with UPRO www.uprogps.com $299.00 that conforms
to USGA and the R&A ruling on rangefinders. UPRO has a large hi resolution color screen and has
no membership fees. You pay for only the courses you want. The screen has photography from
video flyovers of the course. The UPRO stores information for up to 50 courses.

Other companies that are newer to the golf rangefinder industry, seem to be focusing more on
GPS devices and with a short product line.

Sky Caddie which does not rely on satellite images for it's yardages, rolls out a list of touring pro's
that endorse it's product. Including Jim Furyk the 2003 US Open winner at Olympia Fields C.C.,
LPGA player Natalie Gulbis, Champions Tour player Peter Jacobsen, instructor Hank Haney,
PGA Tour caddie Mark Long (for Fred Funk).

The Sky Caddie www.skygolf.com offers four models starting with the SG5, it's the top of the line
and has a bright color display for easy outside readability and sells for $399.95. It can include
40 targets per hole, including hazards, fairway targets and layups. The rest of the line is the
SG3.5 $299.95  the SG2.5 $259.95 and the SG2.5 Lite.

Some of the features Sky Caddie includes are. The auto shot distance display, 20 course storage,
depth of green, a digital scorecard and clock. Sky caddie was expected to have over 30,000 courses
on file by the end of 2009. Sky Caddie is the official rangefinder of the PGA of America.

Some of the other companies I found making GPS rangefinders, that had models on display
at area pro shops, or chain golf supply stores included. Leupold, the Golf Buddy, and On Par.

I have yet to purchase a rangefinder, but I will by the start of the golf season this summer in
Chicago. When Golfers on Golf returns with it's Podcast shows from Mike Munro's White Pines
Golf Dome this winter, Mike, Ed, Billy and I will discuss equipment and rangefinders as one
of our topics. It will also be a topic when the show returns to the live airwaves on WJJG-AM
this May.

Your thoughts and comments on rangefinders are welcome on the air or on line. If you buy a
rangefinder soon, I hope it improves your game, I am expecting it to improve mine.