106 - Seventh Monday Rant - Rangefinders...

I’ve had a rant about technological overkill on this little corner of the web before but I feel the need to have another pop at it. An integral part of golf is selecting the correct club to leave an easy shot from the fairway or a sinkable putt on the green. This knowledge comes from experience...unless you have a couple of hundred quid in which case it will come from a laser.

Rangefinders are the latest and greatest weapon in the war against golf. They come in a few configurations but all give a very precise reading of the distance to a selected target. Before swinging a club the player who has shelled out the cash can know with absolute certainty how far a hazard is down the fairway and how far the pin is from the tee.

Part of golf’s attraction is the fact that it IS difficult and it does take time to get to grips with. How satisfying is it hitting a shot perfectly, getting the ball to fly just right and then watching it land neatly where it was aimed? Using a rangefinder eliminates the guess work when selecting a club, making the shot that bit easier.

Advocates of this new gadget will point out that rangefinders (left) should speed up the average round with players not wrestling over club selection as much but it is a knap that owners will use the time saved ensuring their precious Bushnells are tucked safely inside their protective cases.

In the long term it can be argued that the rangefinder owners will gain the experience needed to look at the distance to the flag and have a good idea of what club to use much quicker than players who use trial and error, but if you have a device which will tell you what you need why bother using your own judgement? Players won’t waste their time learning, they will simply reach for the rangefinder.

There will be players out there who would rather use a rangefinder and finish with a lower score – after all, golf is supposed to be enjoyable and nothing increases your enjoyment like recording your lowest ever score on the local track – but lowering my score this way just doesn’t sit right with me.

For me rangefinders are just another example of quick-fix golf along with things like woods that can be adjusted to change the flight of the ball. Skill and practice is replaced by engineering and electronics with the big winners being the equipment manufacturers and those who have money to waste on the next big thing.