Bushnell Medalist Laser Rangefinder, Silver

I have used the Medalist for five rounds now, and I'm very happy with the results. On the first outing I was having the same difficulty with stability that others have reported. I found it a bit inconvienient to have to rely on bracing against the cart, especially since there were cart-path-only restrictions in place. Being an advanced amature photographer, I've often used a mono-pod to support my cameras. I gave it a try with my Medalist and it proved to be the ideal solution. The pod with Medalist attached, slips easily into a club slot in my bag, but I need to be careful about slinging the bag around, or letting it drop. I attached the case, using a lanyard, to the mono-pod, and slip the case off and on the Medalist, just as I would a club cover. This offers some protection, but the case is not extremely padded, so I still need to take care. When needed, I pull the unit out like a club, flip the lever to extend the leg, and take my reading with perfect stability. Throw it back and the bag and grab the correct club. Works very well for me!I love that I can read distances to pins and bunkers on any course without ever having to purchase gps downloads. Plus I can read distances to fronts and backs of bunkers, trees, rocks or what have you. And it works whether I have a tree cover or cloud cover as well. All I need is a line of sight. The Pinseeker function seems to work nicely also. I am still taking a couple of readings at the pin, just to build confidence that I am actually reading the pin and not something else. All in all, I am very happy with my purchase.(7/19/11 addition) Three years later my Medalist is still working great. I believe I have only changed the battery at the start of each season. Not because they were dead, but because I figured 1 year/battery was pushing it. I also lost the dang cover during the 1st year of ownership. I now tape the battery in place instead of replacing the cover. It looks funky but hey, so do the people I play golf with haha. Besides, from all of the reviews stating loss of battery covers, I figure the odds are that I will find another one somewhere, sometime. If I had another cover, I'd tape it down anyway.

Background: I'm 30 years old, a scratch golfer that plays 1-2 times a week, 9 months out of the year. I also am a penny-pincher and that is why this product interested me.After borrowing several of these types of yardage-advisors from family and friends (I've tried Skycaddie, Bushnell Pro V2, and Bushnell 1600), I liked the rangefinder better than the GPS. That, to me, was the easy part. I wanted the PinSeeker technology but didn't want to pay for the top-of-the-line model. I should have bought one of these several years ago. Of course the PinSeeker technology is relatively new, so maybe I'm glad I waited. Anyway, my father is 60 years old and he uses the higher-end Bushnell, the 1600. I have played 3 rounds with his 1600, and several rounds with my Medalist, as well as a couple with someone else's V2 in a tournament. There is a difference in the models, and if you're a rich golfer who doesn't care about an extra $150-$200, go ahead and buy the 1600. It's got greater magnification and although it's a little bigger, it's really quick to target in on the flag/bunker/lake/etc. It's great. If you're looking to save a little cash, I would buy the Medalist (from what I saw it's about a $70 difference vs. the V2). Medalist vs. V2 comparison:Battery - Medalist uses a 9V battery, which are much easier to find and less expensive than the 3V battery in a Pro V2. Advantage to the Medalist. Battery life supposedly is about the same. Remember to carry a backup battery.Orientation - you hold the Medalist oriented horizontally, the Pro V2 vertically. I will admit that the V2 seems more natural, but this meant very little to me.Magnification - the Pro V2 is a little stronger, but after using the Medalist for 6-7 rounds, it has yet to let me down. I've shot 270+ yards to a pin. My dad and I often shoot each other's distances to verify the number and sometimes it takes me a tad longer to lock on than him with his 1600. But again, that meant very little to me. And our numbers have ALWAYS been +/- 1 yard, even from 270+.All in all, if you're looking for the cheapest option with solid pinseeker technology, this is it, and it's worked well for me.

When I was taking a lesson on pitch shots, my teaching pro stated that if I was really serious about knowing exactly how far I was hitting the shorter clubs, I should buy a range finder. I had previously looked at them and decided I liked the laser style versus the GPS style. It fits nicely in my right front pants pocket, and I have used it constantly on the courses, par 3 and regular, and at the range. I found out that I really don't hit shots as far as I thought, no matter how many times I try. Upon using the range finder, there are a couple of seconds of settling time required, and the initial reading is not the final or correct reading. It occasionally gives a false reading; but it is so far off, for example, 50 yds, that it is easily recognized as a false reading, so I shoot it again. Total elapsed time is still less than 10 seconds. Bottom line, on every shot, I quickly know the yardage and can think about the club, how much to choke it and how hard to swing it. It really feels good to pick a longer club than I would have before the range finder and put the ball pin high...although maybe not on the green, but the range finder can't fix that. I am also more confident with all shots in the 20-90 yd range. With regard to the battery cover latch, it does not automatically snap into place upon loading the battery; but it must be manually moved to the locked position, which is true with several other items I have. At $205, Amazon had a good price; and it was promptly delivered.

Bought for husband for Christmas 2011, he tried it out right away not on the golf course but just outside and found it worked great, says it will improve his game alot.

but to say this has 'pin seeker' technology? Meh .. not so much. When playing courses that don't have reflectors I need to bounce the laser off the green at the base of the pin to get a reading. That's not what I would call 'pinseeker' technology.

No problem for the bigger targets, e.g., the people on the green. But sometimes it's hard to find the flag even with the flag mode on. I have to check a few times to make sure I get the right yardage.

Indispensable à la pratique du golf . Ce télémétre est d une précision extraordinaire, fiable et facile d'utilisation et à un bon prix ...Le fait de connaître les distances éxactes m'a permis de progresser et de baisser mon index trés rapidement ( de 13.5 à 11 en 2 mois )En ayant le bon club pour le bon coup, la confiance s'en ressent et le résultat est là .Je vous le recommande .Golfiquement votre

This great little tool has improved my club selection tremendously . .it's like having your own caddy . . .accuracy is guaranteed . . .well almost.