Leupold GX-I Digital Golf Rangefinder

5 Comments

1. LarryMcJ says:

   September 21, 2010 at 5:54 pm

   Review by LarryMcJ for Leupold GX-I Digital Golf Rangefinder
   Rating:
   I spent a lot of time researching both the Leupold GX-1 and the Bushnell V2 but all I could find, even in a large city, was the V2 to actually put my hands on. Thus, I had to take a chance and purchase the GX-1 online, but I am SO GLAD I did. If all you want is the short version of this…then go purchase the GX-1 as it’s MILES ahead of the V2 in “every” aspect. If you want a few particulars…read on.

   In addition to a product “being” right, I want it to “look” right and “feel” right. The GX-1 does these in spades. Just holding it, you know you’re holding quality, and not something made of inferior plastic that will likely not look the same in six months of normal, let alone rugged, use. The GX-1 has a very rugged, rubberized feel that simply feels good in your hands.

   Reticles. We’re all different and we all prefer to view things differently through a rangefinder. The V2 has only one reticle (a small circle), while the GX-1 has seven different reticles from which to choose. I found I was comfortable with the default reticle setting, but for those who are not, there are six other available reticles. As opposed to the V2, the reticles on the GX-1 are very fine in detail…more professionally displayed would be a way to describe them. While the reticle on the V2s that I looked at seemed to have thicker lines and were more distracting, with some jagged edges in some cases. I noticed the same thing about the yardage numbers…they were larger and more defined in the GX-1.

   6X magnification (GX-1) vs. 5x with the V2. I think it’s just enough of a noticeable enhancement to be worthy of mentioning. I don’t see much of a difference in viewing a flag or small target, but there’s a big difference when shooting the front/back edges of a fairway bunker that give the GX-1 a big edge here with 17% more magnification.

   Speed of acquiring the target. Here’s where the GX-1 one absolutely blows away every Bushnell rangefinder on the market. The GX-1 is almost instantaneous, where the V2 won’t display the range for what seems like a couple of seconds. That may not sound like much…but it seems like an eternity when you just want to shoot the flag and get on with your shot. The Callaway/Nikon rangefinders are also fast…but they are still no match in the other categories for the GX-1.

   If you’re a hunter, you know that Leupold has been around for a lot longer than Bushnell, making what hunters think are some the best and affordable optics available. The fact is that Bushnell is a very large company with obviously a large marketing budget, so you’re going to see more of them and their products, especially in the retail stores. But that doesn’t make them the best…only the biggest with the deepest pockets.

   Technical support. I called both companies with a list of pre-sale questions and the person with whom I spoke at Bushnell might easily have been outsourced, though I doubt he was. He simply was not technically conversant in his own products. Contrarily, the person with whom I spoke at Leupold had all the answers, and made me feel comfortable he was an expert in the Leupold products.

   If you want a high quality rangefinder that is better in all aspects than its competition, you simply can’t do better than the Leupold GX-1 (tournament legal) or the GX-2 (compensates for slope, temperature, and also tells you what club to hit…after you train it).
2. Peter G. Coulter says:

   September 21, 2010 at 5:59 pm

   Review by Peter G. Coulter for Leupold GX-I Digital Golf Rangefinder
   Rating:
   I did research between multiple range finders and different 3rd party reviews and ratings. This was consistently one of the best according to the reviews and ratings. I love this range finder. My friend has a buschnell and that takes around 30 seconds to get the reading back. This product takes a second to get a reading back which helps out with pace of play. Can’t say enough about this product. This is the best range finder out there for its price.
3. Bart A. Miller says:

   September 21, 2010 at 6:41 pm

   Review by Bart A. Miller for Leupold GX-I Digital Golf Rangefinder
   Rating:
   A lazer range finder works on all courses which is why I chose it over a GPS locater. That said this unit is perfect. Crystal clear and accurate it’s lowered my strokes bigtime. Some may find it difficult to hold without shaking but propping it on the cart or even a club to gain the steady hand will quickly resolve that issue. It’s a rugged little unit which attaches perfectly to my bag and has taken all kinds of gentle abuse.
4. PJR says:

   September 21, 2010 at 6:49 pm

   Review by PJR for Leupold GX-I Digital Golf Rangefinder
   Rating:
   I’ve played five rounds with this rangefinder, and it DOES make a difference. My guess is that it was worth two strokes right out of the box. On good days when the ball is going where I want it to go, I’m sure it is worth even more. My handicap is 10.3 right now.

   I bought my wife a SkyCaddie for Christmas. It’s nice and does everything you would expect it to. The advantage to this scope is that you don’t pay an annual fee, and you can shoot at virtually ANYTHING and get an accurate reading. The maximum distance I’ve been able to read is 574 yards. That’s more than enough, I can’t reliably hit the ball at any target that’s more than 200 yards away anyway. But in that 100-180 range, this little gizmo can make you deadly!

   You can get a reliable reading on the bank of a lake, the lip of a bunker, and if you can see it and hold steady, the front edge of a green. It does a very good job of isolating the pin, too. The course I’m playing has very firm greens right now, so knowing the distance to the pin isn’t as critical. Being able to reliably play to the front edge of a green and rolling up to the cup is where I picked up my strokes. The SkyCaddie’s estimates for the front edge and carries over water do NOT appear to be as accurate as they could be, in my experience.

   In a typical round, I’ll use it about 20 times. It neatly clips onto my bag and is easy to access and put away. It is a little bit bigger than I expected, but comfortably fits into the palm of your hand. I like it better when I’m walking because when you’re riding you have to carry it with you from the cart sometimes, and I don’t like setting it on the ground or cramming it into my pocket when I’m hitting.

   One more thing, I don’t see any need to get a scope with “slope detection” or whatever they call it. They’re not always legal anyway, and I’m not sure I trust the calculations involved in telling you what club to hit for an uphill or downhill shot. Save your money and judge the hills and the wind on your own.

   ***UPDATE*** August 26, 2010

   Still very satisfied with this product. Still using the original battery. When walking I use it about 20 times per round. When riding I probably use it 10-12 times. The carts have GPS where I play and they’re accurate enough to judge distance to bunkers and landing zones. Handicap: 10.1 Regularly playing a course rated 72.6, slope 138.
5. Willy1963 says:

   September 21, 2010 at 7:23 pm

   Review by Willy1963 for Leupold GX-I Digital Golf Rangefinder
   Rating:
   Why get a range finder instead of a GPS? I bought the range finder to help me with distances I hit my clubs. The driving ranges around me are not marked very well and grass tees are always being moved. I use the range finder at the driving range before the match to adjust my yardages. This helps because I am not that consistant on how far I hit the ball yet. On the windy days on the range you can start to get a feel for how much the wind holds up or pushes each club. I hit the ball high and this can be quite and education. Another advantage I have found is know the real range to the pins. I have seen courses where the pin color indicates a front location. When you get to the green pin is in the middle. On most greens this is not an issue. On a new course we used the GPS numbers and hit to the front of the green. The green was long and started very narrow. We all ended up at least one club short of the pin.

   On the course I was able to get ranges on flags that I had not counted on. I have been able to range to the flag with only being able to see the top flag portion over the horizon. I have also been able to range to the yardage poles in the fairway. It is fast and easy to use and I have been amazed with the items I have been able to range.