Like the Golfing Hacker, I decided it was time to pick up an inexpensive rangefinder. I’ve always been interested in them, but couldn’t justify the price. When I read the the Golfing Hacker’s post, I realized the price hadn’t gotten down to a point that I could afford. Doing a little research, I decided to go with the inexpensive LDS-Pro which cost me around $150.

It’s a pretty simple device with just a single button. You press it once to turn it on and then point it at a target and press the button again to get the distance. For yardages under 200 yards, I had no problem getting a good read, although it becomes much easier if you point it at a target that can provide a good bounce for the laser like a bunker or a tree. It’s basically an older model, but for my needs, it’s a perfect fit.

While I could see it coming in handy during play, I’ve been doing OK estimating yardage from the abundant amount of yardage markers available on most courses these days. I’m sure it will be handy to use it to judge the distances to a bunker or a dogleg from the tee, but the real reason I took the plunge was for use on the range. I’m a big fan of Pelz, and when I go to the range, I make sure at least a third of the bucket goes towards wedge play. With rangefinder in tow, now I can hit a bunch of half wedges and see what the average distance is, building up a good idea of how far each shot goes in my bag.

All in all, I’m pretty happy with my purchase. Newer models have a lot more bells and whistles, but for the price, it’s a good investment.