Is there a course that "rents" range finders?

[Mike Benham]

So who will be the first?

If the notion is that carts speed up play while providing additional revenue, how long will it be before course operators buy a score of range finders and rent them for $ 20 a round?

[Tom Huckaby]

Of course never say never, but I can't see that being a viable business proposition.... courses are so well-marked as it is, I can't see the value of renting one of these.  Anyone who would want one likely already has one.

The only place I could see this working is at a poorly-marked course... but really how many of those exist?

[John Nixon]

Lots of courses around here already have carts with built-in GPS/range finders. Individual range finders are just too easily lost, misplaced or walked-away with to bother with, I'd imagine.

[A.G._Crockett]

I would wonder as well.  They are very expensive (even wholesale), relatively fragile (at least compared to clubs, carts, etc.) and probably not worth it to most players at any significant cost.  Tom's right in that most players that would want one at even $15 a round would already have their own.

In fact, I have noticed some courses that at one time had cart-mounted GPS systems having gotten rid of them (one quick example is Woodmont here in Atlanta).  The upkeep is very expensive, and the additional revenues very low.

[Bill_McBride]

I am embarrassed to report    that every cart at Pensacola CC is equipped with a laser rangefinder, and each flagstick has reflectors.  Needless to say, I was no longer either a board member or chair of the golf committee when the decision was made to do this.

The funniest aspect of this is the reluctance of the pro shop staff to "loan" a rangefinder to our many walkers, and the willingness of those walkers to filch one out of an unoccupied cart!  This is of course becoming a cause celebre.

[Ken Moum]

So who will be the first?

If the notion is that carts speed up play while providing additional revenue, how long will it be before course operators buy a score of range finders and rent them for $ 20 a round?

There's actually a system called Laser Link that's been around for a while that uses a very simple laser that's shaped like a sci-fi pistol and a prism mounted on the flagstick. http://www.laserlinkgolf.com/

The places I've been that had Laser Link either rented them or loaned them to golfers. The prisms, however make it really, really easy to use your own rangefinder.

K

[Matt_Cohn]

Metropolitan rents SkyCaddies, I believe.

[K. Krahenbuhl]

I played with a laser link from the course the day I played at Rich Harvest.

[Peter Zarlengo]

My course just put a rangefinder type of thing on the driving range. That way when you arrive you can just shoot the distance to the flags. Or see how far you just hit you last monsterous drive  

I can see courses renting them out soon. When I played at Ballyneal last month (a real treat) the caddies were equipped with GPS devices that read the distances to the day's flag.

[rjsimper]

Car rental services are renting Garmins for $25 a day, give or take - I say it happens within the year assuming you put a $300 deposit on it (or whatever those things cost)

[James Bennett]

So, which course will be the first to remove distance yardages from the sprinkler heads and/or distance posts/trees, and force the 'masses' who need to know the distance to use/hire a range finder?

Because we can't live without knowing the distance.  Even though we are not permtted to know whether we are going uphill, downhill or flat.  Can we?

James B