I don't have a dog in this fight. But this is the way things stand more or less at this moment. Both sides have some very legitimate arguements:
The Pro-Range Finder Crowd:
1) Technology abounds in the game, Range Finders, GPS, its just all apart of getting more information. They can't tell you wind, tempature, which club to hit, etc. Its only 1 small piece of information. Perhaps too much emphasis is being placed on how much they are percieved to actually help the player from the eyes of those who don't use them.
2) They can speed up play. I played a round this past weekend with a caddie using one of these. It was great, no looking around for plates, got to the ball and he already had the yardage..to the pin no less. Even better when I was off in the shit to get a distance to the flag, it saved a bunch of time.
3) Who makes anyone an authority on what golf is "supposed to be". If geeks want to bring thier gadgets to the course, whats the harm? This is done in almost every other aspect of our lives, why not in golf. If its just a weekend diversion to have a bit of fun, none of these guys will be making a living off golf, then why be a Luddite buzz-kill? Let people have thier own fun in thier own way. No different than guys who want to play Hickories....its not my cup of tea, but if it turns thier crank, then let em have at it.
4) Even being armed with the exact yardage doesn't mean squat for 99% of the hacks out there, including me, because you still have to swing the club and make the shot. Why do you care if I know its 107 to the pin, as opposed to 110?
The Anti-Range Finder Camp:
1) First and foremost....if any of you really think you have the game to need to know a shot is 122, vs 125, then why are you here, you need to be on tour. The exact yardage arguement for anything more than 40-50 yards is wishful thinking at best.
1a) This is related to arugement 1 in the Pro side. Distance is just one of many pieces to the puzzle. Try taking that bad boy to a links course with F&F conditions, 20 MPH winds, and cold weather. The range finder will be about as useful as a Air Conditionor in the Siberia in pulling off a good shot.
2) How hard is it look at the plates when walking up the fairway? I do this all the time and by the time I get to my ball I already have a pretty good idea of what I've got. Just do a basic promixation from the nearest plate and I've got my yardage....simple as that.
3) Are there really that many guys out there who don't know how far away they are when a yarage marker is only 10-15 yards away? If the marker says 125 and you think your about 10 yards behind it, even if your off by a whopping 20-30%, this means your approach calculation is still only a couple of yards off. And if you still think this is a problem, please see #1.
4) Isn't it nice to get away from it all on the course? Leave all that crap and baggage back in the car....both physical and mental baggage? Just leave it all behind and let your instincts do the work.
4a) For the same reasons, #4 in the previous section also applies here. Even if you got the exact yardage, you still gotta hit the damn ball so knowing your 167 instead of 165 doesn't really get you much.