[JohnV]

I'm confused about something.  Didn't the USGA rule that distance-measuring devices were legal for use only when specifically approved for a specific competition by the committee?

If that were the case, such devices would not be approved for daily play for handicap purposes, right?  Is this USGA ruling being overlooked on a regular basis?

No, a Committee can either be the people in charge of a competition or if there is no competition, the committee in charge of the course.  

Usually private clubs have a Golf or Handicap Committee or some such.  They could implement the local rule for all play at the course as they would any other local rule that is used in ordinary play.

At public courses, the Committee is usually the owners or the golf pro or a Golf or Handicap Committee for whatever club plays at the course.

[Brad Swanson]

Brad,

Actually, super HUMUNGOUS headed drivers and GCAers are like Republican Congressmen and hookers.

They may rail against them, but each has one for personal use.  

Except me...but, I'm in the market.  

Someday, I'll get a new driver, as well.  

Mike,
   I tell ya, I'm not yet a member of the 400cc+ driver club, but after demoing an R7 and hitting it about 10-20 yards further right off the bat on the range with no launch optimization or anything of that sort, I may have to join.

Cheers,
Brad

[RJ_Daley]

Gents, Dave and Brad:

While I will check with Dan first, I think we have to pair the main event-epic match in as fair manner and under as fair conditions as possible.  But, it is my understanding that neither of you are maintaining a handicap!!!    

Thus, any committee imposed set of local rules would be very difficult to impose because we don't even know what we are dealing with in terms of quality of the players.  For all I know, one of you might be more like a first flighter, and one championship material.  I think we need to make you both play at scratch, and back tees are definitely no problema for either of you.  No Scotch game (whatever that is).  What we have here is a GCA issue and challenge at regular matchplay rules.  

I'd say, the match should be conducted after the morning 'warm-up' round so that each (particularly Dave) can familiarize themselves with the course and conditions that may exist that day.  Since Brad knows the course better from recent play, Dave should at least get a practice-familiarisation round.  Then, since it is a match over pride and libations afterwards, you both should play by your own standards of what you are comfortable with, regarding use of officially and technically legal equipment.  Dave, if you take a cart for the second round, the rangefinder thing is negated since they have them in the carts.  If you choose to walk, and you have familiarized yourself sufficiently in the morning round, by your methods, you should know the course enough to eyeball your yardages along with the sprinkler head and discs yardages as aids.  

If Brad is hooked on the rangefinder, then he can use it.  

But, if Dave beats Brad in their heads up at scratch match, no handicaps, then Brad runs the risk of Dave giving him double the business in the evening over drinks, for not using it and still winning.  

[Brad Swanson]

Rangefinder, smangefinder, who needs-em.  I went to work on my game at one of Golfmonth's Top 100 Mini-Golf/Practice facilities last night and quickly realized that the most important thing for golfing in Wisconsin now is to bathe in Off and not stop moving.  In the time I would need to stand still to get a yardage with a rangefinder, the mosquitos will have me completely exsanguinated.  I developed a zero second preshot routine which might just give me that little edge I need in my match and still negate the blood transfusion at the end of the round.

Cheers,
Brad

[RJ_Daley]

All of course setting up the negotiations at the first tee...

[Phil McDade]

...or the night before, when liquid refreshments will certainly make everyone more lucid and reasonable.....

[Brent Hutto]

Saturday

37 yards in Fairway to 4 feet (left), 1-putt
69 yards in Rough to 1 foot (short), 1-putt
104 yards in Rough to 48 feet (long right, above the hole), 2-putt
83 yards in Fairway to 8 feet (left), 2-putt
39 yards in Rough to 14 feet (long, above the hole), 3-putt
66 yards in Rough to 32 feet (short, below the hole), 2-putt
88 yards in Fairway to 16 feet (short left, above the hole), 3-putt


Sunday

50 yards in Rough to 18 feet (long left, above the hole), 2-putt
59 yards in Fairway to 5 feet (short, below the hole), 1-putt
80 yards in Fairway to 7 feet (short, below the hole), 2-putt
40 yards in Rough to 9 feet (short right, below the hole), 2-putt
15 yards in Rough to 4 feet (short, above the hole), 1-putt
110 yards in Rough to 22 feet (pin high right), 2-putt
93 yards in Fairway resulted in chunked shot missed green
36 yards in Fairway to 14 feet (long, below the hole), 2-putt
91 yards in Fairway to 10 feet (long left, above the hole), 2-putt

Here's my attempt to provide similar numbers for a round with no rangefinder. Having just returned from 12 rounds with firm courses and 15-20mph breezes in England I can hardly even remember playing with a rangefinder so I tried to recall all my shots and approximate distances from this past weekend.

Saturday

20 yards in Rough to 25 feet (short), 3-putt
20 yards in Rough to 18 feet (short right), 2-putt
40 yards in Rough to 15 feet (long), 2-putt

Sunday

75 yards in Rough to 8 yards (right fringe), chip-and-2-putt
65 yards in Fairway to 12 feet (left), 2-putt
25 yards in Rough to 8 feet (right), 2-putt
45 yards in Fairway bladed over green, picked up
35 yards in Fairway to 4 feet, 1-putt

So a couple of things to note. First off, I'm hitting the ball closer to the greens right now so I only had seven wedges shots over 36 holes as compared to sixteen a couple months ago. Most of my short-game opportunities were chips or little bump-and-runs with an iron.

Second, with no reference to yardage my success rate for getting the ball within four yards of the hole (i.e. a decent chance at a 1-putt) was almost the same as with the GPS giving exact numbers. Exactly half the time with GPS (8 of 16) and 3 of 8 times with the eyeball. I got up and down four of the sixteen time with SkyCaddie and only 1 of 8 without but I can hardly credit the box for my making more short putts.

I'll also say that I wedged the ball pin-high at least as often without the GPS as with it even though there was a bit more of a breeze and firmer/quicker greens this weekend than had been the case back in August. OTOH, I think my wedge swing has improved a bit over those two months although I still produce the odd chunked or bladed shot like most high handicappers.

The biggest caveat is that this is on my home course where I've played a couple hundred rounds. So while I'm willing to drop the claim that the SkyCaddie is saving the odd stroke for me on wedge shots in my usual weekend dogfight game I am still a big fan of having that information on unfamiliar courses. And yes, as many have said, all this is an artifact of playing on a typical USA course on which one lands the ball near the spot where it needs to end up. None of this matters if you're on a firm-and-fast course with microundulations and strong winds.

[Pete_Pittock]

  Rangefinders do not speed up play unless the player wants to speed up.
  Case in point I witnessed last week. A player walked up to the green, which was about fifty yards ahead, to survey the hole location. He had a hole location sheet. After returning to the ball he took out his rangefinder and used it. He then went to the nearest sprinkler head to check that yardage.
   

[A.G._Crockett]

 Rangefinders do not speed up play unless the player wants to speed up.
  Case in point I witnessed last week. A player walked up to the green, which was about fifty yards ahead, to survey the hole location. He had a hole location sheet. After returning to the ball he took out his rangefinder and used it. He then went to the nearest sprinkler head to check that yardage.
   

Pete,
I understand what you are saying, but that guy would have been slow WITHOUT a rangefinder if he had done the rest of that stuff.  The time spent with the rangefinder was the least time-consuming of the three things that he did, right?

I agree 100% with your first sentence, substituting that NOTHING speeds up a player who does not want to speed up!  For a player that does want to speed up, but still wants to know yardage, a rangefinder is faster than pacing, and faster than reading pin sheets.

(If you are a purist and don't want to know yardages and never pace them off from the 150 marker or to a sprinkler head, then have at it!)

[Rich Goodale]

Mea culpa aussi

I played 18 with my sister on Sunday.  She had just bought a GPS thingy, but after 1 hole of her saying "Richard, you are 173 from the pin," when I was standing on a marker saying 168, I was ready to give a karate chop to her larynx.

Other than that we had a nice family weekend!

RFG

[Doug Sobieski]

Here's my theory....

Rangefinders will.....

- Make a slow player slower
- Make a fast player faster

I think people are hard-wired to be one or the other. A rangefinder won't turn you into something you are not.

And remember, there are two types of people in the world. Those that classify people into two types and those that don't.

[Pete_Pittock]

Doug,
I was told there are two types of people, those that cause them and those that have them.

AG,
Yes, we were both members at the same club fifteen years ago. He was very deliberate then, too.

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