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Be the number!
You know as well as we do how hard golf can be. This unforgiving game can be made easier, though, when you know your numbers. That’s the benefit of a great golf rangefinder.
Good luck getting the ball to the hole if you’re unsure how far away you are from the flag.
An oft-forgotten key to good golf is confidence. Seldom is a well-struck shot preceded by uncertainty. No matter how confident you are in your clubs and your ability, if you aren’t confident in your distance to the target, you’re likely in trouble.
That’s why we’ve made it our mission to test golf rangefinders in search of a truly confidence-inspiring piece of technology. Think of it this way: Do you trust the gas gauge in your car? If you don’t have the utmost confidence that the number you see is accurate, you could end up stranded on the side of the road.
See where this is heading?
If you don’t have complete trust and confidence that the number on your laser rangefinder is accurate, the odds are good you’ll completely miss your intended target. Kiss that personal best goodbye!
We’re confident the best golf rangefinders for 2023 can give you the level of confidence you deserve. Here are a few things you should focus on when looking for a new golf rangefinder.
Here’s what to consider when choosing your next golf rangefinder.
In the golf rangefinder category, “expensive” doesn’t always equal “better”. However, the best golf rangefinder of 2023 does happen to cost the most; around $599. That said, the best value rangefinder for 2023 costs around $150.
When looking for a new rangefinder, consider how long each will last before needing to replace the battery. A few rangefinders tested this year are USB-C rechargeable, which is great if you want to stop old batteries from ending up in the landfill.
Golf rangefinders seem to be getting smaller and smaller. A few of the rangefinders we tested this year can fit in the palm of your hand. With so many shapes and sizes, it’s important to find what fits best in your hand and your golf bag.
Above all, a rangefinder needs to be accurate. A yard or two may not seem like a lot but it could be the difference between a one-putt and three-putt. You can’t afford to be off by a few yards when the margin of error is razor-thin. You need a laser golf rangefinder that provides precise distances.
Besides providing distances to the pin, the top rangefinders for 2023 calculate things like slope, wind and more to provide the best “real feel” distance possible.
The most accurate rangefinders for 2023 that give exact distances are the Bushnell V6 Shift and Garmin Approach Z82. Both are extremely accurate from any distance while taking into account elevation and slope.
A large part of shooting accurate distances with a golf rangefinder is being able to actually see – and hit – the flag. This is where both optics and displays make a huge difference. The optics of a rangefinder are the proverbial eyes that allow you to see both near and far. Unless the optics are crystal-clear, it can be hard to find and lock on to your target.
The display is the portion of the rangefinder that actually relays the distance that you’ve shot. The best displays we tested were red but offered the ability to switch to black in different lighting scenarios. If you can’t see the display numbers, a rangefinder is rendered useless. This is why the internal display is so crucial to a great rangefinder.
Magnification is important, too. Don’t overlook the importance of having a rangefinder than has 6x or 7x magnification.
The combination of optics and the display is what allows you to confidently see, visualize and understand how far you have to the flag. The best rangefinders in this regard are the Nikon COOLSHOT PROII Stabilized and Bushnell Pro X3.
Now that you can clearly see the flag with your nice optics and bright display, how can you be sure you’re locked on to the correct target? Between tree branches and background objects, it can be hard to pinpoint the flagstick.
That’s why haptic and visual feedback are important. Haptic feedback refers to a physical alert that you’ve locked on to the flag. In most cases, this comes in the form of a pulse or vibration. Other rangefinders rely on visual feedback (flashing lights) to let you know you’ve locked on to the pin. Flag-lock vibration is key to any top performing laser golf rangefinder.
The best rangefinders offer a combination of the two. Confidence is key and you need to ensure you really are shooting the flagstick. That’s why the Bushnell Pro X3, V6 and V6 Shift with Visual Jolt are so confidence-inspiring. Bushnell’s rangefinders vibrate and flash a red ring around the flag to notify you that you’ve hit the mark.
We found some of the less expensive rangefinders to provide fairly accurate distances. Our pick for best value, the Shot Scope Pro L2, was very accurate.
Unless the course you play is perfectly flat, having a rangefinder with slope is definitely worth it. This will save you from overestimating or underestimating your yardages.
Depends on your preference. A general rule of thumb is that a rangefinder will be more accurate simply because you can lock directly on to the flag. Most GPS devices just give you general distances to the front, middle and back of greens.
Most modern laser golf rangefinders offer a slope function. This allows the golf rangefinder to provide exact distances even when on a severe up or down-slope.
While there aren’t very many golf rangefinders in the under $100 category, we highly recommend the ShotScope Pro L2 as the best value laser rangefinder.
The Bushnell Pro X3 golf rangefinder is the best golf rangefinder for 2023. It's extremely accurate, locks on fast and has all of the features you need to shoot your personal best.
The Pro X3 provides accurate distances, fast readings, and the Visual JOLT makes sure you know when you hit the target.
The Pro X3 is bigger than some, and the large slope lock switch at the front makes it harder to switch.
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The Nikon COOLSHOT PROII Stabilized golf rangefinder lives up to its name. This rangefinder features an auto-stabilization function to keep you locked on to the target. This is the best rangefinder for someone with shaky hands.
The stabilization features makes it easy to lock on to and shoot your target, and the display is very crisp and easy to read.
The stabilization function can occasionally lock onto the wrong target if you aren't careful.
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The Bushnell Tour V6 Shift is as accurate as they come. This golf rangefinder fills you with confidence to grab the right club and hit your number.
The Bushnell Tour V6 Shift is fast and accurate, and features an easy slope switch for those Tournament rounds.
The Bushnell Tour V6 Shift isn't as feature filled as some of the other competition, including its big brother the Pro X3.
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The Bushnell Tour V6 is fast, accurate, and pretty affordable. This budget-friendly Bushnell is still a solid choice, despite its few shortcomings.
The Visual Jolt provides phenomenal feedback, and the Tour V6 is extremely accurate.
The Tour V6 lacks some of the features that other sub-$300 rangefinders have, including slope functionality.
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The Shot Scope Pro LX is accurate, provides fast readings, and can be used with a GPS if that's your thing.
Fast readings, accurate distances and the ability to change the display from red to black is a great addition.
The Shot Scope Pro LX is bigger than some other rangefinders, and doesn't have the premium build or feel of some of its competitors.
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Everything we do and say is based on cold, hard data. We challenge any and every claim with scientific measurement and analysis. If a product performs well, you'll hear about it. We'll tell you the truth and list the shortcomings if it doesn't.
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Everything we do and say is based on cold, hard data. We challenge any and every claim with scientific measurement and analysis. If a product performs well, you'll hear about it. We'll tell you the truth and list the shortcomings if it doesn't.
Looking for more data on golf rangefinders?
Looking for more data on golf rangefinders?
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| Driver Ping G30 | Hybrids PXG 0317 |
| 3/4 IRON PXG 0311XF | 5-GW Srixon Z 565 |
| SW PXG 0317 | LW PXG 0311 |
| Putter EVNROLL |
7 months ago
When you click “view full rankings” it says page not found
7 months ago
extremely happy with my new Shot Scope Pro L2–haptics, slope, compact, magnet to affix to cart. accuracy matches my coach’s expensive Bushnell.
replaces a ZeroFriction pistol shape which was a p.o.s. and gave wildly off target yardages.
12 months ago
For starters, thank you MyGolfSpy for including the MSRP at the top of the article!! Not sure why you didn’t include it at the bottom, but…baby steps!!
Love the cube rangefinder, after having just played a cart-only course – that thing would’ve been a time/step-saver, for sure. Hope they add some sort of rubberized cover and a magnet – then it’d be perfect. Really cool concept though, I’d be open to trying it out to see if the shoot the ball, then the target hype is real.
12 months ago
I’ll take Leupold every time over the others. Simple. Locks in every time. I’ve never been able to get some of the others steady enough. Btw, I play 200+ rounds per year and I’m on my 3rd battery in 4 years!
12 months ago
Couldn’t agree more. Had mine for 7 years now and it still works just like it did the day bought.
2 weeks ago
Bought my Leupold in 2010 – don’t play 200+ rounds per year, but still on my 3rd battery despite always using scan mode.
Thought it was time to see what’s improved in the last 14 years to upgrade, but nothing tempts me, at any price.
12 months ago
Precision pro isn’t on here???
10 months ago
Nope they are pos’s that’s why
3 months ago
Had have two Precision Pros and both have been very good, especially for the price and free lifetime batteries.
12 months ago
I’m surprised they didn’t rank Cobalt’s rangefinders. Clearest I’ve ever seen. Little bulky but the quality was off the charts. I’m a long time Leupold user.
12 months ago
I really like my CaddyTek (I think that is the name) from Costco. Has slope, easy to hit the target, buzzes when you lock on and the battery lasts forever. Comes with a nice case and it was only about $125. I don’t know why you need to pay more or have more features but that is just my opinion.
12 months ago
It’s amazing and for the price it’s unbeatable in my opinion.
12 months ago
A couple of our guys in our group have this one and are super pleased at how accurate it is. Great value too.
12 months ago
I wish you would publish the list of all of the products you test like before. I like to see where my rangefinder that I use ranked in the test. This is something that changed when you went to the new webpage.
The new webpage is nice, but this is a good feature that needs to be brought back.
12 months ago
Thanks for your comment, Scott. If you look under the “More Top Performing Rangefinders” section, we have a button that takes you to view the full rankings!
12 months ago
It took me a while to find it too, but there’s a “View Full Rankings” link at the bottom of the page.
I agree with you though, I like the look of the new webpage, but it definitely feels like it was maybe geared towards specifically tablet or phone users vs laptop/pc. It’s much more difficult to find information and I really don’t need a grainy PR photo of the rangefinder taking up 60 percent of the screen at any given time. Oh well, work in progress I suppose!
12 months ago
On bottom of page it contains “VIEW FULL RANKINGS” link button
12 months ago
Thanks for pointing that out
I never would have found it
Titleist ProV1 Golf Balls
Andrew the Great!
6 months ago
I’ve loved both of my Shot Scope GPS watches, first the V3 and now the X5, which is why it pains me to say that their PRO L2 rangefinder is not good.
I’ve had it for about 6 months and from the get-go it was very inconsistent in locking on the target. Even when it did, it took forever (so to speak). It was not quick.
I played 2 days ago and it consistently locked onto three different targets when I used it (trees, mounds, and Lord knows what else). Only by looking at my X5 GPS watch, or by consulting my son and his Bushnell rangefinder, did I know which of the three distances was the correct one. To reiterate, this has been my experience with the PRO L2 from the very beginning.
My biggest regret may be having sold my Bushnell rangefinder before I used this Shot Scope one. I just had total confidence in Shot Scope’s quality because their GPS watches have been stellar. But this PRO L2 will be going on eBay soon, and I’ll be replacing it with one of the higher-rated rangefinders from this review.