Professional golfers don't pay caddies 10% just to carry their clubs; the real value is all about the hours that the caddie spends mapping yardages and distances on the golf course. Obviously knowing detailed yardage information to every green, hazard or sand trap on a golf course will improve your game.
Golfing GPS and laser rangefinders are designed to bring the knowledge of a caddie to any golfer. Everyone I know who has tried either type of these yardage devices has experienced at least a couple strokes improvement per round.
Accurate Knowledge of Yardage for Each Club
One of the lesser appreciated benefit of a yardage device is for the golfer to know exactly how far you hit each of your golf clubs. This allows you to have much greater confidence when hitting a tough golf shot, over water or in front of a bunker.
For me, without a golf GPS or laser rangefinder, when I'm shooting over water, not only do I have to guess the carry distance, but also what the best club is for me to carry that yardage.
With a golf GPS or laser rangefinder, I can map all my clubs on the driving range and for example know that I hit my 8 iron anywhere from 140 - 155 yards. This improves my accuracy and more importantly improves confidence when making tough shots.
Improved Knowledge of the Golf Course
The primary benefit of GPS and rangefinders is to get insider knowledge of the course. Without these devices distance judgment is mostly guessing, "feel" and based on experience. If you're playing a new course the lack of specific yardage distances can lead to missed shots and cost you valuable strokes.
Having at hand the exact yardage to the front, center and back of the green, not only helps you judge what club to hit and how hard to hit it, but also can help you make better decisions.
A lot of good players, not only decide where to aim their shot, but also the preferred spot to miss. A yardage tool can help make these choices and make you a smarter player who shoots lower scores.
In conclusion, grabbing a laser rangefinder or golf GPS device and take strokes off your score and help you have a lot more fun, by bringing the course management and insider knowledge of a caddie to every round you play.
