GolF Club

Seems to work very well... (2008-08-18)
I have used the Medalist for five rounds now, and I'm very happy with the results. On the first outing I was having the same difficulty with stability that others have reported. I found it a bit inconvienient to have to rely on bracing against the cart, especially since there were cart-path-only restrictions in place. Being an advanced amature photographer, I've often used a mono-pod to support my cameras. I gave it a try with my Medalist and it proved to be the ideal solution. The pod with Medalist attached, slips easily into a club slot in my bag, but I need to be careful about slinging the bag around, or letting it drop. I attached the case, using a lanyard, to the mono-pod, and slip the case off and on the Medalist, just as I would a club cover. This offers some protection, but the case is not extremely padded, so I still need to take care. When needed, I pull the unit out like a club, flip the lever to extend the leg, and take my reading with perfect stability. Throw it back and the bag and grab the correct club. Works very well for me!

I love that I can read distances to pins and bunkers on any course without ever having to purchase gps downloads. Plus I can read distances to fronts and backs of bunkers, trees, rocks or what have you. And it works whether I have a tree cover or cloud cover as well. All I need is a line of sight. The Pinseeker function seems to work nicely also. I am still taking a couple of readings at the pin, just to build confidence that I am actually reading the pin and not something else. All in all, I am very happy with my purchase.

Fantastic Product (2008-08-13)
We are very happy with our Bushnell Laser Pinseeker Rangefinder. It is all that it was advertised to do and the price was right!

So far so good (2008-08-06)
OK,OK,OK......So I just got it and have a tee time later today. Yes I've read all about it from the manufacture, golf players, and pro's before I bought it. No, I can't tell you how it works on the course yet, but I can tell you the Honda down the street is a full 7 iron. The neighbors' boat is a three quarter 56 degree wedge, and I'll have to lay up to the school yard. The problem with the battery cover and carrying case, I've been reading about, makes me think it's a different model.The size and weight is just right. So far the only obstacle has been deciphering the English part of the manule. It looks like they translated it from German. Word for word. No pictures, but it's in six different languages. After five minutes playing with it, I could of written the instructions. It like a point and shoot camera. Pretty basic. Remember, no matter how good this thing is, you still have to make the shot.......... More later.........

Avoid the medalist (2008-04-17)
Are rangefinders a great thing for golf? Yes, they are. Is this the rangefinder you want? NO. I had an old bushnell that I loved- right up until someone stole it from my cart. I could not find a used one like it, so I opted to purchase a medalist, from someone on e-bay. I thought I'd spend the extra money to get the "pin-seeker" technology. First, this model does not work a bit better than my old one. In fact, I generally find that it has a harder time finding the pin, not an easier one. And then there's the cover for the battery..... It arrived with the cover off, which should have been my first clue. It would not snap on, and it took about a gram's worth of pressure for it to fall off- without un-latching it. I took it to a local golf store, and they were willing to exchange it. I used the new one today, and the cover fell off 4x during the round, just sitting in the golf cart. You can tape it on, but I don't think you should have to duct-tape something that is $250. It's a very poor design, to have the cover piece fit over a curve. The case for it looks like it cost bushnell about 10 cents to make, and was sewn by a blind man....- pretty disconcerting for such an expensive gadget. I love having a rangefinder, but I am extremely disappointed that bushnell has such poor quality control. I only wish I had purchased it on amazon, because then i could send it back!

First outing discount... (2008-03-04)
A number of my golfing buddies own and use Golf GPS units. I tried them, but depending on the course you're playing, there was a question as to making the correct interpretation. So I leaned toward the laser range finder. Just about that time Bushnell came out with the Medalist with "Pin Seeker" technology. I bought it.

On my very first outing, a club tournament, I hit three of the four par-threes to within 15-feet; I won two of those greenies. (We won't talk about the other green not hit.) Now, I'm not a great golfer; a 17-handicap. What the range finder does is gives you the confidence of the distance (you still need to calculate wind and elevation), but with that out of the way, just hit the ball. This unit is easy to use; no shakey movement and with the "Pin Seeker" technology, pin-pointing the flag-stick is easy. And it really works. If you happen to shoot the laser past the flag, it shows you the farther target, then resets with the actual target. You can also sight water hazard carries; bunker carries; lay-up distances, etc. (Can you tell I love it. My handicap is still 17!!!)

Have fun; it's a new toy after all.

...LarryJ