- 14 hours ago
Dan Parker talks through the very best golf laser rangefinders on the market to help you choose the right model for your game.
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00:00Best lasers 2025, thank you. Here's one of them. I'm breaking it down into five categories.
00:04The best value, the best compact, the best hybrid, the best graphics, and the best features. I've
00:09been testing loads this year. We've got nine or ten to talk about. If you'd like the look of any
00:12of the lasers I've mentioned today, I've put some very clever links down in the description that
00:16will give you the best price in your area for one of those lasers. So if you like getting a look at
00:20them, go check them out. All right, first category is best hybrid lasers. These are lasers that also
00:34have GPS built into them. It's a fairly new category. I've tested two this year. The first one is the
00:38Myles C Gene Pro G1. What makes this unique is it's got a touchscreen GPS built into the side of the
00:44device. First time I've tested a device like this and it's a tale of two halves, right? The laser
00:50brilliant, fine. It's got slope, graphics are really clear, picks up the pin quickly,
00:54and on its own is a very good laser. The inbuilt GPS is really useful because you get your front,
01:01middle, and back to the green yardages. Full hole mapping as well, so you're playing somewhere new,
01:06that's very useful to have. And the concept is brilliant and I think this is a generation away
01:12from being perfect, but at the minute for me the screen was a touch laggy when you touch it,
01:17which gets a bit frustrating when you're trying to find numbers and the device doesn't always know
01:22when you've switched holes. So sometimes you look at it and you're on the hole behind or the hole ahead
01:26or it got a bit mixed up and that was a bit frustrating. But as a package, a very reasonably
01:31priced package for a GPS and the laser, feels premium, looks premium and it is a genuinely unique
01:37feature, that touchscreen that I think a lot of golfers can benefit from. I just think it's a generation
01:41away from being perfect. So that's the Mile C, but my winner in this category is in my back pocket here,
01:46it's this, it's the Bushnell Tor Hybrid. Now this is a superb device. It's got the GPS built into it
01:53and you get everything you need as opposed to on the screen on the Mile C through the viewfinder.
01:58So you get your lasered yardage as you normally do on picking up a pin or a tree or whatever it is,
02:02and then the inbuilt GPS, which just starts itself up automatically and finds wherever you're at
02:07automatically, then gives you your front, middle, back yardages to the green. Simple and it's all
02:13in the viewfinder. I've just found this one of the most useful devices I've ever used on a golf course
02:18and being Bushnell, it's super, super accurate. It's super, super premium. So as hybrid lasers go,
02:24the Mile C is excellent if a little bit too complex for me and too many moving parts. This, the Bushnell,
02:30it's got everything built in, super easy to use and is incredibly accurate. So if you're after one of
02:34those hybrid lasers, I'd put you in the direction of the Bushnell.
02:40Right, next category is best value and at the risk of cannibalizing a video I did a few months ago.
02:44I'm going to put the link up here somewhere so you can click on it where I test loads of value
02:47range finders. I'm going to give you the best two from that video. So spoiler alert, here they come.
02:52First one I don't have on me today is the PIN Prism Plus. Now you're going to see a lot of greys,
02:57blacks, plastics in this video and the PIN Prism Plus is a completely different look. So if you're
03:02sort of a bit more unique, a bit more stylish, that's your option. £199 is great value. It looks
03:07and feels like it's worth a lot more than that. It does all the basics great and looks fine as well.
03:12So it looks a bit different. I'd go for that. But the winner of this category and that video I
03:16just mentioned is this, the Golf Buddy Laser 2S Pro. Now, when I've not been testing
03:22all the range finds you can see today, this has been the one I've gone back to because it just has
03:25everything in a very premium, very small, neat package. So it's got your normal laser functionality with
03:31slope adjusted distances that you can toggle on and off. It's got a scan mode, which is really useful
03:36if you're just trying to scan, I guess, and figure out parts of the fairway, where there's a bunker,
03:41where there's a tree, stuff like that. It's also got a triangulation mode, which would be great if
03:44you're a cart golfer in the States or in the UK and you can't path golf only. You can ping your ball
03:52when you're not stood next to it, ping the pin, provided you can see it and it will give you that
03:56distance while you're not stood next to the ball. So you can select your club before you even go there.
04:00Does that make sense? Good. And it's in a nice, neat package. At 149 quid in here in the UK,
04:06it's the cheapest on tests today by quite a way and means if you just don't want to spend
04:11a lot of money on a laser, but want everything there, that's the one to go for.
04:18Right, next category is the best compact laser. So if you want something little small like this for
04:23your tiny little hands or to put in your pocket or tiny little pockets in your bag,
04:26then these are the ones for you, right? And despite their size, they pack quite a lot of features. So
04:30I've got two today. Marcy Ion Me 2 is the first one. Now, this little boxy thing is tiny. If you look
04:36at the palm of my hand, it's really, really small, but has loads of features. Two unique ones that make
04:40it stand out. First is the carry case. It's this little thing. It's got nothing that goes all the
04:46way around it. And the idea, unfortunately, and I hate it, is that you can clip onto your belt like this
04:52and walk around like that. Now, if we're being truly honest with ourselves, nobody's going to do
04:57that. If you do, that's fine. But realistically, you're not. However, you can clip that onto your
05:00bag and it looks much better. And what I do like is how accessible it is. You can just pull it in
05:04and out of there when it's clipped to your bag or your pocket, if that's what you're into. And the
05:09reason they want it on your pocket is because this thing can read putts technically, not fully, but a
05:16little bit. So a unique feature of this is if while you're on the green, you zap the top of the pin, it will
05:21tell you how many feet uphill or downhill that pin is away from you. Now, it obviously can't read
05:26side slope for you, but if you're really bad at reading putts and can't tell what's uphill or
05:30downhill, this will be very helpful for you. Most people can, but how uphill or how downhill it is,
05:36maybe not. So two unique features of this device as a laser on its own, again, brilliant slope
05:41adjusted distances, feels really premium and is really compact if that's what you're into. And sorry,
05:46if you do wear it on your belt, that's just my opinion. It doesn't look great. Let's get rid of that.
05:50My winner for this category though is another Bushnell product and they kind of stand out
05:53for this sort of thing, but it's this little thing, the A1 Slope. This is their most compact
05:58ever laser. And it's basically everything that's good about a Bushnell product in a really compact
06:02device. So the Jolt technology that just puts a little vibration through it when you get the pin
06:07spot on, slope adjusted distances, looks great. It's really compact and super, super accurate. So yeah,
06:13if you're just after a nice compact laser, I'd keep it simple and go Bushnell.
06:21Right. Next category is best viewfinder or best display. Now, none of the lasers I've mentioned
06:25here have bad ones. It's just that these two models I'm going to mention really stand out. The first is
06:29the ShotScope Pro L5, their newest rangefinder, which has an OLED display. So really, really clear
06:34through that viewfinder. And on top of some bright red graphics in changeable light conditions, you can
06:40really see lots very quickly through this. It's a neat package as well, really premium,
06:45built in magnet, and just a very solid rangefinder ShotScope that they always make. And my other
06:50option in this category is the Blue Tees Series 4 Ultra. I'm a big Blue Tees guy. I love the Series 3,
06:58looks premium, performs well. And the Series 4 has been upgraded with an OLED display. You're seeing a lot
07:03more of these in rangefinders now. Really actually very identical to the L5 look through the viewfinder.
07:08Bright red graphics that you can change in red and black on this one. And the OLED display,
07:13as I looked through it there, it's just super, super clear. And with six times magnification on
07:16this, you really get a good idea of the hole ahead of you, whether you're just trying to strategize or
07:21see the pin or a bunker, whatever it is really clearly. So both of these, and you can see actually,
07:25they're built very, very similarly as well. So same sort of size, same sort of feel, both really clear.
07:30So if you're looking for something that really pops with a viewfinder, I'd recommend either of these.
07:34Right, next category is best features. And what I mean by this is I've got three devices here that
07:41have got very unique features that might fulfill a very specific purpose for you. First is the Garmin
07:45Approach Z30. In its own right, great laser, very premium, looks great, excellent. The main reason
07:51you'd want this is to link it if you already have a Garmin smartwatch. What this very cleverly does is
07:57link to it. And when you zap the pin, when it's linked to your watch, will put the pin yardage on your
08:02watch and give you a bird's eye view of the green with where the pin is, if that makes any sense.
08:07It's very, very user friendly, pick up really quickly. And it just gives you that added bit
08:12of information alongside your watch and your front, middle, back distances, as well as your
08:17laser yardage. So if you're already in the Garmin ecosystem and are looking for a laser,
08:21I'd point in the direction of this because those two things talk to each other brilliantly.
08:24Right, next laser with a very unique feature is the Flightscope i4. Now link this to the Flightscope app,
08:29input your 7-iron pitching wedge and driver distance data. And it's a very clever algorithm
08:34that will work out how far you hit each club and recommend it through the viewfinder of the device
08:39when you're out on the course. It also links up to a weather app, which allows it to understand
08:43the wind direction you're playing in on the day and the speed, and will use all of that information
08:47to recommend clubs to you. So it's a very, very useful device if you're not very good at picking your
08:50own clubs and want a bit of extra help. Obviously you can't use that in competition mode,
08:54but if you don't play in a lot of competitions, this is a really cool device and no other device we've tested
08:58has any kind of functionality like that. So if that kind of thing appeals to you,
09:01I'd really consider checking this out. The final one in this category, the very unique feature,
09:06probably the most unique, is the Canon PowerShot. Now Canon you'll know is a camera company and this
09:11laser comes with a built-in camera. Why would I want a camera out on course when I've always got my
09:16phone on me? I hear you ask, or here's what Canon say about that. This can help you create a personal
09:21course diary complete with voice memos to record a breakdown of every shot. In the event of
09:26disputes or questions about rule compliance, golfers can use the camera to document their lie,
09:30the position of the ball, or any obstacles in their path. This visual evidence can help settle
09:35disagreements and maintain the integrity of the game. Canon's words, not mine, take that as you
09:40need to. It takes 11 megapixel photos, which I've been told by our videographers fine, and HD video as
09:48well. So if you want to document your time on the course, as well as have your laser yardages done,
09:53there's the device for you. Why wouldn't you use your phone that you've always got with you,
09:56that probably has a better camera on it? I don't know. Like I said, this is niche,
09:59but I wanted to highlight that it is available.
10:05But the overall winner was a very easy choice this year, and it is the Bushnell
10:08Tour Hybrid. Having GPS built into a laser just gives you that added bit of information
10:13that I've really enjoyed having on the golf course with me, that it picks up the GPS instantly without
10:18you having to do anything, and the fact it's a very premium, well-built Bushnell device makes it
10:22easily the best range finder of 2025.
Recommended
10:50
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