Picked up a Bushnell about 18 months ago. Then came the GPS watch so I could cross-check. Then Arccos. Somewhere in there I turned into a guy who needs the exact number before I can pull a club, and honestly my scores haven't moved.
Here's my thing. My stock 8 iron carries 147 and I'm delusional if I think that's repeatable within 3 yards on a good day. Two-way miss, fat, thin, wind I didn't account for. My actual scatter pattern is like 15 yards deep on any given shot. So the difference between 149 and 152 that I'm laser-checking twice? It's noise. It's rounding error in a system that's fundamentally imprecise.
But here's where I'll argue against myself. The number matters for front/back pins and for hazards. Knowing the front edge is 8 yards short of the flag is real information, and that's where the laser earns its keep. So I'm not anti-rangefinder. I'm anti a 90-second ritual standing behind the ball holding it steady while three guys wait.
Curious what others think. Anyone actually shorten their routine by going GPS-only for layup shots and only lasing when it's a real question? I'm trying it the last few rounds and I feel weirdly untethered without the number, which probably says more about me than the tech.