Bushnell has been at the top of electronic golf distance measuring since electronic golf distance measuring was a thing. Every year I’m thankful to get to test their latest and greatest, and every year I’m amazed they found a way of improving their offerings from the previous year. This year wasn’t just an improvement, it was a leap. Let’s take a look at the new Pro XE laser.
Features
The viewfinder features 7X magnification to make picking a target easy. The laser range of the unit is from five to 1,300 yards. Yeah. I usually laser targets that are around 5-6 yards. Can’t be guessing those distances. Hehe. The laser is accurate to within one yard, which is terrific. Many lasers claim accuracy from 3-5 yards. That 3-5 yards could make the difference between hitting a green and landing in the drink short of it.
When the unit has locked in on a pin it vibrates or gives a “jolt.” This confirms to the golfer that the unit has locked in on the flag, and not the beverage cart.
The unit is compact in size and weighs in at a mere 11 ounces, despite having a rubber-armored metal housing.
The display is an “enhanced ultra-bright backlit” type, which produces stunning clarity and crispness in the yardages and graphics. It’s quite awesome.
To keep the electronics safe, and to allow use even in Scottish conditions (rain), the unit is waterproof.
The unit displays slope when the convenient slope switch is turned to the on position. Slope is where the unit gives a yardage number which compensates for elevation changes. For instance on my home course’s final par-3, it plays about 156 yards because of the downhill, but the true distance is about 165.
Not only does the unit calculate yardage for slope, but for the elements. The Pro XE uses yardage, slope, temperature and barometric pressure to calculate what yardage the shot is “playing like.” Unbelievable technology!
There’s a strong magnet on the side of the Pro XE for sticking it to the metal support beam of a golf cart, or the frame of a push cart (trolley for you in the UK). But don’t forget you stuck it on the cart. I left a magnetic GPS on a golf cart and dropped it off at the cart barn. I came back within five minutes but it was already gone, probably straight into the cart boy’s bag.
In Action
I can’t stress enough how amazing the optics and graphics display in this unit. It’s like the difference between VHS video and digital 4K. They should put an “HD” label on the thing. It’s so crisp and clean.
Of course, and as expected, the yardages are solid and super fast. I trust the XE’s numbers completely. It locks onto pins extremely fast. I even shot the pins on the practice green from the driving range. You know, those funny little pins that are about 18 inches high? No problem!
Final Thoughts
I wish I could have tested the amazing Pro XE laser rangefinder by Bushnell while playing actual golf, but the shoulder surgeon (and my shoulder) tell me there’s no golf for me until sometime in 2020. But I gave the unit an honest battery of tests, including the “trees behind the pin” to see how she performed. I’ve tested many, many lasers to date and none outperform the Pro XE.
That performance comes at a price. Retail on this baby is $549.00. Sure there are lasers out there these days that are considerably cheaper, but in this case you get what you pay for.
I’ve been flying my big hexacopter some more this fall. About two weeks ago I caught some great afternoon lighting which produced some great images.
Below is the 11th hole. It’s a short par-4 which bombers can drive, but as you can see, if they’re not accurate the ball will be lost in a river, or in the dense forest.
Below is a shot of the 11th green from a different angle. It’s the green on the right. On the left side of the image is the 1st green. The green in the upper left/center is the par-3 12th green.
I’ve had a lot of fun this summer capturing photos of River Oaks. I have a pretty massive library of shots. I have some very fun flyover videos too and plan to capture more. Stay tuned for those.
Rukket makes some great sports nets. I’ve reviewed a few over the years. I’ve used their backyard golf net many times. Today I’m reviewing a new one from Rukket, their golf chipping cornhole game.
Photo courtesy of Rukket
In The Bag
The game comes in a nice, convenient carrying bag. The two included nets fold and unfold similar to those windshield sun protectors, and store neatly in the bag.
Also included are stakes to mount the game, two turf mats and eight soft foam golf balls.
In Action
I recently used this tailgating at the Utah Football vs Washington State Cougars game a couple of weeks ago. The weather wasn’t great but we still had a blast chipping. The one problem we had was our tailgate was on pavement, so missed shots meant the balls were going quite a long way to be chased. So I recommend playing the game on grass, or an area where it is easy to contain errant shots.
With my bad shoulder (recent surgery) about all I can do is putt and chip, so this is a fun way of working on short game and doing something golf related for me.
The golf corn hole game by Rukket would make a great gift for Christmas, Father’s Day or a birthday.
Related
Rukket Sports Golf Chipping Target and Range Marker
Rukket Sports Portable Golf Practice Net
Note about the photo above… hehe. I like to shoot my own photos typically. I wasn’t able to capture photos I was happy with prior to my review. It was raining pretty hard.
We’re four weeks into the college football season and I’ve been gaming my two Rhoback Game Day polos, in the color of my team the Utah Utes. Please don’t ask me what happened at USC last week…. Anyway let’s take a look at these awesome polos.
Game Day Polo Details
The Game Day polos come in 24 different color combinations. Each polo (except the pure white version) features a team color stripe and alternating white stripe. I went with red and white for one polo, and gray and white for the other. The gray can match up with just about any other items in my apparel script.
The construction of the polo is from 92% polyester and 8% spandex. Yay! No cotton! These modern fabrics make care easy and prevent wrinkling or shrinking.
The collar keeps its shape and prevents what Rhoback calls “bacon collar.” What a great description.
The polos provide UV protection: UPF 40-50+
No itchy tag and the fabric of the polos is ultra soft.
The dog logo is unique and interesting. See the photo below.
Sizes
Sizes range from small to 3XL. The fit is true. My XL fits like a genuine USA XL. I make that comment because some apparel brands, namely from western Europe, are a wee on the tight side for us beefy Yanks.
On The Course / On The Town
I absolutely love my Rhoback Game Day polos. They’re super soft and comfortable. The cut/fit is perfect. No strange angles or binding or tight areas, even when doing extended body movements like a golf swing. My Rhobacks are great for on the course or simply wearing about my daily business at work, at play, or at the game.
Caring for the Game Day polos is a breeze. Machine wash in cold water and tumble dry. The come out looking great with no wrinkles. Wash it. Dry it. Slap it on. No ironing.
Dangerously Awesome a.k.a. Final Thoughts
I read some online reviews of these polos by people who had purchased them. One writer describe his polo as “dangerously awesome.” I loved that line so much I stole it. Snag yourself a Game Day or two. You’ll really dig them.
This time of year I get so many requests from companies asking me to feature their products for my holiday gift guides. Out of respect for companies who have provided products, and to take advantage of the time I’ve spent researching and writing my reviews of those products, I only feature products I have previously reviewed in my gift guides. This helps to get those companies who submitted products more exposure, as well as also giving my reviews more exposure. Win win.
Not Too Late
It isn’t too late to get products into the review queue and get them into my upcoming guides, but time is short. If you’d like to submit a product for review, visit the HOG review sample submission guidelines here.
Note
Unfortunately I’m on injured reserve with my shoulder. I can’t swing a club since I had shoulder surgery this spring. My reviews of equipment will be a little different than my typical playing reviews because I can’t swing a club yet. That said I’m still 100% on golf apparel reviews, golf accessory reviews and most non-swing related products!
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