For a few months I’ve had the Bushnell 201540 Bushnell Tour X Jolt Golf Laser GPS/Rangefinder in play. I’ve been very happy with the performance and accuracy of this rangefinder. If only I could be as accurate at hitting my yardages as this unit is at supplying them to me.
Bushnell TourX Golf Laser Rangefinder
Bushnell TourX Golf Laser Rangefinder Features
Front plate is interchangeable. One plate (red as pictured above) turns slope on (not legal for tournament or stipulated play). The other plate (black) turns slope off making it legal for tournaments and stipulated play.
Two display modes for varying conditions. One mode produces bright red numbers (my favorite) and the other black.
PinSeeker with JOLT Technology locks onto pin super fast and the unit vibrates to indicate pin-lock.
2nd generation E.S.P for fast and accurate yardages
6x magnification and accurate +/- 0.5 yards
On The Course
As the flagship laser from Bushnell I would expect nothing less than a fast, dependable, and accurate reading. That’s exactly what the unit produces. The reading is probably the fastest of any laser I’ve reviewed to date. The yardage is spot-on the first time, unlike some less expensive Bushnell units which can sometimes produce a different yardage every time the same yardage is shot.
Accessing the unit is easy in the very nice zippered case which can hang on the golf bag. An elastic loop
I tried the slope feature for a few holes but ended up switching to the non-slope mode. I record all of my rounds for my handicap and don’t want any illegally used clubs or accessories affecting my handicap.
Once again, the red plate is the not-for-tournament-play version. To be legal the black plate must be installed.
Pros and Cons
The pros to this unit are super-accurate yardages with lightning (maybe I should say “laser”) speed.
The cons are the size of the unit and the cost. This laser is larger in size than many on the market. The retail price is an astounding $680 but most street prices are at or below $499.
Conclusion
The Bushnell TourX is a case of “you get what you pay for.” This is the fastest and most accurate laser rangefinder I’ve tested to date.
There are not too many people who know as much about golf gadgets as yours truly. In fact, I know too much. That’s a discussion for another day.
Today I’m happy to post a golf blog on the best Father’s Day golf gadgets. The gadgets below have all been reviewed here on Hooked On Golf Blog. You can click the link to read the full review or the link to buy one directly. I try to make it easy for you.
Though I have not posted my review yet, I can tell you this is one badass golf laser. Quickest and most accurate unit I’ve tested to date. The price is a bit steep, but this is a quality piece.
Game Golf was one of Hooked On Golf Blog’s 2014 products of the year. It is an awesome system that tracks every shot and lets you analyze on your computer at home. Shots are plotted over a map and every club distance is measured. Many more cool features included. Very cool golf gadget!
Another one of the best products of 2014. This unit shows golf club head speed and all sorts of other great golf launch characteristics. Great for practice and club testing.
I certainly can’t blame my golf accessories if I miss a green or a target! When I’ve got the Bushnell NEO Ghost pocket golf GPS on my person I have a light and easy to read yardage. Let’s take a look at the NEO Ghost in detail.
Features
Preloaded with 33,000+ courses
14 hour battery life. Number of holes or rounds obviously depends on pace of play.
Auto course recognition
Auto hole advance
Clear and large yardage numbers, easy to read
Up to four hazard distances per hole
Easy-to-use interface
Multi-function clip and USB charging cable included (clip to belt or golf bag)
Super light
Available colors: black, charcoal, green, white
On The Course
First things first. To get the NEO Ghost ready for a round it needs to be charged. Unlike many golf GPS units, the NEO Ghost has a standard micro USB port. It can be charged with a regular micro USB cable one might use for a smartphone or other USB peripherals. Since it has no proprietary bizarre cable to charge it, you won’t end up on your first trip to Bandon Dunes realizing you can’t use your GPS because you forgot the funky charger. Rant over…
A full charge lasts forever, or up to 14 hours. I say forever because I can go several rounds before having to charge the unit. Other GPS units I’ve reviewed barely last more than one round.
The size and ease of use of the NEO Ghost is a big selling point. The soft edges and rounded corners slide in and out of my pocket easily. Nothing sharp to bug me when the unit is in my pocket. It is so light that I can hardly tell it is on my person.
Invaluable and accurate golf data in the palm of my hand!
Looking at the display is refreshing. It is super simple with big clear yardages. The big number is the center of the green. The smaller numbers represent yardages to the front and back of the green. The unit will also provide crucial information regarding hazard yardages, like greenside bunkers. It is always great to know the exact yardage to “cover” a bunker.
The unit powers up quickly and automatically knows the course I’m playing. With 33,000 courses it is unlikely a user will run across a course which is not in the unit.
Conclusion
Ranging from $99 to $129, the NEO Ghost golf GPS by Bushnell is a very affordable and easy to use golf measuring device. It delivers solid data, is sharp looking, light, charges easily, and lasts a long time. Fantastic.
The NEO Ghost would make a great golf gift for Father’s Day, Christmas, Birthdays and more.
I just got in the Bushnell TourX laser rangefinder for review and logged my first round of testing with it yesterday. This is a super top of the line unit (yes, such genius writing).
Bushnell TourX Golf Laser Rangefinder
During today’s round I was amazed at how quickly this golf laser locked onto the pin. I’m talking fractions of a second. When it locks, the unit vibrates.
I was also amazed at how crystal clear the display is, along with the yardage data shown.
I will need to log more rounds before my review and there’s one major drawback to this unit to discuss. Stay tuned for the full HOG Bushnell TourX review soon.
Bushnell Tour Z6 Laser Rangefinder with Pinseeker + Jolt
I’ve had a Bushnell Tour Z6 Jolt laser rangefinder in the bag for a while now. The Tour Z6 Jolt is a small golf laser rangefinder which has some very nice features, the most useful and obvious is providing yardages to the golfer. Armed with exact yardages to the pin, to the lip of bunkers which need to be carried, to trees, to hazards, the golfer can confidently pick the right club and right swing for the shot.
Features
The key feature of a laser rangefinder is to give the golfer a yardage to the pin. The “Pinseeker” component of the Bushnell Tour Z6 is designed to easily lock onto flagsticks quickly and accurately, delivering that yardage fast and dependably.
The unit is capable of delivering yardages from five to 1,300 yards. Nice to be able to get a yardage to the pin on a 1,300 yard hole for you big hitters.
When the unit is fairly sure it has locked in on a flagstick, it vibrates or produces a “jolt” which gives physical feedback to the user. Thus the “jolt” name.
The numbers, crosshairs, and other on screen display items are shown in a very vibrant glowing red. That glowing red is much easier to read than lasers with black numbers.
The focus adjustable viewfinder magnifies the viewing area by 6x, making the flag or other items the user is shooting very easy to see. Since the focus is adjustable, the viewfinder can be tweaked for those who need prescription glasses or contacts.
The case and housing are very sharp looking. The skeleton of the unit is covered in very tough and durable rubber, which is also waterproof. Great for those rounds in Scotland, Florida, or the northwest USA.
On The Course
I like the small footprint of this particular laser. It easily fits in pockets on the golf bag. It is not heavy or cumbersome. The included case hangs nicely on a towel loop or other place on the bag for easy access.
For the most part the yardages are acquired quickly and accurately. The jolt feature is a nice addition, giving confidence that the unit is locked in on the flagstick and not the trees behind the green.
I really dig the red display characters and crosshairs. They look so much better than the standard black/gray LCD type display characters. The numbers are easy to read.
I wear prescription glasses on the course. Because of how they are working, I need an adjustable diopter to do a custom focus for my eyes. That way I don’t have to take off my glasses to see what’s in the laser’s display area. The adjustment works great and saves me the inconvenience of having to remove my glasses to use the unit.
Critiques
Above I mentioned that “for the most part” the yardages are quick and accurate. I have found on occasion that the yardages can sometimes vary by as much as two yards. One time I may shoot a pin at 150 and the next two confirmation shots could be 151 or 149. I’m not necessarily good enough to worry about the difference between 149 to 151, but it may bring into question whether or not the yardage is accurate.
Conclusion
I typically prefer lasers over golf GPS units. The only time a GPS is better is when hitting over trees or objects which block the laser’s line of sight, which is not often.
New drivers can cost $500 and up. But they can’t help you with as much of your game as knowing exact yardages to the pin and all sorts of other targets on the course. The roughly $400 investment for this unit is steep, but will be used far more times in a golf round than 14, the typical number of times a driver is hit.
The Bushnell Tour Z6 Jolt is a solid golf laser rangefinder and it is my new gamer. I love the feel of the unit in both tactile terms and the jolt feature. The red display is awesome. I can use it in the rain, which I play plenty of rounds in.
The only thing better than a Scottish caddie is… a Scottish caddie. When I can’t use a Scottish caddie, I use the Bushnell Tour Z6 Jolt golf laser rangefinder!
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