Looking for the best rangefinder to help you find the yardage to the flag? Here are some options from Nikon, Pinned Golf, Bushnell and more.
GOLF
Welcome to GOLF’s 2024 holiday edition of Our Picks, where our experts are hand-selecting the items you — and your golf-loving family and friends — need on your radar. Scroll below for our latest batch of recommendations, and visit our Best Golf Stuff of 2024 hub page for more articles.
It’s 2024 (almost 2025!) which means a rangefinder is an essential piece of your golf bag.
No more of this walking out to the middle of the fairway to find the 100-, 150- and 200-yard markers. Take your laser out, point it at the flag and bam! You’ve got the exact yardage to the flag, or a bunker or a tree you want to aim at.
Today’s rangefinders are so much more than just lasers too. From slope integration, to measuring other variables and GPS functions, the options are endless.
At GOLF.com and GOLF Magazine, we see it all. The good stuff you want is on our website and in the pages of our magazine, hand-picked by our golf-loving experts who have been dialing in our best estimation of what exactly you (the reader!) wants. This holiday season, our staff put their heads together to come up with gift ideas you’ll jump at, both from our sister site Fairway Jockey and other brands across the U.S. The result? Must-have items any golfer would love — and just in time for shopping season.
Check out our picks below for must-have rangefinders for your bag, which includes items from Nikon, Pinned Golf, Bushnell and more.
The best rangefinders we used in 2024
Keep scrolling for our picks of the best rangefinders we used in 2024 that you should buy.
Pinned Golf Prism+ Rangefinder Bundle
Prism+ Rangefinder Bundle
The new and improved Prism+ Laser Rangefinder. Word on the course is that it is the most user friendly rangefinder ever created. It’s packed with new cutting edge software, a dialed in performance aesthetic and never before seen features.
The Prism+ is a stylish testament to our commitment to innovation and making the game of golf more fun.
Pinned’s Prism+ rangefinder might be the most stylish option on this list, and right now, you can get a free Sound Stick speaker with your purchase! The Prisim+ is available in six colors and the Sound Stick is available in six more options, making for a bevy of combinations. Behind the stylish look is a cutting-edge rangefinder that is sure to get you the precise number to the flagstick.
Bushnell Tour V6 Shift
Bushnell Tour V6 Shift Laser Rangefinder
Utilizing new and improved electronics, along with our patented, Tour-trusted Slope technology, Tour V6 Shift is the most accurate, consistent and longest ranging Tour series laser Bushnell Golf has ever released.
PATENTED, TOUR TRUSTED SLOPE TECHNOLOGY
Our Tour-trusted Slope formula gives you the most precise Slope compensated distances and is used and trusted by 99% of PGA Tour pros.
SLOPE-SWITCH TECHNOLOGY
Conveniently utilize Slope to get compensated distances around the course when you want it, and have a USGA-conforming device that is legal for tournament play when you need it.
UNRIVALED PRECISION
Utilizing new and improved electronics, the Tour V6 Shift is the most accurate, consistent and longest ranging Tour series laser Bushnell Golf has ever released.
IMPROVED PINSEEKER WITH VISUAL JOLT
In addition to feeling when you have locked onto the flag, a red ring now flashes as JOLT vibrates to give you even greater feedback and confidence to know you have locked onto the flag.
IMPROVED WEATHER RESISTANT DESIGN (IPX6)
The most weather resistant (IPX6) Tour series laser Bushnell Golf has ever made.
LENGTH:
4.5″
WIDTH:
1.6″
HEIGHT:
3.1″
WEIGHT:
8.7oz
WATER RESISTANT:
YES, IPX6
DISPLAY:
LCD
POWER SOURCE:
3-Volt Lithium (CR-2)
SLOPE SWITCH
YES
MAGNIFICATION:
6x
OBJECTIVE LENS DIAMETER:
24mm
EXIT PUPIL:
4.0mm
EXTRA LONG EYE RELIEF:
16mm
RANGE:
5-1,300 yards
RANGING ACCURACY:
1 yard
FIELD OF VIEW:
330ft@1000 yards
FULLY MULTI-COATED:
YES
Bushnell’s rangefinders are a mainstay on the PGA Tour and the Bushnell Tour V6 Shift is no exception. The shift has all of the same technology as the standard model, including Pinseeker with visual jolt feedback, but also features a slope switch that is USGA legal to turn off the function for tournament play.
Nikon COOLSHOT PROII
Nikon COOLSHOT PROII Stabilized Rangefinder
Nikon’s fastest, most accurate golf rangefinder with stabilized optics and laser, incline/decline detection, pin recognition and more.
Unshakable confidence.
Borrowing technology from Nikon’s innovative cameras and lenses, the COOLSHOT PROII counteracts hand shake and environmental factors to steady both your view and the ranging laser. It’s easier to find your target, and it’s easier to lock onto it.
Fast. Accurate.
HYPER READ technology provides near-instant measurements (approx. 0.3 seconds) that are comfortably visible within the bright, crystal-clear OLED display. Explore more options for your shots without slowing down your game.
Oh, what a view.
Nikon has been a world-leader in optics for more than 100 years. The COOLSHOT PROII uses a brilliant 6x power monocular with Nikon’s innovative anti-glare and high-contrast coatings, plus a diopter adjustment to fine tune for your vision.
Lock onto the flag.
Targeting the pin? DUAL LOCKED ON ECHO—confirms you’ve hit the flag and not something in the background. It also gives a green visual cue and a pleasant audible confirmation that you’re measuring the pin, not a tree or other object 20 yards behind it.
The COOLSHOT PROII Stabilized comes from Nikon, so you know the optics are going to be top-notch. The COOLSHOT PROII takes advantage of Nikon’s innovative anti-glare and high-contrast coatings, plus a diopter adjustment to fine tune your vision. This rangefinder also features HYPER READ technology, getting you a yardage in three-tenths of a second so you don’t have to waste any time choosing a club.
Bushnell X3+
Bushnell Pro X3+ Laser Rangefinder
Precision Perfected: Next Level Performance with Wind. Pro X3+ is the most powerful, precise laser rangefinder to date – packing all of the market-leading innovations you have come to expect from the #1 Rangefinder in Golf.
If you want to pull out all the stops, the Bushnell X3+ rangefinder is your answer. When you connect the rangefinder to the mobile app and turn the slope adjustments on, the X3+ will actually factor in slope, elevation and wind speed and direction to create a compensated yardage. It’s also fully IPX7 waterproof meaning it cannot only factor in the elements but it can also survive in them too.
Blue Tees Golf Series 3 Max+ Rangefinder
Blue Tees Golf Series 3 Max+ Rangefinder
The Series 3 Max+ Laser Rangefinder is the next iteration of our flagship, best selling S3 line of lasers. S3 Max+ offers improved software + electronics, an enhanced ergonomic design, and is powered by our new rechargeable battery technology.
Slope Switch
Pulse Vibration
Red/Black Control
USB-C Rechargeable Battery
Built-in Magnetic Strip
Crystal Clear Display
Advanced Flag Lock
1000 Yard Range
Active Tracking
Water Resistant
The Blue Tees Golf Series 3 Max+ is the latest in the company’s flagship rangefinder series, but it is still priced well below its competitors, under $300. For the money, you’re not going to get a better ergonomically-shaped package with slope compensation for the money.
Voice Caddie SL3 GPS Laser Rangefinder
Voice Caddie SL3 GPS Laser Rangefinder
The all-new SL3 captures the highest essence of technology in one, state-of-the-art laser rangefinder. An active hybrid GPS laser rangefinder, the SL3 integrates a high-resolution touchscreen, dynamic and detailed green undulation data, and course layout graphics (with eagle eye overview), putt view with elevation/distance measurement, and GPS distance readings. In its scope is a bright multi-color OLED display with best-in-class optical clarity. The SL3 integrates slope compensation, pin tracer with GPS pin assist for advanced stabilization, a ultra-high-speed processor, and high propensity noise filtration. The SL3 is the only device ever to integrate a fully hybrid GPS for maximum filtering and stability, illustrative course layout and green views, and putt distance measurement into a laser rangefinder. Truly the most advanced laser rangefinder ever developed.
MAIN FUNCTIONS:• True Hybrid GPS/Laser Rangefinder• Pin Tracer™ (Increased lock on area)• GPS Pin Assist: Utilizes GPS Data to FilterBackground and hone in on the Pin• Slope Integration with Tournament Mode• Shot Distance Measurement• Putt View – Elevation / Distance• Color Touch LCD Screen• Course layout / GPS yardage view /Green Undulation / Putt View• Adjustable Dual Color OLED for Low Light Play• Optical Angle/High Clarity Lens* Course layout & Green Undulation is not available for allcourses. Currently, Course layout & Green undulation is activefor over 13,000 courses in US, 15,000 courses worldwide.(Continuously updating the data library)
If you’re someone who likes having all the bells and whistles, look no further than the Voice Caddie SL3 GPS Laser Rangefinder. Not only does this rangefinder offer slope and GPS integration, allowing you to get specific numbers to hazards and the front and back of the green, but it also features a screen to view green undulations.
Jack Hirsh is the Associate Equipment Editor at GOLF. A Pennsylvania native, Jack is a 2020 graduate of Penn State University, earning degrees in broadcast journalism and political science. He was captain of his high school golf team and recently returned to the program to serve as head coach. Jack also still *tries* to remain competitive in local amateurs. Before joining GOLF, Jack spent two years working at a TV station in Bend, Oregon, primarily as a Multimedia Journalist/reporter, but also producing, anchoring and even presenting the weather. He can be reached at jack.hirsh@golf.com.
