Range Finders - Threat to the Game?

Filed in archive Golf Wanderings on January 14, 2009

Courtesy: Sarantel

In late November of 2008, the English Golf Union ruled that distance measuring devices would be legal for use in its championships throughout 2009.

The EGU is the governing body of men's amateur golf in England and oversees the nation's amateur teams, offering coaching and organizing the major amateur competitions both domestically and internationally.

It's dedicated to bringing the game of golf to as many potential new golfers as possible.

That's why I find it odd that the EGU would embrace technology that gives a player - especially during competition - an advantage. An advantage not so much over fellow players (who can also use such devices) but an advantage over the game.

Call me old-fashioned or conservative but golf strikes me as a game with two main elements. First, you must strike the ball and send it in the direction you wish it to go. Second (unless you are on a par 3), you must estimate how much distance remains to the green for your second shot.

That's where much of the fun and challenge enters in. Judge correctly using your senses and faculties, strike the ball well and you are rewarded.

Strike the ball well and misjudge distance to pin and you jeopardize your chances of doing well on that hole.

Golf's enduring appeal lies in how well you manage your game. Doesn't it?

We all learned that from Jack Nicklaus, the first golfer to actually pace off distances during practice rounds for reference during tournament action.

What's the difference, you may ask?

Manual versus Automatic. You do the work yourself during the round, shot by shot, hole by hole, controlling your emotions and assessing all factors at the same time: distance, wind speed and direction, elevation, etc.

I, like many others, have played courses where GPS range finders are part of the greens fees and included on golf carts.

And I must admit that they are extremely handy on courses that are new to me.

The reason so many golf clubs are embracing them is that they speed play. And that translates into more tee time bookings which means more revenue.

Fair enough.

But when distance measurement is legalized for competition, the game itself is compromised.

Remember back in 2001 when Casey Martin successfully sued the PGA Tour for the right to use a golf cart during tournaments?

Martin, you may recall, suffers from an unusual birth defect that affects blood flow in his left leg and results in great pain when he walks a golf course.

At the time, opponents decried his request, saying it undermined the game and gave him an unfair advantage over others in a tournament. Frankly, they were the ones who had the advantage when he was forced to walk.

I supported Martin's position - still do - but I remain unconvinced that distance measuring devices in competition can be good for golf.

In my mind, they dumb down the game and remove a critical part of shot making, by eliminating human error entirely.