Bushnell Laser Rangefinder Review and Guide

While meeting with Bushnell at the 2009 PGA Merchandise Show, we learned that the company had partnered with iGolf to offer downloadable course files from the world’s largest GPS golf course database. Because of that partnership, Bushnell is able to jump right into the GPS competition without waiting to grow a library of their own. We really liked the thought of that, because we thoroughly enjoyed the iGolf GPS units we had tried in the past.

Overall, we think the Bushnell Yardage Pro is a step in the right direction for a company entering the GPS marketplace. They put out a high quality and extremely accurate GPS unit that will be perfect for golfers that play the same course all the time and really just need green distances. However if you play multiple or new courses frequently, you might want to wait for some of the other Bushnell GPS reviews before making your decision. You can read all about the Yardage Pro at their website Bushnell Golf Yardage Pro. This unit carries a MSRP of 9.99 and is available now.

There are only four buttons on the display. There is an up arrow, a down arrow, an enter button, and a page button. For certain things, you just press one of the buttons. For other options, you have to hold one of the buttons down for a certain amount of time. I found it difficult to remember which button does what and when I had to hold the button down or just press the button. Again, entry-level units are usually more basic in their navigation, but I do feel that this one leaves a little room for improvement. The good news is that as long as you are just using it for yardages to the green, you don’t have to do any navigating during your round. Once you get it set up, you only have to hit the up arrow after each hole to move on to the next set of yardages.

NO rangefinder, monocular, binocular, or telescope should ever be sold with a fixed focus eyepiece. You can skate by with a fixed focus eyepiece on a 1x optical system, such as the viewfinders of most cameras. But with a magnifying optical system (in other words a telescope), and you are looking through a small telescope when you use any laser rangefinder, a focusing eyepiece is simply a requirement. Everyone’s eyes are different and few people actually have “20/20″ vision, so a fixed focus eyepiece means that the majority of users are going to see an image that is out of focus to some extent.

Illuminated indicators in the viewfinder warn when the laser is active and when the battery is low. The fixed focus eyepiece is provided with a rubber eyecup that can be rolled down to allow eyeglass wearers to get closer to the ocular lens.

We were both impressed by all of the Legend’s good features, especially its ease of use. The fixed focus monocular was blurry to my eyes, with or without my glasses, which are a recent prescription. It didn’t prevent me from rangefinding accurately, but it was irritating. The eyepiece was fine for Bob’s eyes. He loves the unit and refuses to give it back, so I guess that Guns and Shooting Online will end up having to purchase this Bushnell Yardage Pro Legend.

The Sport 450 is compact and light weight. It is easy to carry and the battery life of the 9 volt battery that powers it is excellent. I have been using mine for over a year without having to change the battery yet. I have noticed that as the battery gets lower the effective range does begin to shorten. TheSport 450 is easy to use and can be operated in either a horizontal or verticle orientation. I have tried both orientations and got the same readings each time. the one button to activate the laser on the top (if held horizontal) of theSport 450 is large enough to be easy to find quickly without having to look away from your target to find the trigger. The 4X20 optics gives enough magnification to easily locate your target and still give alarge enough field of view to quickly pick up targets even at close range.

Check out more laser rangefinders advice at opticalrangefindes.com. You can also read some great guides on the Bushnell Yardage Pro Legend there as well.