AI Caddy › Rangefinder app
Golf rangefinder app or laser rangefinder?
A rangefinder app and a laser answer slightly different questions. A laser tells you how far it is to whatever you point it at. A GPS app tells you how far it is to fixed points on a map: the front, middle and back of the green, or any spot on the hole.
In short: lasers are best for the exact distance to a flag you can see. GPS apps are best for the shape of the green, blind shots and lay-ups, and they need no extra device.
How each one works
A laser rangefinder times a beam of light to the target and back. It is precise to whatever it hits, but you need a clear line of sight and a steady hand, and it can't see over a hill.
A GPS rangefinder app compares your phone's satellite position with a map of the course. It doesn't need to see the green at all, but it can only be as good as your GPS fix and the course map. It also doesn't know where today's flag is.
| Question | Laser | GPS app |
|---|---|---|
| Distance to the flag | Yes, if you can see it | No (flag positions change daily) |
| Front and back of the green | Only by aiming at them | Yes, where the green is mapped |
| Blind shots | No line of sight | Yes |
| Distance to a lay-up spot | If you can aim at it | Yes, tap it on the map |
| Extra device to carry | Yes | No, it's your phone |
| Hands-free | No | With a voice app like AI Caddy |
Are they allowed in competitions?
Under the Rules of Golf (Rule 4.3a(1)), you may get distance information from a device unless the committee has a Local Rule banning distance-measuring devices. Two things are not allowed during a competition round:
- measuring changes in elevation (slope);
- a device interpreting the distance for you, such as recommending a club or a line of play based on where your ball is.
AI Caddy has no slope feature. Its club suggestions are the second kind, though, so in a competition ask it for distances only and choose the club yourself.
Where AI Caddy fits
AI Caddy is a GPS app you talk to. Ask “AI Caddy, how far?” and it says the front, middle and back of the green, from where you're standing, with your phone in your pocket. Its satellite map covers the lay-up question: tap any spot for the distance to it and on to the green. Plenty of golfers carry both: a laser for the flag and a GPS app for everything else.
More on what the app does: golf GPS app that speaks your yardages.