Struggle To Read Greens? This New Rangefinder Could Come To Your Rescue

The best golf rangefinders come in all shapes and sizes nowadays. That being said, the current trend is leaning towards more compact models. I've tested the Voice Caddie Laser Fit and GolfBuddy Laser 2S Pro in recent months and have been impressed with how much can be packed into such a small device. It's not about how big it is, it's about what you do with it, right? With that mantra ringing in my ears, I was excited to try Mileseey's latest effort, the miniscule IONME2, which comes with a unique green reading function that could be the solution for those who struggle to putt from a distance.

There will be more on that unique feature later, but let's focus on the device itself. It's a small, rectangular design that easily sits in the palm of your hand. It's a lot heavier than some of the other compact lasers I've tested - 180g compared to the 113g of the Voice Caddie Laser Fit - but I liked the weightiness of it. If you're a player who plays in a lot of wind or who has a bit of a shaky hand, this will come in handy. It feels premium, too. Its $400 price tag may seem a little steep compared to the competition, but I can attest that this feels like a premium device. This is boosted by the IP65 protection, the highest value there is for dust and waterproof protection - this is certainly a rugged device built to last.

Instead of a normal carry case that most lasers come with, the IONME2 comes with a clip that houses the device. This is designed primarily to be clipped onto your belt, giving you easy and constant access, especially when you're away from your golf bag on the green. For the sake of fashion and keeping what few friends I have left at my golf club, I couldn't bring myself to clip this to my belt. If you can get past this fashion faux pas, good for you, but I couldn't and that's the end of that.

Instead, I clipped it to the accessory hook of my bag, which I preferred to using a normal laser case. I loved how instantly accessible it was versus a normal carry case, which you spend plenty of time zipping and unzipping to get inside. It sits snugly in the holster, and though I was initially worried it was going to fall out, being so exposed, I never had a problem with it coming loose. So, even though the clip wasn't initially designed for this use, it was a better solution than the belt.

The reason Mileseey want you to have the IONME2 attached to you at all times is because of its unique green reading feature called PinPoint. Using the device on the putting surface, you can zap the top of the flagstick and the device will tell you how far away - to the centimeter - you're stood from the hole and whether it is uphill or downhill - within 1% of slope. It can't tell you which way it's breaking, but it's a unique feature that will allow you to gain a better understanding of how far away the flag is and hopefully help with you lag putting in the process. Using it on the practice green from say, 30ft away, you can drill exactly how much power you need to put into a putt. Once you're faced with a 30ft putt on the course, you'll know exactly what that weight needs to feel like off the blade. Taking out the guesswork from distance is a great feature, so long as you know how hard to hit the lag putt.

I did get a few funny looks from my playing partners when I started lasering the flag while on the green, but once they understood what the device was doing, they were soon on board. Unlike the Mileseey GenePro S1 laser, which also has this feature, the IONME2 is small enough to fit into your pocket, so it is far easier to take to the green with you.

Via the settings menu on the device, you have to set your exact height to allow the laser to understand how high it is zapping the flag from on the green. Though Mileseey claims this to be accurate to within the centimetre, the height settings only work in four-inch intervals. I'm 5ft 11, so I had to choose the 6ft setting, as the next closest was 5ft 8. I'm not sure how a device claiming such precise accuracy on green readings can have such disparity between the different height options. Hopefully this can be changed soon.

The device also has a triangulation feature, which allows you to zap your ball and then the target for an accurate reading, even when you're not standing next to the ball. Around 12 months ago, this was a feature I'd never tested, but I'm now seeing it crop up on more and more of the best golf rangefinders, and it's a great feature. For those who play a lot of cart path-only golf or who have playing partners always asking you for yardages, it's an invaluable feature that will genuinely speed up your pace of play.

The view through the site is crystal clear, and it's not too cluttered with information like the Mileseey GenePro S1 I recently tested. The modes are easy to scroll through, as are the settings, where you can change things like brightness and the units of measurement from yards to meters. For sure, this is at the more expensive end of the scale, but it is truly feature-packed with the benefit

It's half the RRP of the laughably priced $800 GenePro S1, yet it has pretty much all the same features. If the green reading feature appeals to you, and you're after a compact, premium and durable laser rangefinder this year, the IONME2 is a superb laser for you.