Bushnell Hybrid

The Bushnell Hybrid has made it onto the Golf Monthly Tech 50 2018/19 list for its impressive distance-measuring functionality

Bushnell Hybrid

Price: £399

Tech Talk

Bushnell is the leading laser rangefinder brand in golf and its latest creation, the Hybrid, combines GPS capability with laser precision in one device.

The GPS information is displayed on a screen on the side of the unit, surrounded by clearly-labelled buttons to navigate through the features.

Users can see distances to the front, middle and back of the green as well as distances to hazards. Through the viewfinder, golfers can use the laser capability to ascertain the distance to the flag using PinSeeker with Jolt technology, which produces a vibrating burst when the target has been picked out from the background.

• BUY NOW: Bushnell Hybrid from Amazon

The GPS and Laser functions are powered by two different sources, a USB rechargeable lithium ion battery and CR2 battery respectively, so they both don’t need to be switched on together.

When they are working concurrently, golfers are notified of the distance to the front and back of the green through the viewfinder as well as the distance to the flag. Golfers can also measure shot distances and use the Hybrid in competitions.

• BUY NOW: Bushnell Hybrid from Amazon

Game Booster

Laser rangefinders provide fast, accurate distances to a specific target but they do have their limitations – like on blind shots where the flag isn’t visible and the ambiguity of the position of the flag on the green.

The addition of the GPS capability on the Bushnell Hybrid goes a long way to rectifying this. Golfers now know how far the flag is on the green and can then employ a more effective strategy and club selection to take potential hazards out of play.

• BUY NOW: Bushnell Hybrid from Amazon

The hazard distances are especially useful off the tee, a situation where lasers aren’t often employed, in deciding on a club to carry or finish short of any danger while knowing the yardage to the middle of the green helps hugely on blind shots.

The clarity of vision through the viewfinder of the Hybrid is best-in-class. It is incredibly easy to use and its simplicity, combined with its speed and accuracy, will make it a very popular choice for the serious golfer.