I got a new (golf) toy

This week at my ladies league we had 80’s theme night. It was not super hot but it was a very humid night. My hair, although can be done curly and big, would not have lasted very long in that humidity. So I opted for a bright pink dress, neon headband, and bright pink lipstick to represent my 80’s style - I know, it is not exactly on the mark but I tried.

Our ladies league is big (40 women!), and I didn’t see everyone come through because we were last, but I thought Shandy had a great 80’s vibe going. Neon colors, the sunglasses and the scrunchy were perfect. Had to snap a pic!

Shandy & Mary

Char (my golf partner) and I had the last tee time at 5:36PM. We played the front nine. My drives were a little off today - going left and right of the fairway. My putting could have been better - I had 3 holes where I 3-putted. What went well? (I try to always find the positive) I had a couple of 3W and 5W hits on the fairway that I nailed, and pretty much every shot with my sand wedge was good.

I have always kept my own scorecard for myself: writing down each club I use and my putts.

We need to a scorecard for our foursome as well that gets turned in at the end of the round on league night. But I always keep my own. In the beginning when I was learning, I found it tough to remember my score on each hole. So I got into the habit of writing down after each shot (or whenever I returned back to the golf cart) what club I used so that I could be confident about what I scored on each hole. Just as an extra security blanket for me, I needed to write this down, as there were a lot of things floating around in my head trying to think about all the things I needed to do simply to get the ball going in the right general direction. Also, every time I played, each hole was at least 6 shots for me if not 8, so that’s a lot of strokes to add up in your head, honestly.

Then when I got a GHIN handicap, I figured out that the app takes more than just your score - you can record stats - like your fairways hit, greens in regulation, and putts. So I always keep my own card so I can write down whether my drive went left or right of the fairway, whether I hit the greens in regulation (so exciting when that happens!!!) and I always count my putts. I have a lot to work on, but this gives me areas to focus on when I look at my trends over the weeks that I’ve played this season.

This week I had a brand new toy to play with. For Prime day I decided I would buy a range finder. The first couple of years I played, I used a Garmin S42 watch. I actually loved the watch. It is designed for golf and it’s perfect for golf - tells you your yardage, you can keep score with it, you can see hazards and info about the hole. It was initially a great purchase and lasted 2 seasons. I loved it because all the info you need is right on your wrist. However, it had a battery problem that I resolved in February before the season starts and then NOW it has a “GPS” problem that I can’t seem to fix with my own troubleshooting. I will have to get Garmin support to hep me. Bottom line - it’s not working right now. I thought it would be a good opportunity to try a range finder out.

I did not read the manual. It came with a quick start guide which I looked at. I just pulled it out and started using it.

It’s definitely going to be something to get used to (for me). I struggled a little with having to worry about one more thing in and out of my hands - golf balls, tees, golf club, and now range finder. It’s magnetic so it sticks to the golf cart, but it doesn’t fit in pockets…. well for sure it does not fit in women’s clothing pockets.

So the cute pink case that I bought for it, as it turns out, does not fit it. It’s too big and it was getting in the way of accurate readings, so I removed it and I’ll send the case back.

I played with some of the buttons. I pointed it at a couple pins and verified what yardage it was telling me with the scorecard. It was very blurry and I didn’t figure it out until I got home that night that it has a focus adjustment. DUH. I also struggled with keeping a steady enough hand to be sure I shot the pin and not the trees behind it. I cannot see the black text inside it so I was glad you can change the color to red and that’s easier for me to see.

OK so you are probably thinking why the heck did she buy a range finder?

Here’s why I bought it: it gives you a yardage with a slope adjustment (this is not allowed in tournament play but there are no tournaments in my near future). At my home course there are several holes that have significant uphill or downhill and I struggle to figure out the club to use - so this new toy will help me figure that out. If you have 100 yards to the pin but it’s significantly uphill, you may want to use your 110 or 120 yard club - it will “play longer” as they say. Similarly, if there’s a significant down slope the hole will “play shorter,” that 100 yards might need only your 90 yard club, for example.

More to come on how well I like it and whether or not it helps me. Just about all the guys I see on the golf course have a range finder but most ladies I play with do not use one. So I’m curious - and I learn by doing - and I want to know does it help or not? And maybe it was also a great excuse to buy a golf accessory for the made up July holiday of Prime Day. (It really was a good deal though I swear!)