Aren't Sky Caddies and other rangefinders against USGA rules?

Question

I play with a guy that insists they're legal for tournaments. I personally think sky caddies should be legal but I'm not sure if they qualify as a rangefinder (which I believe are illegal).

All the sky caddies (or igolf's) do is tell you yardage, which is the same real caddies would do for those of us that can't afford to hire real caddies!

What's your opinion on these things?

Answer 1

Yes they are legal provided your local committee allows them in tournament play.

The ones that aren't legal are the onces that compensate for slope and wind.  Distances on a golf course are common knowledge and Digital caddies simply do what a normal caddie would do by given you  the correct yardage.

They are most certainly not against the spirit of the game, if they were so would yardages on sprinkler heads be, and they actually speed up play because it saves pacing off yardages.

Answer 2

Check the USGA website and you will get all the information and answers to your question.  And, yes I believe skycaddies are now legal.  After all, in the PGA tournaments this informations is gathered and given to the golf pro...so..that is what the sky caddy does. But the pro has a caddy almost full time. Now, if I had a choice of having a live caddy toting my bag or using a sky caddie?? No contest....the live caddy.  But...unless you can find someone to tote your bag, you're not going to find any caddy today, maybe some exception, at your public golf course.  And, when I started playing there was nothing but 200, 150 & 100 yard markers.  Even today...not all golf courses have the yardage on their sprinkler heads in the fairways. So, yes the sky caddie is a great help, at least to me.  I don't have to stop and think...is it a 9 iron or an 8 iron when my ball is lying in the fairway somewhere between the 100 and 150 yard markers, and having to take the time to step off the yardage, a time consuming, and can be  upsetting to the foursome coming up behind and having to wait. This too can be a great time saver and help speed up play for the many crowded golf courses now.

Answer 3

In a (USGA)  tournament they would definately be illegal.Some courses used them ;  some do not, in the Boston,Mass area. Some members at the clubs they use them at have them; but not all ; it is like an extra gadget for those willing to pay for them. They are pretty accurate for distances,  but there are always other factors they will never know. Wind factors; with or against ;uphill ;downhill, etc.

Answer 4

99% of all the golfers you see, on any course, anywhere, are not good enough to need exact yardages.

Sky Caddies and other rangefinders may be great for pros, scratch golfers or 2-4 HCPers but, for everyone else, they are highly unnecessary.

And they go against the spirit of the rules.

Answer 5

The rangefinders were made legal with the changes effective Jan 1, 2008. This was by meetings between the USGA and the Royal and Ancient Golf Assn in the revision of rules. Knowing a yardage is great and us old caddies could do it by eye and landmarks on our course. Now, with the red,white and blue fairway markers, judging yardage is an easier task.I still eyeball yardages which fall in between the markers and add plus or minus yards for pin positions.

Answer 6

I don't think that they are needed. What happened to using the 50,100 and 150 yard poles or sprinkler heads. america is getting lazy everywhere. By the way im not some old guy mad at technology im a high school golfer

Answer 7

Despite what you hear on the SkyCaddie commercials, the USGA rule is that rangefinders are NOT legal. But the local authority (or "tournament committee") can make a rule to allow them.

You will have to check with your local authority to see if they allow them. (I don't know where you are, but the Minnesota Golf Association does NOT allow them.)