The quick answer
A $300 budget covers most of the laser rangefinders we have researched: 13 of them were $300 or less new, in stock, at our latest price check. Every one of the 13 has slope, and all have between 6x and 7x magnification.
If you play in competitions, start with the nine whose makers describe a slope switch or say slope can be switched off. If you only play casual rounds, the choice comes down to battery type, water rating and how much you want to spend. Stabilization is out of reach at this budget.
Who this is for
Golfers with about $300 to spend on a first laser rangefinder or a replacement, who want to know what that money buys and where the models differ.
How this list is built
The list is every laser rangefinder in our records whose lowest new, in-stock price was $300 or less at our latest check.
The 13 are split into two groups by what each maker says about turning slope off, because that decides whether you can use the rangefinder in a competition. Within each group they run from lowest price to highest. Where two prices match, they are in alphabetical order by brand.
Nine with a slope switch
| Specification | Shot ScopePRO L2 | Shot ScopePRO ZR | Shot ScopePRO L5 | Blue TeesCaptain Air | Precision ProNX10 Slope |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price when checked | $129.99 (Shot Scope) | $199.99 (DICK'S Sporting Goods) | $199.99 (Global Golf) | $199.99 (Blue Tees Golf) | $199.99 (Global Golf) |
| Turning slope off | Can be switched off | Can be switched off | Slope switch | External slope switch | Slope switch |
| Max range | 700 yards | 1,500 yards | 1,300 yards | 1,000 yards | 999 yards |
| Magnification | 6× | 6× | 7× | 6× | 6× |
| Battery | Replaceable CR2 3V | Replaceable CR2 | Replaceable CR2 3V | USB-C rechargeable | CR2 3V Replaceable |
| Water rating | Water resistant | Water resistant | Water resistant | IP65 | Not published |
| Specification | ArccosSmart Laser | Blue TeesCaptain Pro | Bushnell GolfA1-Slope | Precision ProTitan Slope |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price when checked | $299.99 (2nd Swing Golf) | $249.99 (Blue Tees Golf) | $299.99 (DICK'S Sporting Goods) | $249.99 (Precision Pro) |
| Turning slope off | Slope switch | Slope switch | Slope switch | Slope switch |
| Max range | 999 yards | 1,200 yards | 1,300 yards | 999 yards |
| Magnification | 6.1× | 7× | 6× | 6× |
| Battery | 3-Volt Lithium (CR-2) | USB-C rechargeable | USB-C rechargeable | USB-C rechargeable |
| Water rating | IP44 | IP67 | IPX6 | IP67 |
At our last price checks, the 9 rangefinders with a slope switch ranged from about $130 to about $300.
Shot Scope says all its rangefinders are legal for tournament use once Adaptive slope technology is turned off with “the slope switch on the side of the rangefinder.” That covers the PRO L2, PRO ZR and PRO L5. Bushnell’s A1-Slope uses the Mode button rather than a separate switch: “Slope can be switched on or off using the Mode button.”
The Arccos Smart Laser lists a slope switch, and Arccos describes its Tournament Mode as “a conforming mode that disables slope and environmental adjustments.” Its price works differently from the rest. Arccos says the price includes the first year of the Smart Laser Subscription, which then “renews at $199.99/year,” and that the Smart Laser “requires an active Smart Laser Subscription” for its full experience. Its live weather adjustments, AI Strategy and Green Maps are among the features that need it. Count the second year before you compare it with a rangefinder you pay for once.
Four to check before an event
| Specification | Voice CaddieLaser FIT | NikonCOOLSHOT 20i GIII | NikonCOOLSHOT 50i GII | GarminApproach Z10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price when checked | $199.99 (DICK'S Sporting Goods) | $239.95 (DICK'S Sporting Goods) | $299.95 (TGW) | $299.99 (Global Golf) |
| Turning slope off | Slope Integration with Tournament Mode | Not published | Not published | Tournament mode |
| Max range | 800 yards | 800 yards | 1,200 yards | 1,200 yards |
| Magnification | 6× | 6× | 6× | 6× |
| Battery | Rechargeable Li-Polymer 500mAh | 1 CR2 Lithium Battery (DC 3V) | CR2 lithium battery | Replaceable CR2 |
| Water rating | Not published | Rainproof | Rainproof | IPX4 |
All four have slope. Garmin lists a tournament mode for the Approach Z10, and Voice Caddie lists “Slope Integration with Tournament Mode” for the Laser FIT, but neither page says that the mode turns slope off. Nikon says that with the COOLSHOT 50i GII “you’ll know how far the shot is with or without slope compensation,” and describes an indicator light for when slope is not allowed. For the COOLSHOT 20i GIII, Nikon does not say whether slope can be switched off.
For casual rounds this does not matter. If you play in events, confirm the competition setting in the manual before you buy one of these. Rangefinders for tournament play goes through each maker’s wording.
The trade-offs at this price
Range. The stated maximum runs from 700 yards on the Shot Scope PRO L2 to 1,500 yards on the PRO ZR. That is the longest distance the device can measure, not the distance it will hold on a flagstick. Three makers give a separate flag figure: Precision Pro lists 400 yards to a flag for the NX10 Slope and the Titan Slope, and Garmin lists 350 yards for the Approach Z10. What the extra money buys in a rangefinder explains how to read these figures.
Magnification. Most of the 13 are 6x. The Shot Scope PRO L5 and the Blue Tees Captain Pro are 7x, and Arccos lists 6.1x.
Battery. Five are rechargeable: the Blue Tees Captain Air and Captain Pro, the Bushnell A1-Slope, the Precision Pro Titan Slope and the Voice Caddie Laser FIT. Seven take a CR2 battery. We have no battery type on record for the Nikon COOLSHOT 50i GII. Where makers give a figure, they count it differently. Bushnell says the A1-Slope lasts 50+ rounds, or 3,000 target acquisitions, per charge, and Precision Pro says about 50 rounds for both the Titan Slope’s charge and the NX10 Slope’s battery. Shot Scope lists 4,000 measurements for the PRO ZR and 5,800 for the PRO L5. Garmin says up to a year for the Approach Z10.
Water. Only some of these carry an IP rating, which is the standard scale. The Blue Tees Captain Pro and the Precision Pro Titan Slope are IP67, the Captain Air is IP65, the Bushnell A1-Slope is IPX6, the Arccos Smart Laser is IP44 and the Garmin Approach Z10 is IPX4. Shot Scope’s three are described as water resistant and Nikon’s two as rainproof, without a rating. Precision Pro and Voice Caddie give no water rating for the NX10 Slope or the Laser FIT. If you play through rain, the IP67, IP65 and IPX6 models have the strongest published ratings here.
Stabilization. None of the 13 makers mentions it. The one rangefinder in our records whose maker lists stabilization, the Nikon COOLSHOT PROIII STABILIZED, is priced above this budget.
A magnet. Shot Scope says the PRO L5 has a built-in cart magnet, and Nikon says the COOLSHOT 50i GII has a built-in magnetic mount. A magnet lets you stick the rangefinder to a cart frame between shots.
Size. If it will live in a pocket, the lightest weights on record here are the Voice Caddie Laser FIT at 4 oz and the Nikon COOLSHOT 20i GIII at 4.6 oz without batteries. Bushnell calls the A1-Slope, at 5.1 oz, “the smallest Bushnell Golf laser rangefinder ever.”
What the Rules allow
The Rules of Golf let you use a rangefinder for distance, but the R&A lists measuring elevation changes among the uses that are not allowed during a round. A rangefinder with slope is fine in a competition as long as the slope reading is switched off. Do you need slope on a rangefinder? covers Rule 4.3 in full.
A committee can also ban rangefinders outright. The R&A’s Committee Procedures say that although Rule 4.3 allows distance-measuring equipment, “a Committee can choose to prohibit the use of any electronic distance-measuring devices.” Model Local Rule G-5 reads: “During a round, a player must not obtain distance information by using an electronic distance-measuring device.” Where an event adopts it, no rangefinder is allowed, whatever it cost and however its slope turns off. Read the terms of each event you enter.
All 13
Shot Scope describes the PRO L2 as “a compact and stylish rangefinder providing the golfer with fast and accurate distances.”
- Max range
- 700 yards
- Slope
- Yes
- Water rating
- Water resistant
$129.99
Shot Scope calls the PRO ZR “Shot Scope’s most premium, and fastest-firing rangefinder to date.”
- Max range
- 1,500 yards
- Slope
- Yes
- Water rating
- Water resistant
$199.99
See at DICK'S Sporting Goods: Shot Scope PRO ZRAffiliate linkShot Scope says the PRO L5 is “the first Shot Scope rangefinder with OLED optics, offering our sharpest display to date.”
- Max range
- 1,300 yards
- Slope
- Yes
- Water rating
- Water resistant
$199.99
New, Black
See at Global Golf: Shot Scope PRO L5Affiliate linkBlue Tees
Captain Air
Blue Tees calls the Captain Air its “newest, faster model with even more on-course utility.”
- Max range
- 1,000 yards
- Slope
- Yes
- Water rating
- IP65
$199.99
Precision Pro says the NX10 Slope offers “20+ customizable looks” and “still locks the flag from 400 yards.”
- Max range
- 999 yards
- Slope
- Yes
- Water rating
- Not published
$199.99
See at Global Golf: Precision Pro NX10 SlopeAffiliate linkArccos
Smart Laser
Arccos says the Smart Laser “delivers precise line-of-sight distance and then factors in slope, wind speed, wind gusts, wind direction, temperature, and humidity.”
- Max range
- 999 yards
- Slope
- Yes
- Water rating
- IP44
$299.99
Blue Tees
Captain Pro
Blue Tees says the Captain Pro “goes beyond distance with powerful optics, True Distance™ yardages, and seamless GAME app integration.”
- Max range
- 1,200 yards
- Slope
- Yes
- Water rating
- IP67
$249.99
Bushnell Golf says the A1-Slope “is the smallest Bushnell Golf laser rangefinder ever and features our patented, Tour-trusted Slope Technology.”
- Max range
- 1,300 yards
- Slope
- Yes
- Water rating
- IPX6
$299.99
See at DICK'S Sporting Goods: Bushnell Golf A1-SlopeAffiliate linkPrecision Pro
Titan Slope
Precision Pro says the Titan Slope is “Built to take a beating, cut through sunlight, and lock the flag from 400 yards out.”
- Max range
- 999 yards
- Slope
- Yes
- Water rating
- IP67
$249.99
Midnight, the color the page shows by default; limited-edition colors are priced separately
Voice Caddie says the Laser FIT is “the most attractive rangefinder, boasting a stylish design and compact size.”
- Max range
- 800 yards
- Slope
- Yes
- Water rating
- Not published
$199.99
See at DICK'S Sporting Goods: Voice Caddie Laser FITAffiliate linkNikon says the COOLSHOT 20i GIII “gives golfers accuracy from any angle.”
- Max range
- 800 yards
- Slope
- Yes
- Water rating
- Rainproof
$239.95
See at DICK'S Sporting Goods: Nikon COOLSHOT 20i GIIIAffiliate linkNikon says that with the COOLSHOT 50i GII “you’ll know how far the shot is with or without slope compensation.”
- Max range
- 1,200 yards
- Slope
- Yes
- Water rating
- Rainproof
$299.95
See at TGW: Nikon COOLSHOT 50i GIIAffiliate linkGarmin says the Approach Z10 “shows distance to the flag up to 350 yards with quick feedback in less than 1 second.”
- Max range
- 1,200 yards
- Slope
- Yes
- Water rating
- IPX4
$299.99
See at Global Golf: Garmin Approach Z10Affiliate link
Where to go next
- Rangefinder Finder: set the budget to $300, say whether you play in competitions, and choose rechargeable or CR2.
- All rangefinders we have researched, including the ones above $300.
- What the extra money buys in a rangefinder, for what a step above this budget adds.
- Do you need slope on a rangefinder?
- Rangefinders for tournament play, maker by maker.
Sources
- Evidence: Verified
Shot Scope publishes the PRO L2 range, magnification, slope, water resistance, battery type and price.
- Evidence: Verified
Shot Scope publishes the PRO ZR range, magnification, adaptive slope that switches off, LCD display with red/black optics, water resistance, battery and price.
- Evidence: Verified
Shot Scope publishes the PRO L5 range, magnification, adaptive slope with slope switch, OLED display, water resistance, battery and price.
- Evidence: Verified
Blue Tees publishes the Captain Air range, magnification, display type, slope switch, IP65 rating, battery and GPS/app features.
- Evidence: Verified
Precision Pro publishes the NX10 Slope measurement and flag range, magnification, slope switch, battery and selling price.
- Evidence: Verified
Arccos publishes the Smart Laser range, magnification, slope switch and Tournament Mode, OLED display, IP44 rating, CR-2 battery, subscription terms and price.
- Evidence: Verified
Blue Tees publishes the Captain Pro range, magnification, OLED display, slope switch, IP67 rating, battery and regular price.
- Evidence: Verified
Bushnell Golf publishes the A1-Slope range, magnification, display, slope switch via the Mode button, IPX6 rating, rechargeable USB-C battery, weight and price.
- Evidence: Verified
Precision Pro publishes the Titan Slope range, magnification, slope switch, IP67 rating, USB-C rechargeable battery and price.
- Evidence: Verified
Voice Caddie publishes the Laser FIT measuring range, magnification, display, slope integration, battery type and price.
- Evidence: Verified
Nikon publishes the COOLSHOT 20i GIII range, magnification, incline/decline mode, rainproof construction, power source and price.
- Evidence: Verified
Nikon publishes the COOLSHOT 50i GII range, magnification, slope compensation, rainproof build, battery and price.
- Evidence: Verified
Garmin publishes the Approach Z10 range to flag and to reflective targets, magnification, display type, Garmin’s PlaysLike Distance feature, IPX4 rating, battery type and price.
The page also carries data for the Approach Z30 and Z82; only the Approach Z10 section was used.