As spring ushers in the golf season, players are turning their attention to equipment. With measuring distance to the pin now a universal practice, rangefinders have become as essential as clubs and balls for a round. In Korea, it is especially common to see golfers closing one eye and pointing a device at the flag to gauge their next shot. The use of laser rangefinders — which measure distance through a lens — far outstrips that of GPS-based wrist-watch devices, known as golf watches.
According to industry sources on Wednesday, laser-type rangefinders dominate Korea's market by an overwhelming margin. In the United States, the split between watch-type and laser-type users is roughly 50-50, while watch-type devices actually lead the market in Japan and Europe. In Korea, Samsung Electronics' Galaxy Watch Golf Edition, first launched in 2018, was discontinued after the Galaxy Watch6 edition in 2023.
"In the Korean market, there is a strong belief that golfers should use the same type of equipment as tour professionals, so they tend to prefer the type of rangefinder that pros use," a representative of rangefinder brand Bushnell said. "Watch-type devices generally start at around 300,000 won, whereas laser-type models are available in a wide range of prices including budget options in the 100,000 to 200,000 won range, which is another reason for their popularity."
Tour professionals do indeed prefer laser rangefinders over GPS-based wrist-watch models. Laser devices offer the precision to measure distances down to a single yard. Watch-type devices, which rely on GPS, generally cannot match that level of accuracy. While weekend golfers do not necessarily need single-yard precision, their preference for laser rangefinders is on par with that of professionals.
