Bushnell is a well-regarded maker of high-end optics used for a variety of sporting purposes. The Bushnell Tour V3 rangefinder adds to the brand’s positive appeal with a truly versatile and effective golf rangefinder. The Tour V3 is the successor to the very popular Bushnell V2 and promises to improve upon an already highly regarded golf rangefinder that is accessibly priced but not cheap in any way.
General Overview
The Bushnell Tour V3 offers an exceptional 1,000-yard range that fully covers just about any reasonable distances measurement a golfer could use. It is accurate to within 10 yards at up to 1,000 yards, which is plenty good for sending the ball where you need it to go. When you are within 300 yards, accuracy improves to within a half a yard or meter of the target.
The viewfinder gives you 5X magnification so that you can get a very clear view of any hazards, traps, trees or other obstacles by looking through a large 24 mm objective lens. An included scan mode gives you a continuously updated distance reading to various objects on the hole and presents the information on an LCD display.
You can use a scan mode to quickly view the golf hole that you are about to play and get various distance readings to the tree line, water hazards, sand traps and other objects that might interfere with your par-or-better score. That makes it possible to set up a much better approach shot to the green without slowing down overall play. The lower your score, the faster your round goes, too.
Build Quality and Dimensions
The Bushnell Tour V3 improves upon the prior generation V2 with a lighter and more svelte design that better fits your hand while putting the rangefinder power at your fingertips. The rangefinder measures 2.8 inches tall by 4.2 inches long by about 1.6 inches wide and weights just 6.7 ounces.
Use is exceptionally simple with a single button located on top of the rangefinder enabling you to cycle through user modes. Its light and ergonomic design makes it a perfect companion for a round of golf on a hot a humid summer day. A polymer body and waterproof build help it to work even on a cold and misty morning on the golf course or at the driving range.
Pros:
- Quick scanning and 5X magnification with large viewing optic.
- Comfortable ergonomic design.
- Long battery life.
- Waterproof body.
- Slope Edition measures angles to within 1 degree of accuracy.
Cons:
- Accuracy within a yard not as exact as competing brands.
- Does not use a rechargeable battery.
- No slope compensation on the standard V3.
PinSeeker and JOLT Technologies Ensure Accuracy
The best golf rangefinders include a feature that ignores other objects to quickly lock in on the flag and pin so that you get a quick and accurate distance reading to the hole. The Bushnell Tour V3 does to, too, with its PinSeeker technology that locks in on the flag and gives you the correct distance to the hole instead of a background object.
The JOLT technology is just a fancy way of saying the V3 gives you a gentle but noticeable vibration when the rangefinder locks onto the pin. The vibration helps you to know you are getting the correct reading without having to overthink what is going on and instead can concentrate of choosing the proper club and swing to get the ball to where you need it to go.
The JOLT technology is an improvement over the Bushnell Tour V2 model and helps to affirm the new edition of the Bushnell’s Tour rangefinder series continues to improve upon an already very popular golf rangefinder that does just about everything as well as you could hope.
Bushnell Tour V3 Slope Edition Technology
The Bushnell Tour V3 Slope Edition gives you the angle reading to the hole and tells you the effective distance after analyzing the slope change. When a rangefinder gives you a straight distance to the hole it does not bother with any change in elevation. The slope technology in the V3 gives you the slope reading to within 1 degree of accuracy and then compensates for the elevation change to tell you what the effective distance is to the hole.
If you are working on an approach shot to the green the playing surface either rises or fall, it will have a very telling effect on your golf shot. When the terrain rises to a slightly higher elevation, the Tour V3 tells you what the elevation of incline or decline is and then gives you the compensating information so that you know how far the ball needs to travel to get to the green.
It is important to note that if you want the slope-compensating technology in the V3, you must buy the V3 Slope Edition. The standard Tour V3 does not include it because the slope compensation is banned in organized tournament play. Most rangefinders that offer the slope compensation enable you to turn it off to make it legal for play. The V3 Slope Edition does so as well, but those who do not want to worry about it can just opt for the standard Bushnell Tour V3 and save some money.
Affordable and Accessible Bushnell Tour V3 Battery
The Bushnell Tour V3 battery is a standard CR2 type commonly found in retail stores around the globe. The battery provides substantial power that users say will power up the rangefinder for about a year, depending on how often you go to the range or play rounds of golf. The included Bushnell Tour V3 battery power indicator tells you when you have plenty of power on tap or the battery is getting weak and needs a replacement.
The batteries generally are sold in packs of two, so it is easy to obtain and keep a fresh spare just in case. It the one in use suddenly shows it is weak and you are unsure it will last the entire round of golf or your trip to the range, you can put in the new one in just a few seconds and continue as intended.
Should You Buy One?
The Bushnell Tour V3 is a definite improvement in design and function over the prior V2 model that many golfers considered to be the best of the Bushnell line. The V3 and the optional V3 Slope Edition rangefinders are great tools to make any golfer’s game better and a generally good value.
- Should Tee Boxes Be Level? - January 23, 2024
- 3 Hybrid Distance - November 15, 2023
- Innovations in Golf Mobility: An In-depth Review of Top Golf Scooters - October 12, 2023
