“I kind of forgot about that,” Scottie Scheffler said when asked about the new rule allowing rangefinders at the RBC Heritage, implying that he didn’t see them as a game-changer. The defending champion’s first round was going smoothly with a score of 64, but he and his caddie, Ted Scott, used a distance-measuring device to check the yardage to the hole, which was 141 yards away. The RBC Heritage is the first PGA Tour event to allow rangefinders as part of a test on pace-of-play recommendations, although they’ve been allowed in the PGA Championship since 2021. While rangefinders might not significantly reduce pace-of-play issues, it’s a logical step given their prevalence in golf, but one golfer begs to differ.
Michael Kim, who recently landed at T16 with a score of 5 under par at the 2025 Charles Schwab Challenge, shared his thoughts on using rangefinders in tournaments. After not using a rangefinder during the event, Kim said he’s now a strong advocate for using them, especially with slope measurement – a nod to the nuances of the game he clearly appreciates. “With slope as well,” he emphasized, highlighting the added benefit of having precise distance readings in varying terrain. It’s a detail that might seem small, but to Kim, it’s a game-changer. “Our yardage books all have the slope anyway, so there’s really zero difference,” he noted with a hint of practicality, suggesting that rangefinders would simply provide a more convenient way to access this information.
Kim’s enthusiasm for rangefinders stems from the simple pleasure of knowing exactly how far he’s hitting. “I missed just being able to shoot a distance, especially when offline,” he admitted with a touch of wistfulness. The pace of play might not be drastically affected, but Kim’s philosophy is clear: “Any small difference for pace of play is a win in my book.”
Well, there is one tour pro that somewhat agrees with Kim. Somewhat. Brian Harman believes rangefinders could help with the pace of play “if all things are equal,” but notes that they won’t overcome issues like difficult courses, bottlenecking with tee times, or other causes of slow play. Players and caddies already calculate yardages to the front and back of greens, carry distances, and elevation impacts, so rangefinders will just add another layer of info to their process.
Thoughts from Colonial:
-Always feels nice to turn good cut luck into a solid top 20. I’ve definitely been lucky with the cut this yr with what happened at Tampa especially, and this week as well.
-After not using a rangefinder this week, I’m really FOR using rangefinders during…
— Michael S. Kim (@Mike_kim714) May 26, 2025
And yet, Tour commissioner Jay Monahan believes rangefinders are the solution to the slow-play problem.
Jay Monahan says the Tour is ‘doing everything’ they can to improve
The PGA Tour has announced a six-tournament experiment to test the impact of rangefinders on the pace of play, which started with the RBC Heritage in March. The tour has already completed four events in the trial period, including the RBC Heritage, Zurich Classic of New Orleans, CJ Cup Byron Nelson, and Truist Championship. Commissioner Jay Monahan emphasized that the tour is “listening to our fans, and we’re responding” to concerns about the pace of play.
“We’re listening to our fans, and we’re responding,” Monahan said, highlighting the tour’s commitment to addressing fan concerns. “I think there’s a real commitment from players across the board to make certain that we’re doing everything that we possibly can to improve. And these three steps are just a start.”
The remaining two events in the trial period are the Corales Puntacana Championship and the OneFlight Myrtle Beach Classic. According to Monahan, the players have taken “ownership” of their product, and the tour is committed to making improvements. The test aims to determine whether rangefinders positively impact overall round times and individual speed of play, providing valuable data to inform future decisions. What are your thoughts on the problem? Let us know in the comment section below!
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