Does Bushnell’s latest rangefinder have golfers walking on air?

Our Bushnell Pro XE laser review took place during rounds at Sandburn Hall in York.

Bushnell Pro XE laser review: First impressions

I confess I’m usually toting a much older laser on the course so the Bushnell Pro XE felt like a massive upgrade straight away.

The first thing that catches the eye is that it’s a very well put together unit. It feels extremely stable in the hand and gives a lot of confidence you’ll be able to stay steady on the target.

There’s a lot to be said for simplicity of design. Hit the power button, of course, to lock in and out but the slope switch on the side only adds to the ease of use.

It slides to red to indicate you’ve got slope on – as well as telling anyone else around you if you’re in a competition – and a mode button on top of the unit cycles the elements feature on and off.

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That’s all there is to it. Some of you might be looking for a few more bells and whistles but much of the technology is packed out of sight under the bonnet.

When you are out on the course, simply point and click. With speed always of the essence, I can’t think of much else you’d want from a laser.

Bushnell are renowned for the quality of their cases and the newly designed version that comes with the Pro XE, equipped with a heavy duty clip for the golf bag, is another impressive example.

Bushnell Pro XE laser review: The technology

The big development is ‘Slope with Elements’, which adds temperature and air density to the Slope technology we’ve been used to in previous Bushnell models.

In fact, the Slope system has been improved all round, with the company saying a new algorithm, updating ball flight measurements, gives a much sharper angle of descent over previous versions.

JOLT has been given an upgrade as well, with Visual JOLT Technology. As well as the familiar buzz when you’ve locked into a flag, a red ring now flashes on the LCD display to give golfers extra confidence they’ve hit their target.

Bushnell have also added a magnetic BITE mount to the side of the unit which allows the laser to be secured to a trolley without the need to buy an extra accessory. I could not test this feature as I don’t use a trolley.

So how did the Bushnell Pro XE laser perform? Check out the next page to find out…

Bushnell Pro XE laser review: The results

Sandburn Hall is a course with a lot of raised greens and, on an exposed site, temperatures can fluctuate between holes so I was really interested to put the elements mode through its paces.

It’s a very impressive feature. I was finding variations of eight to ten yards on some shots and the proof of accuracy was in the pudding.

When I executed the shot properly, I hit more greens. The calculated yardages – clearly and easily displayed on the simple to understand LCD screen – were a revelation.

Bushnell say the Pro XE can range more than 500 yards to a flag and this is also an accurate claim. On Sandburn Hall’s par 5 1st, which is playing more like a long 4 in the winter, I could range right through to the pin.

The magnification, which goes through to seven times, also produced a clear image.

If I had one minor issue, it was that the JOLT feature was intermittent. Sometimes I wouldn’t get the buzz, or the red circle, from yardages of 80 yards and in – with the viewfinder centred right on the flagstick.

But the numbers were so accurate that this wasn’t anything more than a cosmetic concern and it will probably perform better as the weather improves.

Bushnell Pro XE laser review: NCG verdict

We all know Bushnell make outstanding rangefinders and the Pro XE is no different. It’s a very well made unit, the housing is extremely durable, and accuracy with standard yardages is everything you would expect.

Slope with Elements, though, is the feature that will set this apart – and has the ability to make a huge difference to our games.

Of course, we’ve always taken wind, and other environmental features, into account when calculating our yardages. We know that differences in temperature affects how far the ball travels.

It’s quite impressive, though, to see that expressed in a definitive number and the reliability of the algorithm was quite confidence boosting. Once I trusted it, I began to discard the measured figure and take the adjusted number as read.

I simply hit more greens using this feature. It’s not legal in competition play but as I got used to seeing those numbers regularly, I could actually estimate the number to add on and that knowledge I could take into a competition.

The Pro XE is another exceptional rangefinder.

SRP: £449.

More information can be found on the Bushnell website.