How we recommend
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What the rules say
Whether you may use a device in a round depends on two things: Rule 4.3 of the 2023 Rules of Golf, in effect from 1 January 2023, and any Local Rule the Committee for that round has adopted. No device is "tournament legal" in itself. The R&A says the next edition of the Rules is due on 1 January 2028.
Allowed by default since 2019
The USGA's guide "Understanding the Rules of DMDs", updated for 2023, says distance-measuring devices have been allowed under the Rules since 1 January 2019, provided you do not access prohibited information. Before that the default ran the other way: from January 2006 the R&A and USGA allowed them only where a Committee adopted a Local Rule.
A Committee can still ban them
Rule 4.3 lets a Committee restrict these devices by Local Rule, and Model Local Rule G-5 is the version a Committee may adopt to prohibit them during a round, with breaches penalised under Rule 4.3. It applies only when a Committee adopts it. Professional tours set their own policy: the PGA Tour allowed devices at six events in spring 2025 as a pace-of-play test, and said PGA Tour Americas and PGA Tour Champions already allowed them, distance only. We could not confirm the PGA Tour's 2026 policy from a tour source. Read the Terms of the Competition before every event.
What a device may and may not show
| Allowed during a round | Not allowed during a round |
|---|---|
| Distance or direction information (Rule 4.3a) | Measuring elevation changes, or slope-adjusted "plays like" distances |
| Weather information and forecasts, and temperature and humidity at the course | Measuring wind speed |
| Pre-published information such as hole advice, and a scorecard (USGA guide) | Club or line-of-play recommendations |
| A chart of average club distances from earlier rounds (USGA guide) | Data from the current round, such as distances recorded in it |
| A nearby-lightning alert (USGA guide) | Swing or set-up analysis (USGA guide) |
A device that can do something prohibited may still be used, the USGA guide says, as long as that function is not accessed during the round. But if a device you can see without trying, such as a watch, is displaying prohibited information, you are treated as having used it even if you did not look.
Under the Rules, a first breach of Rule 4.3 brings the general penalty (two strokes in stroke play, loss of hole in match play), and a second brings disqualification, but only if an intervening event happened after the first. The USGA guide describes the second breach without that condition; the Rules text governs.
Our picks by category
Laser rangefinders
The USGA guide names laser rangefinders among the common stand-alone devices. One maker, according to a retailer listing, sells models with a switch that turns slope off and says the unit is legal for tournament play with slope disabled; that is the maker's claim, and under the rules what matters is that slope is not accessed or displayed during the round. If you play competitions, choose a model whose slope function can be switched off, and switch it off before you start.
Best for: Players who want a stand-alone distance device for rounds where devices are allowed
GPS watches and handheld units
The USGA guide names handheld GPS units and watch-style GPS units as common stand-alone devices, and mobile phones and tablets as multi-functional ones. A watch is a readily viewable device, so check that it does not display anything on the not-allowed list, such as plays-like distances or club advice, during a round.
Best for: Players who want course distances on the wrist or in the hand
Personal launch monitors
Golf.com explains that Doppler radar units track the whole flight from behind the golfer and suit outdoor use, while camera units record impact and the first few feet of flight from the side and calculate the rest, need less space and are common indoors. It concludes that neither type is better; they suit different jobs. Camera maker Foresight Sports claims camera units measure spin directly, a claim from one side of the comparison. During a round, swing analysis and current-round data are not allowed.
Best for: Practice and fitting, not on-course play
How to choose
Start with where you play
If you play only casual rounds, the default since 2019 lets you use a device for distance unless a Local Rule says otherwise. If you play club or open competitions, look at the Terms of the Competition for a Local Rule on devices, and at how slope and other functions are turned off. If a device can show prohibited information, make sure you know how to keep that function off for the whole round.
Laser or GPS
The USGA guide treats laser rangefinders, handheld GPS units and GPS watches alike, as stand-alone distance devices, and the same limits apply to each. The choice between them is one of preference, not of rules.
Phones count too
The USGA guide treats a phone running a golf app as a multi-functional device. The same rule applies: any function that shows prohibited information must not be used during the round.
Launch monitors are for practice
Keogh and Hume's 2012 review in Sports Biomechanics suggests that video, verbal or combined feedback can improve mid to short iron distance for novice to mid-handicap golfers. That finding is about feedback in general, not launch monitors as such. Use one with a coach if you can. Fitters also use them: see club fitting.
Before every event, check the Terms of the Competition and your device's settings.
Sources
- The R&A, Rules of Golf (2023 edition), Rule 4
- The R&A, Players Rule Finder: distance-measuring devices
- USGA, Understanding the Rules of DMDs (2023 update, PDF)
- Danish Golf Union, Official Guide to the Rules of Golf 2023, Model Local Rules section G
- Golf Business News, R&A statement on distance measuring devices (2009)
- PGA Tour, Pace of play update (15 April 2025)
- 2nd Swing, rangefinder listing with slope switch (manufacturer claim)
- Golf.com, Launch monitors: Doppler vs camera systems explained (29 April 2025)
- Foresight Sports, Different types of launch monitor
- Keogh and Hume, Evidence for biomechanics and motor learning research improving golf performance (Sports Biomechanics, 2012)