When you need to know yardages on the course, Bushnell Golf is a name you can rely on

Ask Senior Brand Manager Derek Schuman why he thinks Bushnell Golf is such a popular brand among professional, elite amateur and everyday golfers, and he doesn’t hesitate.

“We work tirelessly to utilize technology to improve golfers’ games,” he says. “For almost 25 years now, we have dedicated ourselves to solving the ‘how far’ problem for golfers with our laser rangefinders.”
Through the years, Bushnell Golf has added GPS products to its measuring device collection, and recently entered the personal launch monitor category with the Launch Pro. 

WGS Insider recently caught up with Schuman to learn more about the company’s latest releases, some of the most significant changes in the industry, and his best advice for golfers who are considering purchasing a new rangefinder or GPS device.

What are some of the most significant changes you’ve seen in the rangefinder and GPS industry over the last few years and how has Bushnell Golf been a part of it? We have been at the forefront of nearly every advancement in the laser rangefinder market since we started the category back in the mid-1990s. Recently, we advanced our PinSeeker with JOLT Technology with PinSeeker with Visual JOLT.
So now, in addition to feeling the vibration when you lock onto the flag, you also see a flashing red ring that illuminates to give added reinforcement to know you have locked onto the flag and not the background clutter behind the flag. We also have Slope with Elements in our highest-end laser, the Pro XE. Slope with  Elements provides golfers compensated, “play as” distances to include incline/decline, as well as temperature and altitude, resulting in precise compensated distances. In GPS, we launched and essentially created the Golf GPS Speaker category with the launch of the Wingman GPS Speaker in Spring 2020. The Wingman was the world’s first golf Bluetooth speaker to provide audible GPS distances and one of our most successful product launches in the history of Bushnell Golf, and it continues to be one of our top-selling products.

What is it about the Tour V5 and Tour V5 Shift that makes these devices such a popular choice among everyday golfers? The Tour V5 and Tour V5 Shift give golfers the perfect combination of size, speed, accuracy and Visual JOLT Technology. The Tour V5 Shift also includes our patented Slope Technology to give golfers excellent “play as” Slope-compensated distances. Both of these products provide golfers what they need at great value price points, and a portion of the proceeds of every Tour V5 and Tour V5 Shift Patriot Pack sold by all Worldwide Golf Shops online and retail outlets goes to the Folds of Honor Foundation to help fund educational scholarships for the children and spouses of fallen or disabled service members.

What are some of the newest Bushnell Golf products that you’re most excited about? The Launch Pro. Since we launched into the market, it has taken the personal launch monitor category by storm. The Launch Pro is the first product of this kind to offer the accuracy of the higher-priced point launch monitors at a more attainable price point for more golfers.

Can you tell us a little about your new partnership with Foresight Golf and how this benefits Worldwide Golf Shops customers? For several years, we explored getting into the launch monitor category, and we knew we needed to find the right partner that shared our core value of “accuracy above all” and could deliver our objective of offering an outstanding personal launch monitor at a more attainable price point to target a larger segment of golfers. We certainly found a great partner in Foresight Sports, which has emerged as the leader in camera-based launch monitor technology, and in turn this led us to launching the Bushnell Launch Pro powered by Foresight Sports. The Launch Pro gives Worldwide Golf Shops customers a launch monitor that delivers very accurate club and ball data, along with the ability to play simulated golf where you can work on improving your game and have some fun.

What advice do you have for golfers who are considering purchasing a new rangefinder or GPS device? First and foremost, the golfer should think about their needs and how they will be using an electronic measuring device.  For some golfers, they want to know exact distances to a variety of objects on the course – not only to the pin, but distances to lips of bunkers, hazard carries, etc. To get these exact distances around the course, a laser rangefinder is your best option.  For the golfer who wants convenience and does not prioritize accuracy as much, GPS is generally their best option. 
Regardless of your handicap, all of our products are designed to be one size fits all and work right out of the box on virtually any golf course in the world.

What is something you would like golfers to know about Bushnell Golf that they otherwise wouldn’t be aware of? Hands down the one thing we want golfers to know is that more than 98 percent of PGA Tour players choose to use Bushnell Golf laser rangefinders for a reason. They choose Bushnell Golf because they know it’s accurate and reliable.