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The devices will make their first appearance at the PGA Championship, May 20-23 at Kiawah Island Golf Resort's Ocean Course in South Carolina.

"We are always interested in methods that can help improve the course of the game during our championships"PGA of America President Jim Richerson said in a press release announcing the news. “The use of distance measuring devices is already common in golf and is now part of the game. Players and caddies have long used them on practice courses to record precise distances. "

The PGA of America becomes the first major body to authorize devices in all of its major professional events. For years, it has been speculated that these devices could help speed up the game, as players and caddies will no longer have to exit the courts to go to the sprinkler heads and other fixed positions.

The American Golf Association's (USGA) golf rules have permitted the use of laser rangefinders and GPS devices in casual games and tournaments since 2006, but a local rule allows a tournament committee to prohibit these. devices. At the professional elite level, these devices are still not used for competitions, although they have been licensed in the United States for amateurs since 2014. They are still not licensed during the PGA Tour competitive rounds. of the US Open and the British Open.

In accordance with rule 4.3a, authorized devices can only report distance and direction. Devices that calculate changes in altitude or wind speed, or that suggest a player's club and other data, will not be allowed.

These devices won't be new to professionals, many of whom already use laser rangefinders and GPS on their training laps.

Laser rangefinders are likely to be more popular than GPS devices, as they more easily provide an exact distance to the flagstick on the green, often with accuracy in the order of a meter at normal approach shot distances. . GPS devices usually provide more general information about holes. It is possible that a player can use both types of devices, and several new products incorporate both lasers and GPS.

Many laser rangefinders provide information about changes in altitude and “like” distances. Most of these devices come with a switch to turn this information off, but many elite gamers opt for devices that don't provide altitude data and the like, so they don't forget to turn these features off.

To know more : https://www.pga.org/

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PGA TOUR & COVID-19: update of the health and safety plan