Review: ZOOM Focus Tour Golf Rangefinder

Who knew there were so many Golf Rangefinders on the market these days? To date, Bushnell has been seen as the primary provider, so it was good to test out an alternative. Women & Golf's Jane took Women & Golf member Tamsin out on the course to test the ZOOM Focus Tour.

ZOOM Focus Tour - What's in the Box?

• ZOOM Focus Tour
• Hard Case
• Battery
• Cleaner
• Instruction booklet

We liked the fact there was not excessive packaging around the items in the box. Instructions, battery & lens cleaner were all there and there was a protective covering on the rangefinder in the case.

ZOOM Focus Tour - Looks

In our opinion, the rangefinder is very simple and monochrome. Obviously, it doesn't need to be anything fancy and the silver buttons were easy to see against the black rubber casing.

The rangefinder is quite light and would be easy to hold for both large and small-handed golfers. For those with not such a steady grip, we found that two hands were better than one.

The eyepiece is easy to adjust and focus but for those wearing glasses, you would need to test it out first.

ZOOM Focus Tour - Practicalities

The ZOOM comes with a sturdy carry case that clicks easily onto your bag. You could probably clip it onto your belt too but we thought that would be a bit cumbersome - even though it only weighs 200g.

The case has a zip and elastic close mechanism. The elastic is extremely strong but we imagine this will lessen with use. Some people prefer to use the zip but we felt that elastic would allow quicker access during a game.

ZOOM Focus Tour - Performance

The Zoom has four key benefits:

• FLAG SCAN MODE - With the flag scan mode the Focus Tour picks up the flag with a simple horizontal movement. A vibration then provides immediate feedback upon target acquisition. It is very quick, a flag icon shows in viewfinder and rangefinder vibrates.
• SLOPE SWITCH - The slope mode takes into account any change in elevation to the flag. The unit will register the straight line distance to the flag, but also the Slope adjusted distance (how much to add on or take off for the slope), giving the ‘real’ length of the shot and informing the best club selection. [For tournaments, the slope mode can be quickly turned off with the switch on the side.]
• CONTINUOUS MEASUREMENT - this allows you to scan across the landscape, from hole, to trees, to bunker, delivering instant distances to the various targets.
• ULTRA BRIGHT DISPLAY -  Premium optics deliver bright, vivid contrasts and a very wide field of view at 7.5 °, with targets being acquired in under half a second, even over long distances. 

We love the receptiveness of the ZOOM Focus Tour. So quick to pick up distances (800m range) and lock into the flag. Plus, the continuous measurement is a real benefit to assess the lie of the land and distances between hazards.

Here's a quick video round up from ZOOM