Bushnell Tour Hybrid Laser Review

Over the years, Bushnell have been highly regarded by amateurs and tour professionals as the most trusted laser rangefinders on the market. This year the brand has introduced three new models, however in this review we will be looking at the Bushnell Tour Hybrid.

Now you’re probably wondering why they call this a Hybrid laser? This essentially means that they have combined their most accurate laser technology with GPS functionality, all in one place.

You may have seen this in previous Bushnell Hybrid models where they have placed a GPS display on the outside of the laser. However the Bushnell Tour Hybrid actually offers its benefits inside the scope. This means that you can view distances to the front, middle and back, whilst having exact yardages to the pin.

Who Is It Aimed At?

For golfers who are confident with lasers, but also want the extra detail of a GPS device, this could be the ideal solution.

This laser delivers best-in-class performance with slope-compensated yardages alongside premium build quality. It does unfortunately come with a premium price tag of £519. If you’re not willing to spend that kind of money, you could look at their cheaper A1 Slope Laser for £299.

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The Tech

As you’d expect from Bushnell, they’ve packed the Tour Hybrid with lots of features that help compensate its premium build quality.

Bushnell say this is their first rangefinder with slope-compensated laser and GPS distances. It shows front, middle and back yardages, all adjusted for slope, as well as exact pin distances.

You can also easily switch between Slope mode on or off with Slope-Switch Technology. This provides access to slope-adjusted distances when you need them for friendly or non-competition golf.

Alongside this technology it’s worth mentioning the premium water resistant build quality. There’s also a Bite magnetic mount allowing you to securely attach your laser to any golf cart.

As seen in previous models, you can gain total confidence with Bushnell’s Jolt vibrations. This provides stronger feedback, with a red flashing ring once it’s locked onto the flag.

The Tour Hybrid’s actual scope offers 6x magnification. There’s a clear optic that magnifies images six times larger than the naked eye.

The laser itself ranges up to 500 yards to the flag, which the brand claim is accurate within 1 yard. The total range is all the way up to a whopping 1300 yards.

Bushnell Tour Hybrid Laser Review

Looks and Feel

I’ve been a fan of Bushnell lasers since I first tried the Tour V2 way back in 2009. My current laser is a Bushnell Tour X (Slope) from 2015. As a result, I was really interested to compare the two and see what difference ten years can make.

Before taking this out of the box, it’s worth mentioning the premium packaging. The box features a slide-off lid, reminding me of when you open a new iPhone. The box contains the laser, alongside a synthetic leather case, and one CR2 battery.

The battery is actually hiding inside the laser itself in case you can’t find it!

The laser itself feels really premium in hand, with quite a bit of weight to it compared to my Tour X. Personally I like to have a little bit of extra weight whilst using a laser, as I feel like it helps steady my hand when zapping the flag.

The last features deep grey and cobalt blue colourways that remind me of a Toyota Hybrid car. Personally I’m not a fan of the colours, but I can see where Bushnell are coming from in terms of its ‘best of both world’ hybrid features.

On the top and bottom of the laser you can feel a rough rubber that really helps with your grip. Alongside a toggle switch on the side to help switch between Slope modes. The switch itself feels really premium with some chrome skirting too.

On the reverse side you can see a large Bite magnet that seemed very secure on metal objects, and easy to attach to a buggy or trolley.

The scope itself has a focus dial at the front that was easy to access. One thing I dislike about my Tour X is how easy it is to accidentally change the focus by accident. Even though the Tour Hybrid was less likely to turn, I almost wish they could add a lock switch onto this so it can’t change by itself.

Looking down the scope, the sight was clear, but I’m used to resting my eye against it to steady my hand. With this model, I needed to sit about 1–2 cm back for the laser to focus properly. If you look too close, you’ll still see the edges of the scope, so it works best with your eye slightly further away.

Overall the feel and looks of the Tour Hybrid far outweigh the Tour X. You can instantly tell that this is really high quality and wouldn’t break very easily. The Tour X is all plastic and very lightweight in comparison.

Performance

To test this out properly I played a number of rounds to see how the GPS and slope functioned.

Bushnell are known for ease of use and very accurate flagstick distances. The Tour Hybrid adds yardages to the front, middle, and back of the green. So I was interested to see how easy it was to set up and its accuracy.

Setting up the GPS was simple. You just wait for it to find your location, which took about 30 seconds. The laser worked but the GPS didn’t calibrate properly until the second fairway, as it was still showing yardages for a different hole. However a very simple press of the ‘+’ button easily adjusted this onto the correct hole.

I was sceptical of the yardages on the first day, so I tested it at another course with more elevation. Both the laser and GPS readings were very accurate, and the slope adjustments proved extremely reliable. Bushnell even offer a ‘play as yardage’, underneath the actual yardage so you don’t have to work anything out.

One thing I did find rather annoying was the actual carry case for the Bushnell. Even though the case felt really good quality, it was not very practical at all. My Tour X Case opens only partially, preventing the laser from falling out if left accidentally open. Whereas the Tour Hybrid opens far too much.

The Tour Hybrid case felt flimsy, and the Bushnell rattled inside, almost seeming too small for the case. After the round I’d noticed the Bushnell had almost fallen out of its case on numerous occasions. The closing zip does exist, but zipping it for every shot isn’t exactly practical for me.

Bushnell Tour Hybrid Laser Verdict

As you’d expect from any Bushnell, it’s a top brand in the market and you get what you pay for. The performance is second to none with the Bushnell Tour Hybrid.

If I was to be really picky I would have preferred a slightly different colourway, and the case isn’t overly practical either.

I actually really enjoyed having those extra GPS yardages. It saved me a lot of time having to manually work out any yardages to the front, middle or back, or use another devices.

However I’m not sure how many golfers out there typically need four different yardages popping up when using a laser. It’s helpful but I wouldn’t say it’s totally necessary.

Then comes the price. An RRP of £519 is extremely expensive! In comparison to the Bushnell A1 Slope that is currently £279 online, you’re looking at almost twice the price just to get the additional GPS features.

So if you’re looking for a new laser to just get distances to the flag, I’d probably go with the cheaper A1 Slope option. But if you currently switch between a GPS and laser then it might be worth looking at the Bushnell Tour Hybrid for an all-in-one package.