The Green Fee (Disclaimer: Blue Tees provided this unit for review)
About 3 weeks ago I received a nice little brown box on my front door. I was super excited to open it up but I waited for an opportunity where I could open the box on YouTube. I was super impressed with the packaging. While the goodies in the box are great we really want to know how it performs.
The Specs
4k Display– High definition crystal clear display
7X Magnification
Auto Ambient Display– Makes the display readings change colors depending on the sunlight
900 yard range
Slope– Can be turned off
The Good
Lets start with the superficial. I love the look and feel of the rangefinder. The blue and white color scheme are slick, as is the Blue Tees logo. Out on the course is where it matters though and the Blue Tees range finder MORE than held its own. The first thing I noticed when I put it up to my eye was how clear the course looked. The 4k display really popped. I couldn’t believe how clear everything was when I adjusted the eye piece.
So we have established its a good looking piece of hardware but did it perform? A simple answer is yes. I tested the Blue Tees S3 Max versus a Precision Pro range finder I have had for about 4 years. The Precision Pro has been compared to every major brand on the market and it has performed well. It read within 1 yard but to be honest it was a little slow compared to the larger brands. When I put the Blue Tees up against it, the Blue Tees found the same yardage as the competitor much faster. I even tested the Blue Tees against the Arccos GPS and they were within 5 yards of each other, which makes sense considering the GPS is measuring to the center of the green and the Blue Tees is shooting the flag. I got paired up with a guy who had a nice Leupold rangefinder and this read the exact same yardage as the much more expensive rangefinder. Something my Precision Pro doesn’t have that the Blue Tees does is the slope feature. I always thought I didn’t want slope but now that I have it ,I am in love. It amazes me when its able to use the Pythagorean theorem (SHOUT OUT TO 11TH GRADE GEOMETRY) so quickly. Again compared to some bigger names the Blue Tees absolutely held up. Another important feature that is almost standard across the board is the use of vibration when you lock in the flag. Blue Tees does this and it is really good! Something that doesnt really affect me but I got a comment in my unboxing video was how does it work with glasses? I decided to make my wife who wears glasses use it around the yard. She gave it great reviews. She had some small problems but the exact quote was “better looking than anything else I’ve looked through like binoculars.”. I gave it a spin with my sunglasses and it passed with flying colors.
My favorite and most underrated aspect of the rangefinder is the little magnet on the back. I loved being able to plop it on the cart and have access to it at all times. Not something I ever thought I needed but now that I have a rangefinder that does it, it is an absolute game changer. It is a must from now on!
The Bad
Lets start from small to big. A lot of these “issues” are minor and all are easily fixable by either you or the company pretty easily.
The first thing is the closure for the case. The zipper is obviously very secure but the magnet strip closure just isn’t. When I play I don’t ever zip up the case, and just depend on the strap over the top to keep the rangefinder in. With the Blue Tees, I keep the rangefinder on the cart with the before mentioned magnet, but it was concerning to see the strap wide open and not secure after a few holes. Blue Tees would probably be wise to go to an elastic band like a lot of their competitors are doing. It is simply more secure.
The second complaint is one of personal preference. When it gets brighter outside the display goes from red to black. I personally like the Red all the time. I like how the red pops against the grass and sky. I wish there was a way to keep it red all the time. Again, a small personal preference thing.
The third and final thing is slightly bigger but one some common sense can resolve. When shooting the Blue Tees will sometimes pick up the trees in the background. Realizing that you are not 195 from the flag when you are next to the 150 marker will help. With how fast the Blue Tees picks up yardages, it doesnt slow you or your partners down!
Final Thoughts
For the longest time I was a rangefinder guy. I would use my Precision Pro range finder. It served me well. Then I got a set of Arccos and since the app has to be open and running to record your shots I found myself using the GPS in the app more than the rangefinder. While I do like the app it has been wrong a few times and I do like the accuracy the rangefinder provides. The Blue Tees has kicked out all other distance measuring devices and will be the one on the bag from here on out.
To check out Blue Tees for yourself visit their website. You can also find them on social media!
