Shot Scope Pro L1 Rangefinder

These days, it seems like rangefinders need to be able to do everything short of flying to the moon and back. The prices often reflect this high-end demand in technoloy, however, rangefinders have become a critical piece of equipment to golfers these days. As such, many players want all that performance and high quality at a more affordable price. That’s where the Shot Scope Pro L1 rangefinder comes in. Featuring many of the functions of premium rangefinders, including slope and target-lock vibration, Shot Scope’s Pro L1 is available at a fraction of the price. Does it belong in the same conversation as its high-dollar competition? Only one way to find out…

Out of the Box

Getting started with the Shot Scope Pro L1 rangefinder right out of the box is extremely easy. The hardest part is sliding the cardboard sleeve off of the box, but that’s only a single-occurrence event. Inside the box contains a heavy-duty case (I love it), a clip to attach the case to your bag, a wrist strap, a lens cleaning cloth, a battery, and the rangefinder itself. The battery is wrapped in plastic and located inside the battery compartment of the rangefinder, so don’t panic when you don’t see it right away.

Now that you’ve unwrapped the battery and popped it back into the Pro L1, you’re ready to go. There are really only three setup steps to be aware of. The small black button on the right side changes the display color to either red or black. Just hit the button and pick what fits your eye best. Next is the switch on the left which turns the “Adaptive Slope Technology” on and off. Yes, the Pro L1 is tournament legal with slope turned off. Last is whether or not you want to view distance in yards or meters. With the unit powered on, look through the lens and hold the ‘Mode’ button down until it switches.

Features

For a $200 rangefinder, the Shot Scope Pro L1 is pretty feature rich. First and foremost, it has Adaptive Slope Technology which I mentioned earlier. This measures the adjusted distance by taking elevation change into account. The lenses have 6x magnification and are pretty darn clear and crisp for a more affordable rangefinder. Also mentioned earlier is the ability to choose between a red or black display in the optics. I personally prefer the sharpness of the red in such a clear lens as I feel the black tends to blend into the frame a little too much. BUT, that’s my eyes, yours could very well prefer otherwise. My eyes are fine, but Top Gun isn’t exactly knocking down my door to join.

A nice feature of the Pro L1 that often isn’t even featured in $450-600 range finders is the “Target-Lock Vibration”. When the rangefinder locks onto a object, like a flag stick, it makes a pulse letting you know you hit a definitive target. I’ve never understood if that’s actually a huge benefit, but I love that feature as I feel it removes doubt from the scene I’m scanning and what I’m actually locking in on. This very much increases my confidence and trust with the device.

On-Course Performance

To put the Shot Scope Pro L1 through its paces, I put it head to head with a top-of-the-line rangefinder I wholeheartedly trust. While distances weren’t exact between the two (they never are between two different rangefinders, trust me), they were both close enough to each other. Put it this way, they were within close enough range, I would select the same exact club and shot each time. So in my opinion, this Shot Scope Pro L1 rangefinder is just as accurate as my more expensive rangefinder.

Gone are the days of slow response when shooting yardages, and the Pro L1 is no exception. As you can scan across your targets, the distances are instant, and Target-Lock is quick when you settle on a distinct object. I actually tested Target-Lock specifically at a spot near my house that has a small park sign nestled into thick woods. In my mind, this simulates a surrounded green with a tree-lined backdrop, but on steroids. At no point would you encounter shooting a target this tight on a golf course, so it’s a nice and difficult test. The Pro L1 was able to easily pick out the sign while scanning the area and lock on its distance. I tested this from 100 and 200 yards respectively. Speaking of distance, the Pro L1 has a range of 875 yards with a .1 yard accuracy.

One last feature to point out is that the Shot Scope Pro L1 is water resistant. I came up with some funny ideas to test that, but then I decided it wasn’t worth risking a perfectly good full-package rangefinder. But Shot Scope built the Pro L1 to hold up and perform during those rainy rounds so head out there with confidence.

Final Thoughts – Shot Scope Pro L1 Rangefinder

So the [up to] $600 question: is the Shot Scope Pro L1 rangefinder a quality, more-affordable alternative to other premium rangefinders? I would say yes, it gets the job done well and is a good option if you want to save some cash. The biggest difference, to me, between the Pro L1 and more expensive options ultimately comes down to fit and finish. For instance, the Pro L1 has a little bit larger profile in your hand than, say, a Nikon or Leupold, and the display is a little more “gets the job done just fine” whereas the more expensive alternatives are a little tighter and more polished.

But my question to you is this: are those things worth hundreds of dollars more to you? If I’m trying to save some money, those are certainly factors I can more than live with. The Shot Scope Pro L1 is a very solid rangefinder with great optics and accurate yardages that will compete with anyone at its price point. It’s absolutely worth taking into consideration for your next rangefinder. Oh, and it also comes with an additional year of warranty which really adds to the value when you consider the beating rangefinders can take!

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