Shot Scope PRO ZR Review: Is This the Best $300 Golf Rangefinder?

My honest very first impression upon unboxing the brand new Shot Scope PRO ZR was: “Hmm. This looks and feels a lot like a Bushnell rangefinder.”

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not calling out Shot Scope as copycats. I’m calling them out as smart.

Bushnell is the gold standard in rangefinders and has been for about as long as this technology has existed. And now Shot Scope, a brand known previously for value, is trying their hand in the premium product class, a space Bushnell has dominated.

It’s clear to me, after testing the new PRO ZR, that Shot Scope has studied the elements that have made Bushnell’s rangefinders so popular, and they’ve now tried to load their versions of those elements into this, their new flagship rangefinder.

But what’s really intriguing about this new PRO ZR is the price. It retails for $299.99 and it includes slope. It looks to me like Shot Scope has taken direct aim at the Bushnell Tour V6 and V6 Shift. The standard V6, which does not include slope, costs $299.99. The V6 Shift, which does include slope, costs $399.99.

So, if the PRO ZR looks like a Bushnell, is built like a Bushnell, and can deliver slope-adjusted yardages for $100 less than its Bushnell counterpart, is this now the best golf rangefinder at the $300 price point?

Well, that of course depends on whether or not it can actually deliver the performance of a Bushnell golf laser rangefinder. And that’s exactly what I’m going to uncover for you here.

Oh, and here’s something crazy: Shot Scope claims the PRO ZR has a range of 1,500 yards. Seriously?! I mean, who needs a golf rangefinder that can get distances 1,500 yards away? I think the kids call that flexing.

In any case, I’ve now played two rounds with the PRO ZR and have lasered enough targets to have formed my opinions on how well it performs and whether it’s worth the money. I’ll give you my assessments as plainly as I can with the hopes that his review helps you with your rangefinder buying decisions.

And, yes, in case you’re wondering, I couldn’t resist lasering some targets at extreme distances just to see. Keep reading to learn how that worked out.

Packaging and Presentation: Unboxing the Shot Scope PRO ZR

The PRO ZR comes in what I’d describe as a nice, well-designed, sturdy box with enough product information and pictures on the outside to whet your appetite.

Opening the box is fairly unremarkable. The rangefinder is packaged inside of its included carrying case. As for that carrying case, it’s very nice. It looks almost identical to a Bushnell carrying case with less color but is the slightest bit more bulky. I would rate the carrying case as a very small step below the Bushnell’s in terms of quality and looks.

Also in the box is a short user guide and a small sheet with a QR code that you can scan to access free GPS maps through Shot Scope’s app. I think the maps add-on, which would allow you to pull up the Shot Scope app on your phone and get a GPS layout of the golf hole you’re playing, is kind of cool. It would be useful to have when you had a blind shot and couldn’t get a target to shoot with your rangefinder. I don’t know that I’d use it a whole lot, but it’s nice to have for no cost.

It’s once you remove the actual rangefinder from the carrying case that you see, or at least I saw, that Shot Scope is straight-up gunning for Bushnell and trying to tap into their sporty, sleek, rugged look and feel.

The PRO ZR looks and feels really nice. Previous Shot Scope rangefinders have included a plastic body and have always felt a bit cheap. The PRO ZR is a metal body with a very hard plastic, or what they call DuraShield Hardshell, exterior. It looks and feels rugged, solid, and classy. The design is clean with gray and silver as the dominant colors and a splash of blue and orange on the rangefinder’s slope on/off switch. There are no alternate color options with this rangefinder. It comes in just one version.

To me, the best part of the look and feel and the thing that suggests quality, is the weight of the PRO ZR. It feels like a Bushnell in the hand. I think other premium rangefinders, like the Nikon Coolshot ProII Stabilized, are too light when it comes to steadying the hand and locking onto a target. I like a rangefinder with a bit of heft. And the PRO ZR feels just right.

I also like the grip on the top and bottom of the rangefinder where your hand holds the unit when you’re getting your distances. But when I compare the grip to that on the Bushnell Tour V6 Shift, the Bushnell feels, well, grippier. I like it better.

Before I share my on-course experience with the Shot Scope PRO ZR and how I think it stacks up to the competition, let’s see where it fits in the Shot Scope line of products.

Comparing the PRO ZR To Other Shot Scope Rangefinder Models

It seems Shot Scope’s model to date has been to be the value alternative. And a lot of their products, including their line of rangefinders, have gotten mixed reviews. Generally speaking, people have loved the price but haven’t always been overly impressed with the build quality and sometimes with the performance.

And that’s OK. The market is better off when we’ve got options, including budget choices. There are a lot of golfers who want a rangefinder but who do not want to spend hundreds of dollars. They’re OK with a bit of a cheaper feel and maybe less-than-perfect optics as long as they can get accurate yardages. And that’s what Shot Scope gave those types of consumers with their very popular $149.99 PRO L2 rangefinder. It’s small and has a cheaper-feeling plastic exterior. But it works and consistently produces reliable slope-adjusted yardages.

But the PRO ZR takes things up a significant notch. With this rangefinder, Shot Scope is taking their first shot at the premium product class. It’s a statement product that aims to announce Shot Scope as capable of the highest quality. Compared to the PRO L2, it has a far superior build quality and feature set. And ergonomically, to my hands, it’s a much better fit than the PRO L2 or the PRO LX and LX+ Shot Scope lasers.

Here’s what the PRO ZR golf rangefinder delivers:

• Target-lock vibration and rapid-fire technology
• DuraShield hardshell exterior
• Extra-strong built-in cart magnet
• Ultra-clear LCD display
• Adaptive slope technology
• Red/Black dual optics
• 6X magnification
• 1,500 yards range
• Free GPS maps
• Replaceable battery

That’s a fairly stout set of features for $299.99. Let’s get into the actual performance and how this premium golf rangefinder compares to one of its direct competitors.

On-Course Shot Scope PRO ZR Review

The first thing performance-wise that announced the PRO ZR as having the chance to be legit to me was the speed of its yardage readouts. This isn’t the absolute fastest rangefinder I’ve tested (that distinction goes to the Voice Caddie TL1), but the PRO ZR is plenty quick.

Throughout my two test rounds, it was pretty much point and shoot. I really never struggled to steady the rangefinder or to get a yardage. As any rangefinder user knows, there are times where you have to try to avoid picking up things like tree branches or long vegetation that sometimes cause delays in getting your number, but I didn’t have any issues beyond those types of scenarios.

As for the optics, which include 6X magnification, I would rate them as good but not great. If you didn’t have anything to compare it to, I think you’d think the visuals were very good and maybe even stunning. So there really isn’t anything to complain about. It’s just that when you put it up against some other competitors, as we’ll get to below, the optics of the PRO ZR fall a bit short.

You have the option, with the click of a button on the top of the rangefinder, to choose between red and black for your on-screen letters and numbers. Dual optics is a nice feature as different lighting conditions often favor one over the other. But when all things were equal, I much preferred the black readout to the red when testing the PRO ZR. To me, the red looked a touch washed-out or blurred, not quite as sharp to my eyes as the black.

I found the case, which as I mentioned is pretty much a straight-up Bushnell knockoff, to be great and totally functional. There’s an included carabiner, which makes clipping it to your golf bag super convenient. And just like with the Bushnell carrying cases, the Shot Scope case closes both with a bungee-and-clip system and a zipper. So it’s double secured or you can choose to leave the zipper open and get quick access to the rangefinder by just simply pulling the bungee over its little clip. It’s basically the perfect rangefinder case.

I walked the two rounds I tested the Shot Scope PRO ZR, but I did stop by a friend’s cart to check out the magnet. And it’s as strong as can be. I didn’t directly compare it to anything else, but I did have my buddy drive a hole over varied terrain with the PRO ZR stuck to a metal post on his golf cart. And it never budged. Score another positive for the PRO ZR.

There really is a lot to like about this rangefinder. And for a price of $299.99, it didn’t take me very long to start to see some real value. But is this the best rangefinder under $300? Did Shot Scope do enough to position their flagship rangefinder as a true premium product?

For that, we’ve got to compare it to at least some of the competition. Are you ready for a shootout?

Shot Scope PRO ZR vs Bushnell Tour V6/V6 Shift Golf Rangefinder

As I mentioned earlier, it’s pretty clear to me that Shot Scope has the Bushnell Tour V6 and Tour V6 Shift in its sights. They want to position the PRO ZR as an alternative option for consumers shopping for a rangefinder that’s premium but that stops just short of the absolute top end.

So I decided a Shot Scope PRO ZR vs Bushnell Tour V6/V6 Shift shootout was in order.

And, well, the news from my findings wasn’t always great for Shot Scope. Shot Scope got some wins, but it also became apparent that Bushnell remains the true pacesetters.

To start with, the optics on the Bushnell, while also only 6X magnification, are just so much more crystal clear than the Shot Scope. It’s just a nicer, cleaner, crisper look, and I don’t think there’s really any debating this point.

I noted earlier that, overall, I love the hand-feel of both of these golf launch monitors but prefer the grip of the Bushnell. But they both are rugged and durable and just feel like they’re going to last forever. I think Shot Scope really did hit the mark here. They’ve released a rangefinder that legitimately feels like it’s going to hold up to wear and tear. There’s nothing cheap feeling or looking about this product.

When it comes to “eye ergonomics” (is that a thing?) I actually greatly prefer the Shot Scope. To me, when I hold the Bushnell to my eye, I’ve got to get it positioned just right for the image not to be obscured or incomplete. I actually get the best results holding the rangefinder about a half an inch off of my eye. But with the Shot Scope, I can press the scope right up to my eye for a comfortable fit that actually gives me a faster and less cumbersome view. I think this is a fairly noteworthy advantage of the Shot Scope PRO ZR.

I’m going to rate the speed and accuracy of both of these rangefinders as identical. Each of them got the numbers in a flash, and they both matched each other within a yard or two on every distance I tested, including some far ones.

Oh, yeah, and about those extreme distances. You know, it’s pretty hard to even find something to measure that’s 1,500 yards away. On a fairly hilly golf course, the longest target I could find was just over 550 yards away. The Shot Scope measured it as 551 and the Bushnell called it 552. There was a slightly larger disparity in slope-adjusted yardages with 572 compared to 576.

After one of my rounds, I drove to a flat field. Even there, the furthest thing I could see to shoot was a telephone pole that the Shot Scope measured as 1,264 yards away. And, for what it’s worth, the Bushnell could not give me a reading for that same telephone pole. So, the next time you’re playing like a Par 10 and want to shoot the flag, make sure you have your Shot Scope PRO ZR on hand.

Is the Shot Scope PRO ZR the Best Golf Laser Rangefinder for $300?

I can’t call the Shot Scope PRO ZR the highest-quality golf rangefinder at the $300 price point. I think the Bushnell Tour V6 has better optics, a better overall feel, and a slightly higher build quality.

But it doesn’t have slope-adjusted yardages.

For that, you’ve got to step up to the Bushnell Tour V6 Shift.

And that costs a hundred dollars more than a Shot Scope PRO ZR.

So, if slope yardages are important to you, then all of the sudden the Shot Scope PRO ZR really is a legitimate contender for the best $300 golf laser rangefinder.

As for the value of getting slope-adjusted yardages, I personally love that feature and use it constantly. Some players claim it messes them up, but I would never trust myself to see that this uphill shot I’m facing is going to require one club more when I could instead confirm it with a rangefinder that reads slope. So, I think slope is a huge feature for a premium golf rangefinder, and it’s one that I want.

So if I wanted slope-adjusted yardages and had $300 to spend, I’d rather get the Shot Scope PRO ZR than the non-slope Bushnell Tour V6 golf rangefinder. But if I didn’t plan to turn on the slope feature, I’d opt for the slightly higher quality of the Bushnell product. And if I had another hundred dollars to spend and wanted slope, I would go with the Bushnell Tour V6 Shift.

That’s as honest a take as I can give you. I think the PRO ZR is everything that Shot Scope was aiming for. And, yes, I do think they succeeded in releasing a legitimately premium golf rangefinder.

At the 2024 PGA Show, I visited with Scott Robertson from Shot Scope. I suggested to him that they were a company that aimed to compete hard on price and to produce cheaper alternatives.

Scott stopped me and said, “We are about value for money. That’s not the same thing as cheap.”

And with the PRO ZR, I think Shot Scope has proven that perfectly.

About PlayBetter Golf Reviewer Marc Sheforgen

Marc "Shef" Sheforgen is a golf writer whose passion for the game far exceeds his ability to play it well. Marc covers all things golf, from product reviews and equipment recommendations to event coverage and tournament analysis. When he’s not playing, watching, or writing about golf, he enjoys traveling (often golf-related), youth sports coaching, volunteering, and record collecting.

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