Equipment
Leupold introduces GX-5i3 rangefinder, updates GX-1 and GX-2
Leupold is rolling out a new rangefinder, the GX-5i3, and updating its popular GX-1 and GX-2 models.
“Our new GX-5i3 laser rangefinder is an all-in-one solution for golfers who want to shoot lower scores and get around the course faster,” says Rob Morrison, Leupold’s Vice President of Global Marketing. “Why mess with GPS when you can have the accuracy and customization of GX-5i3? It’s like having a personal caddie who really knows your game and can take the measure of any course.”
The Oregon-based company updated its high-performance DNA (Digitally eNhanced Accuracy) and infrared laser to enable the GX-5i3 to boost the speed and accuracy of the rangefinder’s measurements down to the nearest 1/10th of a yard, it says.
Leupold’s new PinHunter 3 Laser Technology enhances the pulse rate, improving the device’s ability to ignore user movement and lock onto the target.
In addition, the GX-5i3 offers TGR and Club Selector features, giving users ranging information and club recommendations matched to the slope of the shot, atmospheric conditions and a golfer’s personal hitting strength (how far a golfer typically hits each club).
Leupold GX-5i3
The TGR feature displays the adjusted “plays like” range, calculated from the laser-measured line-of-sight distance, incline or decline, trajectory of the ball, current temperature and specific altitude. Club Selector works the golfer’s specific hitting strength into the equation, plus TGR to the target, returning a recommending for the proper club for each shot.
The GX-5i3 weighs 7.3 ounces, is 3.8 inches long, 3 inches high and 1.4 inches wide. It’s waterproof and covered by Leupold’s Limited 5-Year Electronics Warranty. MSRP is $624.99.
In addition to the range-topping GX-5i3, the GX-1i3 and GX-2i3 feature new ergonomic design, as well as the PinHunter 3 Laser Technology.
“Golfers will appreciate the look, feel and handling of these new rangefinders,” Morrison says. “They have all the distance, speed and accuracy to help take any golfer’s game to the next level and with the GX-2i3, you have customization features that make it like a personal caddie who really knows your game and can take the measure of any course.”
The GX-1i3 provides line-of-sight distance measurement only and is tournament legal. The GX-2i3 adds Leupold’s TGR and Club Selector features.
Leupold GX-1i3
Leupold GX-2i3
Both models weigh 6.8 ounces and measure 4 inches long, 2.5 inches high and 1.5 inches wide and feature the same warranty as the GX-5i3. MSRP is $374.99 for the GX-1i3 and $414.99 for the GX-2i3.
Cameron Young’s WITB from his win at the 2025 Wyndham Championship. Cameron is a Titleist staff player but his bag is definitely filled with some unique clubs. Here are the clubs he used to secure his first PGA Tour win!
Driver: Titleist GT2 (9 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Pro Orange 70 TX
3-wood: Titleist GT3 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K White 80 TX
Hybrid: Titleist GT2 (21 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus HB Black VeloCore+ 10 X
Irons: Titleist T200 (4), Titleist T100 (5), Titleist 631.CY Prototype (6-9)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold X7 (4-9)
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F, 52-12F, 56-14F @57), WedgeWorks (60-K* @62)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold X7
Putter: Scotty Cameron Phantom 9.5 Tour Prototype
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x Prototype
- Peter Malnati what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. More photos from the event here.
Driver: Titleist GT3 (10 degrees, C2 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Project X Denali Blue 60 TX
3-wood: Titleist GT3 (15 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 7 X
7-wood: Titleist GT2 (21 degrees, D1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 8 X
Irons: Titleist T150 (4, 5), Titleist T100 (6-9)
Shafts: True Temper AMT Tour White X100
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F @47, 52-12F, 56-08M @57, 60-04T @62)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400
Putter: Scotty Cameron Studio Style Fastback 1.5 Tour Prototype
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x Yellow
We’re proud to once again partner with 2nd Swing Golf to bring you GolfWRX Members Choice 2025! 2nd Swing has more than 150,000 new and pre-swung golf clubs available in six store locations and online. Check them out here.
What is the best driver in 2025? At GolfWRX, we take great pride in our online community and the cumulative knowledge and experience of our members. When it comes to the best driver of 2025, we want to know what our forum faithful think.
Since our founding in 2005, the bedrock of GolfWRX.com has been the community of passionate and knowledgeable golfers in our forums, and we put endless trust in the opinions of our GolfWRX members — the most knowledgeable community of golfers on the internet. No other group of golfers in the world tests golf clubs as frequently or as extensively, nor is armed with such in-depth information about the latest technology.
Below are the results of GolfWRX member voting for the 2025 best driver, along with the vote percentage for each club.
Best driver of 2025: The top 5
5. Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond: 6.02%
Callaway’s pitch: “For golfers looking for a fast, forgiving, yet workable driver, the Elyte Triple Diamond features a tour-inspired shape and is the preferred model by most Callaway tour players.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond here.
4. Ping G440 Max: 6.86%
Ping’s pitch: “The most forgiving G440 model, MAX has a hotter face to generate speed and distance, and a lighter overall system weight with a longer shaft (46″) for faster clubhead speed, higher launch and longer carries. The Free Hosel and Carbonfly Wrap crown save weight to create our lowest CG ever and increase forgiveness while contributing to a more muted, pleasing sound.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Ping G440 Max here.
3. Ping G440 LST: 9.53%
Ping’s pitch: “LST is an especially good fit for faster swings, offering less spin and more control with a penetrating trajectory. A hotter face, lighter overall system weight and longer shaft (46″) deliver more speed and distance while maintaining tight dispersion.”
@phizzy30: “Not a fan of Ping drivers in general, but 440 LST takes the cake. It’s super forgiving across the face for a low spin head, looks and sounds good and the ability to make it play neutral or slightly fade biased through the hosel settings is very appealing.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Ping G440 LST here.
2. Titleist GT3: 16.55%
Titleist’s pitch: “The GT3 Driver offers Titleist’s boldest combination of power and personalization through adjustable performance. Dial in the CG Track to your frequent contact location to make your biggest drives even bigger while taking total control over flight and shaping.”
@mrmikeac: “I’ve been Anti-Titleist for years and years and years (outside of Vokey, of course). With that being said, HOLY BEGEEZUS the GT3 driver is an absolute NUCLEAR MONSTER! This thing blew my G430 10K Max out of the water in every single category. Forgiveness is the biggest thing that stands out of me, the 3 model has always been one of the less forgiving models in the past but this GT3 can take bad shot after bad shot and still end up in the fairway, I think a ton of that has to do with the adjustability, it’s actually effective. Feel and sound is perfect, that solid crack is so addicting to hear and when you hit it out the screws this thing can absolutely bomb it. Titleist, I’m sorry for doubting you. You have converted me.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Titleist GT3 here.
1. Titleist GT2: 22.91%
Titleist’s pitch: “Delivering impressive distance from any impact point, the Titleist GT2 Driver extracts maximum performance through a forgiving design. Get the stability and added confidence of a high-MOI driver without sacrificing speed.”
@DTorres: “The Titleist GT2 has proven to be the best driver of the year. Packaged in a classic profile, GT2 perfectly balances performance and forgiveness while consistently being a high performer across all categories.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Titleist GT2 here.
Other drivers receiving >2% of the vote
| Driver | Vote percentage (%) |
|---|---|
| Cobra DS Adapt Max K | 4.85% |
| Ping G430 Max 10K | 3.85% |
| Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond | 3.68% |
| TaylorMade Qi35 | 3.51% |
| Callaway Elyte | 3.18% |
| Cobra DS Adapt X | 2.34% |
| Cobra DS Adapt LS | 2.17% |
| TaylorMade Qi35 LS | 2.17% |
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Peter Malnati WITB 2025 (August)
Peter Malnati what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. More photos from the event here. Driver: Titleist...
Cameron Young’s winning WITB: 2025 Wyndham Championship
Driver: Titleist GT2 (9 degrees, A1 SureFit setting) Buy here. Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Pro Orange 70 TX 3-wood: Titleist...
Camilo Villegas WITB 2025 (July)
Camilo Villegas WITB accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. Villegas was undecided on a 3-wood when we shot his bag. ...
WITB Time Machine: Brandt Snedeker’s winning WITB, 2018 Wyndham Championship
Brandt Snedeker fired a final-round 65 at the 2018 Wyndham Championship to outlast Webb Simpson and C.T. Pan. His 5-under...
George Hanson
Jun 12, 2017 at 10:39 pm
BEWARE OF BUYING THIS DEVICE, THEY HAVE SHIPPED A TON OF THEM THAT ARE DEFECTIVE, A RECALL IS IN ORDER.
Took the plunge and paid up for this top of the line Leupold GX-5i3, my first Leupold product—off to a lousy start.
By design different functions (slope, beep, club recommendation, etc) can be controlled individually, not mine. Club recommendation function will not stay off, beep only works intermittently.
Called Leupold about it once, the person on their end of the line (Rep #1) had no idea how to operate the device, wanted me to mail it in (only had it 6 days). I suggested I would just go to the retailer and get another one. Lo and behold, I bought the only one they had put into stock.
Left it with the retailer, they were going to “call the rep”. Just to be sure I properly understand the functionality I call Leupold again and this time get a guy (Rep #2) who is an expert, he confirms that I have a bad unit.
Meantime the retailer calls Leupold, again they suggest a mail back and “repair”, now keep in mind this is a brand new unit, 1 week old. Retailer suggest offering me a brand new unit is the thing to do, Leupold balks.
Furthermore, Leupold offers up information that a large number of these were shipped with bad software. I follow up with another phone call and pretty sure I get Rep #1 again, totally unhelpful. He’s evasive, suggests I don’t know what I’m speaking of, intimates that they can’t ship a retailer a new unit without first having the old one in hand….complete waste of my time.
I also find out that Leupold rangefinders are not made in USA (all their rifle scopes are, I thought Leupold only sold Made in USA product) and again Rep #1 is evasive, won’t say where these units are made, generalizes with “multiple places across Asia”.
I believe Leupold has a big problem on their hands and are not willing to acknowledge it, they don’t want to have to take back a whole bunch of their top-of-the-line units and replace them, and then be put into a position of having to destroy bad units, or put them back out there as refurbished. Again, just how it appears to me.
My research indicated that Leupold are absolutely at the top if the heap in terms of customer service….
….that’s certainly not the experience I am having.
George Hanson
Jun 20, 2017 at 4:04 pm
UPDATE: Exactly 3 weeks from the day of my initial purchase, today I have a new Leupold GX-5i3 in my possession.
The path to getting here was downright unpleasant and overall my impression of Leupold’s customer service operations and people is not a good one. That said, in the end a supervisor names Allan got it right, but the path was way way bumpier than it needed to be. It has occurred to me that Rep #1 has a bright future as a political talking head because his ability to completely ignore what one says to him and keep plowing ahead with the at hand talking points, far surpasses that of anyone else I have ever dealt with permanently.
A cursory check of this new unit shows it to be in working order, let’s hope that remains the case. If this one goes bad I doubt I will stick with Leupold…probably go back to Bushnell.
ChristopherKee
Feb 3, 2017 at 8:47 pm
I’ve had my GX-1i and GX-2i in the bag for 6 or 7 years now and have never had a problem even when they have been rained on. They are both still going strong and I’ve only changed battery a couple times each in that span. (I average 70 rounds a year). 6x magnification is > than vibration when sorta hitting a flag.
AlmostScratchOnce
Feb 3, 2017 at 10:26 am
Sweet! Finally a range-finder that will help my game, with accuracy to 0.1 yard. I’ve been sick and tired of missing the flag by 0.3 yards (10″) on approaches that are longer than the measuring tape I keep on my belt. I can’t wait to peel $650 off for this gem!
P.T. Barnum was right…
Golfraven
Feb 2, 2017 at 5:12 pm
I´ve been using the Leupold GX-4i2 now for past 2-3 years and it is very reliable. Just surprised that they don’t offer the slope (smart key) feature in their GX-5i3 model. Otherwise pretty unchanged in design for the top rangefinder. For those prices I would rather go for an older model like the GX-4i2 which should be in the range of 400$ or buy second hand.
Mat
Feb 3, 2017 at 4:45 am
Based on the new rules, it can just be switched on and off. The plates were always about USGA conformance. Now that they’re ok with a switch on the device, it’s all good. And don’t expect MSRP to survive long for them.
golfraven
Feb 3, 2017 at 2:43 pm
Thanks for the info. Good to know!
Double Mocha Man
Feb 2, 2017 at 12:52 pm
Looks like, from their press releases, they’ve hired someone from the TaylorMade marketing team.
TigerArmy
Feb 2, 2017 at 11:52 am
Why no vibration when locked on the pin like Bushnell? Should be standard on rangefinders!
PAPAJOHICK
Feb 3, 2017 at 12:31 pm
Mine beeps so I would imagine this one does too. The crosshairs also change to a square when locking on to prism.
JJ
Feb 2, 2017 at 7:26 am
I really don’t like seeing decimal places in my shots when there aren’t reflective markers on the pin. I do not need that. I would rather a whole number. But Leopold’s customer service and product quality is unmatched so I’m not going anywhere, just a thought