For me, depends on the situation as to whether I use them. I too have a bunch as souvenirs but if I am playing a course for the first time, I use them in conjunction with my GPS. My GPS is a little Bushnell Neo and just tells yardages. The book shows me bunkers, water, or other things I can't always see from the tee. I did not get ones at Cabot Links/Cliffs as Steve was using a caddie and I just followed the lines he gave to Steve. I like to read greens old-school so no green books for me. My phone is too busy taking pictures to share a yardage app. :) Of course, everyone should go with what works best for them.

It's hard to beat "old tech" like caddies ;-)

For me, I never could use a yardage book and keep up a pace of play. I could see a use on the tee box to work the hole backwards and then put it away. One tool I could use is the greens mapping of pin locations relative to front, side, and center for that day. Only see those at state association tournaments otherwise live with a GPS and a rangefinder for closer shots.

Agreed, pace of play should take precedence over shifting through a yardage book.

I'll use them if I'm playing a new course without benefit of a playing partner to give a little insight, especially when it is a course with a lot of elevation change and blind shots. I may be one of the last people on Earth that doesn't own or use a smart phone. The cell phone I have is always turned off and in the bag while on a golf course. Literally all my friends use smart phones and I find them annoying while playing.

I will get one once in awhile when playing an unfamiliar course. Some are pretty handy but several are useless and should be left in the on-course bathroom where they can be put to better use.

Bushnell Pro XE Rangefinder works well for me. Have a few yardage books, but mainly as souvenirs. If you hit it in the middle, works fine. Slow players are going to play slow regardless if they have a rangefinder, yardage book or a caddie. As we say here in the South, you just cannot cure ugly. Hakuna matata.

@Chuck Z...do you remember the yardage books that came with a fitted plastic cover? Those were high end

Vaguely. Hey, if they were offering them free with the round of golf, I kept them. Have a nice collection of pencils on the wall from all over the world. A friend put one together for a course I use to be a member of and I laminated the outside cover and still have it. There were only a few. Patriot's Point Golf Links, Mt Pleasant, SC

I will sometimes grab a yardage book if it's a destination course. Mainly as a souvenir. Other than that I'll take one if the course is giving them away. Just depend on my low budget range finder and 18 Birdies app for hole layout. Like Dale, once on the green I rely on my feet and my eyes to read. Of course those do let me down sometimes.

I actually use yardage books along with my Wingman. Especially courses that I haven't played before and courses that sell them. They are great souvenirs and I use mine for adaptive tournaments. I am playing Celebration Golf course in Orlando next week for the National Amputee Golf Championships and buying a book online gave me time to become familiar with the course in advance of playing it next week. On the course during the tournament I'll use my Bushnell wingman for yardages.

I buy them as souvenirs and for reference on a new course. I also have one for my home course that I use to confirm carries over hazards. Takes a couple of seconds to reference from the tee or fairway, no longer than using a GPS app

If I’m playing a course I’ve never played before and a yardage book is offered for sale, I’ll generally pick one up. As time permits after my warm up, I’ll start to look through it to start game planning my round. I’ll take the time to look ahead as my playing partners play to gather more information for the shot ahead. Like others have stated already what I truly find useful is a pin sheet. if not available and the sprinkler heads offer front, middle and back yardages I’ll start pacing off the distance from the nearest sprinkler head as I approach my ball and then can calculate the front distance based on the distance I shoot with my rangefinder. I actually find that having a pin sheet or need to calculate based off sprinkler heads helps me to slow down and calm my mind before I execute my shot.

Ive used the strackaline books a few times. I haven't seen every app out there so i can't say for sure but those books have a lot of info. If there are apps that have that much information, then more power to them. Check out www.strackaline.com/.../store Pretty much every number you could want distance, elevation, width of FW etc. You can buy them with our with out putting maps and those are very detailed as well. Id rather look at the book then be on my phone is all. Thats just a personal preference i guess.

I have Strackaline books for my home course and they are great - lots of subtleties and over time they have been worth it. Otherwise I have a few yardage books as souvenirs but a caddy is much more valuable if available

Use the Golflogix greens reading yardage book... Speeds up play and just confirms what (or what Not) Ive confirmed.

I like them as souvenirs, but I'm not good enough to actually put them to use on the course haha

@Tommy, the best memory I have of using a yardage book for the first time is when I first played a course in Scottsdale, AZ. Before then, I played mainly parkland style courses back home. I found the desert courses required a lot of analysis because there were many forced carries and different obstacles that you needed to consider before executing your shot; these were the days before rangefinders and GPS apps.

Back then these types of courses provided yardage books as part of the cost of your round.

Great souvenirs. Most are useless otherwise. Pretty pictures without much text describing the holes from a design standpoint, or pro tips for playing it best. Every now and then you'll come across one which shows some helpful info if you have never played the course before.

Back in the 90s, yardage booklets were the prequel to GPS for golf. Back then I had one from every course I played who offered them. We still sell them in the pro shop at which I work. When customers ask "How much?" I am almost afraid to tell them "Eight bucks!" So I usually point out that the large GPS units on our carts will give them much more and better info. At least, if they still buy it, I know they are only looking for a souvenir. Souvenirs are commonly a bit more expensive than they should be just about anywhere you go. So I don't feel so bad.

Used to buy them and then when they started to pile up I shied away from doing it unless I thought I would be playing the course again in the future. Most courses are marked pretty well and if you have a caddy at a particular pace you shouldn't "need" one.

Agreed. There are many options other than printed yardage books that we have access to these days.

I have a couple that I have bought from PuttView books for USGA qualifiers I have played where carts with GPS are not an option. Most courses now have GPS that will give good guidance with front, middle, back numbers (sometimes with to the pin yardage).

I use a range finder that is able to give me what I need if I am playing a course I have not played before. Caddies are great as they will know the little hidden spots you can't see on the course.

To each's own, if you use them or not.

I never use them, especially nowadays with GPS watches and rangefinders so popular. I agree that yardage books can hurt pace of play.

I have boxes full of old course guides. On rainy days, just looking at some old gems. Always brings backs memories, mostly good ones ;)

So yes! Always buy them and find them use full in the combination with a laser.

Ha...I find myself perusing through some old yardage books now and then. Great memories!

I love Strackaline yardage books; they help with green reading on unfamiliar courses.

We have 3 courses in Kansas that will have 4-6 holes with blind shots as an approach shot or as a tee shot. I have bought those books for that reason. Most other courses no need to have one, my rangefinder does the job just fine.

DM

I like to use a yardage book. A number of tournaments I have played do not allow you to use a GPS or rangefinder, so a good yardage book works well. In a multi-round event or even events with practice rounds, making notes in the yardage book is essential.