Fell in love with walking

I have been golfing now about 15 years and maybe had a handful of rounds that I actually walked. One day while tooling around on Facebook marketplace I came across a push cart 5 miles from my house. Looked nice, good quality, mint condition... $30. I figured why not, i'll start walking... that was last year... DIDN'T walk once. Fast forwarding to this year, I got sick of playing the 4-6 hour rounds that it has become during the day and thought wow, if only they were open at 6am... Then realizing I had the push cart, my local club allows walkers at really anytime just square up in the clubhouse afterwards so I started walking a little over a month ago. I have walked 27 holes one day but mostly it is 18 holes Sat morning and 18 Sunday morning and 18 holiday mornings. I only get charged 1/2 the time and have met some cool people. My golf game has improved, my love of the game has increased and I have caused a few people to get push carts from my normal group and join me early. Attached are a few neat pictures that I took while documenting my early morning rounds. My quickest has been 1 hour and 56 minutes, I was by myself that day so I could just go.

My Cart and Clubs

Yep I hate taking the cart. Too much time messing around and driving to the other guys ball, I wanna hit my shot and walk straight to my ball, thinking about my next shot. Keeps me in a much better rhythym I find. And I would bet unless both people in the cart are hitting center fairway and GIRs, its much faster to both walk to your own balls.

Not to mention if its cart path only, now your trying to estimate your yardage from the path, bring a few clubs out to the ball, get a real yardage, play the shot pick up your clubs walk back to the path put them back in the bag then drive to the other guys shot. Would be on the green and reading my putt by now if I was walking! Plus I find when driving your just bombing around not really taking in the sights or experience of the course nearly as much as when walking. And when tempers flare, your not stuck next to the guy in the car, you can get away and keep your own mental game in place haha

I play a course where the greensfee covered the entire day. It does not have a range, so I would get there at 7AM and play until 7PM. The most I ever walked was 54 holes in a day. I treated the first round as a warmup and was locked in by the second. I always enjoyed how the course would change throughout the day.

I grew up playing very walkable courses in Maine. Not surprisingly, they were all older courses. Carts were reserved for the odd charity scramble and stuff like that. Not only was walking cheaper, it was just the default option for us, and for a lot of people on the golf course. Why would we use a cart? It seemed pointless.

Since moving to Pittsburgh, I have not found a single course that I would consider decently walkable. There are courses that CAN be walked, but it's a feat. Not only are the courses set up for carts, they are EXTREMELY hilly. Like they were designed with no regards to actually walking the course. Again, not surprisingly, these courses are a bit newer. There are older courses around here, but they're mostly expensive or private.

I don't really have much of a point other than to lament the death of my walking golf game. That's how I'd rather play, but I simply can't. And if anyone knows of any decently walkable courses in the Pittsburgh area, let me know!

Only way to play the game - I wish more people in the US would walk.

> @MaineMariner said:

> I grew up playing very walkable courses in Maine. Not surprisingly, they were all older courses. Carts were reserved for the odd charity scramble and stuff like that. Not only was walking cheaper, it was just the default option for us, and for a lot of people on the golf course. Why would we use a cart? It seemed pointless.

>

> Since moving to Pittsburgh, I have not found a single course that I would consider decently walkable. There are courses that CAN be walked, but it's a feat. Not only are the courses set up for carts, they are EXTREMELY hilly. Like they were designed with no regards to actually walking the course. Again, not surprisingly, these courses are a bit newer. There are older courses around here, but they're mostly expensive or private.

>

> I don't really have much of a point other than to lament the death of my walking golf game. That's how I'd rather play, but I simply can't. And if anyone knows of any decently walkable courses in the Pittsburgh area, let me know!

I'm here in the Scranton area on the opposite side of PA. We are surrounded by hills and Valleys. Thankfully there are still courses that aren't terrible to walk. My primary course there are only 4-5 holes that kill ya afterwards, but friendly for the most part

Wish I could walk more, get the occasional late day 9 in walking, but central FL summers, make it a challenge even if you are in decent shape.

great post

I don't walk the course enough anymore, but will change that next year

Do a lot of elliptical and treadmill stuff so I don't feel overly guilty

I don’t walk very much anymore because of health issues but every once in a while when I feel up to it I will try and walk nine. I enjoy it very much and wish I could do it more.

I'll ride when it's very hot, but I walk almost all the time. I'm 65, and have been playing close to 50 years. My father is 91, and still playing. He walked well into his 80s, and I think this has helped him stay active and healthy for so long.

I walk 100% of the time.

Don't walk enough and on our trips the last couple of summers the walking was actually a huge part of the thrill of playing the courses. A little more time to think, look around.

> @mvhoffman said:

> > @MaineMariner said:

> > I grew up playing very walkable courses in Maine. Not surprisingly, they were all older courses. Carts were reserved for the odd charity scramble and stuff like that. Not only was walking cheaper, it was just the default option for us, and for a lot of people on the golf course. Why would we use a cart? It seemed pointless.

> >

> > Since moving to Pittsburgh, I have not found a single course that I would consider decently walkable. There are courses that CAN be walked, but it's a feat. Not only are the courses set up for carts, they are EXTREMELY hilly. Like they were designed with no regards to actually walking the course. Again, not surprisingly, these courses are a bit newer. There are older courses around here, but they're mostly expensive or private.

> >

> > I don't really have much of a point other than to lament the death of my walking golf game. That's how I'd rather play, but I simply can't. And if anyone knows of any decently walkable courses in the Pittsburgh area, let me know!

>

> I'm here in the Scranton area on the opposite side of PA. We are surrounded by hills and Valleys. Thankfully there are still courses that aren't terrible to walk. My primary course there are only 4-5 holes that kill ya afterwards, but friendly for the most part

Hey fellow Scranton area resident. Definitely are some walkable course but a lot of them are a real hike. Usually only walking I do is the small 9 hole for practice

I don't mean to be mean. But golf was invented for fresh air, nothing more or less. Carts aren't meant to be a thing. 5 holes walking is slicker than 18 holes in a cart.

Glad you came around full circle. Walking is for the real players. Riding solo is something even swifter if you get my drift...

good luck.

> @mvhoffman said:

> I only get charged 1/2 the time...

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> My Cart and Clubs

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What do you mean by this? Are you getting free golf?

Great post. Walking seem to keep me better connected to my play the 2 or 3 times a use a cart per season are generally the poorer scoring rounds of the summer.

In Italy walking is normal, you can see maybe 75% of players walking and 25% having the cart.

Playing walking is waaaay better for concentration, I just play with cart when I want to play quick 9 and there's no players in the course.

> @The7thLetter said:

> Only way to play the game - I wish more people in the US would walk.

Amen, that's also why I love going to the UK & Ireland for golf trips...would choose that over pretty much any USA "resort" style golf trip

I grew up walking all the time...now 80%+ of my US golf is riding

Im in the UK so walking is the norm, im a member of a private club & we have about 200 members, there are 2 carts! think ive seen one being used about 5 times in total

> @Superbrit said:

> Im in the UK so walking is the norm, im a member of a private club & we have about 200 members, there are 2 carts! think ive seen one being used about 5 times in total

I couldnt imagine using a cart more than maybe once or twice a year at a resort

I've always walked and will until I am no longer capable (which will hopefully not be until I'm dead). I walk a lot anyway. I don't generally go rambling around the countryside but I do walk for an hour (4 miles+ ) every lunch break and sometimes walk around my town just because I have nothing better to do.

Walking is good for you both physically and mentally. But returning more specifically to golf I find it gives me more time to appreciate the beauty of the course. I don't mean that I'm a slow golfer (hell no!) but when you're driving in a buggy or even riding one the scenery just seems to pass by in a blur. Golf becomes nothing more than a sequence of swings interrupted by brief periods of boring travel.

We all know what Mark Twain said but I feel the exact opposite. A good walk is _enhanced_ by stopping to swing a golf club occasionally. It gives meaning to the experience. For me using a buggy is like playing a golf simulator - all swing and no atmosphere.

Thankfully buggies are still uncommon in the UK - a lot of clubs like mine don't even allow them in competitions unless the player is exempted on medical grounds.

> @caniac6 said:

> I'll ride when it's very hot, but I walk almost all the time. I'm 65, and have been playing close to 50 years. My father is 91, and still playing. He walked well into his 80s, and I think this has helped him stay active and healthy for so long.

There's a chap I meet occasionally at my club who must be in his 80s and he walks 9 while carrying. Meanwhile there's me playing 18 with an electric trolley - albeit with more clubs in my bag :)

> @MaineMariner said:

> I grew up playing very walkable courses in Maine. Not surprisingly, they were all older courses. Carts were reserved for the odd charity scramble and stuff like that. Not only was walking cheaper, it was just the default option for us, and for a lot of people on the golf course. Why would we use a cart? It seemed pointless.

>

> Since moving to Pittsburgh, I have not found a single course that I would consider decently walkable. There are courses that CAN be walked, but it's a feat. Not only are the courses set up for carts, they are EXTREMELY hilly. Like they were designed with no regards to actually walking the course. Again, not surprisingly, these courses are a bit newer. There are older courses around here, but they're mostly expensive or private.

>

> I don't really have much of a point other than to lament the death of my walking golf game. That's how I'd rather play, but I simply can't. And if anyone knows of any decently walkable courses in the Pittsburgh area, let me know!

Well, welcome to Pittsburgh, unfortunately we are sw Pennsylvania and not Maine we have what we have, how about north park, South Park, lindenwood, riverview in Elizabeth, schenley Park is only walking. Stoughton acres, Blackhawk just to name a few. Not sure what makes a course unwalkable for you? We have hills and valleys not going to change.

Our course is as hilly a course as you'll find, with only 3 holes that have no elevation change (2 are par threes that actually do if you don't hit it on the green). Everyone who can walks.... Well designed course so as outside one hole there are no hikes from the green to the next tee.

We were playing yesterday morning, and ran into a couple out walking the cart path. They were from Northern Ireland, and were visiting their daughter in North Carolina. The guy was 71, and works as a caddie at Royal County Down. He's had two hip replacements, and still does two loops per day. If that's not inspiring, I don't know what is!

I bought one of these a little over a year ago, and I've probably walked 80-90% of my rounds this season. I even convinced my wife to get one as well.


I've been playing golf for close to 25 years now, and before this season I was definitely a cart guy. Though I will admit that part of the reason we got the Motocaddys is because we joined a private club last year, and they ding you $18 per person to take a cart for 18 holes. Our course is pretty walk-able, and having this helps with the few holes where we do have to huff it uphill.

I learned to play from my grandfather who always rode. Taking a cart was all I knew initially. Later started playing with my friends and we couldn't afford carts. My thought at the time was that carts were a luxury, something to strive for. When I started playing again about 5 years ago at the age of 50, I came to the realization that golf was meant to be played walking and choose it whenever practical. I feel that anyone who's capable of walking but chooses a cart most of the time is missing out on some of the joys and benefits of the game. I regularly play with guys in their 70's who walk, some carrying, some with push carts, who strongly believe that walking the course regularly has helped them stay healthy and strong. And to top it off, they're better golfers than I am.

> @MaineMariner said:

> I grew up playing very walkable courses in Maine. Not surprisingly, they were all older courses. Carts were reserved for the odd charity scramble and stuff like that. Not only was walking cheaper, it was just the default option for us, and for a lot of people on the golf course. Why would we use a cart? It seemed pointless.

>

> Since moving to Pittsburgh, I have not found a single course that I would consider decently walkable. There are courses that CAN be walked, but it's a feat. Not only are the courses set up for carts, they are EXTREMELY hilly. Like they were designed with no regards to actually walking the course. Again, not surprisingly, these courses are a bit newer. There are older courses around here, but they're mostly expensive or private.

>

> I don't really have much of a point other than to lament the death of my walking golf game. That's how I'd rather play, but I simply can't. And if anyone knows of any decently walkable courses in the Pittsburgh area, let me know!

I've lived in and around Pittsburgh most of my life. It's pretty impossible to find a course that's fairly flat...especially a public one. There are walkable courses out there though. There may be one or two holes with a good distance between holes but for the most part they are fairly close. Now that I live over near Youngstown, there are a bunch of older courses and courses that were private that went public that you can walk. I think a lot of courses now ding you for the same price walking as they do riding, so you aren't really saving any money. But yeah...if the hills and valleys are an issue, Pittsburgh isn't going to be walker friendly.

I never rode when I started playing in the late 60’s because I had no money. Then for most of my golf life all I did was ride because that’s what my buddies did and courses in Palm Springs discourage walking. After retiring I joined a couple of leagues that have a lot of walkers. Now I walk 2x a week and hopefully will be doing it for a long time. I’m 68 and several of the walkers have 15 years on me including a few who carry because they don’t like to push a cart. I’m not a walking purist though. If it’s over 95 I’m riding. The courses I play are hilly and the heat is brutal for walking.

> @BKN1964 said:

> I learned to play from my grandfather who always rode. Taking a cart was all I knew initially. Later started playing with my friends and we couldn't afford carts. My thought at the time was that carts were a luxury, something to strive for. When I started playing again about 5 years ago at the age of 50, I came to the realization that golf was meant to be played walking and choose it whenever practical. I feel that anyone who's capable of walking but chooses a cart most of the time is missing out on some of the joys and benefits of the game. I regularly play with guys in their 70's who walk, some carrying, some with push carts, who strongly believe that walking the course regularly has helped them stay healthy and strong. And to top it off, they're better golfers than I am.

Couldn’t agree more on the fitness thing. I reckon walking the course will add years to the average golfer’s useful golf life.