Will we see a new generation of walkers?

Considering that many of the courses that are still open are allowing walking only, do you think we'll see a lot of people realize that walking isn't that difficult (assuming you're healthy and relatively fit) and continue walking after things get back to "normal"?

That wouldn't be a bad trend. I don't mind walking most of the time but I'm not doing it in the middle of the summer.

Hope so. And also hope courses that discourage or don't allow walking stop doing so.

One thing's for sure: we'll see a new generation of excellent hand washers!

too many unhealthy Americans. this would help

No. They will go back to riding ASAP!

Unfortunately no. Barring some kind of awakening they will return to type. I don't think those that are fit and choose not to, don't know it's healthier and not difficult, they just cannot be arsed.

I saw a seemingly height/weight proportional healthy guy get in his car and drive 100yds from the grocery store to the pharmacy tonight. Some/more than some folks are just that way.

I love walking. I think one thing courses need to do is really have people be able to utilize the push carts with out too much money to rent.

I’m jumping on the walking band wagon once courses open up again mainly because I just bought a push cart. Plus saves me some dough for paying the cart fee. The wife won’t mind if I lose a couple pounds

I think we are fortunate that this is happening in early spring, and at least where I live it is perfect walking weather. I do think things would be different if it were 100 outside, when walking wouldnt be so pleasant.

I hope this creates a new gen of walkers!! I do enjoy it with a minimal bag setup.

This is such an interesting mindset. I'm with you.

I often park in the middle section of the shopping center and hit both ends on foot and even cross the parking lot to the gas station for supplies. That's a 1 stop for me.

Back to the topic... yes. I hope. I really enjoy walking and with my group did too.

With many courses closed, we'll be lucky if at least half that played do come back to the game. Those that do come back, may not play as much as they did in the past. I say this, because depending on location, not a lot of young folks are playing, at least in my area. We've lost over 4 courses just in the past year alone and at least one more is barely holding on. This time away from the game, is giving some a different out look on things in general and perhaps showing that spending time and money differently has it's own rewards. As for walking vs carts, carts are the money maker for courses and the older the clientele, the more need for carts. Personally, I would love to walk, but at my age and health, 9 holes would be as much as I could handle and in summer heat, no way could I walk even that 9. One thing that has always stuck in my craw, is the charge of a trail fee, for those that have their own cart. To me, that's like charging you a fee for using your own clubs.

My 9 and 10 year old girls had fallen in love with riding in a cart with me while we played 6 or 9 holes in the evenings. Took them out last night but let them know that they'd have to walk. They used my pull cart with their bags and I carried mine. The younger one ranked it higher than riding and the older said it was "tied." They want to go back tonight to walk again...And they slept well.

I agree. That will probably happen.

My 92 year old father walked 6 holes the other day. The 1st and 9th parallel each other, and he borrowed a push cart, and did them 3 times.

Most new layouts just don't have walkers in mind unfortunately

As someone who recently started walking because of really having no other option, I will share my opinion on this with my first post on this site. I'm in my low 30's and thin, in decent shape, but nothing crazy. I could walk or hike for a long time but I get pretty winded quickly if I am sprinting. I am a beer drinker on the course and enjoy to do it socially. I have been playing for golf 10+ years on and off and within the last year have become on another level of being more serious about it. I want to get to single digit handicaps consistently, as right now i am more in the 10-12 range on good days and bogey golf on my off days.

Now, to the main point....the walking of courses. I have always ridden in carts for the most part when I have played, aside from 9 hole par 3 courses. It's not because I hate walking courses or anything, but more because it's easier to ride in carts and the people I have always gone with prefer it as well.

But now, riding isn't really an option and I like golf so much that I am not going to stop playing just because I can't ride in a cart. Currently, because of this Coronavirus, I am at the point where I have stopped trying to scavenge for the rare open course and have just been walking on courses I am familiar with for free using a walking cart. I have done this three times and it has been an awesome experience every time. You get to appreciate the beauty of the courses a lot more and you have time to reflect on your shots and time to walk off your bad shots. It's also a pretty good work out, especially for me considering I have a huge bag which makes walking a bit more difficult. I need to either take some stuff out of my bag or get a lighter bag for walking the course only. I also would not walk in the California summer heat. No way, no how.

Anyway, because of everything going on, my appreciation for walking courses has grown and it's something I could see myself doing more when I get older to get some exercise in while having a good time. But when things return to normalcy, I will still mostly ride in the carts provided because I like to bring extras on the course (ice chest of beers, sandwiches, music speaker, etc.) Basically, I pack a lot of stuff. But every person is different and many people don't do that. But yea, that's 2 cents.

Walking is fun when you're playing well.

When you're not and your playing army golf and hitting two shots off the tee in opposite directions ....it sucks.

Not a chance, well over 90% of our players ride & with over 100 golf carts, the courses love that revenue.

Some folks just associate golf with riding. My local short course is perfectly flat and the next tees are right next to the previous greens. I can walk 18 in 2 hours at a brisk pace with no one in front of me. A lot of healthy looking folks ride there. I don't understand it but it subsidizes the greens fees so I don't mind them riding.

But some folks might realize they like walking after they walk a few rounds and get into better shape. When I had some surgery last year, they asked me in the hospital if I could walk 18 holes. I said I could. The nurse said I looked liked I could. She said some folks say they can walk 18 but she doubts they could. We should all be able to walk 18 if we're lucky enough to have our health.

I'll be 65 years old in a few days. 8 months ago I had my second hip replaced. For the past 5 months I've been walking 18 holes 3 days a week. I'd MUCH rather walk then use a cart. I use a remote controlled cart. Most of the guys I play with use riding carts. I can't see any of them changing to walking upon the course reopening. Most of them couldn't walk one hole, yet alone 18. No way these guys or most of the cart riders at our course are walking when we reopen. If the carts are forbidden when we reopen, they won't play, period.

To the OPs question, we'll see very few people, if any, change to walking when this is over.

Old courses were designed for walkers. Many of todays courses were built with developments in mind. The course I belonged to in Pennsylvania for over 30 years was built in the 1920s and it was a short walk from green to the next tee, but it also had some serious inclines. Walking was limited there to late afternoon. I used to walk nine with my carry bag and loved it. Some members looked at me as being cheap (hurt golf course revenues), not taking a cart. I just loved the walk and golf is, in my opinion, a walking game.

Most people outside of the United States walked 99% of their rounds before this pandemic and will continue to do so when this whole thing is over.

I can only hope to be in your position by the time I hit 65. I'll pass on the hip replacement but I'll definitely sign on for walking 18 holes 3 times a week. Well done sir and good lookin' cat you got there!

Thank you. That's Cosmo. He's one of our 2 rescue cats!! Cool avatar pic you have too.

I tried to pass on the hips, too. But now that they are both done I am more mobile then I have been in nearly my whole life. These titanium hips are awesome. It's so much easier to play golf, walk, get up and down. It's really amazing when it's all over. Besides walking I also cycle the other 4 days a week for a weekly total of about 70 miles

Just bought a Bat Caddy. I decided to go back to walking cause the cart price is out of control. I usually ride alone so the money i save not riding will pay for the Bat Caddy half way thru the season.

I'm a part time 1 club minimalist so I walk a lot anyway plus I get to try different shots

Interestingly enough I've noticed that alot of the younger (say in their 20s) players that have taken up the game are very pro walking and anti-cart. I found this quite interesting personally.

I suppose it's possible, however just in my experience i don't know many healthy / fit people that don't walk already. Most of the people i know who ride in carts are older, or shall we say, big boned.

Summer of '76 - had friends I played with and with my dad when he could, but he always worked on Saturday mornings just because and my friends didn't want to get up early just for golf so I'd walk a few blocks to "the club" if I wasn't working and use the range and mess around a little. A couple of the older guys who walked 100% of the time invited me to play with them one Saturday and we played a couple of more times that summer. I was friends with their kids, who didn't golf, and they were just good guys, period. Always carried my clubs back then, they had pull carts. There weren't too many of the cart personalities that would have even noticed a kid let alone asked him to play with them. Wednesday afternoon "men's day" (dad didn't do that, lol, and btw we always walked) was nothing but carts, slow play and a few serious mixed drinkers, lol, my friends and I were usually right behind them with the first chance we could tee off, which was dumb because they were playing 5 hour rounds (could steal a couple smokes in the trees while waiting forever on 17 tee).

Point is, even back then, riding had really become ingrained behavior in lots of places. By contrast, the muni course was overwhelmingly walkers, and as a kid, in general, where I lived, walkers seemed more my kind of folks. (Yes, plenty of nice guys riding at "the club", need to be careful, but back then we didn't see it that way). 9 hole country course where both my grandpas played all the old retired farmers, etc. rode, it was a "thing" - but those guys were always looking for company, especially if they knew you were one of their friends' grandkids.

Don't see much changing - it's been convenience for decades (where do you put a cooler on a push cart?, and I'm leaving out courses where carts are required and IMO necessary sometimes). I ride way more than I should, but get exercise otherwise, and every year resolve to walk more - I've been much, much better at being less "big boned", lol, than I have getting in more rounds walking (but putting on a few post-surgery), but it's another priority for this season when I can play, and I can just tell my friends it's part of my recommended PT, even though it won't really be part of it, lol.

I can only speak to Scotland and I honestly wouldn't have enjoyed or appreciated even 5% of my experience on those courses if I'd been zipping around in a buggy.