Walking vs Riding

[CR McDivot]

Todd Creek was designed as a private golf community. Worse than a drunk sailor, designed to maximize number of lots along course.

 

 

[Boricua Golf]

I love to walk, but there are courses that only allows you to ride, so if I "have" to ride, I will, but I have the option, 99% of the time I will walk (with a push cart)...

[North Butte]

Nobody can force you to ride. They can only keep you from walking their course. I finally just started saying no thanks when I encounter those courses. If they don't need my money enough to let me walk I certainly don't need their course badly enough to pay money and not not my round.

 

Ever notice how courses that never allow walking are also the ones that are constantly going cart-path-only? After my first 15-20 years of playing golf I finally adopted a Just Say No policy for that kind of nonsense.

[Argonne69]

Nobody can force you to ride. They can only keep you from walking their course. I finally just started saying no thanks when I encounter those courses. If they don't need my money enough to let me walk I certainly don't need their course badly enough to pay money and not not my round.

 

Ever notice how courses that never allow walking are also the ones that are constantly going cart-path-only? After my first 15-20 years of playing golf I finally adopted a Just Say No policy for that kind of nonsense.

 

Many years I encountered this on a Sunday morning at a local course. They told me it was no-walking until 11 am because of pace of play. I told them F-U, I will easily keep up. I offered to pay the cart fee, and walk, as it was too late in the morning to find an alternate course, and they accepted my offer. Let's face it. It's really about the cart revenue, and not pace of play. BTW, I was standing on the greens waiting for my 3 playing partners all morning.

 

Now I basically avoid courses with a no-walking policy for the most part. I'll make an exception if I haven't played the course before, and simply want to check it out. However, it's usually a one and done deal.

[North Butte]

I've offered to do that a few times over the years with mixed results. My favorite was the course that said "If we let you walk, everyone else will see you and want to walk without paying the cart fee". I've never understood why public courses publish a price list that says

 

Green Fee $35.00

Cart Fee (required) $18.00

 

If they never, ever let you play without walking then $53.00 is the green fee, right? There is nothing for sale at $35.00 so that's just a made-up number. Never understood why that isn't considered false advertising. It would be like if I went to WalMart to buy a television and they said

 

50" Flat Screen TV $399.00

Box the TV is packed in (required) $100.00

 

No way they could advertise TV's for $399 unless they sell it to you without the box!

[jacobEDGE]

I like both for different reasons.

 

I like walking because it's better exercise, and you have a lot of time in between shots to think, plan your next shot, pull out your phone and shoot off a text, check a GPS unit, etc.

 

I like carts because the pace of play is a little faster, less pressure from groups behind you, and feels a little more casual.

 

I only use carts when they are included in the green fees. If it costs extra, I walk. I'm not made of money, and I pinch pennies anywhere I can. If it saves me $15, that's $15 I can apply to another round of golf.

[Kingcat990]

My primary playing partner is my father in law. He's a senior, has rheumatoid arthritis in his ankles. We always ride. Before that, I mixed it up with walking and riding.

[drn92]

I prefer to walk, and do so whenever possible. I am not militant about it and will treat myself to a cart every now and then. Picked up a Sun Mountain Speedcart several years ago and it has paid for itself multiple times since then.

 

Last year I started playing a half set and carrying. It was very liberating and my scores actually went down over the course of the season.

 

Ultimately I think golf is a sport meant to be played walking.

 

drn92

[OverdoseofSatisfaction]

I walk 99% of the time unless required to take a buggy. I think pace of play comes down to the golfer. I know my quickest rounds as a single are within :15 of each other between riding and walking. I don't care if people walk or ride as long as they can keep an acceptable pace. I do like to see golfers walk with a purpose and not drag their feet around taking baby steps.

[Tomat]

Prefer cart as i always play better with it. Tend to be a bit fatigued on the last 3 holes which ruins a bit. Definitely need to get in better shape, but most courses in Norway dont have the nicest terrain.

[6thFairway]

I loved to walk, but after back surgery and knee replacement it's not realistic as much now. I still love to walk traditional courses - especially with a caddie- but I would walk with a push cart if the course was very walk-able. My home course north of Atlanta isn't- pedometers have measured 8 to 9 miles of up and down foothills, wandering through houses in the neighborhood, etc.

[awfidlstx]

Walk because im fat

[DeacLaw05]

Definitely a walker. I will ride when playing in a partner event like a Member-Guest.

 

One of the places I play is a tougher walk. The course was designed to accommodate housing, so there are several holes that require a short hike to the next tee. The other course I play frequently is a classic 1929 Donald Ross design that is perfect for walking. As a result, there is much more of a walking culture there. My Sun Mountain speed cart has a whole bunch of miles on it at this point.

 

As I get older, one of my pet peeves is seeing high school kids riding in golf carts. I guess that means my AARP discounts can't be far behind.

[Patrick_O]

I do it the way Old Tom did, walk.

[3riC]

200% for walking

 

riding puts way too many chips and dents in my clubs....plus i never feel like i can concentrate properly when i'm riding

[jslane57]

I much prefer to walk. For every reason listed above as well as walking keeps my back looser. I just don't feel loose at the end of around if in a cart. So much so that I sometimes just won't golf places that require carts. As far as young people and carts, this just cracks me up. I don't begrudge them as the golf course is making more money from them, but I can't think that the game is what it is about for them...

[tiderider]

I much prefer to walk. For every reason listed above as well as walking keeps my back looser. I just don't feel loose at the end of around if in a cart. So much so that I sometimes just won't golf places that require carts. As far as young people and carts, this just cracks me up. I don't begrudge them as the golf course is making more money from them, but I can't think that the game is what it is about for them...

 

actually think it's bad posture when riding ... we/i tend to slump or round the back a bit/too much when riding ...

[North Butte]

Any "back" issues I experience are all originating in the legs or hips rather than any problem with my spine per se which is fine. A lot of my low-back stuff over the years comes from spending 8 hours/day at a computer, another hour a day in the car and sometimes a couple more hours in front of the TV.

 

My entire reason for taking up golf in my early 30's was to find an activity that keeps me a) upright and b) moving while also being entertaining enough to do for several hours at a time. Plopping down in a cart repeatedly would be completely counterproductive.

 

Over the years I've played somewhere in the range of 2,500-3,000 rounds of golf walking. Plus maybe another 100 or so riding and almost none of those in the past 20 years. So I guess it's no surprise that getting stuck in a cart totally gets me out of sync and in a bad mood, resulting in neither playing well or enjoying the round. So I finally wised up and just say no to riding. Why pay money to do something I don't enjoy?

[SammyShaf]

The course I first worked at was hilly and I would walk it in 3.5 hours. I love walking a course, and on my best days I would walk 54 holes. The trouble I have with cart golf is that I am accoustemed to a quick walking pace so I unintentionally play quicker than most. When I worked in golf and would take a cart I would fly through a round. With a change in career I am stuck with weekend warrior status so walking leads to frustration. At this point I take a cart, load up on aiming fluid, and try to enjoy the game for the social aspect of playing quality rounds with close friends rather than volume as a junkie.

[LandOf10000WaterHazards]

I definitely prefer to walk when possible. I always play better and I like getting a little more exercise. But on the really hot days it is just miserable to walk and probably worth spending the money on a cart

[FairwayFred]

Whoa whoa whoa.

Stop.

 

Do not sit there and tell me walking is as fast as a golf cart.

I just spent 6 hours behind 4somes of walkers, waiting 10 minutes just to tee off on every hole. I played 3 balls and was still waiting on every single shot.

 

I've watched my buddy play the back 9 alone in 45 minutes. You can't even walk 3,400 yards in that time let alone play golf. So stop lol

 

Its totally dependant on the players. You could easily have been held up by a group in a cart. I can walk a golf course just as fast or faster than anyone in a cart. I regularly walk 18 holes at one course I goto in under 2 hours when there is nobody in front of me. It's all about the player not if there is a cart imo.

[shotmark]

Just out of interest, when people say that courses insist on people using a buggy, do they actually mean PAYING for a buggy so as not to lose revenue.

 

I've played at several courses where if you pay for a buggy they're more than happy to let you walk.

[Shotts]

Just out of interest, when people say that courses insist on people using a buggy, do they actually mean PAYING for a buggy so as not to lose revenue.

 

I've played at several courses where if you pay for a buggy they're more than happy to let you walk.

 

I've come across this as the buggy is included in the green fee and you have the option to walk.

[North Butte]

Just out of interest, when people say that courses insist on people using a buggy, do they actually mean PAYING for a buggy so as not to lose revenue.

 

I've played at several courses where if you pay for a buggy they're more than happy to let you walk.

 

In my area, most of the ones that require carts will not allow you to walk whether you pay the cart fee or not. I don't consider them "carts required" I consider them "walking not allowed".

 

I don't play those courses.

[FairwayFred]

Yeah it's really too bad that the industry has gone this way. Goto almost any other country and carts are not a part of the culture like here.

 

I recently went back and played the course my dad introduced me to the game at when I was a little kid. I had not played there in close to 20 years. The weather was not great and I showed up at 9 looking to walk. I was the first person out and they did not have another tee time until 1030. I was informed that "nobody has walked this course in years" and they were worried about me holding up the group behind me who didn't tee off for an hour and a half. After a long discussion with the pro he finally agreed to let me walk (btw this course is fine to walk, short green to tee transitions and no crazy elevation issues) with the caveat that I check in w him at the turn to make sure I was making good time. I turned in an hour and five minutes and played the whole round in two hours fifteen minutes which is about how long it took for the group behind me to play the front nine.

[caniac6]

I had some surgery in June, and couldn't play until mid August. I started riding when I came back, and while I was thankful just to be playing, I missed walking. Also, my back hurt when riding. I started walking this week, and my back and quality of play improved. Yesterday, I walked 12 holes, and was worn out, but it was a good kind of tired.

[North Butte]

I had some surgery in June, and couldn't play until mid August. I started riding when I came back, and while I was thankful just to be playing, I missed walking. Also, my back hurt when riding. I started walking this week, and my back and quality of play improved. Yesterday, I walked 12 holes, and was worn out, but it was a good kind of tired.

 

I used a cart yesterday at a no-walking course that I used to play frequently (the previous ownership allowed walking). I really like the course itself and it was in great shape but like yourself I noticed my lower back was worn out from climbing in and out of the cart all day. Plus the damned jolts every time I hit a crack or pothole on the cart paths, even though I tried to slow down if I spotted them.

 

So on the one hand, sitting in a cart instead of standing around all day due to the glacial pace of play (Saturday AM on a public course) was a good thing I guess. But the whole rhythm and flow of the round was off all day. Played OK the first few holes and just kind of gradually lost the plot. I guess my 2-3 times a year riding in a cart are a good reminder to me of how much the walk is a key part of the game for me.

 

PS. I suppose someone who always rides in a cart might find walking just as disruptive and unpleasant as I find riding. It's a very different experience.

[caniac6]

I had some surgery in June, and couldn't play until mid August. I started riding when I came back, and while I was thankful just to be playing, I missed walking. Also, my back hurt when riding. I started walking this week, and my back and quality of play improved. Yesterday, I walked 12 holes, and was worn out, but it was a good kind of tired.

 

I used a cart yesterday at a no-walking course that I used to play frequently (the previous ownership allowed walking). I really like the course itself and it was in great shape but like yourself I noticed my lower back was worn out from climbing in and out of the cart all day. Plus the damned jolts every time I hit a crack or pothole on the cart paths, even though I tried to slow down if I spotted them.

 

So on the one hand, sitting in a cart instead of standing around all day due to the glacial pace of play (Saturday AM on a public course) was a good thing I guess. But the whole rhythm and flow of the round was off all day. Played OK the first few holes and just kind of gradually lost the plot. I guess my 2-3 times a year riding in a cart are a good reminder to me of how much the walk is a key part of the game for me.

 

PS. I suppose someone who always rides in a cart might find walking just as disruptive and unpleasant as I find riding. It's a very different experience.

While I prefer to walk, I was grateful to have a place to sit during my recovery. I will probably use a cart when I feel tired, or play more than 9 holes until I get my stamina back. Overall, I was in pretty decent shape prior to my surgery, but at 63 my bounce back is a bit slower.

[hepkat]

It is puzzling just how many able-bodied young players ride carts by default, as if that's how the game is meant to be played (even if course is an easy walk). Does it speed up play? Sure, but it comes at a cost. Carts attract more idiots. Hear that Bubba country rawk blaring from the adjacent fairway? It's coming from a cart. Did someone really drive through the native prairie restoration area? Yeah Bubba..yeah Miller Lite! Idiots aside, carts account for significant wear and tear on a course (hardpan around greens and other high traffic areas). Cart paths help, but then you've gotta contend with all the ugly, hard surfaces (which also come at a cost). Walking a course gives you richer perspective as well as a sense of rhythm you can't get sitting in a cart. Your feet transmit a lot more information than you may realize too. If you think of golf as a sport, you best walk. If you don't care to walk, there's always bowling.

[shotmark]

It is puzzling just how many able-bodied young players ride carts by default, as if that's how the game is meant to be played (even if course is an easy walk). Does it speed up play? Sure, but it comes at a cost. Carts attract more idiots. Hear that Bubba country rawk blaring from the adjacent fairway? It's coming from a cart. Did someone really drive through the native prairie restoration area? Yeah Bubba..yeah Miller Lite! Idiots aside, carts account for significant wear and tear on a course (hardpan around greens and other high traffic areas). Cart paths help, but then you've gotta contend with all the ugly, hard surfaces (which also come at a cost). Walking a course gives you richer perspective as well as a sense of rhythm you can't get sitting in a cart. Your feet transmit a lot more information than you may realize too. If you think of golf as a sport, you best walk. If you don't care to walk, there's always bowling.

 

Where I work we have two courses, one is just over 7000yards from the tips with a lot of walking from green to tee. The shorter course is around 5000 yards but probably has more buggy users and they very much fall into the category you describe.

 

We charge £22.50 for buggy hire so it's a good revenue stream but it beggars belief that young people with no other exercise choose a buggy.