How FAST can you walk 18?

[MelloYello]

On 10/29/2022 at 1:41 PM, Argonne69 said:

All these "crazy" players getting around in less than 2.5 hours. So where do courses get the idea that walkers slow down the pace? I can't even begin to count the number of arguments I've had with course staff that insist that I ride because of pace of play. I've found that players that prefer walking tend to know how quickly they can get around. Baffling. 

 

 

Well, by definition carts allow for faster travel so in theory, even fast walkers would still play faster in a cart.

 

I'm assuming these 2.5-hr walkers could probably finish 18 in an hour with a cart, LOL. 

 

 

[North Butte]

Unless of your it's carts on paths only that day. 

 

I play a lot of solo rounds with groups ahead of me and unless they are just super, super slow I hang back and don't try to play through. 

 

On days when it's paths only, I watch those dudes fishing four clubs out of their bag then trudging 50 yards to their ball, just to hit a shot that doesn't come close to reaching the green. Retrace their steps, moving the cart forward 120 yards, do the whole thing again.

 

It always makes me wonder why they even bother. That must be incredibly tedious over the course of 18 holes, especially if you're having a bad day and hitting it all over the lot. 

[MelloYello]

On 10/29/2022 at 3:50 PM, North Butte said:

That’s a self serving excuse with no basis in reality from people who simply consider golf carts an essential part of the game. 

 

I think carts are an essential part of the golf industry. 

 

The vast majority of people I know ride and many of them are riders exclusively (particularly the older crowd). This is certainly the case when the whether gets bad in winter, too, or when older folks don't want to risk heat stroke in 100^o temps during mid-summer. 

 

I think carts are a tremendous convenience and have helped expand the game. The alternative are human caddies, a service which generally costs (far) more due to tipping. Even if I accepted a $10/hr minimium-wage type salary for hauling your bag, that still leads to $40 minimums, double the rate of your typical cart rental. 

 

To be frank, I find that a lot of walkers have an anti-cart bias that comes purely from financial concerns. Tell a walker he has to pay a $20 fee either way and he usually hops on or quits in protest of not being able to walk "for free." 

 

While I can appreciate the desire to save $20, I think carts get a bad rap from walkers. Carts are a huge part of the golf industry, a huge source of revenue for courses and in general keep the game playable for a large number of seniors. 

 

I don't think walkers should be so cavalier in dissing carts. Just my view. 

 

 

 

And as I've said before to all the people who complain about pace of play, put your money where your mouth is and pony up to join a private club where 3.5-hrs is achievable during peak times and where you can grab a cart after work and play 18 in 2-hrs or where fellow members will always allow faster players through.

 

There is a solution, but it's not free. Nice things cost money. This is another area where penny-pinching walkers suffer.

 

.

Edited October 31, 2022 by MelloYello

[North Butte]

I believe you are trafficking in a stereotype which, like most stereotypes, has some basis in reality. There are plenty of the walk-to-save-20-bucks golfers like you describe but they are not the ones who express dislike for carts. It's those of us who aren't interested in riding in a cart, ever, period, no matter the price who wish the industry had not evolved to (literally) putting the cart before the horse. 

 

For years I used to try offering to pay the cart fee even when I walked. At one point in the 90's or early 00's that often was perfectly acceptable by the courses I spoke to about it. Nowadays I don't even try. For quite a few years now walking, no matter what you are willing to pay, is simply forbidden at most courses around here, full stop. 

 

I'm assuming if pressed the unfortunate individual tasked with dealing with golfer complaints at the pro shop would still trot out the tired "pace of play" argument but I don't know for sure. I haven't even tried to engage anyone in that line of conversation for more than a decade, it's a waste of time. 

[Dufferonius]

2 minutes ago, North Butte said:

Unless of your it's carts on paths only that day. 

Even if it's not: Stop cart & apply brake.  Get out of cart.  Pull club.  Walk to ball.  Hit.  Walk back to cart.  Bag club.  Get in cart.  Drive.

 

Walking (carrying or push/pull cart); Walk up to ball.  Pull club.  Hit.  Put club back.  Walk.

 

A single player in the cart and it's not cart path only, yes: With a cart will likely be a bit faster.  But two people on the cart, even if it's not cart path only?  Probably not.  Particularly if they're playing ready golf.

 

[MelloYello]

25 minutes ago, North Butte said:

I believe you are trafficking in a stereotype which, like most stereotypes, has some basis in reality. There are plenty of the walk-to-save-20-bucks golfers like you describe but they are not the ones who express dislike for carts. It's those of us who aren't interested in riding in a cart, ever, period, no matter the price who wish the industry had not evolved to (literally) putting the cart before the horse. 

 

For years I used to try offering to pay the cart fee even when I walked. At one point in the 90's or early 00's that often was perfectly acceptable by the courses I spoke to about it. Nowadays I don't even try. For quite a few years now walking, no matter what you are willing to pay, is simply forbidden at most courses around here, full stop. 

 

I'm assuming if pressed the unfortunate individual tasked with dealing with golfer complaints at the pro shop would still trot out the tired "pace of play" argument but I don't know for sure. I haven't even tried to engage anyone in that line of conversation for more than a decade, it's a waste of time. 

 

Then you need to change the policy at your club. 

 

These "rules" don't get instituted for no reason. Usually policies like you're describing date back to a problematic situation where a slow group of walkers showed up every single weekend and ended up causing issues early in the morning Sat/Sun and eventually there became a rule revoking the privilege before noon or something like that. 

 

These kinds of policies are presented to the entire membership at a club and are passed after a vote. 

 

Again, the world is flexible. Change the rules. And if you can't convince the group, suffer through it. 

 

 

And if you're talking about a public club then:

(1) Of course they're going to charge the max they can

(2) Of course they're going to be cautious about putting walkers out (who absolutely could be slow)

(3) They don't care about losing your business, someone else will show up (and probably spend more). 

 

 

And finally, if you're simply complaining about being unable to walk during small windows during the week (e.g. weekend mornings), I'd say...get over it.

 

It's a very small limitation. Suffer through it and stop complaining. 

 

.

Edited October 31, 2022 by MelloYello

[Dufferonius]

9 minutes ago, MelloYello said:

To be frank, I find that a lot of walkers have an anti-cart bias that comes purely from financial concerns. Tell a walker he has to pay a $20 fee either way and he usually hops on or quits in protest of not being able to walk "for free." 

Have you ever priced push/pull carts?  Particularly the better ones, with all the bells and whistles?  Never mind the powered ones.

 

Some people just like to walk.  They regard the exercise as part of the attraction.

 

Before I begin next season I'm actually considering "working out" by strapping a pack to my shoulders with the same weight as my bag, then working up to walking my average nearby courses' distances for eighteen.

 

Then again: I never rode a bus to/from school, either.  We walked.

[North Butte]

2 minutes ago, MelloYello said:

 

Then you need to change the policy at your club. 

 

These "rules" don't get instituted for no reason. Usually there are problematic situations where slow groups of walkers end up causing issues early in the morning Sat/Sun and suddenly there's a rule revoking the privilege. 

 

Again, the world is flexible. Change the rules. 

 

 

And if you're talking about a public club then:

(1) Of course they're going to charge the max they can

(2) Of course they're going to be cautious about putting walkers out (who absolutely could be slow)

 

To be clear...

 

1) It's not my home course. I never play golf at courses with any restrictive policy against walking. As I said, I gave up that fight many years ago. I simply stick to places where I'm wanted.

 

2) I don't care what rationale, real or imagined, lead to these policies. I simply mourn the fact that over time one course after another after another decides not to allow me to play their course. If I live another 20-30 years at some point I'll have to give up the game because I don't think walking golf will be anything but a rich man's pleasure at a few high-end private and resort courses within a couple decades. 

[MelloYello]

9 minutes ago, Dufferonius said:

Have you ever priced push/pull carts?  Particularly the better ones, with all the bells and whistles?  Never mind the powered ones.

 

Some people just like to walk.  They regard the exercise as part of the attraction.

 

Before I begin next season I'm actually considering "working out" by strapping a pack to my shoulders with the same weight as my bag, then working up to walking my average nearby courses' distances for eighteen.

 

Then again: I never rode a bus to/from school, either.  We walked.

 

Well, my ClicGear probably has about 1,000 rounds on it over the last decade soooo...I know a lot about walking, LOL. 🙂

 

I love walking and find afternoon / evening rounds absolutely blissful to be sure, but I'm not a complainer. I understand there are times when walking is not ideal and that there can easily be situations, circumstances and particular groups that give walkers a bad name or that simply de-incentivize courses from allowing walkers during certain windows. This is hardly something to complain about. I'm sorry some dude can't walk at 10am on a Saturday at a public course or can't avoid paying a cart fee even when he's walking....but good grief, cry me a river. 

 

I play 100+ times per year and maintain about a 50/50 split between walking and riding. I think one has to accept both. 

Edited October 31, 2022 by MelloYello

[North Butte]

1 minute ago, Dufferonius said:

Then again: I never rode a bus to/from school, either.  We walked.

Starting in sixth grade, I walked to and from school every day rain or shine. Rare exceptions being days when my mom had to pick up me to take me to a doctor's appointment or something. It was just over 1.5 miles as the crow flies and we walked through neighborhoods, woods, even a cow pasture each day in order to take the most direct route.

 

I think about that nowadays when I see parents who live 3-4 blocks from our neighborhood school put their kids in the car then wait in line for 20 minutes to drop them off. All literally within eyeshot of their house which is right down the street. We are raising entire generations of complete slugs who, if they ever take up golf, aren't going to want to move more than a couple arms length from their cart at any point during the round. 

[MelloYello]

9 minutes ago, North Butte said:

To be clear...

 

1) It's not my home course. I never play golf at courses with any restrictive policy against walking. As I said, I gave up that fight many years ago. I simply stick to places where I'm wanted.

 

2) I don't care what rationale, real or imagined, lead to these policies. I simply mourn the fact that over time one course after another after another decides not to allow me to play their course. If I live another 20-30 years at some point I'll have to give up the game because I don't think walking golf will be anything but a rich man's pleasure at a few high-end private and resort courses within a couple decades. 

 

 

I don't know what world you're living in but if you want to walk there are tons of places to go and times you can do it. 

 

If you're someone who simply refuses to play golf unless you're allowed to walk, you are partially responsible for the problem you complain about. I can't feel any sympathy towards that kind of person or mentality. Sorry. 

 

.

Edited October 31, 2022 by MelloYello

[North Butte]

Just now, MelloYello said:

I don't know what world you're living in but if you want to walk there are tons of places to go and times you can do it. 

That was true when I took up the game three decades ago. 

 

Right now it's a Monday afternoon and there are probably three or four public courses plus several privates (if I were a member there) within a twenty-mile drive where I would be welcome to walk a round of golf today. That represents maybe half the courses in the area. If this were a Saturday morning, the number would be even smaller. 

 

In the past twenty years the number of courses in my area where I can walk any time I like has decreased markedly. I can only imagine that trend will continue. And at most resort courses in places where I might go on vacation, it is very, very unusual to be allowed to walk unless you're talking about 3pm on a weekday in the off-season or something. 

 

Heck, try calling around at a supposed golf mecca like Pinehurst, the RTJ Trail or Myrtle Beach and see how many of the courses you'd like to play will allow you to walk. 

[MelloYello]

4 minutes ago, North Butte said:

That was true when I took up the game three decades ago. 

 

Right now it's a Monday afternoon and there are probably three or four public courses plus several privates (if I were a member there) within a twenty-mile drive where I would be welcome to walk a round of golf today. That represents maybe half the courses in the area. If this were a Saturday morning, the number would be even smaller. 

 

In the past twenty years the number of courses in my area where I can walk any time I like has decreased markedly. I can only imagine that trend will continue. And at most resort courses in places where I might go on vacation, it is very, very unusual to be allowed to walk unless you're talking about 3pm on a weekday in the off-season or something. 

 

Heck, try calling around at a supposed golf mecca like Pinehurst, the RTJ Trail or Myrtle Beach and see how many of the courses you'd like to play will allow you to walk. 

 

I'll sympathize when it comes to destination courses and vacations. You're right. Those courses are probably going to force you into a cart, but who cares? It's a vacation. And it's not like you don't still gets tons of walking, even with a cart. 

 

So again, I just don't really care. 

 

If you're having trouble finding walker-friendly courses for your "regular" golf, you just need to move. At that point, it's a quality of life thing. You can sit there and complain or you can do something about the situation. 

 

FWIW, I have never encountered what you're describing at everyday courses (public or private) so I assume your area is particular crappy WRT this issue. 

[North Butte]

7 minutes ago, MelloYello said:

 

I'll sympathize when it comes to destination courses and vacations. You're right. Those courses are probably going to force you into a cart, but who cares? It's a vacation. And it's not like you don't still gets tons of walking, even with a cart. 

 

So again, I just don't really care. 

 

If you're having trouble finding walker-friendly courses for your "regular" golf, you just need to move. At that point, it's a quality of life thing. You can sit there and complain or you can do something about the situation. 

 

FWIW, I have never encountered what you're describing at everyday courses (public or private) so I assume your area is particular crappy WRT this issue. 

Could well be that I'm surrounded by cart-golf purgatory.

 

I'm not interested in "golf" per se as a lot of people seem to define it. My initial exposure to the game was as an adult looking for some way to get major amounts of exercise without feeling like I was exercising. Within a couple weeks of my first nine holes I was like, "This is magic". And it still feels that way sometimes, something that no joke gets me 15,000 steps and 100+ minutes of moderate and vigorous activity but that's actually so fun I look forward to it instead of dreading it like I would a workout. 

 

So I've found my niche at a club where a large portion of the membership (not a majority but a solid minority) walks and where there's never been any discussion of disallowing walking. And I know of one other such club within driving distance if the worst happens and my club were to somehow change w.r.t. walking. I also know of one pretty mediocre but mostly acceptable public course that I hope never starts requiring carts. That one is always my backup plan when my club is closed for a tournament or something. 

 

But one of these days I may wake up and find all those options taken away. I honestly can't imagine I would choose cart-golf over no-golf. It's just not the same game to me at all. 

[alittleoverpar]

I walk primarily for the exercise, but I also just enjoy the game more walking.  I tend to play better when I walk as well.  I don't have anything against golf carts or people using them.  I would only suggest that we all be more aware of the pace of players around us and let people play through who are obviously playing at a faster rate, assuming the course is not full.

[MelloYello]

51 minutes ago, North Butte said:

Could well be that I'm surrounded by cart-golf purgatory.

 

I'm not interested in "golf" per se as a lot of people seem to define it. My initial exposure to the game was as an adult looking for some way to get major amounts of exercise without feeling like I was exercising. Within a couple weeks of my first nine holes I was like, "This is magic". And it still feels that way sometimes, something that no joke gets me 15,000 steps and 100+ minutes of moderate and vigorous activity but that's actually so fun I look forward to it instead of dreading it like I would a workout. 

 

So I've found my niche at a club where a large portion of the membership (not a majority but a solid minority) walks and where there's never been any discussion of disallowing walking. And I know of one other such club within driving distance if the worst happens and my club were to somehow change w.r.t. walking. I also know of one pretty mediocre but mostly acceptable public course that I hope never starts requiring carts. That one is always my backup plan when my club is closed for a tournament or something. 

 

But one of these days I may wake up and find all those options taken away. I honestly can't imagine I would choose cart-golf over no-golf. It's just not the same game to me at all. 

 

While I get where you're coming from as a fellow walker, truth is, golf isn't a "workout" in the traditional sense and none of the fit people I know would ever think of playing golf as a walker as an actual substitute for working out. It's nice to be outside. It helps eliminate stress. It's never a bad idea to get your steps in. Golf is a great form of "light" exercise and it gets us some sun and some vitamin D, but it's not a workout alternative. 

 

If you're a fat guy, walking golf is not going to cure you of that. Restricting caloric intake is WAY more important and "moderate" to "stressful" exercise is going to be demonstrably more beneficial in actually effecting your weight. 

 

The fact you abhor working out and looked for an easier alternative sums up your approach to fitness (which is fine). But as an overweight guy myself who could definitely stand to lose 20-lbs I'll be the first to say that those who prioritize fitness in their life watch what they eat and include the gym as a necessary (even desirable) part of their daily / weekly routine. Even by the fit people, golf is seen more as a game than a form of exercise.  

 

If you're using golf as exercise, I think you're already off base. Spend 20 minutes on the treadmill everyday and eat reasonable portions. That's all you need. Golf is so tangential to the primary things in fitness it's not even funny. 

Just my experience. 

 

And please don't take offense. I say all that as much to myself as to you. But I'm under no delusions. I've walked a lot of holes and it hasn't kept me from gaining weight these past couple years. But again, your approach is different from the vast majority of people and you should take account of that. 

 

The golf course is not there to be your personal gym and the people who run it (not to mention your fellow golfers who share it) should not be expected to accommodate your particular perspective.

 

I'd say the same thing to the morons who refuse to visit an actual gym and instead force their way into rush hour traffic on busy roads riding their bicycles. Being health is important but there's a time and a place and that ain't it! 

 

.

Edited October 31, 2022 by MelloYello

[Argonne69]

So, the no walking policy was implemented because a slow group of walkers slowed down the course? 

 

By the same logic carts should be banned because a group of riders once slowed down the course. Actually, the number is probably closer to a million. I know that every 5+ hour round I've played has been on a course that was primarily riders. 

 

Anyway, I don't particularly care if someone likes to ride. Personally, I prefer to walk. Ride or walk, the basic rule of etiquette should be the same for both. Keep pace or you'll be asked to move back into position. Seems pretty simple to me. No having to implement riding only policies, just to have slow play due to players not knowing how to properly use a cart. 

 

Edited October 31, 2022 by Argonne69

[North Butte]

21 minutes ago, MelloYello said:

 

While I get where you're coming from as a fellow walker, truth is, golf isn't a "workout" in the traditional sense and none of the fit people I know would ever think of playing golf as a walker as an actual substitute for working out. It's nice to be outside. It helps eliminate stress. It's never a bad idea to get your steps in. Golf is a great form of "light" exercise and it gets us some sun and some vitamin D, but it's not a workout alternative. 

 

If you're a fat guy, walking golf is not going to cure you of that. Restricting caloric intake is WAY more important and "moderate" to "stressful" exercise is going to be demonstrably more beneficial in actually effecting your weight. 

 

The fact you abhor working out and looked for an easier alternative sums up your approach to fitness (which is fine). But as an overweight guy myself who could definitely stand to lose 20-lbs I'll be the first to say that those who prioritize fitness in their life watch what they eat and include the gym as a necessary (even desirable) part of their daily / weekly routine. Even by the fit people, golf is seen more as a game than a form of exercise.  

 

If you're using golf as exercise, I think you're already off base. Spend 20 minutes on the treadmill everyday and eat reasonable portions. That's all you need. Golf is so tangential to the primary things in fitness it's not even funny. 

Just my experience. 

 

And please don't take offense. I say all that as much to myself as to you. But I'm under no delusions. I've walked a lot of holes and it hasn't kept me from gaining weight these past couple years. But again, your approach is different from the vast majority of people and you should take account of that. 

 

The golf course is not there to be your personal gym and the people who run it (not to mention your fellow golfers who share it) should not be expected to accommodate your particular perspective.

 

I'd say the same thing to the morons who refuse to visit an actual gym and instead force their way into rush hour traffic on busy roads riding their bicycles. Being health is important but there's a time and a place and that ain't it! 

 

.

I think you are summarizing the modern take on fitness. Go to the gym to "work out" and go to the golf course to sit your butt in a golf cart for five hours and have a few beers while you're at it. That way you keep the gym in business and fatten the golf course's bottom line at the same time. 

 

It's ludicrous that golf (in USA) has gotten to the point where you think someone expecting to walk while they play golf is a freeloader trying to cheap on out cart fees and gym memberships. As opposed to someone simply going out every day and playing golf the way it was played for the first few centuries it existed. 

 

David Owen once observed that Americans thing there's no activity which can't be improved by the addition of internal combustion power vehicles. He had a point. 

[Argonne69]

14 minutes ago, North Butte said:

I think you are summarizing the modern take on fitness. Go to the gym to "work out" and go to the golf course to sit your butt in a golf cart for five hours and have a few beers while you're at it. That way you keep the gym in business and fatten the golf course's bottom line at the same time. 

 

It's ludicrous that golf (in USA) has gotten to the point where you think someone expecting to walk while they play golf is a freeloader trying to cheap on out cart fees and gym memberships. As opposed to someone simply going out every day and playing golf the way it was played for the first few centuries it existed. 

 

David Owen once observed that Americans thing there's no activity which can't be improved by the addition of internal combustion power vehicles. He had a point. 

 

I've played a couple of easily walkable courses recently that didn't have a walking rate. When asked why they basically said that nobody there walks. Sad. 

 

I can't begin to count the number of rounds I've walked recently where someone tried to warn me off from walking. Everyone from the staff in the pro shop to the starters and grounds crew. You'd swear I've been playing in the Rocky Mountains. A few walks have been a workout, but nothing that was super strenuous. Me thinks that some folks believe that any climb over 50 ft is a death defying feat. 

 

[Dufferonius]

24 minutes ago, MelloYello said:

 

While I get where you're coming from as a fellow walker, truth is, golf isn't a "workout" in the traditional sense and none of the fit people I know would ever think of playing golf as a walker as an actual substitute for working out.

Yup.  I'd been working out regularly since 2005, up until the time the SARS-CoV--2 virus made its appearance.  Compared to an honest-to-God workout, the relative physical demands of golf are pretty tame stuff.

 

Not that I haven't worked up a sweat playing golf or practicing in hot weather--or even training, indoors, when I'm trying to persuade my body to move in a new way, to correct a swing flaw, and it's resisting me.  I have.  But still nothing even remotely close to a good workout.

 

24 minutes ago, MelloYello said:

Spend 20 minutes on the treadmill everyday and eat reasonable portions. That's all you need. Golf is so tangential to the primary things in fitness it's not even funny. 

I'd also add ten minutes or so of light strength training a couple times a day.  One fitness thing I follow on Twitter calls them "micro-workouts."

 

Strength training builds bone density and, of course muscle.  Muscle supports our skeletons and muscle burns fat, even at rest.  More muscle = more fat burning.

 

[Dufferonius]

20 minutes ago, North Butte said:

I think you are summarizing the modern take on fitness. Go to the gym to "work out" and go to the golf course to sit your butt in a golf cart for five hours and have a few beers while you're at it. That way you keep the gym in business and fatten the golf course's bottom line at the same time. 

That wasn't my take.  His point clearly was that, as a "workout," golf is pretty tame--whether you're walking or not.

 

[North Butte]

4 minutes ago, Dufferonius said:

That wasn't my take.  His point clearly was that, as a "workout," golf is pretty tame--whether you're walking or not.

 

Believe me, I regret with every inch of my being ever mentioning anything to do with fitness, exercise or physical activity in a thread titled "How FAST can you walk 18?". What on earth was I thinking???????

 

 

[mshills]

2 hours ago, North Butte said:

Unless of your it's carts on paths only that day. 

 

I play a lot of solo rounds with groups ahead of me and unless they are just super, super slow I hang back and don't try to play through. 

 

On days when it's paths only, I watch those dudes fishing four clubs out of their bag then trudging 50 yards to their ball, just to hit a shot that doesn't come close to reaching the green. Retrace their steps, moving the cart forward 120 yards, do the whole thing again.

 

It always makes me wonder why they even bother. That must be incredibly tedious over the course of 18 holes, especially if you're having a bad day and hitting it all over the lot. 

 

I agree with the sentiment that there is room for lots of options. Riding, walking and pushing, walking and carrying, walking with a caddie, using an electric push cart, etc. I’m not militant and definitely don’t play all of my golf one way…..except for cart path only. That is the worst! If it’s cart path only and I cannot walk or am not allowed to walk, I am not playing there that day. I’ll either play elsewhere or find something else to do. 

[MelloYello]

1 hour ago, Argonne69 said:

So, the no walking policy was implemented because a slow group of walkers slowed down the course? 

 

By the same logic carts should be banned because a group of riders once slowed down the course. Actually, the number is probably closer to a million. I know that every 5+ hour round I've played has been on a course that was primarily riders. 

 

Anyway, I don't particularly care if someone likes to ride. Personally, I prefer to walk. Ride or walk, the basic rule of etiquette should be the same for both. Keep pace or you'll be asked to move back into position. Seems pretty simple to me. No having to implement riding only policies, just to have slow play due to players not knowing how to properly use a cart. 

 

 

While I can agree, I think there are a few things to consider:

 

#1

Slow people are slow. We see it in traffic a lot. Some folks will drive down a wide open freeway at 40mph if you let them when others would do 60. To your point, it doesn't always have anything to do with whether or not they ride, BUT I would hate to get behind some of these 5.5-hr types if we forced them to walk. I shudder at the thought. That would surely be worsening the problem and it might risk being unplayable on the back-9.

 

I'm not even kidding when I say it might encourage more of these types to quit after 9! 🙂

 

#2

I think it can really depend on the course. I'm definitely faster in a cart on my home course. Hole-to-hole walks and general issues with course layout should be considered as well.

 

#3

It's easier for a cart group to speed up and get back into position than a group of walkers. Walkers aren't going to start running. 

 

.

Edited October 31, 2022 by MelloYello

[MelloYello]

51 minutes ago, North Butte said:

I think you are summarizing the modern take on fitness. Go to the gym to "work out" and go to the golf course to sit your butt in a golf cart for five hours and have a few beers while you're at it. That way you keep the gym in business and fatten the golf course's bottom line at the same time. 

 

It's ludicrous that golf (in USA) has gotten to the point where you think someone expecting to walk while they play golf is a freeloader trying to cheap on out cart fees and gym memberships. As opposed to someone simply going out every day and playing golf the way it was played for the first few centuries it existed. 

 

David Owen once observed that Americans thing there's no activity which can't be improved by the addition of internal combustion power vehicles. He had a point. 

 

This is a bad take and generally sour attitude that won't go far with others. 

 

Keep in mind you're talking to someone who walks A LOT, lol. 🙂

 

This is not the first time you've brought up something about how 'modern Americans blah, blah, blah.'

 

Just stop it. There is no sympathy for that attitude here. 

[MelloYello]

43 minutes ago, Argonne69 said:

 

I've played a couple of easily walkable courses recently that didn't have a walking rate. When asked why they basically said that nobody there walks. Sad. 

 

I can't begin to count the number of rounds I've walked recently where someone tried to warn me off from walking. Everyone from the staff in the pro shop to the starters and grounds crew. You'd swear I've been playing in the Rocky Mountains. A few walks have been a workout, but nothing that was super strenuous. Me thinks that some folks believe that any climb over 50 ft is a death defying feat. 

 

 

And why would you be listening to anyone that clearly has some anti-walking agenda? For every rider I've met, there's been a passionate walker who expounds on the virtues of strolling down the middle of the fairway (as opposed to riding along side it!). 

 

One is forced to wonder if you guys actually play in groups or if you're constant loners out there. Maybe that's part of the problem? 

 

I can name at least a dozen friends, probably twice that, who all walk on a regular basis. And FWIW, that group ranges in age from 18 to 80. Walkers are not hard to find and they represent a huge portion of the customer base at local clubs around the US. 

 

Good grief. How hard is it to find some like-minded individuals? The problem might be with where you guys live. You guys might seriously consider other alternatives, IDK?

 

If the courses at which you play are that unwelcoming, why even endeavor to play this game? I sense some hyperbole here. 

 

.

Edited October 31, 2022 by MelloYello

[MelloYello]

1 hour ago, Dufferonius said:

Yup.  I'd been working out regularly since 2005, up until the time the SARS-CoV--2 virus made its appearance.  Compared to an honest-to-God workout, the relative physical demands of golf are pretty tame stuff.

 

Not that I haven't worked up a sweat playing golf or practicing in hot weather--or even training, indoors, when I'm trying to persuade my body to move in a new way, to correct a swing flaw, and it's resisting me.  I have.  But still nothing even remotely close to a good workout.

 

I'd also add ten minutes or so of light strength training a couple times a day.  One fitness thing I follow on Twitter calls them "micro-workouts."

 

Strength training builds bone density and, of course muscle.  Muscle supports our skeletons and muscle burns fat, even at rest.  More muscle = more fat burning.

 

 

Yeah, based on what I've seen the correlation between playing golf and physical fitness is a weak one. I'm a good indicator of that, LOL. I've played more than ever these past couple years (2-3x per week) and I've certainly been gaining weight working from home. 

 

Golf is not going to counter one's lifestyle choices. That's for sure. One does not burn enough calories on the golf course to do much beyond minor "maintenance" so-to-speak.  

 

Physical fitness seems to correlate much more with people who watch their diet. From what I've seen, fitness and golf are really 2 entirely different things.

 

The fit people show up fit and the heavy people go home heavy, haha. 🙂

 

.

Edited October 31, 2022 by MelloYello

[North Butte]

I will testify that walking 4 rounds of golf per week has an immediately measurable effect on weight. The longest injury layoff I've ever had from golf was 9 weeks and I gained over 4 pounds. It took three months back playing regularly to get back to within a pound of my pre-layoff weight. 

 

And nobody on earth is going to convince me that playing those 4 rounds a week riding in a cart provides the same amount of activity. That's nonsense. 

 

[North Butte]

24 minutes ago, MelloYello said:

Yeah, based on what I've seen the correlation between playing golf and physical fitness is a weak one.

Makes sense given that the vast majority of golfers ride in carts. And a sizable minority of those have a cooler full of beer on the cart with them. 

 

The way physical activity works is pretty simple. Being moderately active for 20 minutes is better than being inactive for that same 20 minutes. Being moderately active for 60 minutes or 120 minutes is better still. Being vigorously active is even better than that.

 

But time spent not sitting is good for you. And for that matter even riding in a cart for five hours is good for you if you find it relaxing and you at least get out and walk to your ball every few minutes. Anything is better than nothing and more is better than less. 

[MelloYello]

36 minutes ago, North Butte said:

The longest injury layoff I've ever had from golf was 9 weeks and I gained over 4 pounds.

 

 

Exactly.