How do you walk 18?

[nmk]

I couldn't agree more with cubicle. I've had to debate so many of my friends concerning whether or not golf is a sport. Having people my age, and able bodied people in general for that matter, using pull carts certainly does not help the arguement. My father is in his 70s and he's carried my bag 36 holes in tournaments on hilly courses many times without every whinning for a pull cart. Maybe I look at this whole thing differently because I grew up double bagging doing two loops on a long hilly course, and also played tournament golf, where you surely would be laughed off the course for pulling a cart. I draw the line though at able bodied. If you can't haul your own bag because of a bum hip or bad back that's one thing, but it aggravates me to see a young person pull a bag because they are lazy (or need to focus their energy on making swings with non-load bearing shoulders). Unless you plan on making over 100 swings in any given round, that shouldn't be taking a toll on you. Not to call out too many people but honestly it just looks quite effeminate - like you're dragging a big purse down the fairway...or more likely the rough. All I know is if I asked my college golf coach if I could have used a pull cart for a 36 hole tournament he would have laughed, kicked me off the team, and recommended that I be expelled from the University.

 

Anyone who can apline trek, snow-camp, and back country ski in deep powder and difficult terrain all day should be able to carry a golf bag 18 holes. Barack Obama should also pass a law that anyone in the armed forces should carry their own bag (or take a cart if they want to relax on their time off). I mean just imaine if the enemy saw one of our soldiers pull a cart.

 

This is easily the stupidest comment I have seen on this board, but I've only been on here since Jan.

 

 

I've been on since Sept 08 and pretty much this DolleLama tops the list.

 

 

I realize that many of you responding to my post may be senior citizens who have just recently begun using the computer to send electronic mail and make postings to online forums. I applaud your success thus far and encourage you to keep learning how to use your “electronic note pad/organizer/porn machine.” By now you are somewhere between “Successfully Navigating the World Wide Web” and “Mastering Ebay” in your Video Professor tutorials. I encourage you to stick with the program and make sure you continue on to the next lesson, “Discerning Sarcasm in Online Forums.” I know it’s not always easy to tell if someone is making a “funny” or if they really are making outlandish statements such as, “Obama should pass laws concerning pull-carts and the armed forces.” To all of you seniors out there I apologize and make sure to keep it real at “The Villages.” If on the other hand, you are of the electronic generation, then shame on you for believing this was anything more than sarcasm intended to drive home an opinion.

 

 

Hey DolleLama,

You've already been called "hill billy" before but I don't think that's right.

I think "idiot" suits you better

No, come to think of it.... "sarcastic idiot" :tease:

[bvmagic]

I used to play in hs and carry all the time when I walked. I recently decided to start walking again but got a good deal on a callaway push cart. After one round with it I could care less how other people think of me using a push cart.

 

I am physically able to carry the bag still, but I just don't see a point if I can roll it around in a cart that holds everything. It had a compartment for my drink, rangefinder, and it can hold an umbrella above my head while I walk. Can't beat that especially when you try to walk in the Summer in FL.

[307golf]

Who called Dolle a hill billy? I think the hill billy community would be ashamed at the comparison.

[ckay]

Carry.

[profsmitty]

Sometimes, things I read on this website are informative, sometimes they are inspiring, sometimes they are funny, and sometimes they are thought provoking. Unfortunately, sometimes they just make me sad and disappointed that the sport that I love is populated by many of the same kind of people who populate the rest of the world.

 

At least a couple of the posts to this discussion are of the latter type. The only option that most of us have is to shake our heads and move along. To dignify these inappropriate, hostile, and contemptuous "contributions" by trying to refute them gives their author much more recognition than they deserve.

[mdgboxx]

Sometimes, things I read on this website are informative, sometimes they are inspiring, sometimes they are funny, and sometimes they are thought provoking. Unfortunately, sometimes they just make me sad and disappointed that the sport that I love is populated by many of the same kind of people who populate the rest of the world.

 

At least a couple of the posts to this discussion are of the latter type. The only option that most of us have is to shake our heads and move along. To dignify these inappropriate, hostile, and contemptuous "contributions" by trying to refute them gives their author much more recognition than they deserve.

 

I share your thoughts :hi:

[IUbball23]

I'm 24 and if I am walking, you can be sure that I will be using a push cart. I could absolutely care less if someone thinks I look stupid doing it too, fact of the matter is I don't fatigue anywhere near as bad and can focus more on playing my best golf. Don't let other people's perception of you decide whether or not YOU are going to enjoy your round, if you want to walk but don't think you would be comfortable and relaxed your WHOLE round if you carry your bag, get a push cart, stay fresh (without a back in knots) and whoop their butts while pushing your cart around.

[profsmitty]

I'm 24 and if I am walking, you can be sure that I will be using a push cart. I could absolutely care less if someone thinks I look stupid doing it too, fact of the matter is I don't fatigue anywhere near as bad and can focus more on playing my best golf. Don't let other people's perception of you decide whether or not YOU are going to enjoy your round, if you want to walk but don't think you would be comfortable and relaxed your WHOLE round if you carry your bag, get a push cart, stay fresh (without a back in knots) and whoop their butts while pushing your cart around.

Imagine. Twenty-four years old and having a modicum of good sense. There may well be hope for civilization yet. My compliments to your parents, teachers, and anyone else involved.

[Sean2]

i'm 54 and carry. i purposely do it for the exercise.

[ctgolfnut66]

Being young, I still carry, but who the heck cares how you get it done. I choose to walk and carry my bag, but I know a lot of great players that are only able to ride. Walking allows me to clear my head in between bad shots rather than racing to the next one, plus I seem to have some of my better rounds while walking. Do whatever you have to to get around the course, just have a good time.

[mljones99]

I'm 28 and I use a ClicGear 2.0

 

I don't care what people say, using a push cart takes a lot of stress off my back and I'm able to enjoy my round more. If that makes me less of a man, oh well.

[playmuch]

i have a MGI remote control electric buggy. best thing ever.

[dcdunk3]

i always carry my bag. no point in spending the extra coin

[awise1961]

Carry, or push/pull, does not matter to me. What matters is to keep walking and not riding. I'm forty-seven years old and I run 12+ miles a week plus work out forty-five miinutes to an hour each day depending on my travel schedule. I use a pull cart mainly because I find that it is faster for me to get around than carrying when I am teamed up with people riding in carts. I've played the game of golf my entire life and I enjoy getting as much excersize out of it as I can. I don't give a second thought as to what people think of me pulling my cart. It's my time, my game, and I'm enjoy each and every round.

[Lefty4par2]

I'm 28 and I use a ClicGear 2.0

 

I don't care what people say, using a push cart takes a lot of stress off my back and I'm able to enjoy my round more. If that makes me less of a man, oh well.

 

You go boy!!!! Anyone who things a cart makes you less of a man is a total looser. Just talk to them after 10 - 15 years of carrying a golf bag compared to 10 - 15 years of pushing a cart and see who is literally less of a many then :)

 

cart, no contest.... ever see a hiker with a backpack hanging down to their but loaded with 30lbs of stuff??

[Turbs]

Hey Guys,

 

I Pull/push a cart on days when it is still a little chilly in the morning up here (2-6 degrees celcius) and when it starts to get warmer I will carry my clubs. There is no right / wrong answer to the OP's inquiry.

 

On a side note... I cant believe how many post on this site get negative in no time and the thread is lost. In this day and age I am constantly reminded what absolute a** holes are still out there hiding in the rough.

 

Just play the game....

 

Turbs!

[fufu]

I push with a Bagboy express push cart. I prefer to walk over riding. It allows me a cooling off period between my poor excuses for golf shots. I'll never carry...ever. Push cart or ride, I have a bulging disc in my upper back(t8/t9 area). Walking is fine unless my knee is acting up.

[Dodster999]

Bit of both here, I use a powakaddy Freeway Sport when I play in a medal, 36 hole tournament etc. I prefer to do this as I feel I fatigue less and I am able to keep everything dry when there are poor weather conditions (pretty frequently in the north east of Scotland!).

 

When I am going over to the course for a few holes in an evening and I can't be bothered loading my car with my trolley etc. I just fire my clubs in a Titleist pencil bag and carry them. The only time I wouldn' t this is if it is raining or there is heavy dew as the pencil bag doesn't have a stand and everything gets soaked.

 

I don't think pushing a trolley or using a power caddy cart looks stupid because they seems to be just about a 50/50 split.

 

Having said all that, there are a couple of things I have some concerns/views about:

 

Robokaddys? Sorry but I can't but help laughing when you see someone using one of these at the course and it has a mind of it's own. The user is trying to look cool with his/her £800 cart and the thing is hurtling towards a ditch out of control, priceless. There is no need for a remote controlled caddy cart, get a grip (literally!). Also, the tyres they come with have proper tread and they tear the fairway etc. up, what annoys me even more is people with normal powakaddys and go and buy the tyres and rip the course up. These wheels should be banned.

 

Juniors with powered caddy cars should also be banned, if for anything, for their health! I remember a friend and I turning up for a junior tournament at Royal Aberdeen Golf Club and he had a trolley and tour bag on it. They had/have a rule that all juniors must carry their bags unless you have a letter from your Doctor, he was pretty tired come the end of 36 holes!

[AndrewS]

I carry. As a former bag boy at my local country club, I can say for sure that it was annoying to take care (wheel washing) of some members' pull carts - but other than that I've got nothing against people who prefer not to, or can't, carry their bag when they walk... it'll be my best option someday too.

 

 

I'm right there with the people who've posted that their timing gets thrown off if they're riding carts instead of walking. I find the walk from shot to shot a good time to get clear of the effects of the previous shot and plan out the next one. Also, if you're walking a hilly area, I like how it takes a second to catch your breath and slow your heart down a little before hitting - paying attention to those things a little probably helps me stay relaxed enough to hit a decent shot.

[GTA SOL]

I carry (Ogio Grom bag - a bit heavy but fits nicely on my back and I've never had any problems with back or shoulder trouble).

 

My personal view (and this is not meant as a dig at anyone) is that if you are fit enough you should walk the course - you get a better feeling for the 'lie' of the course and I find a play better when I'm walking. I would also say that if you are fit enough (no back problems etc) I would recommend carrying as well - I just find it easier and it is better exercise (golf is the only exercise I get each week), but in the end it is each to their own. However if I have two rounds in a day I will carry for one and pull for the second - two rounds carrying in a day is just too much for my 38 yr old legs.

 

I personally hate riding, unless we are playing two rounds on a very hilly course - its fun for about 5 mins (playing with the buggy etc), but then it becomes a pain, esp if you are sharing a buggy and you and your partner's balls are on opposit sides of the fairway. I also think you lose come of the crak / chat you can have during a round when you are all walking compared to riding.

 

I know that in the USA some course force riding (whether this is to bump up hire revenue or in a misguided attempt to speed up play - I've found that the speed advantage of a buggy is negated once you take into account talking to and from cart paths etc - I don't know), but when I've played in the states and been forced to ride I always feel a bit cheated that I've not been able to walk the course. If someone askes me what a new course was like, I can always describe it better if I've walked it compared to riding (maybe I'm just weird lol).

[alb]

push cart all the way and I still get me exercise.

[DolleLama]

I'm 24 and if I am walking, you can be sure that I will be using a push cart. I could absolutely care less if someone thinks I look stupid doing it too, fact of the matter is I don't fatigue anywhere near as bad and can focus more on playing my best golf. Don't let other people's perception of you decide whether or not YOU are going to enjoy your round, if you want to walk but don't think you would be comfortable and relaxed your WHOLE round if you carry your bag, get a push cart, stay fresh (without a back in knots) and whoop their butts while pushing your cart around.

 

 

How bad are you "fatiguing" in an 18 hole round of golf? This is not intended to be an insult, but at 24 you may want to consider some lifestyle changes so that you can walk 18 holes of golf with a bag on your shoulder without "fatiguing." Might be time to give up smoking or introduce yourself to the wonderful world of vegetables.

 

Also, learning the game at a very young age I was always under pressure to mind my pace, since most older golfers would see a young kid on the course and assume that I would hold them up. One thing you do when you carry is place your bag in a spot that leads you towards the next tee. Now maybe you pullers on this thread are all expert pull cart users, but I can't even count how many times i've played and the pull carts in front of me don't make it to the right spot (usually park in front of the green). Then you end up waiting for the person to walk back to the front of the green and then pull the cart along the entire perimeter of the green because you clearly cannot pull it across the green. I mean tell me this doesn't frustrate you guys as well.

[awise1961]

I'm 24 and if I am walking, you can be sure that I will be using a push cart. I could absolutely care less if someone thinks I look stupid doing it too, fact of the matter is I don't fatigue anywhere near as bad and can focus more on playing my best golf. Don't let other people's perception of you decide whether or not YOU are going to enjoy your round, if you want to walk but don't think you would be comfortable and relaxed your WHOLE round if you carry your bag, get a push cart, stay fresh (without a back in knots) and whoop their butts while pushing your cart around.

 

 

How bad are you "fatiguing" in an 18 hole round of golf? This is not intended to be an insult, but at 24 you may want to consider some lifestyle changes so that you can walk 18 holes of golf with a bag on your shoulder without "fatiguing." Might be time to give up smoking or introduce yourself to the wonderful world of vegetables.

 

Also, learning the game at a very young age I was always under pressure to mind my pace, since most older golfers would see a young kid on the course and assume that I would hold them up. One thing you do when you carry is place your bag in a spot that leads you towards the next tee. Now maybe you pullers on this thread are all expert pull cart users, but I can't even count how many times i've played and the pull carts in front of me don't make it to the right spot (usually park in front of the green). Then you end up waiting for the person to walk back to the front of the green and then pull the cart along the entire perimeter of the green because you clearly cannot pull it across the green. I mean tell me this doesn't frustrate you guys as well.

 

Regardless of whether I carry, or pull, I set my bag/cart in the most convenient path to the next tee. I don't believe that not doing so is relegated to the pull cart people as much as it is a mind set for efficiency.

Also, while I'm walking along to my next shot I will pull out the club I need and be ready accordingly. Last weekend I was behind a foursome in riding carts that each player would take two to three trips back to the cart for a change of club. However, I digress, that's a topic for another thread.

 

Al.

[Gilly2U]

I use a Sun Mountain speed cart whenever I can. On more than one occasion I have been paired up with guys in carts at the first tee and see the looks on their faces like "crap, we got to put up with a walker". It makes me laugh because not once have I ever held anyone up. While they are going treeline to treeline looking for their balls I just hit and move out to my next shot. I always seem to be waiting on the green for them to get their big bottoms out of the cart. If you have money to burn I say ride, If you carry and enjoy the clanking of clubs in your ear and having to put that thing on and off your sweating back 60 times a round then more power to you. All I know is i will always have what I need, scorecard, water, umbrella if the weather calls for it. (I laughed too till I spent 4 summers in Seattle, it would rain on every other hole). Enjoy!!

[doubleBZee]

I always try to save my back whenever possible. I push.

[Dazza]

I push. Smoothy Classic does the job for me. :)

http://www.underpar.com.au/classic.aspx

[profsmitty]

I push. Smoothy Classic does the job for me. :)

http://www.underpar.com.au/classic.aspx

I followed the link to look at the Smoothy even though it is not a product we have easy access to in the US. It looks like an interesting product. It is obvious that there is much more interest in these products in the Australia and the UK that there is in the States. I wonder if we were as acculturated to walking here as our friends overseas are, would we have a much more advanced set of push/pull cart options than we have now? Several products have been mentioned in this thread that I am not familiar with like the Smoothy. In another thread, someone mentioned a push cart that is used at Bandon Dunes that looks interesting. I am past trying to convince the huge number of golfers about the benefits of walking. This is a fool's errand. I am also past trying to defend walking against changes that a competent walker somehow slows down the pace of play. This is patently ridiculous as many others have pointed out. What is obvious to me is that those of us who believe in and practice the ancient tradition of walking as a worthy component of the game need to me more proactive. We need to seek out good products and support vendors and courses that service our needs. The riders have given the golf industry amble reasons (predominately economic) to cater to their needs. Somehow we need to reverse this. It could be that the economy will help. However, we need to be much more aggressive. How we go about this, I don't pretend to know. For my part, I'll just keep walking.

[RBiel]

Almost 55 here........fat (and arguably stupid - but that's another story...) My wife and kids got me a Clic 2.0 for Xmas.......schwing - seriously REALLY bad shoulder(s) calcium, arthritis etc. Haven't used a different push cart but read a lot of reviews on the ClicGear....its nice cause I can easily walk 18++++ and not feel beat up. Having the water handy along with whatever assortment of energy snacks (not really fat but diabetic) helps me enjoy the game a lot more than struggling with carrying - which I did quite a bit when I was younger......Best wishes and hit em straight........

[Canuck14]

Walk and carry

[BENNYSUPREME]

I mainly carry, I have a mpb sun mtn bag great and i load it full. I walked any where from 18 to 36 hole, but that was in the dry mtn air of Colorado. Now I only walk 18 wholes in Korea due to the humid climate and also because I have issues with heat stroke. I might start to use my sun mtn push cart.