How walking friendly is your private course?

[goplutus]

Interested in seeing where most clubs fall out on this for private clubs.

[Mags]

My club requires carts ($20) in the mornings on weekends, but allows walking after 1-2pm, after the morning shotgun finishes up. During the week, walking is allowed anytime I think, which does me no good since I'm stuck at work then anyway. If we had a caddie program and had the choice of using a cart or taking a caddie on weekend mornings, I might be tempted to actually go and play then while walking with a caddie. On a course that's relatively easy to walk, I hate being forced to take carts.

[FriedEgg]

Our place reluctantly permits walking late in the day. They charge a course access fee (in lieu of cart fee) which is same amount as cart fee. Many green to next tees are long walks. Sad to think how much better condition I'd be in if I had walked more of the rounds I played.

[goplutus]

Yeah, its a shame that many private courses seem to be dictating this for added revenue. It cant really help with pace of play, especially at the older clubs.

[jeffreyl]

Belong to a Club that was built in 1930's, latest renovation, Aurthur Hills about 10 years ago and modified last year to about 6600 yards at tips. We can walk and use pull carts and have an excellent Caddie program that I enjoy immensely.

[GetmeouttaJersey]

I guess the rules at my club aren't all that awful, although they don't make a whole lot of sense. Members can walk anytime during the week but can't walk until 1PM on the weekends. If you choose to walk before 1PM on the weekends, they will charge you the $17 cart fee (ridiculous).

This weekend I walked 18 holes with 3 other players and we finished in under 4 hours, so the whole pace of play argument isn't all that legitimate. I totally understand why the club institutes the rules, it increases revenue and prevents the possibility of slower play, but I still don't agree with making a full-member wait until 1PM to walk the golf course.

I walk solely for the conditioning aspect. It makes me feel better about all the crap food I ate that day, but having to wait until 1 o clock sucks.

[Beatupfender]

Very, or I wouldn't play there. I hate carts.

[Man In The Miura]

At my course walking is expected.

The only people in carts are very old timers, or guests.

[Sean2]

My course is very walking friendly. I walk 99% of the time. The only time I take a cart is during tournaments, where everyone takes a cart.

[K-Brown]

same here. My course was built in the 1920's and was meant to be walked. We do have a few people that ride but i love walking much better then riding.

[atlanta golfer]

Carts required weekend mornings only. Other than that, the majority of members walk - probably 70%, and of those, at least 90% push versus carry. Course built in 1958 so tees and greens are pretty close together. In general, I think the older courses are more walking friendly. imho walking is the way golf was meant to be played.

I am actually ok with carts being required during peak times as long as those times are limited, such as at my course - to weekend mornings only. Clearly it is a revenue generator - call it what it is.

[Bonneville85308]

My club allows walking, either carrying your bag or using a pull/pushcart, at pretty much all times without charge. Carts are only required for a few tournaments during the year. The club doesn't have a caddie program.

I wouldn't have joined there if I couldn't walk. I'd say probably 1/3 of the membership walks regularly.

There is another nice local club where they force you to take a caddie or cart before 4pm. Since I won't ride, that would mean another $5,000/yr.+ in caddie fees on top of my dues. No thanks.

[goduke7]

Our course requires riding only on weekends and holidays prior to noon...you can walk if you want, but you pay the cart fee. If you play after noon, almost everyone walks. I rarely ride.

[Fourmyle of Ceres]

No restrictions on walking except that certain "events" (the little pseudo-tournament shotgun start things they have a few times a year) require participants to use carts. Even during Masters Week when we let non-members play as unaccompanied guests I believe they are free to walk if I'm not mistaken. Those green fees are steep, though.

I've never heard the word "caddie" mentioned unless it's talking about a PGA Tour player. There may have been a few caddies back in the 60's some time but certainly not since then.

Members pay $2/round if they walk and (something like) $20/round if they want to rent a cart. There's also some in-between number for the handful of members who live adjacent to the course and use their own carts, maybe $5/round or something like that. The per-round fee whether walking or riding is a concession to the "social members" who consider golfers to be freeloaders (which makes no sense as golfing members dues are like three times that of social members).

Course is very suited to Speed Carts and I'd say at least half the players who walk use some form of trolley. The pro shop also sells Speed Carts and you can pay $75/year to have your Speed Cart stored at the club when you're not using it. So I'd say that's about as "Speed Cart friendly" as a place could ever be short of giving them away for free!

Overall mix as far as I can tell is something on the order of 50/50 walkers and riders. If anything maybe a slight majority walk but it's about half and half over the course of a year.

[theebdk]

Our club is very walking oriented. Majority of players walk all three courses. We do not have a caddie program.