Walking Vs. Riding

Question:

I walk a sowewhat hilly course and I enjoy it. It’s the only exercise I get during the summer so I feel sort of guilty when I hop in a cart. I also don’t seem to warm us a quickly in a cart, resulting in what seems like a lot more bogey-bogey starts. My wife says the one saving grace of my golf obsession is the tightening effect all that walking has on my… er, ehm… lower region!

Response:

I love to walk. Unfortunately some of these new courses do not even offer that as an option. From some greens to the next tees you have to go down through houses and streets, goofy layouts. I prefer to walk. tim – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi. The weather around Houston has cooled off enough to where I can walk a course as opposed to riding in a golf cart. Of course, many of the courses do not allow walking even on weekdays, but some will. So, I played a nice 18, walking, for under $20, today, Thursday, a Seniors Rate. Pulled my bag on a golf cart (trolley in England). I lived in England for a couple of years, and I don’t think there is a motorized riding cart in the British Isles. Walking the course gives quite a different perspective on the mileu, and "feels" more natural. And, the roughly five mile walk is good for a body. Just a nice day, temp about 70. John Hanley Sugar Land, Tx

Response:

One advantage with the cart is playing courses that you don’t know. If you have time you can buzz up to the green or to a high spot and survey what you are about to hit to.

One quick story: I’m playing the University of Maryland course with my uncle and good friend Rob, as well as a walk-on fourth. Since the fourth caught up with us, both he and Rob had their own carts. Playing the — oh god, fifteenth hole? — where the tee shot puts you at the top of a hill, then you hit down to the green around a little bit of a turn to the left. Well, Rob’s a long hitter, but he tops hit drive and only goes about 150 yards. He buzzes forward to the top of the hill, so he can get a line for his aim. He picks a tree on the horizon, then spins the cart around and starts heading back to his ball — but keeps his eye on the aiming spot behind him. He turns around just in time to see the sapling. This tree was freshly planted and the trunk was about two or three inches thick. He slams on the brakes, but has no chance of stopping in time, and the cart slams into the tree, dead on. The sapling bends wickedly as the cart runs over it, its leaves shaking madly as they’re gathered up under the tires as though being fed to a wood chipper. Rob is still standing on the brakes as the cart comes to stop after it just barely clears the entire tree, which weakly pops back up into position, listing about 10 degrees to starboard. John and I fall out of the cart laughing. I’m in tears and unable to stand. The fourth, with his cart, drives over and puts the bumper up against the tree, revving the moter to try to push it back to vertical (without much luck). Rob is beet red and doesn’t really know what to do after such a sin. Finally, John gives him some advice: "Why don’t you run over it in the other direction and see if that straightens it out?" Doug — ___, Doug Massey, ASIC Digital Logic Designer o IBM Microelectronics Division, Burlington, Vermont | | Phone: (802)769-7095 t/l: 446-7095 fax: x6752 | / | . My homepage: http://doug.obscurestuff.com (|)

Response:

I would say that amongst the general population of "golfers" in the US the majority prefer to ride including hale and healthy people in temperate weather. I prefer to walk but am quite willing to take a cart when it is appropriate/called for – eg at RSG Atlanta last year. B. J. Wilkinson

I see the same thing. I’d really rather walk myself. At home, my wife and I walk until the temperature hits about 90. Then we ride. Due to a temporary medical condition, I’ve had to ride the last couple or three weekends and I hate it. It’s walking weather here. I really don’t understand the number of young and fit players that insist on walking. I guess they need a place to put their beer and cigars. Kenny — Kenny Stultz – Troll and SPAM intolerant RSG Rollcall: http://rec-sport-golf.com/members/?rollcall=stultzk "Golf is the only sport where a precise knowledge of the Rules can earn one a reputation for poor sportsmanship"

Response:

I tend to think that there are only a few of us here who are die hard walking golfers. (Pflum, Thor, myself) Personally, I feel that unless you are infirm that you should walk the course (even if it is laid out by subdivision standards of 1/2 mile to the next hole). Of course, I’d question the need to play some really, really hilly courses. (Pflum and I could have played both courses at RSGA and had no problem. (esp. Trophy Club) (For example, when my father and I go out to chase the little white ball, I’ll walk while he rides, but that is more social than competitive.) -Diva T-

Response:

If you set aside the issues of bad health, extreme weather and badly designed courses with huge distances between greens and tees, would anyone here prefer to ride a cart than walk around the course? I think there are some folks here who do prefer riding. I prefer to walk. When I do ride I notice how little opportunity I have to socialize with the people who are in the other cart.

I have noticed this as well. I ride once a year during our annual golf get away, 8 games 4 days and that includes the 6 hours of travel each way. What I find when riding is that you spend a lot of time figuring out the logistics of the cart… I’ll drop you off there and go to my ball… You take the cart I’ll take a couple of clubs… Hey you gotta bring the cart over here I need another club… One advantage with the cart is playing courses that you don’t know. If you have time you can buzz up to the green or to a high spot and survey what you are about to hit to. By walking and spraying the ball all over the track I get a chance to spend time with everyone in my group.

There is nothing quite like a long walk with your putter in your hand or when you blast a drive down the middle and get to hoist your bag onto your back and walk straight down the fairway. Rod "Hey man you’ve got the real bum’s eye for clothes" The Tragically Hip

Response:

I prefer to walk. When I do ride I notice how little opportunity I have to socialize with the people who are in the other cart. By walking and spraying the ball all over the track I get a chance to spend time with everyone in my group.

Now, I get more time with someone in my group if we share a vehicle. When we walk we tend to be going in different directions.

Response:

The cooler the weather, the more I enjoy walking. Fortunately it doesn’t get hot enough in Colorado that walking is unpleasant.

Response:

I personally dislike buggies and feel a round with a buggy is a good walk spoiled.

Agreed. But I have played in some courses where the walk from the hole to the next tee isn’t pleasant when you’re trying to play quickly.

Response:

If I’m playing serious golf I prefer to walk. I concentrate better and keep a more even tempo. I save the beer and cigar for after the round. But, If I’m just playing fun golf with my usual buddies then I prefer to ride, with the beer and cigars! James

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I would say that amongst the general population of "golfers" in the US the majority prefer to ride including hale and healthy people in temperate weather. I prefer to walk but am quite willing to take a cart when it is appropriate/called for – eg at RSG Atlanta last year. B. J. Wilkinson I see the same thing. I’d really rather walk myself. At home, my wife and I walk until the temperature hits about 90. Then we ride. Due to a temporary medical condition, I’ve had to ride the last couple or three weekends and I hate it. It’s walking weather here. I really don’t understand the number of young and fit players that insist on walking. I guess they need a place to put their beer and cigars. Kenny — Kenny Stultz – Troll and SPAM intolerant RSG Rollcall: http://rec-sport-golf.com/members/?rollcall=stultzk "Golf is the only sport where a precise knowledge of the Rules can earn one a reputation for poor sportsmanship"

Response:

If you set aside the issues of bad health, extreme weather and badly designed courses with huge distances between greens and tees, would anyone here prefer to ride a cart than walk around the course?

I’m a dedicated walker, but the answer to your question is unfortunately in the US at least a lot of people will always ride. I play on a course that’s dead flat (highest point is about 15 feet at the top of a bridge), with minimal green-tee distances, and mostly temperate weather, and yet on a weekend morning you will see dozens of reasonably fit young people driving carts. They must really want to ride too, since it costs extra. I don’t get it, but that trend is what allows course operators to get away with "mandatory carts" and course designers to get away building courses that are so spread out you virtually have to ride. (I’m curious about this one — in the UK, Austrailia, or other area where most still walk, would people other than foreign tourists actually play a course which had so much distance between greens and tees that it couldn’t be walked?) — http://home.att.net/~wamontgomery )

Response:

I lived in England for a couple of years, and I don’t think there is a motorized riding cart in the British Isles.

My local Pay and Play in the UK (Berkshire) has motorised buggys. There not out lately though. It’s been raining, pretty much non stop for over a week now – it is the UK after all. Never used one though. I always (not allowed in the winter though) pull a trolley along.

Response:

Hi. The weather around Houston has cooled off enough to where I can walk a course as opposed to riding in a golf cart. Of course, many of the courses do not allow walking even on weekdays, but some will. So, I played a nice 18, walking, for under $20, today, Thursday, a Seniors Rate. Pulled my bag on a golf cart (trolley in England). I lived in England for a couple of years, and I don’t think there is a motorized riding cart in the British Isles. Walking the course gives quite a different perspective on the mileu, and "feels" more natural. And, the roughly five mile walk is good for a body. Just a nice day, temp about 70. John Hanley Sugar Land, Tx

If you set aside the issues of bad health, extreme weather and badly designed courses with huge distances between greens and tees, would anyone here prefer to ride a cart than walk around the course? The few times I’ve ridden in a cart, it’s completely ruined my enjoyment of the game. When you walk you can think out the shot on the way to the ball (You are normally walking down your extended target line). You get a much better feel for the conditions and the lie of the land than if you had to park a cart then walk to ball at 90 degrees to your target line. Also, you get to enjoy the scenary. Who was the old pro that said "don’t forget to stop and smell the flowers along the way"?. The temperature has been known to get up into the 90’s over here too (not very often). I’ve also played a lot when it’s down near freezing. Sure it’s uncomfortable, but that’s just part of playing a sport outdoors.

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi. The weather around Houston has cooled off enough to where I can walk a course as opposed to riding in a golf cart. Of course, many of the courses do not allow walking even on weekdays, but some will. So, I played a nice 18, walking, for under $20, today, Thursday, a Seniors Rate. Pulled my bag on a golf cart (trolley in England). I lived in England for a couple of years, and I don’t think there is a motorized riding cart in the British Isles. Walking the course gives quite a different perspective on the mileu, and "feels" more natural. And, the roughly five mile walk is good for a body. Just a nice day, temp about 70. John Hanley Sugar Land, Tx If you set aside the issues of bad health, extreme weather and badly designed courses with huge distances between greens and tees, would anyone here prefer to ride a cart than walk around the course? The few times I’ve ridden in a cart, it’s completely ruined my enjoyment of the game. When you walk you can think out the shot on the way to the ball (You are normally walking down your extended target line). You get a much better feel for the conditions and the lie of the land than if you had to park a cart then walk to ball at 90 degrees to your target line. Also, you get to enjoy the scenary. Who was the old pro that said "don’t forget to stop and smell the flowers along the way"?. The temperature has been known to get up into the 90’s over here too (not very often). I’ve also played a lot when it’s down near freezing. Sure it’s uncomfortable, but that’s just part of playing a sport outdoors.

Response:

If you set aside the issues of bad health, extreme weather and badly designed courses with huge distances between greens and tees, would anyone here prefer to ride a cart than walk around the course?

I think there are some folks here who do prefer riding. I prefer to walk. When I do ride I notice how little opportunity I have to socialize with the people who are in the other cart. By walking and spraying the ball all over the track I get a chance to spend time with everyone in my group. — http://www.rec-sport-golf.com/members/?rollcall=hayesd Troll Intolerant: http://rec-sport-golf.com/newsgroup/philosophy.html sory bro, What’s PI you talking about? bit lost here. Is it a video tape? regards, R — A Perfect Impact Testimonial

Response:

: <snip : : It is good for the bod….walking 18 and carrying your bags is 1300 : calories. Heck of a lot more fun than running. : : -Greg : : Really? Only 1300 calories? Sure seems like a lot more to me. My home course (I walked and carried it two or three times a week all summer) is pretty hilly, though — do you suppose that 1300 calorie estimate is for walking a flat course? — http://rec-sport-golf.com/members/?rollcall=oinesroald Please remove the under_scores if sending me mail.

Response:

Not much to add, except to agree that for me walking is the way to play whenever possible (not too hot, too hilly, or no choice). I guess I’m probably spoiled with the nice weather in SoCal, and the fact that most of the public courses I play are very walkable (not great courses, but walkable). I can play from a cart if it’s necessary, but it’s just a much better game with your feet on the ground 8^). Rob – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi. The weather around Houston has cooled off enough to where I can walk a course as opposed to riding in a golf cart. Of course, many of the courses do not allow walking even on weekdays, but some will. So, I played a nice 18, walking, for under $20, today, Thursday, a Seniors Rate. Pulled my bag on a golf cart (trolley in England). I lived in England for a couple of years, and I don’t think there is a motorized riding cart in the British Isles. Walking the course gives quite a different perspective on the mileu, and "feels" more natural. And, the roughly five mile walk is good for a body. Just a nice day, temp about 70. John Hanley Sugar Land, Tx

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – : <snip : : It is good for the bod….walking 18 and carrying your bags is 1300 : calories. Heck of a lot more fun than running. : : -Greg : : Really? Only 1300 calories? Sure seems like a lot more to me. My home course (I walked and carried it two or three times a week all summer) is pretty hilly, though — do you suppose that 1300 calorie estimate is for walking a flat course?

It’s just something I read. However, since I started playing/enduring winter golf two years ago, I never had to do my post holiday, weeklong cabbage soup diet. There is something to walking 4 miles, carrying a 40 lb. bag, not to mention the cardio workout I get over a 4 foot, gotta-make-it, skins putt. -Greg

Response:

I lived in England for a couple of years, and I don’t think there is a motorized riding cart in the British Isles. Walking the course gives quite a different perspective on the mileu, and "feels" more natural. And, the roughly five mile walk is good for a body. Just a nice day, temp about 70. John Hanley

Unfortunately they are becoming more common in UK, John, but still about 98 to 99% of games are walked. I personally dislike buggies and feel a round with a buggy is a good walk spoiled. Alan

Response:

Hi. The weather around Houston has cooled off enough to where I can walk a course as opposed to riding in a golf cart.

snip Just a nice day, temp about 70. John Hanley Sugar Land, Tx

We’ve had three beautiful days in Corpus which makes the fact that our course isn’t open yet all the more painful. But at least I got out on the range. So have you ever played Greatwood? Looks nice from 59. Dave Clary/Corpus Christi,TX Home: http://home.stx.rr.com/dclary Never Forget: http://www.politicsandprotest.org RSG Roll Call http://www.rec-sport-golf.com/members/?rollcall=claryd

Response:

I second your thought. In my area (Charleston, SC) very few of the courses –especially the newer ones–are walkable. Partly this is because marshy terrain forces designers to lay the holes out with some distance between the holes. But I also think that course operators have made a business decision that forcing people to ride is more profitable. I am not denying that in July and August I am glad to ride. But I think my health and my game would benefit if I was able to walk more. I also think the pace of play might improve on many courses.

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John. Kind of curious, what course did you play?

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It is good for the bod….walking 18 and carrying your bags is 1300 calories. Heck of a lot more fun than running. -Greg

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There might be some cart-compulsory courses in humid tropical Queensland in summer, but I can’t think of a single course in my state of Victoria that will *make* you take a cart at any time of year. At least, I have never been refused because I wanted to walk. Yesterday was our first real taste of some heat … 34C (93F) in Melbourne. A bit cooler in highland Trentham, but I won my club’s Thursday event with 41 Stableford points (76 off the stick)! I think I like it hot! — Cheers Colin Wilson RSG Roll Call: http://rec-sport-golf.com/members/?rollcall=wilsonc Trentham Golf Club: http://www.trenthamgolf.com

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