Flordia Golf and its anti-walking nonsense..

[DavidFehertysBike]

I recently spent a week in flordia. I just wanted to get out of the cold for a week and play some golf. This was my first time playing golf outside of the northeast corridor. I get down there and discover there isnt one course down there that will let you walk. Why is this???? I hate golf carts. Im not accostumed to using them and they throw of my rhythm. I heard some of the private courses might let you walk...florida golf just got knocked down a peg in my book..

[ChiChiIsMe]

I know in Venice, FL where I used to live, the public course was the only one that you could walk on. It was also the only one not built within a community, so there weren't houses lining every hole and like a mile between the last green and next tee.

That's the thing that would kill me walking down there.

I still think if you want to walk you should be able to though.

[Fourputt]

I recently spent a week in flordia. I just wanted to get out of the cold for a week and play some golf. This was my first time playing golf outside of the northeast corridor. I get down there and discover there isnt

Golf is a game of adjustment. That includes your mode of transportation when you play in various venues. It's simply a case of you were taken out of your comfort zone and didn't know how to compensate for it. Like anything else, the more you do it, the more you get used to the changes in the rhythm of the game that cart use necessitates. If you restrict yourself to only courses which allow walking, you will lose out on the chance to play a lot of really nice golf courses. Courses at most of the resorts I've played at require you to take a cart. One thing you can usually do is to split the driving duties with your cart partner. Or if he or she doesn't mind, then let them drive and caddy your clubs while you walk a lot of the time. I will often take my putter and couple of wedges after I hit to the green (and miss, if I'm playing my usual game

) and walk the rest of the way. But in any event, carts are a part of the game on this side of the ocean, so unless you want to limit your opportunities, you'd better learn to adjust for them.

[DavidFehertysBike]

Golf is a game of adjustment. That includes your mode of transportation when you play in various venues. It's simply a case of you were taken out of your comfort zone and didn't know how to compensate for it. Like anything else, the more you do it, the more you get used to the changes in the rhythm of the game that cart use necessitates. If you restrict yourself to only courses which allow walking, you will lose out on the chance to play a lot of really nice golf courses. Courses at most of the resorts I've played at require you to take a cart. One thing you can usually do is to split the driving duties with your cart partner. Or if he or she doesn't mind, then let them drive and caddy your clubs while you walk a lot of the time. I will often take my putter and couple of wedges after I hit to the green (and miss, if I'm playing my usual game

I began to figure that out torwards the end of the week. You dont always have to drive to your ball. Id sometimes take a few clubs and a putter, hit my shot, and then walk the rest of the way to the green. Adjusting to bermuda grass (which ive never seen in the northeast) should have been adjustment enough. I just dont see why if the course isnt backed up and there is time, that i cant walk if i choose to.

[David in FL]

I'd much rather walk (especially with a good caddy), but it's a sad fact that it's just not going to happen, especially on the better courses down here. Partly for pace of play....but more so because of the distance between green and teebox on so many holes. With the competition for prime real estate what it is, and the desire for developers to get their courses as close to the population centers as possible, the days of stepping off one green and walking 50 feet to the next teebox are long gone.

My "adjustment" came in the way of buying the biggest damn staff bag that Titleist makes. Heck, if I can't walk, I might as well carry everything I'm ever gonna need with me!

I guess it's part of the price we pay for playing year 'round. I can live with it.

[DavidFehertysBike]

I'd much rather walk (especially with a good caddy), but it's a sad fact that it's just not going to happen, especially on the better courses down here. Partly for pace of play....but more so because of the distance between green and teebox on so many holes. With the competition for prime real estate what it is, and the desire for developers to get their courses as close to the population centers as possible, the days of stepping off one green and walking 50 feet to the next teebox are long gone.

Yeah. There was a ridiculous distance between some of the holes and it seemed like some of the course snaked through neighboorhoods. But it was still walkable i suppose.

[kfowler]

I was born and raised in Tampa. Two reasons why I think you see it. One is you're there during peak season. Second, carts are a huge revenue generator. Put those two together and I'm not surprised courses go this route.

[wachesawgolfer]

As stated you can walk and basically use the cart as a caddy especially if your partner would rather drive than walk, but the cart is nice on those mile long distances betwen holes so common on post 1990 courses in the southeast.

I always think it is best to walk when they walk and ride when they ride.

[IcemanYVR]

For the record, I hate golf carts, but... I've played courses where walking the whole course would almost be physically impossible, so in those cases, I have no problem taking a cart. First and foremost, golf is for enjoyment. I enjoy walking, and it's an integral part of the game, but playing the actual game is even more important to me.

If a cart is a must, I don't mind taking the cart between holes, but I will usually walk the hole from tee to green if possible and let someone else drive the cart. The odd time the marshal has said something, I've basically said that I've paid for the cart, I'm not playing slow, and I'm waiting on every tee before I can tee off. They usually are OK with that.

[kafka01]

Golfers live longer - that is, if they walk instead of driving around - http://www.redorbit.com/news/health/...ger/index.html

IMO - being obligated to drive is silly. You always should have the option of walking. And if pace of play really would be such a problem, how come, that "on the other side of the Atlantic" quite the opposite, that is, mostly walking instead of taking a cart, isnt causing massiv problems here.

And as somebody else mentioned - revenues for the clubs, sure there is a profit for the clubs in it - but contrary, it drives up the costs for every golfer even further, and that might lead some people to play less or even give up the sport.

[IcemanYVR]

IMO - being obligated to drive is silly. You always should have the option of walking. And if pace of play really would be such a problem, how come, that "on the other side of the Atlantic" quite the opposite, that is, mostly walking instead of taking a cart, isnt causing massiv problems here.

I don't know about in Europe, but in North America, many of the new courses are built in housing developments. It is not uncommon to have 1-2km drives between holes.

[kfowler]

It is not uncommon to have 1-2km drives between holes.

I played this one course this past year. It was in a neighborhood but fairly wooded. One hole was a 10 minute cart drive to the next. I kid you not. it was very scenic but quite laughable. Walking that one would have sucked!

[kafka01]

I cant ever recall walking or driving >1km on any course i played so far in germany or the middle east.

But i also can only imagine that this has to be more of an exception than the norm, to have such long stretches to drive to get to the next hole, despite being in housing development areas.

How did they designe those courses anyway? Course first, then housing or other way around?

[Fourputt]

I cant ever recall walking or driving >1km on any course i played so far in germany or the middle east.

They are designed as a unit, and the lots are planned to optimize the number of homes that can be on a hole. That does mean that it's common to have a 200 yard walk or longer from one green to the next tee. It can double the walking length of a golf course, and add in severe elevation changes and the course becomes unwalkable.

[chipper2]

It seems to boil down to the old saying "When in Rome, do as the Romans do."

I prefer to walk, but when I must ride, I ride, but still try to walk as much as possible. The greed of courses to have you pay for carts will do themselves in now that the economy is in a downturn. They will get what they asked for.

[beachbreak]

I live in Florida. You can walk the municipals and members usually can walk the semi-private clubs. I agree, I hate carts.

Here in Central and South Florida, you don't replace your divots. You use sand from the buckets on the carts to fill the divot. This may also be the reason they want people to use carts.

[mountaineer08]

I would prefer to walk, I think it is much more relaxing (and cheaper for us college kids). But some of the more mountainous courses here are not fun at all to walk.

[DrivingRangeJunkie]

I live in florida, but I've never heard of any course not letting you walk, thats almost unconstitutional. I should probably start walking.