For 60 years, when I walked, I carried my golf bag. Initially, there were no such thing as a “pushcart.” One either carried or one pulled a 3-wheel cart. I owned a 3-wheeler, but I rarely used it. I felt I could get around the course a lot faster walking across greens and taking short cuts through the heather or woodlands. I was a “carry snob.” No cart for this guy, I was a real player, I carried my bag.

As I aged, it became more important to have a light load. My stand bags always had “hyper light” or a similar phrase as part of the bag’s model name. Before a round I would analyze a worst-case scenario for lost balls. If I was playing a 1-2 ball course, I might carry 6 balls. A tougher course might see me go to 8 or 10. If the club had drinking water available on the course, I would leave my water bottle half full. An umbrella was carried only if the forecast had rain as a certainty. It was like preparing for an Apollo space mission, not one extra ounce of weight was allowed.

Then I began to see fellow players pushing 3 and 4-wheel carts around the course. I was certain carrying was the faster method and involved less walking. Everyone with a pushcart uniformly stated that pushing was soooooo much easier than carrying. I dug my heels in and kept on carrying. Afterall, I was a “carry snob.”

Last winter I played a couple of walking rounds in January. I began to get muscle spasms in the back of my thighs. At the end of a round, it was uncomfortable walking. I had experienced some back issues over the prior decade, including a bout with sciatica that required a month of physical therapy. Hmmm, maybe walking 5 miles with an extra 25-30 pounds sitting on my back was causing some of the problems. You think?

I took to the internet and bought a 3-wheel pushcart in mid-January. When it arrived, assembly was easy. The unfolding/folding was much simpler than my old pull cart. The folded cart was very compact. It also weighed about ½ of the older pull cart. My internal “carry snob” was screaming “traitor” at me but I needed some relief from my pain.

On January 17, 2023, I debuted my new pushcart. Setup was easy and off I went. It was a bit hard to push and there was a clicking sound. Hmmm, I thought maybe there was something stuck in the wheel or axel. No, dummy, you have the brake on. After disengaging the brake, the round went smoothly. No more leg pain and I was no longer tired coming up 18. I was fully converted.

My days of being a “carry snob” are over. I have seen the error of my ways. A nice lightweight, compact 3-wheel pushcart is perfect. No more carrying for this guy. Oh, and another thing, what is with those players with 4-wheel pushcarts? Are they grocery shopping? They look so silly. 3-wheel pushcarts are the only way to play golf.