Do You Prefer to Walk or Ride?

[freshmanUTA]

12 hours ago, David in FL said:

If you otherwise meet the requirements for posting a score, you're cheating if you don't post a score when you ride.  

For those interested, a search will bring you to many other threads on this very topic.  Probably only surpassed by the number of "I wanna be a Tour Pro" or "cast vs forged irons" threads...

 

Usually when I ride, my play turns into me re-teeing shots, rolling putts twice, don't look in the rulebook for violations, lift and place in the fairway etc. I don't even worry about pace of play because I usually finish 9 in an hour as a single, or an hour and a half as a double. And I definitely, don't post a round if I play alone. Although I'm not quite sure theres any rule against posting solo scores, I just feel like people would accuse me of faking my scores. I decide before basically every riding round I'm not posting the score and using it as practice. Sometimes when the course is cart path only, or other cases where I'll do a decent amount of walking between shots, then I decide to play the round officially, and make sure I assess myself the correct penalties. Now, I don't every decide to score then change my mind, or vise versa. If I pick one way it stays that way. 

[Buckeyebowman]

I voted "Either is fine" and "no difference".

Actually I would prefer to walk, but at 64 with 2 bum knees, I can only go a hole here and there just to heat the legs up. 

Back in the day I never rode. I considered cart riders lazy slobs! I sing a different tune today.

[Fourputt]

15 hours ago, Kalnoky said:

Walk all the time: 9 holes I carry my bag, 18 holes I use a pushcart. 

I hate carts. This is the preferred modus operandi for people who have no business being on a golf course, which in my experience is the bulk of cart users. Swerving and carving like they're riding quads at the dunes, can of cheap swill in hand. They use the carts to give themselves slack, and this stop/start and push/pull action has the ripple effect of slowing the entire procession down. 

With apologies to the guys who can play 18 holes in under 3 hours, I know you guys like to ride. But you're also 1. obviously good from a mile off, and 2. in the minority.

 

Not really.  It may feel that way because of the jerky stop and go like rush our traffic, but the reality is that they are usually still playing at the speed of the walkers, and as is normal, at the mercy of the players ahead of them.  I prefer to ride with all 4 players riding, for the same reason as you... it feels like play flows more smoothly when the whole group plays at a similar pace.  

Anyone who thinks that adding a couple of players in a cart to a twosome walking makes the walkers (and thus the overall pace) slower has never actually timed the flow of a course.  I did it for 5 years when I worked as a starter and the one thing that came out of that experience is that the method of locomotion has very little to do with how fast a given group plays.

5 hours ago, Buckeyebowman said:

I voted "Either is fine" and "no difference".

Actually I would prefer to walk, but at 64 with 2 bum knees, I can only go a hole here and there just to heat the legs up. 

Back in the day I never rode. I considered cart riders lazy slobs! I sing a different tune today.

I was the same once upon a time.  I'm now 70 with a bad knee, hip, and back.  I'm just thankful that I'm still playing, and still able to play at a level that I can live with, even if I have to ride to do so. 

[DaveP043]

11 hours ago, freshmanUTA said:

 Although I'm not quite sure theres any rule against posting solo scores, I just feel like people would accuse me of faking my scores. 

From Section 5 of the USGA Handicap Manual:

Quote

 e. Unacceptable Scores

Scores made under the following conditions are not acceptable for handicap purposes and must not be entered in the player's scoring record:

..........

(vi) When a player plays alone; (NEW)

Now you should be sure.

[David in FL]

I prefer to ride.

It's easier to carry ice and water when it's hot.  It's easier to stay somewhat protected from the elements whether hot, cold or raining.  It's more comfortable waiting between shots when it's slow.  And it's much faster those times when the course is clear.

 

[Bucki1968]

I like to walk whenever possible. Here in Tampa there are not many places that you can walk so I end riding about half the time. I use one of those three wheel push carts now and I think it makes me look way cooler anyway.

[drmevo]

Another part of the appeal of walking to me is that there are fewer distracting logistics to worry about compared to having a cart. If I hit a stray shot, I don't have to drag another person with me or drop them off/get dropped off. I'd rather just have my whole bag with me all the time then grab a few clubs and then realize I needed something different. I know that it's not rocket science to assess the situation and grab whatever might be needed but I have problems with rushing the little things like that when I feel like other people are waiting on me. If I were hitting fairway, GIR/nGIR more of the time, it probably wouldn't make a difference to me.

[Fourputt]

1 hour ago, drmevo said:

Another part of the appeal of walking to me is that there are fewer distracting logistics to worry about compared to having a cart. If I hit a stray shot, I don't have to drag another person with me or drop them off/get dropped off. I'd rather just have my whole bag with me all the time then grab a few clubs and then realize I needed something different. I know that it's not rocket science to assess the situation and grab whatever might be needed but I have problems with rushing the little things like that when I feel like other people are waiting on me. If I were hitting fairway, GIR/nGIR more of the time, it probably wouldn't make a difference to me.

It takes a very short time for those processes to become simple and automatic.  It may sometimes feel like others are waiting for you, but the reality is, if you are using the cart properly, it's you who will be waiting on them if there is any waiting to be done.  I've never seen a walker who who could get around at about 15 mph, and that is the speed of most golf carts.  I can drive to  my companion's ball, let him check his distance and lie and drop him off with what he needs, then drive to my ball and get ready to hit while a walker is still only about halfway to his ball.  

When I walked, I hated being a solo walker when 2 or 3 playing companions were riding.  I always felt like I was rushing to keep up with them.  I usually played poorly on such occasions.  I first started riding selectively in tournaments when I was in that situation, and I found that I scored no worse than I did when walking, and had a more relaxing round of golf than I would trying to walk and keep up with the cart(s).

Good cart etiquette is a learned skill.  Just as a walking golfer learns to park his bag near where he leaves the green for the next tee, so too does the conscientious rider learn to operate the cart in an efficient manner.  When you see a pair of riders who are all over the course like a Chinese fire drill, the odds are that they would be just as messed up if they were walking.  Slow players are going to play slowly because they have never learned how to play any differently.  

Edited May 12, 2017 by Fourputt

[Kalnoky]

7 hours ago, Fourputt said:

Not really.  It may feel that way because of the jerky stop and go like rush our traffic, but the reality is that they are usually still playing at the speed of the walkers, and as is normal, at the mercy of the players ahead of them.

That is generous Sir, but I respectfully disagree. 

The riders know they can pick up slack faster than the walkers. This is an advantage and they use it. How many times have I sat on the tee or in the fairway watching someone in a cart, just wondering just "what the heck is this person doing"? Then, they will suddenly zoom off and take up the entire slack ahead of them. Meanwhile my group which was easily caught up, is now instantly playing slow, i.e., we are no longer directly behind the group in front of us. That is, until we catch the rider camping again a few holes later, and the process repeats.

Over whole of 18 holes it appears the pace of play is being kept. 

This is not an issue with walkers because walkers know they don't have enough time to go look for mulligans or head covers. Walkers keep a steady procession like elephants. Walkers don't generally zoom off and cut 3 holes ahead.

Sorry for the hijacking the thread, I just played on Tuesday and the rudeness of cart riders is very apparent to me. 

 

[Fourputt]

10 minutes ago, Kalnoky said:

That is generous Sir, but I respectfully disagree. 

The riders know they can pick up slack faster than the walkers. This is an advantage and they use it. How many times have I sat on the tee or in the fairway watching someone in a cart, just wondering just "what the heck is this person doing"? Then, they will suddenly zoom off and take up the entire slack ahead of them. Meanwhile my group which was easily caught up, is now instantly playing slow, i.e., we are no longer directly behind the group in front of us. That is, until we catch the rider camping again a few holes later, and the process repeats.

Over whole of 18 holes it appears the pace of play is being kept. 

This is not an issue with walkers because walkers know they don't have enough time to go look for mulligans or head covers. Walkers keep a steady procession like elephants. Walkers don't generally zoom off and cut 3 holes ahead.

Sorry for the hijacking the thread, I just played on Tuesday and the rudeness of cart riders is very apparent to me. 

 

All can say is that I've had extensive experience with this topic, and slow players, or players with poor course etiquette come in all shapes and sizes and skill levels, both walking and riding.  Just because you had a bad experience on Tuesday doesn't translate to all riders are jerks.  I played a men's club tournament last weekend, and on Sunday we were the second competition group out, but the course had put a non tournament group of walkers out ahead of us on the back 9 just before our first group made the turn.  We played the front in 1¾ hours unobstructed, and the back in 2½ hours impeded by that foursome.  

My men's club has a fairly even mix of walking and riding players, and we were in a competition, which most here seem to think slows play, yet we waited every shot on the back 9 because of that one group of walking weekend golfers.  We still finished in just under 4 hours, but it would have been closer to 3½ hours but for that one group.  It was a poor experience, but I don't rate all casual players by the actions of that group.  

It's unfortunate to get stuck behind players who haven't learned how to use a cart properly, but in my 40+ years of play, I've found that it's just as painful to get behind walkers who are equally clueless.

[DaveP043]

36 minutes ago, Fourputt said:

 slow players, or players with poor course etiquette come in all shapes and sizes and skill levels, both walking and riding.

This. Although to me, if the pace is exactly the same, waiting behind a group in carts is probably more frustrating.

 And I'm going to suggest that all of this pace of play stuff is , so I'll save any more pace of play posts for another thread.  I still prefer to walk, whenever it makes sense.

[Avalanche]

I walk most of the time--especially playing nine.  If I'm playing 18 I'll ride about half the time, because I play on a hilly course and that bag gets pretty heavy the last few holes.  

I think I score a little better walking, as compared to riding.  I have more time to think about my next shot as I'm walking up to the ball.  Also, if I hit an errant shot it's a lot easier to find walking as compared to riding.  I know about how far I hit my clubs, and distance is easier to judge walking than driving a cart. 

[klineka]

When I play 9 or 18 holes by myself, I usually always walk. When I play with friends (20ish HDCPs) that typically have a wider shot dispersion than I do, we always use carts. 

Last weekend I did 18 walking, front 9 by myself, back 9 with another guy that was also walking, I was able to complete the entire 18 holes in exactly 3 hours, but when I play with my typical friends 4 some with carts, we have never been able to finish 18 in under 4 hours.

 

[JxQx]

If I'm playing by myself or in a league I typically walk as it seems to keep me more in rhythm and can control pace a lot better if it is slow. If I am playing with other I let them choose. The only time I specifically ride is if it is very hot and humid or the course is very hilly.

[Tee Wade]

I voted walk for 9 and ride for 18.  It's easier for me to sneak away from the family for 2.5 hours so I walk 9 frequently even though half of those rounds are solo.  I like walking because it helps me slow down and focus on my next shot.  I tend to play fast and sometimes taking an extra 20 seconds to think about my shot would really help.  That extra time is built in to my walk from tee to fairway and fairway to green.  That being said, I like to ride 18 since I feel it helps me better enjoy the social aspect of the game.  When I get a chance to hang out for 4+ hours with my golf buddies, I think the cart gives us more time to talk, catch-up, complain about our swings, etc.

[DaveP043]

18 minutes ago, Tee Wade said:

 I like to ride 18 since I feel it helps me better enjoy the social aspect of the game.  When I get a chance to hang out for 4+ hours with my golf buddies, I think the cart gives us more time to talk, catch-up, complain about our swings, etc.

My experience is a little different, I feel like I get to socialize with everyone in the group when we're all walking.  Depending on who hits it where, I'll spend some time during the round with each of them, and a lot of time with all of them together. If we're riding, I'm kind of trapped with just one of the other three players.  I mean, we're all friends, so I'm not really trapped, but I do spend most of the time with my cart-partner.

[David L Yskes]

So last year, i started playing regularly with my dad, who would walk 9 with his push cart... so i did the same, and i actually noticed my scores are better, cuz i didnt feel rushed going to the next shot...   plus i could think about my next shot on my walk...    

now doing 18 holes, i will grab a cart..   

[Largobuc]

Whether I score better riding vs. walking depends on who I am with. I have two friends who are VERY slow players and if I am in the cart with them for some reason it cost my 5 strokes a round.