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Do You Prefer to Walk or Ride?


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Do you prefer to walk or ride? (on a walk-able course)  

120 members have voted

  1. 1. If you're playing 9 holes, do you prefer to walk or ride?

    • Walk
      87
    • Ride
      15
    • Either is fine, depends on my mood, playing partners, or some other reason
      18
  2. 2. If you're playing 18 holes, do you prefer to walk or ride?

    • Walk
      64
    • Ride
      40
    • Either is fine, depends on my mood, playing partners, or some other reason
      16
  3. 3. If/when you walk, do you feel that you score better, worse, or no difference?

    • Score better when I walk
      47
    • Score worse when I walk
      7
    • No difference in score when I walk
      66


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To me, the best way to experience the game of golf is walking. (I walk 90%+ of the time.)  I feel that so much is missed when you go whizzing around on a golf cart. And, of course, the health benefits of walking are obvious.

My one pet peeve is when the tee sheet is filled, and you know that it is going to be a little slow going on the course, you get a 4-some of younger golfers behind you on carts, drinking their beer, and pushing you on every shot, when there is nowhere for you to go, because you are waiting on the group in front of you. :surrender:

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I ride all the time.

I don't have a push cart, so I'd have to carry my bag and that would tire me out too much (esp. when playing during the Summer in 110F+ temps).  I'm also prone to very sore knees/legs after walking a lot (due to knee surgeries, etc.)... and I'm only 28 years of age, so that's a big reason I ride.  It makes it more enjoyable for me.

I get enough exercise walking/running to my ball up hills, in the rough, etc. as is... :-D

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Our course has a fleet of these push carts (Kaddy-Lac Triton).

No need to bring your own carts. The guys at the pro-shop will have the bags loaded on the carts with a towel and seed bottle.

Has a holder for an adult beverage. Has umbrella holder.

Makes it really easy to walk.

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I play a 9 hole league with some friends and there dads at St. Ann International golf course in St. Louis.

I've played St. Ann several times with a friend of mine who lives near UMSL campus. It's my favorite 9-hole layout in our area.

I just wish they would cut down some big trees on either side of No. 8 - there's not much room to fit a ball through, unless you're dead straight.

(For non St. Louisans, No. 8 is a 195-yard par 3 that goes uphill slightly. Two huge trees overhang either side of the fairway, and you don't have much maneuvering room).

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I find it odd that you are into fitness and running and yet you are super winded when you come to hit your ball.  I don't experience this except on the toughest of hills.  I'm thinking maybe the course you walked is just too hilly for walking.  I wouldn't want to be that winded trying to hit every time.

I'm also curious about the extra time you say you had between shots.  In this case you walked in 3.5 hours but often you ride in 4.5 hours.  So the time between shots would actually be less than some of your rounds.

Not sure if I described it properly but I was definitely far from super winded. The sensation I was feeling was just that of my heart pumping faster / harder than if I was riding a cart to my ball (as opposed to pushing my push cart up some decent size hills etc.). I was also playing with someone who was riding so I was probably making much too hard of an effort to keep pace...when in reality I could have slowed down and still kept pace, from green to the next tee box a few holes have a decent amount of between them (100-200 yards and one where you basically have to walk around over half the block of a neighborhood). Carried a full bottle of divot mix in my bag as well...might have been good for about an extra 2 pounds lol.

Normally when standing over the ball I am not feeling my heart beat at all so it just threw me off as I was not in a "resting state"...but no where near being winded or tired.

As far as the time between shots...that is a good point / question. Maybe it was more so just the experience of walking directly to my ball after a shot. It just felt like I was focusing more on the bad shot I may have just hit than if I was just trying to wizz over to my ball in a cart. The flipside is, I could use this to my advantage next time and try to re-focus into more positive thoughts as well as how to play the next shot.

Your experience of walking too fast was interesting.  I have never noted my hearted pumping or that "exercise rush" you described, except after climbing a steep hill.  My thought is you are correct about walking too fast.  Don't stroll along but golf isn't a race, either.  I find when I play alone my tendency is too move along too fast and not take a moment now & then to rest.  My legs get a bit tired toward the end of the round and that typically results in poor swings down the stretch.

As to having too much time to think, that has not been my problem.  I like walking as it gives me a break between shots.  I can cool down from a poor hit as well as bask in the warm glow of a well struck shot for a while when walking.  It also improves my game.  First, it is easier to keep track of your ball.  Rather than shoot off to another player's ball, you walk directly toward your own.  There are times in a cart that I get disoriented from driving to other player's shots.  When it is my turn who the heck remembers where I hit it?  Second, while walking to my ball I feel the wind direction, note whether the next shot is up or down hill and generally think about the strategy for the next shot.  Zooming up in a cart doesn't give me proper time to think.  Just instinctively hitting a shot may help you but it doesn't work with me.

(see reply above in regards to maybe...I was rushing too much etc)

Good point and I did enjoy having a much much easier time locating my ball. I think I can use the walking between shots as a positive as well if I refocus my thinking!

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I've played St. Ann several times with a friend of mine who lives near UMSL campus. It's my favorite 9-hole layout in our area. I just wish they would cut down some big trees on either side of No. 8 - there's not much room to fit a ball through, unless you're dead straight. (For non St. Louisans, No. 8 is a 195-yard par 3 that goes uphill slightly. Two huge trees overhang either side of the fairway, and you don't have much maneuvering room).

O.T., but yeah those trees are tough. I can't imagine they would ever remove them. Many a round has come down to that hole. Another 9 hole course that I enjoy is Ruth Park in U. City, a Robert Foulis design.

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I've never played a "mandatory cart" course here in the UK and I much prefer carrying than riding/pushing as it means my clubs are with me for whatever shot I take.

If I rode, stopped on the cart path, walked to my ball with a 7i and upon getting there realised the wind was more than expected and I needed a 6i or 5i I'd have to walk back over to the cart, swap clubs, walk back to the ball and play my shot which wastes time (this is even worse if the player has a high enough handicap that they whiffle a ball 20 yards and then have to mess with clubs on top of that). If I'm carrying I get to my ball, put my bag down and any club change takes 3 seconds instead of a minute.

I usually ride now unless I'm playing a short par 3 course.  I've had a lot of foot trouble, a couple of surgeries, and walking just isn't in the cards for me any more.  I used to walk and carry, then walk and push/pull, then I even bought an electric trolley.  Now I can't even do that for very far.  I won't play courses where the standard policy is cart path only, because that tends to lead to as much walking as if you didn't have a cart at all.

That said, most courses have one or two holes where the situation or conditions require carts to stay on the path for that hole.  In that case, when I have to leave the cart, I will take at least 3 clubs with me if there is any doubt as to the club I might need.  I'll estimate the most likely club, then take one over and one under.  For a long hole, I may take a 3W hoping that the lie is good, but also bring along a hybrid and a 7 or 8 iron just in case.

After having been in both camps, I don't find that walking is inherently more pure than riding.  I play in mixed groups of both walkers and riders all the time - it's never been an issue.  I don't play any better or worse for the way I choose to get around the course.  When I was a dedicated walker, I used to think that riding made me play worse, but it's more just a case of getting used to different flow.  I've played great rounds both ways, and I've stunk up the course both ways (my lifetime best and worst on my home course were both played as a walker more than 20 years ago).

I'm just thankful that the places I play offer the choice without requiring a special permit as seems to be the case in the UK.

Rick

"He who has the fastest cart will never have a bad lie."

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I lost 10 pounds last summer walking 18-27 holes (in 9-hole increments) per week.

My back can't handle carrying for a full round so I got a push cart for the times when I plan to play a full 18 holes.

Personally I like the extra time between shots to accept the mess I made and move on before taking my next shot.

"No man goes round boasting of his vices,” he said, “except golfers." 

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The front 9 of my course is quite hilly and require you to go up and down the hill twice to get back to the club house.

Been thinking of getting on of these electric golf carts.

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Our course has a fleet of these push carts (Kaddy-Lac Triton).

No need to bring your own carts. The guys at the pro-shop will have the bags loaded on the carts with a towel and seed bottle.

Has a holder for an adult beverage. Has umbrella holder.

Makes it really easy to walk.

We got some push carts at our club last season and I took one for a spin one day. I found that it is far more difficult to use than just carrying the bag. You have to traverse around the greens and greenside bunker complexes to get to the other side, as opposed to walking straight across the green when carrying. And it was real work going up hills. I never did it again. Using a good carry bag is way easier, IMO.

Bill M

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Interesting responses....a question I have and please forgive me if I should know this (once again, just walked my first round using push cart)...if there is a 90 degree rule in effect does that only apply to motorized carts? Or does 90 degree rule also apply to walkers who are not carrying their bag? (using push / pull cart).

I know the motorized carts can cause major damage to the fairways during certain conditions when 90 degree rule is set but I would think a push or pull cart would not have the same effect? Although I could be wrong ;) Please enlighten me!


My answer would be to use common sense. There are areas on the course where I work that even a push cart makes ruts if it's really wet. Another thing I see fairly often are visible push cart tire impressions on the fringes of some of the greens when it's really wet. Those people should be more aware of what they are doing and keep the push carts away from the greens.

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We got some push carts at our club last season and I took one for a spin one day. I found that it is far more difficult to use than just carrying the bag. You have to traverse around the greens and greenside bunker complexes to get to the other side, as opposed to walking straight across the green when carrying. And it was real work going up hills. I never did it again. Using a good carry bag is way easier, IMO.

I agree with you regarding having to walk a lot more distance when pushing a cart. I usually push when there is a risk of rain because 1) my bag gets heavy carrying my extra rain gear and 2) I like having the umbrella attached to the cart. My course is quite hilly also and I still can't decide if it is easier pushing or carrying.

In the summer I definitely carry my bag.

My answer would be to use common sense. There are areas on the course where I work that even a push cart makes ruts if it's really wet. Another thing I see fairly often are visible push cart tire impressions on the fringes of some of the greens when it's really wet. Those people should be more aware of what they are doing and keep the push carts away from the greens.

At our course (and I think at most courses) we are encouraged to never push a cart between the bunkers and the green. Sometimes that makes for a long walk around the bunkers.

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I like to walk (haha) that's also cause I have to for school and tournaments... but don't ever feel the need to ride I like to enjoy the course and I have walked a lot of long courses. But being out on a long course and walking it for a 5 hour round is not that bad when your out there having fun. But if my dad wants to play a quick nine holes before dusk we sometimes take a cart to play in under an hour and a half, all in all walking is good for you and I see it being more enjoyable.

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My answer would be to use common sense. There are areas on the course where I work that even a push cart makes ruts if it's really wet. Another thing I see fairly often are visible push cart tire impressions on the fringes of some of the greens when it's really wet. Those people should be more aware of what they are doing and keep the push carts away from the greens.

I would never take a cart of any kind near the green, that should be a no brainer for anyone who plays golf. I was more so wondering about the middle of the fairways and the spirit of how the 90 degree rule applys. I'm def the last person to worry about in terms of taking care of the course. I was reading in some other posts about walkers who do not even carry divot mix with them...that's crazy. It's like, since you are walking you are immune from having to fill your divots? Lol

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I was reading in some other posts about walkers who do not even carry divot mix with them...that's crazy. It's like, since you are walking you are immune from having to fill your divots? Lol

yeah always wondered that haha

In my :cobra: Bio Bag ~Tyler Westra~
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:cobra: S3 E9 face technology Irons 5-GW/Regular
:cobra: Amp Cell 3-4 Hybrid/Stiff
:mizuno: MP-T4 Wedges 55, 62
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Quote:

Originally Posted by MS256

My answer would be to use common sense. There are areas on the course where I work that even a push cart makes ruts if it's really wet. Another thing I see fairly often are visible push cart tire impressions on the fringes of some of the greens when it's really wet. Those people should be more aware of what they are doing and keep the push carts away from the greens.

I would never take a cart of any kind near the green, that should be a no brainer for anyone who plays golf. I was more so wondering about the middle of the fairways and the spirit of how the 90 degree rule applys. I'm def the last person to worry about in terms of taking care of the course.

I was reading in some other posts about walkers who do not even carry divot mix with them...that's crazy. It's like, since you are walking you are immune from having to fill your divots? Lol

I've never seen a walker who carries his bag take a sand bottle with him.  That's a very significant weight addition to carry.  Granted that it's supposed to get lighter as the round progresses, it's still an unnecessary extra load.  In that case they should be doing it the old fashioned way by replacing divots as bet they can.

I don't remember ever seeing a course even offer to supply sand back in the 80's.  It's a relatively new addition to the game, and really is aimed at the proliferation of riders who can carry a couple bottles or a scoop bin on the cart without affecting their game.  I know that when I play with a walker, they will often use the sand mix on my cart to repair divots.  I'm okay with that.

On my home course my cart partner and I will sometimes empty our bottles on the front nine.  We fill divots while waiting for the green to clear.  Then we swap out the empties for full bottles for the back nine.

Rick

"He who has the fastest cart will never have a bad lie."

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@fourputt I hear what you are saying but all I know is...on my home course...weather walking or riding, if you do not fill your divots, a member will absolutely call you on it and most likely embarass you in front of the group. If you play at a course where people are not as uptight, thats great (no sarcasm). But where I play most of my rounds, the long time members take a lot of pride in the course which I think is awesome and a big part of the reason I love to play there.
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