Does anyone walk anymore?

[short fat Scotsman]

Very much horses for courses. Living in the UK, would never dream of using a buggy to drive about the course….find the dashing about and climbing in and out a frustrating way of spending a few hours in the outdoors, even if wet.  For a while needed an electric trolley as could not push or carry for more than 12 holes due to a bad hip.  Now with some new parts will walk with electric or push trolley. 
Golfing abroad is a different matter.  Where temperatures and/or humidity make life unbearable for a Scotsman used to playing in the cold and damp, a buggy is a necessity.

Neither altitude nor incline a problem, still walk, albeit a bit more slowly.

walking allows you to enjoy the scenery and the wildlife so much more. And makes for far more civilised conversations with your playing partners.

No speakers, loud music or beers on the course either!

[Mac attack]

I now have retired and live in Florida full time, it seems that most courses here frown on walking, so I ride a cart now.

[MattA72]

I walk on UK courses, don’t think I’ve ever had a buggy.

[Big moose]

I'm 69 with a bad hip and knee, need I say more. I ride all the time. 

[Daddyawn]

The only time I ride is local outings that require it or when it is excessively wet.

[Colbygrant]

I walk 98% of the time. I actually prefer to walk. I find it therapeutic, a great means of exercise and also good for socializing. 

[Hughesjosh]

I always walk, although I think that is the norm over here in the UK.

[JohnFP]

I would love to walk buy physically can't.  Seems lime most younger golfers today all use carts and consider it part of the game.

 

I really miss walking 

[Willie T]

On 5/9/2017 at 3:03 PM, verojoe said:

Just wondering if there any walkers left. I recently returned to the joys of walking the course. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed the idea of leaving the cart behind and playing in a much more relaxed state of mind. Also, it seems to me that I play better when walking. Anyone else enjoy putting one foot in front of the other when playing?

When I picked up golf in ‘17 (post motorcycle accident that degloved the toes of my left foot in June of ‘16), my ultimate goal was to be able to walk nine, then eighteen holes.  It took until ‘21 for me to trust my repaired foot enough to try to walk with bag in tow. Fast fwd to ‘22 and I walked my first nine and now I try to make that happen at least once a month.  I have done eighteen and I do feel it for the next couple of days.  Thankfully my home course is an easy walk, flat coastal plain - minimal up and down.  I enjoy the easier pace and the honest pleasure of what could have been severely debilitating has become a call to persevere….walking is highly underrated!  

Edited May 16 by Willie T

[Velo]

Yes our two foursomes walk 18 hole 3 or tima week.

[Johnwilliam05]

I play 4-5 days a week and walk every time. I actually play worse when I’m in a cart. To me there is nothing better than walking the course and staying in your game. 

[Jacckmcg5]

Good morning. I am 58 yo,   I recently purchased a weekday season pass at my local course which is 2 miles from my house. I get home from work around 330pm and hit the course around 5pm. Walking at this time is the only way to play. It's quiet and a perfect way to end the day.

I purchased a Sunday bag to walk but I went back to my ping moonlite bag. It's just more comfortable. I finish 9 holes in between an hour and 15 or hour and 30 minutes.  It doesn't take much longer to walk than ride. 

I really enjoy and appreciate the game more by walking than riding. It's peaceful. 

Edited May 16 by Jacckmcg5
Missed a few points

[Jean D]

I walk with a push cart.

[JRCorb]

I am a 63 year old Canadian and I walk, with a push cart, 90% of the time.  I play approximately 100 rounds in Canada and 20 or so in Phoenix.   I retired 3 yrs ago at a whooping 174 ibs (office job) which is heavy for a 5'7" frame.  First year I walked I lost 24 lbs and went from a tight 34" to a 31" waist. Have you ever held a 20 lb bag of potatoes?  Its heavy!  In the Prairies, most courses offer a discount on the green fee if you walk.  I noticed in Phoenix almost all courses charge same fee whether you walk or ride one of their carts.  Some courses you have to ride due to layout and/or course policy.  At the "home" course in Phoenix, a bunch of us Canadians walk even though the fee is the same whether walking or riding.  We hear others question why we walk and they are told "Oh, those are the Canadians... they always walk!"  I walk because it is great exercise, I play better and it is much more social walking with a group.  We can do a round in 4 hrs on courses conducive to walking.  I play/love hockey but it is not nearly as social of a sport as walking while golfing!  I encourage everyone to walk, health permitting!

[toodles_of_tol]

Walk at every opportunity. I use a push cart but will carry bag once in a blue moon. I play better when I walk just from a focus standpoint. It slows the game down without actually slowing the time it takes to complete the round. 

[Jay Posick]

I love to walk but often don't because those I play with prefer to ride.  I nearly always walk during my Monday golf leagues.  Maybe I need to connect with more walkers and fewer riders.

[PaulG]

I walked 5 mornings a week till 2 years ago when my knees crapped out. Now I walk the front and ride the back.

[Golfallday7fore]

My first choice is always to walk! I actually hate riding in a golf cart. Whether it is carrying, with a push cart (motorized or manual) or with a caddy that is how I always want to play. I feel so much more connected to to course and the game that way. I also will play so much better as it gives me the ability to have a rhythm and easily stay focused on the next shot. Unless the cart is required or it is a layout that is virtually impossible to walk (distance between holes) I will always take "a good walk unspoiled"

[Slight shank]

70% walk 30% ride I’d say. Depending on who I’m playing with.  My clickgear has the seat which is nice but I find it kinda heavy and bulky. Have an old bagboy that is easier to push around and lighter but no seat. Also  the top strap barely fits around my bag. Somewhat annoying but I do prefer walking

[Dan Yates]

Full time walker.  Love the exercise, the pace.  The course I play most in our area offers a walking membership that is hundreds of dollars a year less than their full membership.  Clicgear four wheeler makes it a breeze.  Have walked 36 holes in a day twice this spring, and regularly walk 27. 

[ArchaeoKev]

I will always walk unless the course makes me take a cart.  Just nicer for me to get around the course that way and enjoy it.

[IceIce]

I only ride when I’m forced to ride or when the course is designed to be unwalkable.  Golf is walking game.  I grew up walking. It’s faster when players walk.  There is no path only or driving to each other’s balls waiting for your partner to hit (I know, if you do it right that shouldn’t happen).  Walking between shots gives me time to enjoy being outside, time to review my previous shot, clear my mind then focus on the upcoming shot.  Plus it’s one of the best ways to get exercise on the golf course.  Most players that I know, who are in their late 70’s and early 80’s, are the ones who walked when they played.  I still want to be playing in my 80’s, so I walk and enjoy the day. 

[skeough20]

On 5/9/2017 at 4:33 PM, verojoe said:

Just wondering if there any walkers left. I recently returned to the joys of walking the course. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed the idea of leaving the cart behind and playing in a much more relaxed state of mind. Also, it seems to me that I play better when walking. Anyone else enjoy putting one foot in front of the other when playing?

I have always walked. Over the years, I have gone from using a 2 wheel cart, to carry my clubs with a carry bag, to using a Clik Gear cart for at least 10 years but a couple of years ago , I purchased an electronic cart. I find this cart so much better than the Clik Gear because you don't have to push it. I only take a cart on one course and that course is built on the side of a mountain. i used to walk it 40 years ago but now i take a cart there. i normally on play it once a year. Walking i find keeps your mind on the game.

 

[rkj427]

I walk about 75% of all the rounds I play. Only time in a cart is at a course which doesn't allow walking, and that course has now raised their prices so high that it now is off our list of courses to play.

If I play in an outing or other similar event it typically is "carts only" so then I will ride.

Used a ClicGear pushcart, but this year testing a Motocaddy for MGS and using that at this time.

Now if the weather would cooperate more than it has, I would have more rounds played here in the Midwest.

 

[Ken C]

I walk most of the time using a Bag Boy Nitron golf cart - good way to get in 5-6 miles at least (GPS is attached to my bag so it only keeps track on how far my cart went, I'm sure I go farther).  GPS distance is also a rough estimate how well I played - anything lower towards the 5 mile range means high 70s to mid 80s, over 6 miles and I'm pushing 90:-).

[Bill Galinas]

I used to ride about 75% of the time.  Now I am a member at a club where the majority of members (including me) walk.  I did it initially to help with weight loss.  I've gotten myself a nice push cart and I found that I enjoy the walk.  I also play a lot better when I walk.  I love the walk.  The club on which I play is very short (4400 yards from the Blue tees) and hilly.  It's a great workout to walk.  I've lost about 75 lbs. in the last 15 months and even when I play away I try to walk if possible.  

[CorentinV]

I'w walking most of the time. Walking allows you to really connect with the course, feeling the terrain under your feet, taking in the subtle slopes and contours that you might miss when riding. It's not only great for physical fitness but also gives you a bit more time to think about your next shot, adding a strategic depth to your game.

Sure, it's a bit more tiring, but the trade-offs are well worth it. The pace feels more relaxed, and there’s something satisfying about being out in nature, walking from shot to shot. I found myself more immersed in the game and even noticed improvements in my rhythm and shot planning.

[release]

I believe that every golfer should walk the golf courses, with a caddy, or with a push cart/power push cart.  One will get the exercise, enjoy the round much better.  

Several of my friends had corrected me on my statement above; I should give consideration for those who ha physical difficulties and those golf courses which are not built for walking.

Many of us had injuries and arthritis at an experienced age, some days we just could not walk the golf course even if we would like to.

Too many of the newer golf courses are not built with walking friendly in mind.  Some because of the murrain, most of them were built with the development in mind and the golf courses are not the center piece. 

 

Edited May 22 by release
review after discussion with friends who have physical disabilities.

[Mdf]

Definitely walk, more relaxing, gives me time to talk to the people I'm playing with and gives me time to contemplate my next shot. It's just sad that so few clubs have caddies anymore, I end using push cart for 97% of my rounds.

[ChitownM2]

I enjoy walking when the course is properly designed for it.  I walk my 9 hole league on Monday nights with my push cart and it's a nice relaxing time.  I do like being able to walk straight to my ball and not having to worry about my partner or where he is on the hole.

That said, there are a lot of courses that do not lend themselves to walking.  I'm my mind they were clearly designed with a motorized cart in mind.  The holes are just too far apart.  I think I should be able to stand on a green and see the tee markers for the next hole, they shouldn't be 1/2 mile along the path or in the other side of the street etc.  I've dabbled with the idea of an electric push cart but the price keeps holding me back.  For the number of rounds I pay each year it's going to take me 3 or 4 seasons to break even on cart fees and no one else I play with is going to walk either so that's going to leave me walking by myself while they zoom ahead of me.....