Does anyone walk anymore?

[StrokerAce]

20 minutes ago, Donn lost in San Diego said:

The owner tells the architect "I want fancy dramatic holes".   

that's possible to do without making the course unwalkable for the average human being. 

[Laxman3]

I walk all the time with my high school golf team. They all want to ride. I tell them walking is the only way to play.

[EugeGall]

I walk all the time, carrying or pushing. More enjoyable I find, plus that way I can convince myself I’m keeping fit too. 

[Albatrossing]

I love walking before hot summer. Since I started learning golf, I walked. And walking allows me to estimate the distance without a technology these days.

[Bman01]

I still walk. It make the game more relaxing and enjoyable. I think I play better when I walk.

[RetiredBoomer]

25 minutes ago, Bman01 said:

I still walk. It make the game more relaxing and enjoyable. I think I play better when I walk.

I've got nothing against walking.
I used to walk the course all of the time years ago.

Now, if I have any intentions of completing the round, I ride.
Sadly, the little par 3 course that I could still walk closed down.

[GolfSpy_APH]

I honestly can't remember the last time I did take a cart...

[Colbygrant]

9 hours ago, JohnFP said:

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 

Yes JohnFP the older I get the more I realize and thank God that I can walk the course still. Sorry you're unable to. 

[Hugemidget]

I started walking last year. I wanted to increase my fitness, but mainly, save $25 rental of a driving cart. I figure for every 3-4 rounds I walked with my cart, I got a free round. With Golf it's always a money solution

[Subdiver1]

52 minutes ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

I honestly can't remember the last time I did take a cart...

I wish I could say the same. for some cases it depends on where I am. Consider this week, I am on Maui, no walking 90% of the courses here. I FL my home course only allows walking after 1200 or 1300 and the league plays first thing in the morning; as much as I hate riding, I am stuck sometimes. There are a couple of courses in WA that only have riding; at one I tried to argue that I hadn't seen a course up there that I couldn't have walked, then I found out; it was over 1/2 mile to the 1st hole and there were a couple of walks that were like the hike between #5 and #6 at Kapalua Plantation and I realized, wow!  I guess I put my foot in my mouth there (pun intended). Regardless, I much prefer walking anytime I am allowed to. 

[Tom2020]

I walk most every outing no matter how hilly the course is.

[lydell54]

I walk with an eWheels electronic caddy.... love to walk but at 70  y.o. the hills where I often play will beat me up. Not having to push my my bag up the hills really helps.

I play with seniors who walk 60% to the other 40%. However, there are so many courses I travel to that I will ride, #1 if I don't know the course well, riding helps with the pace of my play (and my partner). #2 there are many courses that meander more that 7 to 10+ miles thru home communities, so walking really slows up play. Today was 20k steps from my fit bit.

Another course near me, is cobbled together between a residential community. Over roads and under roads you travel thru wetlands. At one point as you make a loop on the back 9, you are left with nearly a mile between holes. On a hot day, that's brutal. I haven't walked that in 5 years.

Besides that, give me a < 7 mile course and lets walk all day. However, a 4hr15min round means no fooling around, no hike back to the turn house if it's not right in place, etc.

[brainalien13]

I also walk 95% of the time. It makes getting a cart more enjoyable, when I do in the odd occasion and it’s way more affordable meaning I get to play more. I also enjoy the walk more and tend to score better when I walk.

[William0946]

I also prefer to walk the courses I play and do most often use my push cart, now that I'm in my mid 60s.  I usually play much better when I walk as I feel the contours and lay of the course under my feet.  I also gives me time to reflect on my game and on the day as I'm walking up to my ball.  Riding in a cart is somewhat convenient but I always feel I'm rushing between my ball location and my cart partner's ball.

Hail to all walkers!!

[GolferXY]

Yep.  I don't belong to a country club and can't afford the caddy fee anyway, but I love to walk and I also play better when walking versus riding.  So after overcoming some foot, knee, and hip issues I decided to get a robo cart [MGI from Costco] and have never looked back.  It gives one a chance to get some exercise, familiarize yourself with the course - okay, I'm in the woods more than I'd like to admit - and shortcuts from green to next tee, as well as keeping my swing loose.  It also feels more athletic and authentic to the game.

[GolferXY]

On 5/26/2017 at 8:11 PM, jaymikem said:

Do any of you notice a drastic difference in the quality of the courses that you walk compared the the courses that require a cart?

I know of no courses in my area that don't have carts available, good condition or bad.  It's another source of revenue for them.  Most of the year it's cart path only which eliminates the benefit of a cart unless you play your ball next to the cart path because you have to drive to the general distance, then pick a club and walk to and from the ball with a couple of clubs [unless you have the fairly expensive Cube range finder - highly recommended for cart users because it will triangulate the distance from ball to pin from a third position like the cart path].  

Some courses encourage riding, especially if there's a long walk [or drive] from the green to the next tee.  

[GolferXY]

On 6/11/2017 at 3:50 PM, GolfSpy_APH said:

Interesting day today at the course. We normally have a lot of walkers of all ages as the course isn't that long and there are only a few hills which I would consider a climb. I've only walked the course and find it a good walk.

All that being said it was a nice day and the weather started to get hot for here and absolutely everyone took a cart and avoided having to walk. Even ppl finishing 9 were coming in asking for a cart. For reference it was 24C so 76F.

Does anyone else find weather plays a big part in whether they take a cart or not? Or what is too hot for walking?

I will ride in the desert like Eastern Washington, Arizona, Palm Springs when it gets hot.  I will ride in Florida if I can't get an early tee time; I had a round on Old Corkscrew where my pulse hit 170 on the 9th hole due to 100 degree heat and 100 percent humidity.  Went in and hydrated with Gatorade and a beer, and rode the rest of the round.  

[funkyjudge]

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?

Yes. I almost always walk, and I carry my bag 2/3 of the time when I play, even for 18 holes if the course isn’t too hilly or spread-out.  This week, I have already walked more than 34,000 steps playing golf.

[GolferXY]

On 1/4/2018 at 10:39 AM, chisag said:

 

... Golf is an athletic event. Walking keeps your body in better condition to swing as it stays loose and active. Drinking plenty of water helps, as it does in any athletic endeavor. Walking allows you to see the upcoming shot and think about it as you arrive to your ball. And this doesn't even take into account the health benefit as we age. Walking a golf course is something you can do into your 90's and can even help you get there! I think it is by far the best way to play the game. I have been using a remote controlled cart for over 25 years and it allows me to walk like I have a caddy. 

 

... But non athletes can play and that is a big part of golf's charm. You can drink, and ride and look at your phone and take the game as seriously or as casual as you like. Of course there are plenty of other reasons to ride in a cart and you have already covered physical limitations. I will add resort courses with extremely long distances between greens and tees as well as mountain courses and crazy hot days.  

Soooo true.  I golf with a bunch of septuanarians [I'll be getting there myself far too soon!] and nearly everyone walks.

[GolferXY]

On 1/5/2018 at 4:55 PM, chisag said:

... Just before my first back surgery in 92' when I carried my bag and the dual strap came out I asked my Orthopedic surgeon if he liked the dual strap. He said he loved them because "they are gonna put all 3 of my kids thru college". He said a push cart is necessary for all golfers. He admitted some can carry their bags and get away with little or no problems, but you cannot keep your spine erect when carrying and for most, sooner or later they will have back problems. Good for you making the switch as you still get the exercise and all the benefits of walking while playing!  

That's interesting!  Glad I have my cart!

[GolferXY]

On 1/17/2018 at 6:08 AM, Golfspy_CG2 said:

Have you guys seen thd robo Caddie or something like that. I'm on mobile and can't search easily to find a link. It's like your remote carts without a remote.

You just attach a small sensor on the back of your belt and it follows a few yards behind you ans when you stop moving it stops.

They're all over the internet.  Stuart caddy cart

[Indy_Oz]

I walk 90% of my rounds. Likely more than that % this year as I’m joining a 9-hole league. Friends I play with do prefer to ride 18, but I much prefer walking. 
I do have a manual push cart, but I have two compressed vertebrae from a mountain bike accident 25 years ago and I’ve suffered with lower back pain intermittently since then. Carrying my clubs triggered my back when I returned to golf, so I quickly invested in a push cart. 

On Sunday I’ll be walking 18 and using a rental electric push cart. Never used one and it being available was too tempting to turn down. That’ll be a fun experiment. Hopefully it’s not too much of an improvement over my BagBoy push cart… I can’t afford an upgrade right now. Ha ha. 

[BigPee]

We play on a very hilly 9 hole course and I enjoy walking it, although, at 60 the use of an electric trolley is recommended!!!!!! 

I feel walking has huge health benefits both mental and physical and is the way the game is meant to be played in most circumstances. 

For me, Ive noticed I play better walking whem ive compared rounds on holiday. You just feel more connected to the game and youbcan also size up your shots and make decisions before you get to the ball..... Helping to speed up play! 

 

[Rob Person]

This thread has made me start browsing fb and Craigslist for deals on a walking cart!!!  I may have to browse some goodwill stores today too!!!

[russtopherb]

10 minutes ago, Rob Person said:

This thread has made me start browsing fb and Craigslist for deals on a walking cart!!!  I may have to browse some goodwill stores today too!!!

[Lefty11]

I still walk most courses unless I'm playing in a tournament.  I am getting to the point where I don't want to carry my clubs anymore.  

[tripolirt]

Yes we walk when the course is walkable. Most newer courses are not walkable for a senior.

[cksurfdude]

On 5/16/2024 at 1:15 PM, StrokerAce said:

that's possible to do without making the course unwalkable for the average human being. 

To me seems there are a few types of courses that just cannot, for example .. courses squeezed in almost as an afterthought within a housing tract development; courses built on oddly shaped parcels where some routings just get weirdly spread out; or .. some courses out there are just not well designed, don't make good use of the natural topography and are not well routed...

 

Separately...

As I'm reading the recent responses in this thread a thought occurred to me -- consider some of the most popular bucket list golf destinations in the world .. eg. St. Andrews, Bandon Dunes .. no motor carts, walking only, caddies available....

[Owengeorge13]

I have a whoop band and I can safely say that walking/carrying 18 holes generally burns anywhere from 1500-2100 calories each time.  Here’s a recent example.  

[JLAude]

I’m 75 and still prefer to walk although I do use a push cart these days. I think I get a much better feel for the course and ultimately enjoy it more.  However , there are courses and tournaments where I do ride.  It is great to see facilities like Bandon Dunes (a true slice of heaven) that are walking only.