Does anyone walk anymore?

[gingerbeast87]

Missus just got her first trolley, we walked it today and it has knackered her out

[Garbox80]

I've only used cart once when my cousin took one (we didn't have too much time though, so that was the reason). For a couple of years I used trolley, but then switched back to carry bag once I got back in shape a bit. I like that I can take the bag with me almost everywhere (mainly in the woods ) so that I can choose my weapon on spot. On play area I pretty much know what club I'm gonna use in advance (gps range). 

[Hacker Milt]

I'm 62 and walk when I play.  In the winter months I stay warmer by walking and pity the guys riding in open carts.  My Motocaddy showed up a few weeks ago and has really made my walks much more enjoyable!  After 18 holes I have enough energy to go home and mow the lawn.  Couldn't be 

[Hacker Milt]

happier with the decision to get some battery assistance for my golf bag.  Hope to be walking for another 10 years or longer!

[Clemo]

Walking the course is very underrated! Nothing better then getting out there for a walk even if it’s zig zagging all over the place . 
 

Don’t get me wrong carts have their place to but if I’m choosing one or the other it’s gotta be the walk every time .

[Jeffrey Davis]

I just walked 36 holes yesterday, my legs feel like they went through a full championship fight with a lightweight. Only way to golf in my opinion and get the maximum benefits. Pedometer almost blew up by time I went to bed last night.

[Manny]

I did that  last Monday also. It is suprising how my legs  weren't so tired until much later.

Temperture was perfect. with a slight wind etc. 

I did however take an ibuprofen after the first 18 and that may have helped.

 

[Waximus Prime]

I started walking/carrying a few years back because with the number of rounds I play every season, I don't have the cart fees in my budget.  My buddies and I are always playing 10 & 5 with all these quirky auto presses so if you get crushed in your match and then pay $27 for the cart on top of that it starts to add up quick.  At first, I was one of the only ones in my group of friends that would walk, but I've been winning over the group little by little.  This year is the first year that I can say up to 50% of my group of buddies at my club (15-20 guys) are walkers and they are all commenting on how they like it better. 

I just walked 72 holes from Friday-Sun (36 on Saturday) and loved it, we had great weather in the Northeast this weekend. 

[YamYam]

Don't really see the point of "driving" around a golf course.  It takes away the exercise aspect.

I always used to carry but on advise I started using a trolley.  I said that if I ever got to the point where I had to use an electric trolley I'd call it a day, but here I am still here, but at least I'm still walking and not sitting in a buggy.

I observe the people at our club who insist on buggies and in the main they are obese and well over weight and extremely unfit.  I have sympathy with those who's failing limbs can't carry them anymore, whatever stage in their aging process, but to see young fit fellahs in buggies who could otherwise be walking the walk and actually feeling the course beneath their feet and smelling the grass and trees and not being overpowered by petrol fumes, I cringe.

I actually love walking - I see and notice more.

You take an aerial view of some courses now and they are tailored for buggies.  Long winding tracks scarring an otherwise beautiful landscape.  Sometimes the walker or the trolley user is forced along these routes and depending on the construction they can if made up of sharp gravel, rip golf shoes and trolley tyres to ribbons.  I have had to have two new sets of wheels on my Powakaddy because of sharp granite or slate gravel chippings and it ain't cheap to replace them.

If Ben Hogan could walk what was basically 14 miles around Oakland Hills in 1951, (36 holes on Saturday), on legs that had suffered the trauma he had in his auto crash, then I'm damned sure I can do 18 holes on my healthy pins.

 

[JJames]

We have only carts here. Walking would be too slow because of the advanced age of some members and it would be impossible in summer because of extreme heat.

[Rosey31]

I got a push cart last year and have been walking more these days. In Florida a lot of courses do not set up well for walking as the distance between greens and tees are sometimes winded between houses in developments. My home course is set up more old school where the houses are along the outside of the property and the course has concurrent fairways. It's set up great for walking. 

[cnosil]

Many people in this thread compared the walking vs push cart and that using a push cart wasn’t walking.    I received fee this information in my email this morning and figured I’d post it here.  It is from Golf Scoence Lab; don’t try to start an argument with me about whether the study is valid or not.  I am just posting as information about the segment in this thread that considers a push cart as taking a cart and not walking and how carrying your bag may impact performance.  
 

Research Rundown: Push Cart vs Carry
Let's settle this debate with some research... pushcart vs carrying your bag.

A recent study suggests that it could be influencing your swing power, and here's how:

The study had male and female golfers in a three-mile walk, carrying their bags in different ways: no bag, push cart, single strap, dual strap high, and dual strap low. 

At quarter-mile intervals, they performed vertical jumps, and researchers studied the peak force and time to peak force during each jump.

The result? 

The push-cart method showed consistently higher peak force than all other loaded conditions, meaning using a cart may better preserve your lower body force production and thus enhance your swing power. 

On the contrary, the dual strap high condition showed lower peak forces, especially towards the end of the walk, indicating possible instability and strain on the lower extremities.

In short, the way you carry your golf bag matters. 

And what you need to remember is... take a push cart next time. 

You can find the full abstract over on the Golf Science website here:https://www.golfscience.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/THE-EFFECTS-OF-GOLF-BAG-TRANSPORT-STYLE-ON-VERTICAL-JUMP-KINETICS-Samuel-Wilson.pdf

[cksurfdude]

2 hours ago, cnosil said:

Many people in this thread compared the walking vs push cart and that using a push cart wasn’t walking.

(etc.)

That's great info!!!

I'm on the same email list from Golf Science Lab and that was really interesting to me (and was also gonna post it in here).

There was also an MGS blog that did a quick comparison and found using a push cart - whether manual or battery - actually burned more calories vs carrying.

[jessicajonny]

On 4/13/2023 at 8:55 PM, GPS111 said:

I've golfed in several places in Canada and Washington where carts are required due to the terrain and/or where the hike between green and next tee is a hundred or more yards.  Walking those slows pace of play considerably to well over 5 hrs.  Carts are a necessity to keep pace of play down to 4 - 4.5 hrs.

Not many but some are cart only.  There are others (Aberdeen Glen in Prince George, BC) that provides a courtesy cart service to haul you between specific holes but you can walk.  Uses an 8 person golf cart!

But you always have the option to not play a cart only course.  There are plenty of others.

I understand pace of play issues, but I really prefer walking and I generally play better walking unless it’s raining or it’s really hot on the course.

I think courses should really be designed to allow walking.  I know some places are impossible due to terrain, but I think many courses can still allow for it if they are designed with walkers in mind.

Edited June 1, 2023 by jessicajonny

[MNBogies]

Joined the pushcart mafia back in July right in time for my first born to arrive as well as the record high temps. Been able to use it once since and really enjoyed it. Being able to go straight to my golf ball and not across the fairway after every hit to find the cart partners ball as well was great in speeding things up. Taking a moment to walk and reflect on the sliced drive was surprisingly calming. 

Portable fan is a must during the summer.

 

[Stooeylewis]

eveery round

[Big moose]

I walk from the cart to the tee box, and where my ball is. I am 68 with a bad hip I can't walk anymore. 

[Rickp]

8 minutes ago, Big moose said:

I walk from the cart to the tee box, and where my ball is. I am 68 with a bad hip I can't walk anymore. 

Know exactly what you mean my friend, I’ll be 77 in October.

[Manny]

I still walk and recently purchased the V2 for my Clicgear. This is a game chaser!

[Alf. S]

In the UK for club golfers and most members clubs, buggies are not widely available so walking is really the only option. With the boon in electric trolleys this has enabled the older golfers still to walk. We have a 90 year old at the club that still plays twice a week.

Having walked my 1st round for 5 weeks yesterday after illness it was a bit of a struggle with the 5 miles up and down hills but I'm sure it will get easier. 

 

[Dennisnewman]

I will walk over riding as long as the temperature is below the mid 80s.  I use a push cart but do not carry for over nine holes

[PolanowJ]

Walk nearly 100% of the time (unless a course doesn't allow it, or like some courses through neighborhoods, the green to tee distance is huge). Posted 83 rounds last year and 86 (so far!) this year and have been in a cart less than 10 times. I find it allows me to 'think about my life, think about my choices....' and keep my head in the game. I also use the time walking to the ball to assess what I did right/wrong, and start thinking about what the next shot will be. I use a push cart (Bag Bog Quad XL) and plan on using it for the foreseeable future. The ~4 mile walk every round does a body good!

[davewr58]

I’m 78 and have never used a cart. Walking is good exercise and gives you a feel for the nature around you because you’re not speeding down the fairway. You have time to look as you walk and, for me, it is very relaxing. The course I play has deer and wild turkeys galore, geese, an occasional fox and every now and then an eagle. I also find a lot of balls from the day before as I am usually the first player off the tee each morning.

[StateOfMyArt]

I'm 72 and Kathy is 69. Fortunately we are both in good health. We play and walk, a couple times a week, our home course The Hills at Portal right on the BC/WA border south of Vancouver. The course is aptly named with most holes requiring shots over valleys, or to elevated greens. So needless to say we need to wander up and down the hills pushing or pulling our carts. What a workout a round of golf on this course is. But you know, it feels great. Ya we are tired at the end of a round but what a great combination of play and exercise. We do take a cart when playing other courses that demand it, but I do think I play better when I walk rather than ride so we choose to walk if that is an option. I expect as I get older or my health changes I will likely need the cart if I want to keep playing, but for now walking is my preferred mode of chasing the silly white ball around the park.

[RTH1]

Would prefer to walk, but osteoarthritis in my right hip made me a cart guy.

[AlanW]

I am in Florida, and not too many courses are designed walkable.  When I retired last December, I joined the Ocala Golf Club, our local muni.  It was built in 1931, but despite some climbs, it’s very walkable.  I got a Kam Kaddie electric push cart which I love.  The weather from June to September is still a little severe for walking with the heat and the rapidly developing thunderstorms.  But the waking 2-4 days a week did wonders for my numbers at my last doctors appointment.  Now if it could only do as well for my golf numbers!

[Jim Shaw]

Walk every round however I have an electric cart that helps me 

[Northern Monkey]

I always walk, but that is still the norm here in the UK

[Bang60]

Walking is usual in NZ unless you have health issues, I only play with a half set so walk and carry my bag but it's generally 9 holes

[Manny]

37 minutes ago, Bang60 said:

Walking is usual in NZ unless you have health issues, I only play with a half set so walk and carry my bag but it's generally 9 holes

I didn't know you can only play 9 holes??