Going to start walking courses instead of riding - Any advice?

[quod erat]

On 3/29/2024 at 7:34 AM, brogies said:

I've kinda embarrassed to admit it, but I've never walked a golf course before. Carts are just too damn fun and convenient. However, I'm continuing to focus on eating better and exercising more, so naturally, it feels like another area I can improve is not being lazy when golfing. Being that I've never walked a course before, what advice would you have for me? I have a pretty light bag but too much stuff in it currently, so I know I'll need to take a lot of the unnecessary things out of it. What else should I keep in mind? What lessons have you learned?

Get a pushcart. You'll get (almost) all the exercise of walk+carry, but without the back pain.

Treat a round of golf like a real workout. On hot days especially, walking 18 has some meaningful cardio and muscle strain. Bring water and some kind of protein/carb food (bar, PB sandwich, etc.).

Enjoy! I almost always walk, to a point where I now avoid carts at all costs. You have more time to think about the next shot, enjoy the course, and the calorie burn means there's a guilt-free hot dog waiting at the end.

[brogies]

To force myself to walk, and after extensive research, I bought the BagBoy Nitron and it'll be here tomorrow. I've had a herniated disc in my lower back since my mid 20's, so my biggest concern has been with carrying my bag for an entire round. Playing Saturday morning with it and I'll let you guys know how it goes!

[StrokerAce]

1 minute ago, brogies said:

To force myself to walk, and after extensive research, I bought the BagBoy Nitron and it'll be here tomorrow. I've had a herniated disc in my lower back since my mid 20's, so my biggest concern has been with carrying my bag for an entire round. Playing Saturday morning with it and I'll let you guys know how it goes!

great great choice! enjoy the walk...

[VernL4]

I used to walk and carry a stand bag in high school, but got into the habit of riding because of the long walk between holes at some courses (even having to cross roads at times). I played with two guys on Friday that were both walking with pushcarts. Their pace was as good or even better than mine while on a cart. My wife is totally into getting a pushcart for me. I'm doing research before I make a decision. @brogies Let us know how it goes! 

[Alf. S]

Get yourself an electric trolley. Used one for the last 15 years and never looked back. Really saves the back and allows you to carry as much as you need in any conditions. There is also very little difference in calorie burn between electric trolley and carrying.

Big plus on walking is you can walk the line your ball took, so if you don't have a perspective on distance travelled you have a better chance of finding. It also gives you a good view of your next shot if you approach it from the line of your next shot.

[PrismFlopper]

1. Good quality push cart. Not saying spend 500$ but like 150 can get you a nice 3 or 4 wheel push cart. One with a little basket underneath is a bonus. 
2. keep that push cart in decent order and itll last you forever. Spray it off when it gets muddy maybe throw some wd 40 on the axles. I keep a small trash bag tied to mine each round just for the trash ill pick up to keep the courses clean.

3. A MUST have is a comfortable pair of shoes. Average walk id guess is in the like 7-9 mile range.

4. Watch that heart rate. Youd be surprised how much an elevated heart rate can throw off your shot.

5. Keep a rainjacket around. Theres no escaping into a cart when you out in the weather. 
6. if a ball will roll down it so wont a cart. Ive done or seen forgetting to put on the brakes or the breaks dont hold and that bag rolls down hill and if your lucky it just dumps onto the ground. 
7. youll figure out what is comfortable or makes for convenience. I personally have like a phone attachment and little phone charger attachment, but ik guys that keep an umbrella and cooler and all sorts of gadgets. Unbrella is nice to keep your stuff dry but i just have a waterproof bag for phones and electronics and if its really bad enough im worried about wet clubs then im getting a rain delay. 

[cksurfdude]

5 hours ago, brogies said:

To force myself to walk, and after extensive research, I bought the BagBoy Nitron and it'll be here tomorrow. I've had a herniated disc in my lower back since my mid 20's, so my biggest concern has been with carrying my bag for an entire round. Playing Saturday morning with it and I'll let you guys know how it goes!

Congrats! and great choice!! It should serve you very well for very many years! Also happy to read that you did decide to go this route 

FYI if/when you shop for a new golf bag in the future look for one that has "Top Lok" - it will integrate with the cart's top bracket so you don;t need the top strap.

 

4 hours ago, VernL4 said:

I played with two guys on Friday that were both walking with pushcarts. Their pace was as good or even better than mine while on a cart.

Thank you for mentioning that!!

 

2 hours ago, PrismFlopper said:

6. if a ball will roll down it so will a cart. Ive done or seen forgetting to put on the brakes or the breaks dont hold and that bag rolls down hill and if your lucky it just dumps onto the ground. 

oh yeah - good point! Park your cart "across" when on a slope .. don't rely on the brake to always hold it...

 

 

[tdroma98]

Derek @EasyPutter, Thank you for your Service!! 

I like your write-up on walking and push carts.  Walking 9 or 18 holes is the way to go for me.  I used to carry my stand bag until I fell, while carrying my bag and injuring my right shoulder.   That was the sign to use a push cart & it does beat carrying the bag, although I liked the exercise of carrying a bag.  

My first pushcart was a Dicks Sporting Goods TourTrek, 3 wheel pushcart. it wasn't bad, the only issue is service.  There is no service phone number to call & forget about finding parts for the cart when something breaks, even a wheel.   After the TourTrek broke, I knew I wasn't going to purchase the same brand again! 

A couple of my golf buddies, who I walk with during the week, have BagBoys QuadXL's pushcarts. Easy to push.  BagBoys has replacement parts available & good accessories. So I purchased a QuadXL.  One issue developing with the BagBoy QuadXL, the back wheels are starting to sag over time, unlike the Clickgear or Sun Mountain carts. I've had this cart since 2021 and getting great use out of it.  Another negative, my carry bag doesn't always fit right and it drives me nuts.  Cart bags fit fine on the cart but I prefer using a stand bag.
Accessories available are cool - such as the hand warmer (mittens).  Great for the Winter, a must! I like the bag/pouch under the tray.  
Here's a little picky item I don't like on the tray.  The scorecard holder. It chews up the scorecard & standard golf course pencils get chewed up. 
the impressive thing about the QuadXL is how it folds up and how light it is to carry.  That's impressive. 

One of my fellow walkers has a 3-wheeled Clickgear and he loves it. The other day with the threat of rain, he walked up to the first tee, with RainTek Golf Bag Cover he purchased on the Clickgear site.  What a cool accessory & much better than using an umbrella.  The RainTek easily covers the entire bag , including the clubs.  The top section which covers the clubs, lifts back to remove or replace a club.  The Golf Bag Cover keeps the entire bag dry. It's cool & easily installed. 

For my next push cart, I will not be purchasing a Bagboy quad, because of the sagging of the back tires. I will strongly consider a 3 wheeled & look at other brands.  I may even go electric.  However, as a retirement gift, my wife told me I must choose between new irons or an electric cart. (New irons is winning )!

[Dweed]

Lots of great advice out there. @Samuel09152 hit on a key one. Do a a couple of 9 hole rounds first to work out your pace as well as test out your current shoes and watch for blisters. I'm 70 and use a push cart and love the game more now than ever before.

[cksurfdude]

17 hours ago, tdroma98 said:

One issue developing with the BagBoy QuadXL, the back wheels are starting to sag over time

Hmm sorry to see that! Do you have a pic? Curious to see what's happening...

For reference i have two Quad XLs that have gotten a lotta use over a bunch of years with absolutely no problems. In fact I converted my wife's to powered with the eWheels kit and it's been working great.

[tdroma98]

6 minutes ago, cksurfdude said:

Hmm sorry to see that! Do you have a pic? Curious to see what's happening...

@cksurfdude If I play tomorrow morning, I'll take a photo of my cart & my buddies cart side by side. His Quad XL is much worse than mine, he walks on avg 6 days week with it.  I'm only doing 3-4 days per week.  
Good request! I'll post a photo. Ciao! 

[PrismFlopper]

Im sure the answer is in the replies somewhere but is there any company that has like a great like warranty or parts selection to keep a cart going. My current cart is legit 30yrs old and not gonna lie ive refused to replace it even though its inconvenient on the 2 wheels mostly from nostalgia of it being my grandfathers. Its time it takes a break and the cheap 3 wheel i bought 2 years ago a rear wheel fell off mid round and i just tossed it

[Preeway]

I think BagBoy is great about having replacement parts available if needed. But the newer carts don’t really have a lot of parts that would need replacing aside from the wheels. 

[MN_Hacker]

On 3/29/2024 at 7:34 AM, brogies said:

I've kinda embarrassed to admit it, but I've never walked a golf course before. Carts are just too damn fun and convenient. However, I'm continuing to focus on eating better and exercising more, so naturally, it feels like another area I can improve is not being lazy when golfing. Being that I've never walked a course before, what advice would you have for me? I have a pretty light bag but too much stuff in it currently, so I know I'll need to take a lot of the unnecessary things out of it. What else should I keep in mind? What lessons have you learned?

Get a nice push cart.  I have a BagBoy Nitron because I like the Top Lok feature and bought a compatible bag so I don't need straps to hold it on, but ClickGear and others are great as well.  

 

Carrying the bag makes my back sore (I'm in my 50's) but I play better and feel better walking and pretty much only ride on guy's weekends.

[brogies]

11 minutes ago, MN_Hacker said:

Get a nice push cart.  I have a BagBoy Nitron because I like the Top Lok feature and bought a compatible bag so I don't need straps to hold it on, but ClickGear and others are great as well.  

 

Carrying the bag makes my back sore (I'm in my 50's) but I play better and feel better walking and pretty much only ride on guy's weekends.

I just bought a BadBoy Nitron! Using it for the first time Saturday morning. 

[MN_Hacker]

I even have an old BagBoy Quad at my lake place so I don't have to ride up there either.  

[Preeway]

3 hours ago, brogies said:

I just bought a BadBoy Nitron! Using it for the first time Saturday morning. 

You’re gonna love it!

[birdiesandbags]

Never to Young for a pushcart  , besides the cart I find walking tends to help keep your back loose through out the round . I typically started walk my 9 hole parkland style courses out in AZ , Now I usually stick to the flatter courses , can’t beat the heat in the summer . Typically I found I’m a much better player after switching .

 

[Samuel09152]

On 4/1/2024 at 8:29 AM, brogies said:

To force myself to walk, and after extensive research, I bought the BagBoy Nitron and it'll be here tomorrow. I've had a herniated disc in my lower back since my mid 20's, so my biggest concern has been with carrying my bag for an entire round. Playing Saturday morning with it and I'll let you guys know how it goes!

You are about to fall more in love with this game, or at least I did. I grew even more smitten every time I walked! 

[Samuel09152]

On 3/29/2024 at 6:18 PM, brogies said:

What are your guys' favorite golf socks for walking the course? Taking recommendations!

This is where I’m gonna sound like the oldest 33 yr old ever. I wear compression socks, that’s right the ones that come to your knees and help with circulation, Usually the copper fit ones! And then I put on a pair of fj dry or bombas on top. All my friends joke on me but hell I’m ok with that lol 

[brogies]

Thanks to everyone for responding to this thread with your advice. I took my BagBoy Nitron out to the course this morning to play 18 and it went well. My back is sore as hell because I generally do not walk eight miles in a day (16K steps!), but the push cart really, really helped. I don't think I would've been able to walk afterwards if I had carried my bag. 

Now I just need to get into walking 18 with a push cart shape!

[Coulter]

1 minute ago, brogies said:

Thanks to everyone for responding to this thread with your advice. I took my BagBoy Nitron out to the course this morning to play 18 and it went well. My back is sore as hell because I generally do not walk eight miles in a day (16K steps!), but the push cart really, really helped. I don't think I would've been able to walk afterwards if I had carried my bag. 

Now I just need to get into walking 18 with a push cart shape!

How long did it take you? I have a tee time for 3:30 and could try it out for the 1st time today.

[brogies]

Just now, Coulter said:

How long did it take you? I have a tee time for 3:30 and could try it out for the 1st time today.

Honestly I didn't notice a difference in total playing time. The course had a frost delay, but once we got out there, we weren't waiting on any holes and we didn't have any groups come up on us. So, all in all, it was about the same as riding. 

[Coulter]

Well I finally busted out the ole push cart. I absolutely loved walking! It wasn’t bad at all! It did take a bit longer but my buddy brought his daughter (she’s 13 and about to try out for the high school golf team) she slowed us down a bit. We were done with 9 holes in 2 hours (I typically play a full round in about 3 hours) but I definitely have been missing out!

[Samuel09152]

5 hours ago, brogies said:

Thanks to everyone for responding to this thread with your advice. I took my BagBoy Nitron out to the course this morning to play 18 and it went well. My back is sore as hell because I generally do not walk eight miles in a day (16K steps!), but the push cart really, really helped. I don't think I would've been able to walk afterwards if I had carried my bag. 

Now I just need to get into walking 18 with a push cart shape!

How did you like it? 

[Karls0991]

I love walking! I have a bag boy push cart and it works great. I always bring it in case they say the worst 3 words in golf “cart path only,” even if my group is planning on riding. I also have walked with people in carts and it’s no slower as you walk right to your shot instead of waiting on others. My biggest advice is comfy shoes and def get breath under control before taking shot. I usually play better walking as you stay loose and are more in touch with the course. If my friends liked walking as much as me I would never ride! I enjoy the actual sport of golf   

[MN_Hacker]

31 minutes ago, Karls0991 said:

If my friends liked walking as much as me I would never ride! I enjoy the actual sport of golf   

My league team went from everyone riding ten years ago to all of us walking for at least the last 6-7 years. 

We do ride carts on guy's weekends where we're playing 36+ holes a day, but otherwise we're walking, and it's awesome.

[Northern Monkey]

I just about always walk and could count on one hand the amount of times I’ve ridden around a course. The exercise from the walking is part of the enjoyment of golf for me. 
I use a remote Motocaddy M7 and find it makes a big difference. Can load your bag up with extras without having to worry and I have no problem keeping up with those who ride

[dukeofjamiecakes]

I try to walk my club as much as possible - 6+ miles for 18. I’m not in great shape but I tend to feel more connected. Two recommendations. 
 

1. KT Blister prevention tape: https://www.kttape.com/products/blister-prevention-30-strip-black-heel

2. Don’t speed yourself up mentally when you play with riders. Keep breathing, play your game. Most riders are cool with walkers but it’s easy to put added pressure on yourself to keep up/make up time. 

[MN_Hacker]

One big factor is whether or not the course is set up for walking.  I've played some courses that have almost a mile between 9 and 10, etc....  It's easy to keep up with riders on a hole while playing, but the courses with long walks between the holes make walking difficult sometimes.