As we have been on our summer travels, it has been surprising to note the increase in the number of golf carts being used in places that previously had few, if any, available for hire.
I was very disappointed to see young, fit golfers with no apparent need for a cart, driving around the courses in St Andrews, Scotland.
There are some advantages and disadvantages associated with the use of the golf cart.
Probably the greatest advantage of golf cart usage is for those who are aging or disabled and are genuinely unable to walk 18 holes. This alone should warrant the need for a small supply of carts. Also, people located in warmer climates where in the middle of summer, walking a round is a step too far need access to golf carts. Many golf clubs make money from cart rental, so this too helps golf clubs in testing times.
However in my opinion, the introduction of motorized carts, not trolleys, into the game – except for the genuinely needy — has not been an innovation which has enhanced our 500+ year old game.
If we abandoned our carts for a round or two, and walked, we’d find that:
- Using caddies, light weight carry bags or pull or powered trolleys — the pace of play would improve
- We would be healthier for the exercise and would not require a cart
- We could be more sociable with our four-ball rather than spending the round talking mostly to only one of our playing partners
- The environment and the game would be less polluted and more attractive. Walking allows us to connect to the environment more readily than driving a cart.
- Without the golf cart, golf courses would be designed to be more walkable, in the style of some of the old classic courses, rather than routed with huge distances between holes, which make many golf courses today totally un-walkable
- Excessive alcohol consumption on the course would be reduced (ever tried carrying a six pack of beer and ice bucket around in your golf bag?)
I know that cart manufacturers and even some club professionals will not agree with anything I have said.
I would like to hear from you: are golf carts good for the game? Share your thoughts by replying below.
Frank
franklygolf 
Unfortunately, to many courses ban push or pull carts To me, this is an ideal middle ground…you walk but without the bag. I love my push cart.
As senior citizen with serious health problems I have to use a motorized cart.
Today is my 65th birthday. The last time I rode in a cart was 13 months ago. The last time I walked 18 was yesterday. I will walk as long as I’m able. If someone needs a cart, it should be the same as a handicap sign on a car, but walk if you are able. My BIGGEST complaint is courses that charge the same for walking and riding. Haven’t played one of those courses in about two years. When you hit a bad shot, you “walk it off.” You can’t “ride it off.” Besides, my FROG hates to be banged around on the back of a cart.
Happy Birthday, Ed! Frank, Valerie and the Frankly Golf Team
Couldn’t agree more about the courses that charge the same for walking or riding…
Have you seen the GolfBoard? I think it may be the best of both worlds. Personally, I prefer to walk and I think I play better when I walk because my focus is only on my game and not on where I will drive and where my partner hit their ball, etc.
I believe the GolfBoard may be the thing of the future and I would love to try one out!
The point about course design is very relevant. I have one local course I can walk even with my bad knees and about a dozen others I cannot because of the course layouts are not walker friendly. Courses routing through sub divisions tend to be longer and very unfriendly to walkers. I also believe some courses feel they can get more golfers on the course in carts than in walking.
This is a valid point, and unfortunately we’re stuck (for now anyway) with the courses we have. So if it’s a 1/4 mile walk from the green to the next tee, a cart becomes a necessity. What SHOULD happen, in my opinion, is for the USGA or some other group to encourage NEW designs to be walker friendly so that those who choose to walk have that option. I don’t think anybody is begrudging somebody who can’t walk 18 holes the opportunity to take a cart. I think the point here is that the trend is moving one direction, and it might be beneficial for a number of reasons to get the trend to move in the other direction.
Hi Frank and Valerie. I could not agree more with your comments about carts ruining the game. I just finished Dave Stockton’s book on Unconscious Putting and here’s his take on carts; “First, I believe the art of green reading itself is a dying one, and carts are to blame. When I was a young player, we all walked and carried our own bags. When you approach a green from the front, you can feel the changes in contour and relative firmness of the grass with your feet, and you can see the predominant slopes on the putting surface. You can see which way the green drains–which is also the primary direction putts will break on that hole. Driving up to the side of the green in a cart and walking on from the side doesn’t give you as much of a chance to digest the subtle cues the green is giving you through your feet and eyes. You have to make a concentrated effort to plug more of that information in before you pick your line.” Dave’s “greens drains” advice reminds me of my putting lesson with Chris at Frankly Golf. I always look for the fall line first.
Here in Florida if you took carts away 90% of the people here would have to give up golf.
I prefer to walk and carry my PING “Pencil Golf Bag”. My clubs are light and I always have my clubs with me for every shot, if I change my mind on a club, I can pull the other club from my bag and hit it. My pace is such that as a single, I play 18 holes in 2 1/3 hours, as a twosome 2 2/3 hours, threesome 3 hours and as a foursome 3 1/3 hours. These times are based on being the first or second group off in the morning.
I dislike riding in golf carts for many reasons, but here are a few:
1. Cart path only courses (you walk farther back & forth to the cart than you would down the center of the fairway).
2. The cart partner who drives you to his ball first and never knows where your ball is and can never be found when you need another club.
3. I have found cart golfers are more likely to have lost ball searches because they have driven past their ball in the rough.
I am 65 and am amazed when I play at how many 20-35 year old kids are riding carts like it is the only way to play. My wife and I vacation in Pensacola and like to play the Par-60 executive course at the Naval Base there. We walk and carry and finish 18 holes in 2 1/3 hours, while the servicemen take carts and play 18 in 4 hours or more. It is quite baffling.
Regarding your #1, I would also add that one has to make sure they take enough clubs with them in order to have the correct one for the shot. Also, if it is wet, one has to deal with laying the non used clubs down in a way that the grips don’t get wet. In this same vein, I tend to leave more clubs behind (forget clubs) with cart golf.
I would add #4 to your list, which is — The grass stays in much better shape, and is easier to hit from, when carts are not allowed on the grass.
The game might benefit from cart usage being regulated like handicapped parking–one must qualify as “impaired” to be able to rent a cart. This might get the kids out of the carts and perhaps even reduce cart damage. I have no problems with golfers who physically need a cart, but for me, it’s the step just before the casket.
Half of our local seniors walk, but as the years tick by…I’m 65 and I need a trolley for a full set of clubs. My travel set is seven clubs in a Sunday bag, and I believe I score better with that! And walking 18 in 3 hours is no problem with either.
Agree 100%. Years ago when I got my first USGA membership, they had a program where you could pledge to walk whenever it was allowed, and provided a “walking member” bag tag as part of membership. I still have the decades-old tag on my bag, but it seems as if the USGA moved away from that policy many years ago (likely bowing to pressure from clubs who need the revenue, and/or cart manufacturers). Nevertheless, I agree wholeheartedly with your comments. Many people think carts improve pace of play because you can whiz from the tee to your ball at 25mph. While the speed to the ball may, in fact, be reduced, we walkers know that having to take a circuitous route to the ball in a cart (rather than walking directly to it) increases the likelihood that you’ll have a harder time finding errant shots, and the addition of having to drive your partner’s shot nullifies most of the speed advantage. You CAN play faster with a cart if you use it strategically, but in most cases that’s not the reality. As a young player, I also worked as a caddie, and saw carts as “the enemy”.
I don’t think carts improve the pace of play, in fact it slows it down unless people play “ready golf” and one grabs some clubs and walks to his shot while the other drives to his/hers.
I don’t disagree at all. The CAN improve pace, if that’s the ultimate goal. I’ve beaten sunset many times using a cart, but the quality of play takes a hit as you rush from shot to shot. The reality is that I don’t think it improves pace at all, and in most cases makes it worse. Throw in cartpath only holes, and you might as well take a nap between shots.
I agree that young,fit people don’t need to ride.But people like myself-aged and bad legs,could be given a licence to rent carts whereas lazy kids would be forced to walk and enjoy the true joys of the game that persons like myself are now unable to.
A course in how to drive and TREAT a golf cart would help, too. Keep feet off the windshield, no cigar ashes on the seats, no reckless driving. 🙂
I agree wholeheartedly. That being said, I think it would benefit the discussion to see some data showing time of play comparisons. In the desert courses in the US Southwest there are some distances between greens and the next tee that might be intimidating to less fit golfers, and increase the time of play resulting in lower revenues for public courses.
I would if I could, but I can’t.
The cart allows me to get out and play.
I used to walk 18 holes perhaps three times a week. I am older now with a bad back, hips, and knee (not overweight) and otherwise I couldn’t play. AND the courses I play are not laid out for walking, it would take more than 6 hours to play a round!
I agree!!!
Frank, in a perfect world I would agree with you but, I, like many people who would love to walk the golf courses again, are unable do to a variety of reasons. The fact is if you have a mix of walkers and carts there are going to be problems. If the walkers are fast players and the cart users are not or vice versa, there will be bad feelings galore. This happens on occasion with just carts now, but I feel this would be a bigger problem if there were a lot of walkers mixed in with the carts.