temporarily denying push/pull carts on the sides -just off of the greens

I'm sure we've all seen the wearing down of the most pushcart rolled on areas just along side the greens. You know, its like the area where most walk up to the greens perhaps between a bunker and the green or whatever. The place (or side) where its most convenient to leave the bags and also head to the next tee when done. Its very often on one side of a green and the constant wear can and does begin to ugly up the conditions.

At one my home courses there use to be a time they would temporarily close that (the worn down side) to traffic via a "no push carts" sign. You can play on it but just cant use it as a trail. Its a real pain but I am all for it because the constant abuse does take its toll. The course is really nice and always has been but the last couple years they have not enforced this when imo its needed even if just temporarily for a few weeks. I mean right now as early as it is I can already see the wearing down and I anticipate it getting quite ugly by late spring early summer. And if that happens- once the heavy heat of prime summer hits it will never recover.

I am a walker and push cart player and it will be a pain to walk far around but I think they have to start doing this again especially now while the spring time can allow it to heal itself and grow strong so we have a nicer condition come the rest of the year.

Anyway-just a conversation. Does your course do this or dont they bother or should they. I say its a necessary evil that has to be done. In the end I want the nicest course to pay on. I do know the rough in these areas just off the fringes is a grass they use that's tuff as nails and takes abuse but still this abuse can be too much for any grass eventually and your going to have to baby it sometimes.

At my course, most push cart users treat their carts like powered carts. They Park them away from the green and close to the paved path.

I don't normally see this as a problem, and i play at many courses in the area. Obviously, a smart grounds crew notices when things start getting rough and make accommodations like this to direct people elsewhere.

There are one or two spots like this at my course but they don't wear too badly. If it starts to get bad they close it to push-cart traffic but lots of people don't listen anyways.

ArmyGolf said:

There are one or two spots like this at my course but they don't wear too badly. If it starts to get bad they close it to push-cart traffic but lots of people don't listen anyways.

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yea see now that's a problem. I hated it too when they ever did this but I know its needed and respect it.

We have that problem sometimes but our superintendent will just put up some yellow rope around it until it recovers. Doesn't seem to much of a problem provided your superintendent is paying attention.

I've seen numerous courses run rope across the fairway at a certain point where push carts are not allowed beyond. I think it's great as long as the cart path isn't too far from the green.

RNG said:

We have that problem sometimes but our superintendent will just put up some yellow rope around it until it recovers. Doesn't seem to much of a problem provided your superintendent is paying attention.

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I do hope he will pretty soon.

blugold said:

At my course, most push cart users treat their carts like powered carts. They Park them away from the green and close to the paved path.

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That's pretty good of them and when putting I suppose easier vs when your off and don't know nor see which club you may require for the chip at hand. So having the bag is always a convenience or bring a few clubs works too. But most people in most places will bring their bags and imo that's ok but bring them further outside or the other way around are options too.

rollin said:

That's pretty good of them and when putting I suppose easier vs when your off and don't know nor see which club you may require for the chip at hand. So having the bag is always a convenience or bring a few clubs works too. But most people in most places will bring their bags and imo that's ok but bring them further outside or the other way around are options too.

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I've never seen somebody take their bag off of their cart. But I haven't seem anybody park their carts on the green or fringe either.

I've never once seen a wear area from push carts. But if it happens I'd expect the course to mark it and direct traffic away from the area so it can heal just like they do with anything else.

I think its great that there are enough people walking the golf course to cause an issue.

blugold said:

I've never seen somebody take their bag off of their cart. But I haven't seem anybody park their carts on the green or fringe either.

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you misunderstood my entire post or I didn't send it out properly. I didn't mean taking bags off the carts. You mentioned most at your place leave them over by the cart path with the drive carts. I only meant that people want their bag with them when they are unsure of what chip shot club they may need. That would mean rolling it with them over near where their ball is. And certainly never seen anyone nor mentioned parking a cart on the green or the fringe.

My course has signs about 20 yards from the green for push carts to follow. Plus the ranger drives around and enforces it as well.

Never noticed this to be an issue

We have a problem with people driving large golf carts too close to the greens and off the cart path, can't say I could honestly acknowledge that I have noticed damage that is from push carts around the greens


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my push cart weighs less than I do so I don't see the point of needing this

We don't have enough people using push carts to matter. I have seen people drop their bags on the fringe or on the green. That annoys me to no end, I leave my cart in the rough, but up next to the green usually.


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Its a "pain"? Drop the bag 40 feet somewhere else... can't be that big of a hassle.

Our course used the same rule as the electric carts, no closer than 45 feet.

To the OP, if you're seeing an area of concern, why not mention it at the turn or at the end of your round? I doubt your maintenance Supervisor will see it here and know where you're talking about.

As to tour question, I've never seen a worn area on the course from push carts, but the course I generally play doesn't have many walkers outside of High School tournaments.

We don't have much of a problem with this yet. But since we just started a walking rate this year, it is something that may be considered.

to those of you who may not see how/why this can be an issue I'll you show what I mean and how it could happen. ..just think of it this way. Firstly...to exaggerate....if everyone walks and rolls carts the same exact way over an area of grass all day long, it will create a beat up, matted down, worn out, and even bare trail if allowed to continue too much. I don't think that's hard to grasp weather its your own lawn, or in a park, or golf course, right? Ok

Perhaps course/greens/bunker design in connection with next hole tee location plays its part and is why some places may not have much or any issue while some others do. There can be greens that have certain areas where walking/rolling ones cart simply becomes the most convenient direction to head through. And unless ones ball is way off the other side of a green most everyone who is walking will push their carts over the same piece of rough/grass. Here are some pics explaining how this can happen. Not necessarily worn in these pics and not easy to see worn but here is just to show how/were a common pathway becomes a norm and most heavily used area for walking/rolling ones cart through.


In this first pic you can see as most will approach the green they will push their carts between the green and the right bunker (as I indicated with lines) and actually in this pic you can see "some" discoloring and wearing down due to the heavier traffic the area receives vs the other side that receives much less.



Here in this pic below you can see the bags/carts parked after all have taken the same path (again I marked with lines) to get there from fairway and then between bunker and green to get to that place. You cant see much wear in this pic but again it just shows how this is very common that most all will use this very same area/path to travel on as means of walking to the green and to park bags and then head to the next hole so it can get heavily worn and matted if they don't sometimes prevent it.



Here below is another one (again marked with lines) where most people use this same area to make their way to the green/park bags and carts and then head up to the next hole when done putting. Come in from the fairway, head on between the lake and the green and then on through. Not so easy to see worn but you get the idea. Most are using the very same area as a means of travel and it can get abused if not prevented occasionally enough to allow healing.


Again, these pics are not showing great wear but to be fair its hard to see to that level. In fact the past few years they reshaped greens back to spec and also renewed bunkers and a lot of this grass in these areas is fairly new. But these pics are more to display how certain areas do become the common heavily traveled on spots and most convenient throughway to traffic. I was noticing some of these areas last year were becoming a bit too worn down and was expecting they would have put signs to deter traffic like they have done in the past but didn't and this year (although not terrible) and early yet, are not really improving nor will they have the chance imo if they don't put signs.

Primarily been a pull/push cart golfer for many decades and roping off or placing signs to protect damaged areas around the greens has always been SOP. Pros/Cons as to what's different now is that advanced turf blends seem more resistant to damage and heal faster plus the wider wheels on carts do less damage. But golfers (as a whole) are now definately more 'me first' and less respectful of the course and more prone to ignore the ropes/signs if they are inconvenienced.

Our super will put some chalk type lines to class it as GUR and a note posted on board by the pro shop door.