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Walking or Riding - Does it affect your score?

I think it's more mind games for me, but I tend to do better when I ride (without driving). That being said, I enjoy doing both of the other.
 
v.man said:
Army, yes you are over thinking this . Riding should not affect your game. If you're still worried, let your cart buddy drive. That way, you can exit the cart in the fairway and walk to your ball. I do that frequently just because I want the exercise.

My home course is "cart paths only". It's a mountain course and not conducive to walking. So, I don't get to walk often. The most enjoyable way to play is to walk with a caddy. Few courses offer that option any more. I miss it.
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Am I though? The general consensus seems to be that it does make a difference on the scorecard.
Thank you for the tips V.man!
 
ArmyGolf said:
Am I though? The general consensus seems to be that it does make a difference on the scorecard.
Thank you for the tips V.man!
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Only if you let it affect you. Otherwise, get in the cart, sit back, take your hat off for a moment and enjoy the brief ride.
 
I feel that I play better when I walk. Of course, I walk 95+% of the time so that stands to reason as I feel out of place when riding in a cart. If do have to ride in a cart for a tournament, I never drive and end of walking / jogging about half the time anyway. I feel that walking gives me time to envision and ponder my upcoming shot and enables me to keep looser. Full disclosure, I average driving a car for work about 1000 miles a week so the last thing in the world I want to do on the weekend in ride around in any kind of vehicle except to get to and from the course or go out to dinner or a movie locally.
 
I play better when I'm walking, but most Florida courses are resort/master community style golf courses so the courses are pretty unfriendly to walk. Sometimes it's just as much as going through a yard and across a street, sometimes it's a quarter mile or so (sadly not an exaggeration) to the next tee box. On the walking friendly courses though, it's nice to use the walk to the ball as time to take your mind off of things and just give the brain a rest for a bit. I'd love to walk more often but it's just not feasible. Also, I don't see courses actively offering walking discounts either.
 
I mostly walk (with push cart) and I never really considered or have any data to say if one is more or less beneficial to my outcome. I will say one thing though for certain.
When its hot/humid outside it does ware on you when you walk and also take 94 strokes :(

If you consider a worse day of golf and score a 98 and even just one practice stroke for each shot that's 196 swings in the heat/humidity walking up and down hills in the blazing sun. "whhhhheeeeeewwwww" there are times when I have no energy to properly even swing on the last couple holes. LOL but not so funny :(

Man! the perks of being able to shoot a 79 and leave with energy :)
 
ArmyGolf said:
Just like the title states I am curious if you guys think that your performance on the course is affected by whether you walk or ride a power cart. I believe that I play better when I'm walking the course but I really have no data to back that up.


As for me, I am a bit nervous to be riding at #TheKing as I haven't ridden since last summer, and even then it was just 3 times during one week out of town. Am I simply over-thinking it or is this something that I should "practice" prior to an important event?

What say you?
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It's a misconception that one is more conducive to scoring than the other. Like anything else, you just have to learn to deal with any minor differences. I walked for most of my life until foot problems started to make it difficult, then impossible. When I was a dedicated walker, I had the impression that I played worse when I rode, but that was just because I hadn't done it enough to find a comfort zone with it. Once I started to to ride more often, I found that the game didn't have to be any different than it was when walking. After all the only part that is really concerned with playing golf is the 30 seconds or so that it takes to perform my preshot routine and address and hit the ball. The rest is just moving from here to there, and that has nothing at all to do with playing a stroke. Any negative effect of riding is purely psychological.
 
drp3434 said:
Already coming up with excuses? :D I don't think it makes a difference for me. I enjoy walking more though because I feel like I get to enjoy my time on the course more.
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If you have any excuses please forward them to me....I will take all i can get
 
I can't find the article, but I remember reading in golf digest how they did a study and found that people who walked using a cart scored best, people who rode scored second best, and people who carried scored worst. The reasoning was that using a push cart allowed more time to think about the next shot while walking to your ball, but carrying was a greater physical strain and yielded lower scores. Personally, with the shape I'm in I prefer to ride and feel it helps my scores because I'm not drained by the end of the round.
 
I honestly don't believe it walking or riding effects how I play.
 
I only ever walk so have no idea if it would affect my game. I always thought id feel more in tune with my game by walking the course im playing.
 
I prefer riding as well, not driving. Unless the person doesn't wait for me to fully sit before taking off - I usually end up falling apart at the end with a stiff back.

Walking only negatively affects my score if I'm really out of shape. Like I am now. (ugh)
 
I think that I score better when I walk, simply for the reason that my body stays looser and my back doesn't tighten up when I walk. I like getting the blood flowing and sitting down while traversing uneven terrain does not help me stay loose. We have lots of hills and I feel very engaged when I'm huffing it up a local hole called "Cardiac", a few moments to catch my breathe and I can fire away.
 
I find I score better when I walk. I like being able to size up my shot as I approach it. The only time I take a cart is when I play with my dad and he is horrible at driving a cart.
 
I play better when I walk it keeps me lose it keeps me focused and it's more enjoyable for me that way. However, early in the season my game is not quite as sharp toward the end of the round and I feel that's due to me not being in good enough shape yet, kind of like preseason or a training camp in sports and I have to work up to my peak.
 
I walked forever but now ride most of the time and I don't think it matters either way score wise for me.
 
I think I play better walking, since I play so seldom riding. I ride only 1/10 of my rounds.
 
I used to believe that I played better while I walk but recently it doesn't seem to matter either way.
 
ArmyGolf said:
Just like the title states I am curious if you guys think that your performance on the course is affected by whether you walk or ride a power cart. I believe that I play better when I'm walking the course but I really have no data to back that up.


As for me, I am a bit nervous to be riding at #TheKing as I haven't ridden since last summer, and even then it was just 3 times during one week out of town. Am I simply over-thinking it or is this something that I should "practice" prior to an important event?

What say you?
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Well, given I'm 60, overweight, out of shape and living in Florida, during the summer at least I'd count being found dead of heat prostration on the 14th hole as adversely effecting my game.

Seriously though, around here riding is the norm and I wouldn't play any other way.
 
My worst scores came when walking... with a caveat - I was playing as a single and trying to get home at a reasonable time. I think walking *quickly* gave me less time to think about my shots, as I was more concerned at points with whether or not I'd get stuck behind people.
 
I typically play better when I'm walking pushing my cart. It's not because of "time to size up the shot" or "think about it" or anything else. It's simply because I have back problems and stiffen up more when riding and getting bounced around in a cart. When I'm walking, the muscles tend to stay loose.
 
I usually score better when I walk, but I think it's because I'm in an element I love. I love being outside and I love quiet time outdoors, you can really take in the design of the course and think about your shots a little more.
 
Once I got out of the cart and started walking I noted a few positives. Stamina went way up. Dropped 50% off my handicap (6.0-3.0) and more importantly dropped a bunch of belly fat, over 25lbs. I can't think of any reason why you shouldn't walk except most courses nowadays do not allow walking. I found it did not slow things down as I once thought it would and my thinking/choices were much better hence the drop in handicap.
 
I walk about 50% of the time. I haven't kept stats to know for sure, but I can't tell any difference in my scores from one to the other.
 
Trout Bum said:
I usually score better when I walk, but I think it's because I'm in an element I love. I love being outside and I love quiet time outdoors, you can really take in the design of the course and think about your shots a little more.
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i agree this is me also
 
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