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Golf while walking vs. cart

I love walking! I remember a Golf Digest article from a year or two back touting the health benefits. There are two courses nearby that are particularly hilly with some walks between the tees so we will ride. Try to play walkable courses in the Spring and Fall when it is cooler out to stay warm. We often ride when on vacation either because the resort mandates carts or because we are on vacation! Anything over 90 I also want to ride. I do have a better rhythm, mental state, and stay loose when walking.

I think single rider carts, Finn scooters, etc are probably the fastest way to go around a course as long as it is not cart path only. Foursomes in carts with even 4-5 holes CPO seem to just back everything up. After getting yelled at by a pesky ranger for pace of play at a CPO course while walking along side two riders, I asked the ranger to watch a couple of holes. I walked up to my Ball while the others would drive on the path to roughly each person's ball then pull a club then go get distance them go back to the cart rinse and repeat. Got a nice apology from the ranger.
 
I've always much preferred to walk if the course and weather are conducive to it. But I won't avoid courses I that can't walk or avoid carting with others who prefer (or simply must) ride. I'll also tee it up and play on days the heat and humidity turn a course I often walk into one I can't that particular day. You state that you 'absolutely HATE using the cart'. Does that hatred limit some of your golf options? Meaning courses, seasons, golf buddies?
 
I walk (carry) 95% of my rounds here at home but when we go to our other course, we ride. The cart's not extra & there's some distance between greens & tees. I will walk a hole here or there but ride to the next tee.
 
I walk about 50% of the time, but usually those are only 9 hole courses. I have walked 18 many times, but the guys i play with want the cart so I cart it.

Some courses are not walker friendly and those I would not walk as pace of play would suffer as you traverse long distances between holes
 
I would like to walk more but the people I tend to play with are riders. I am going to start to do more walking in the morning when it's cooler out.
 
Hamfist said:
Walking hurts the fake knee a bit too much nowadays. Even 9-hole jaunts.
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Back in the day I walked and carried always. Heat and humidity did not matter, but I was a lot younger then. Eventually, the knees began to let me know that they didn't like that very much any more. So, I bought a pull cart, and put a larger bag on it, and kept right on walking. Then the knees started sending me messages again.

Today, at 68, the knees are pretty well shot. ACL reconstruction on the right, and a couple of MCL sprains in the left. So, it's been a while since I've walked a course, but I do try to walk at least a couple of holes, even if they're only par 3's, while my buddy drives the cart.

MrDC said:
Of course, walking is golf, and you have all your stuff right there beside you all the time, carts are often annoying (cart path only).

Sadly many courses are just too long between holes and/or hilly to walk.
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Your first sentence is right out of Michael Murphy's book "Golf in the Kingdom". The mysterious golf pro, Shivas Irons, tells Murphy, something like, "Golf is made for the walking. I notice you hardly pay any attention to that part of it."

We've gone back to some courses that I haven't played in quite a while, Turkana in Ohio, and Blackhawk in PA. As we played I kept thinking, "I used to walk these courses? I must have been part mountain goat!" Then, some years ago a new course that had been under construction had an announcement on the radio. "The front 9 at The Links at Firestone Farms is open for play. Come on out!" I called everybody I knew, it was Saturday, and couldn't get ahold of anybody so I went out myself.

I told the guy "9 holes walking", and he kind of shot me a look. "OK", he said. Well, the first tee, now the tenth, was up on top of Gobbler's Knob! I play the first hole and begin walking, and walking, and walking, and walking to the next tee! This is not a course for walkers, but I have come to appreciate the design.

What is now the front 9 plays through quite a bit of housing, but it's not really intrusive. The back 9 is like playing in a nature preserve! I really like the way the designer used the land.
 
I wish I could walk. My home course is not walker friendly at all and the last time I walked a course my right knee was absolutely screaming by hole 13. Walking seems so much more refreshing but too many factors keep me from doing so. I'd love to give it a try again (not on my home course) but I'm not spending the money on a pushcart only to realize that it's just not an option, for me. :(
 
I enjoy walking, yet much of the time I ride because those I play with ride. I do have one other golfer that walks and we get together and walk some. Hard to beat walking the golf course and the game has such a different "way" about it when you walk.
 
I walk as much as I can and now have 4 push carts (2 motorized) that I will loan out to friends so they can walk with me. My back won’t allow me to carry, and even at a young age I realize it so I don’t push it. The Mottocaddy M7 that I am reviewing is awesome and seriously makes walking the course extremely easy.
 
I play better walking, I have more time to relax and plan next shot on the way to the ball. But riding a cart is ok except where mandatory and it's permanent cart path only. guess where ball is, carry 4 clubs to ball, back to cart and repeat. Some courses though are not very walkable, one had almost a 15 minute walk between holes.
 
Walker almost all of the time except when on golf weekends or the social group l play with have booked / organised carts all without me knowing. That’s approximately several times a year only. Walki)g far better for health and rhythm of game .So many times you see the players in cart, one on one side of the fairway and the other on the opposite side , this leads to slower outcomes.
The only down side is warmer weather , tends to lead to some lethargy ,and lMO possibly 2-3 shot differential from someone who’s fresher in a cart.
 
I've honestly never come across a course that didn't allow walkers - is it supposed to be for pace of play issues? Over here, it is really rare to see anyone in a cart, and in fact of all my rounds in the UK I have only ever played 3 in a cart, and they were for an event where everyone rode - more for giving people the novelty of having a cart! On holiday we ride all the time, partly because of the heat but partly because we tend to have a couple of more 'senior' players with us that would struggle on the hilly courses and long distances between greens and tees.

If a course was ride only I would comply, because I would know I was on holiday!
 
Actually prefer walking but arthritis in my toes (probably dirt bikes fifty years ago) and knee are making it difficult since I really don't want to take pain meds. We are in the process of getting a place near the NC coast and with the prices I've seen might have to reconsider the meds. They don't seem to have $15 mountain golf here.
 
Walk 90% of my rounds. Certain courses on certain days can kick my behind, but it always feels good to know I’ve done something beneficial to my health.
 
I very much enjoy walking, however the layout of some local courses don't lend themselves to it due to elevation and distance between greens and tee boxes.
 
I like walking 9 if the course is set up to allow for it. I haven’t actually walked a full 18 yet, but I hope to build up to it soon.
 
My kids got me a bag boy cart for Father’s Day and I’m loving life. Carrying was getting tedious and a cart is fine once in a while but I enjoy the exercise.
 
I heart walking for sure and am lucky to have a 4-some that feels the same. to walk though limits where we want to play. so many of the newer courses are built with long distances between green to tee.

no doubt age will start to force us to ride more as we age. Dehydration is a challenge in summer already.
 
It is rare to see someone walk my home course. The tee boxes are pretty far from the previous green in many cases, it crosses the road multiple times, and there are some steeper hills. If you see it, it is generally the back 9 as it is more walking friendly. I do know people who have tried it but they all gave up after the front 9 as it is brutal on walkers.
 
Other than maybe a half dozen times per year (oit of 250 or so), I am walking. Riding in a cart just takes away from the full golf experience for me.
 
I now have an electric pushcart, I opted for the Alphard E-Wheels V2. If I had unlimited space (and budget), and did not already have a manual pushcart, I would have opted for something else (see Motocaddy). That said, I have used it 3 times, it's been flawless in use and execution. Each time, gets easier to use. My scores have dropped for the 2 regular course rounds, the 3rd was a scramble. The most important takeaway, for me is recovery is MUCH easier. Play is faster, walking without pushing/pulling etc is less wear and tear on me (I am 61), and arrival at the ball I have a moment or 2 to collect myself (if necessary), and I can see/think etc better than driving or the chore of actually pushing.

It's been glorious - I have 2 rounds this weekend, one on a longer course - meaning between greens to tees, I have played the course a few times this year and get out of breath and energy quickly on the back nine - I am really excited and eager to attack the course with the electric cart.

Best investment for my health (bot physical and mental) this year - talked with my wife about it, we both agreed, I should have done this much sooner. Frankly, so should most golfers.
 
I love to walk and prefer to, however most people I play with are not in great shape and would rather ride

Its such a different atmosphere and more enjoyable. I really get to enjoy the course for what it is. Also walking helps me enjoy the moment, take it slow, and not play rushed
 
I prefer walking as well. For some reason I tend to play better. I think there are a couple reasons. One, it helps me loosen up. Two I think it gives me time between shots to clear my head and relax. Now there are courses that may not be walking friendly and that’s ok. If I am sharing a cart I will often walk and let my partner drive the cart at times.
 
Got my pushcart with attached seat, cooler bag, and UV umbrella.

I walk with that setup 95% of the time.

At $20 pp for a cart (in my county) it adds up to about a greens fee (depending day and time) every two rounds so its a big savings if you play a lot of rounds. Even if you dont, your saving a greens fee every 3rd round via walking vs always riding.

I also feel especially with so many us amateurs spraying balls errant all over the place that power carts can become more work vs everyone just walking to their ball areas. Imo it is a real pain in the butt when two sharing a cart are playing and spraying poorly and not at all playing good cart golf. Then cart path only holes are the worst too. Ort even worse if the course is CPO due to recent rain. Anytime its CPO it is usually the longest rounds on those days.

Walking is good imo for some cardio as well. I feel i usually play worse when riding and often its due to the efforts when your riding partner and yourself are everywhere but together with the ball striking.

Obviously some courses are difficult to walk due to distances and terrain between holes. 2of my 5 county courses are a bit more of a pain to walk but still sit just within the border of being walk-able (for me). Some folks who walk the others wont walk those two but many do and so do I.
 
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