We've launched the new forums! Read more here

Walking vs. Riding

I don't believe for a second that mandatory carts have anything to do with pace of play.
I think it is all about generating more revenue.
I could be wrong, but that's how I see it from my side of the knot hole.
 
Drumdog said:
I don't believe for a second that mandatory carts have anything to do with pace of play.
I think it is all about generating more revenue.
I could be wrong, but that's how I see it from my side of the knot hole.
Click to expand...

this argument has happened many times on THP, and there will be some that say walkers are faster and others that say riders are faster. IMHO, fast players play fast and slow players play slow. Some courses it is of great benefit to ride as there is plenty of distance between green and tee that can be covered faster in a cart unless you run between holes.
 
I'm not saying who I think is faster, I am saying the courses are saying it's faster for carts so they can justify the mandatory cart charges. Maybe I didn't word my first post correctly.
 
Drumdog said:
I'm not saying who I think is faster, I am saying the courses are saying it's faster for carts so they can justify the mandatory cart charges. Maybe I didn't word my first post correctly.
Click to expand...

Oh I agree with that, sorry I didn't address that. I think courses do try to use the speed argument as a way to squeeze out more revenue.
 
There are courses that I play where it would be very difficult to walk, where tee boxes are a long way from the previous greens. On these courses it makes sense to have carts only but at walker friendly courses such as the one that I play at, the rules on when walkers can use the course are ridiculous.

I agree that slow is slow and fast is fast, but I also agree with the article that 4 guys who play at a decent pace and are experienced at walking for golf can play faster walking than the same 4 riding in a cart.

The cart-path only comment really struck me, because there have been days when it has been cart path only, but they still will not allow walkers on the course before the designated time. A group of walkers can play insanely fast compared to being in a cart when it's cart path only. In those cases, I would say it's all about the revenue, even though the guy that wrote the blog and I have one thing in common: We offered to pay the cart fee and to still walk and carry because it was cart path only and were still denied. That makes absolutely no sense if it's about the revenue.
 
The argument that walkers are faster bottles my mind. I've never met a person that can walk as fast as a cart can drive.
 
Its not a pace of play issue no matter how they try to spin it. Its about maximizing profit during peak golfing times. Courses make a good chunk of money off of cart fees. It costs just a few dollars for a course to run a cart for one loop around the course and its even cheaper for electric carts.
 
blugold said:
The argument that walkers are faster bottles my mind. I've never met a person that can walk as fast as a cart can drive.
Click to expand...


One walker cannot walk as fast as one cart rider, this is true. But put a group of 4 in both situations and the only place that the guys in the cart are faster is getting to the first guy's tee shot. Everything after that, a group of walkers is typically faster assuming that everyone is playing ready golf in both scenarios.
 
Bullitt5339 said:
One walker cannot walk as fast as one cart rider, this is true. But put a group of 4 in both situations and the only place that the guys in the cart are faster is getting to the first guy's tee shot. Everything after that, a group of walkers is typically faster assuming that everyone is playing ready golf in both scenarios.
Click to expand...
Simply not true. What about travel between holes? What about travel to the next show or up to the green? If both groups are playing ready golf, the riders are faster.
 
Bullitt5339 said:
One walker cannot walk as fast as one cart rider, this is true. But put a group of 4 in both situations and the only place that the guys in the cart are faster is getting to the first guy's tee shot. Everything after that, a group of walkers is typically faster assuming that everyone is playing ready golf in both scenarios.
Click to expand...
Disagree, if thr cart riders are playing ready golf they either drop the first player or the second player walks to his ball immediately.
 
Bullitt5339 said:
I agree that slow is slow and fast is fast, but I also agree with the article that 4 guys who play at a decent pace and are experienced at walking for golf can play faster walking than the same 4 riding in a cart.
Click to expand...

Don't want to get this started again, but I would disagree. When I ride, if we come up to whoevers ball is first, say mine, I will get out, grab my clubs and tell my partner to head over to his. But we probably get to each of our respective balls faster than walking seperately. Now if you drive up, wait for the first guy to hit his shot, then wait for him to put his club back in before going to the next ball, then yes.

But again, I have seen walkers do the same thing where they stand next to the farthest outs ball and wait for each player to hit their shot before moving on. So I still feel slow players play slow, and fast players play fast regardless of whether in cart or not.
 
blugold said:
Simply not true. What about travel between holes? What about travel to the next show or up to the green? If both groups are playing ready golf, the riders are faster.
Click to expand...

Assuming a walker friendly course, I tee off. I walk straight to my ball from the tee. The guys in the cart go to the 1st guy's ball and goes through his preshot routine, hits the ball and then puts his club away and they drive to the 2nd guy's ball and go through the same thing. In the time they typically take to do this, all 4 of us have hit our shots and are headed straight to the green or to our 3rd shots. The guys in the cart hit their 2nd guy's shot and follow the car path around, get their putter and walk down to the green. I'm already there because I carried mine to greenside and I'm ready to go.

I walk, but play with a pair of guys who can't walk anymore, and while they always beat me to their ball off the tee, I'm always on the green before they are because I can take the most direct route and I'm only worried about chasing one ball instead of two.

There's not a significant difference in time when everyone is playing ready golf, but in the case of the article, where it was cart path only, there is a huge difference.
 
Wake said:
Disagree, if thr cart riders are playing ready golf they either drop the first player or the second player walks to his ball immediately.
Click to expand...

mancest said:
Don't want to get this started again, but I would disagree. When I ride, if we come up to whoevers ball is first, say mine, I will get out, grab my clubs and tell my partner to head over to his. But we probably get to each of our respective balls faster than walking seperately. Now if you drive up, wait for the first guy to hit his shot, then wait for him to put his club back in before going to the next ball, then yes.

But again, I have seen walkers do the same thing where they stand next to the farthest outs ball and wait for each player to hit their shot before moving on. So I still feel slow players play slow, and fast players play fast regardless of whether in cart or not.
Click to expand...

We will have to agree to disagree. I've played both ways and the difference in time playing the way you guys are talking about is insignificant. Unfortunately, it seems like aside from THPers, I don't observe people utilizing carts in that manner. It's typically the pull up to one guy's ball, wait, go the next guy's ball, wait, repeat.
 
Agree. I play fastest if I'm solo in a cart. I play slowest in a slow foursome in carts when it's cart path only and somebody isn't actively grabbing clubs and walking out to their ball if it's not their turn. Middle of the road is walking. I can typically keep up with a twosome in a cart no problem if I walk.

One of the quickest paces of play I've ever seen was me in a fivesome with four retired guys. We just marched down the field, the line of guys stopping when we got to a ball. Everybody had a quick preshot routine, so it was stop, wait a sec, move on. I think we did 18 holes in about 3.5 hours as a fivesome on foot. That's a decent walking speed just to cover the distance, much less five guys all hitting golf balls along the way.
 
A foursome of walkers play faster than a foursome in two carts, assuming that the tee boxes are close to the prior hole green.
If there is significant distance between green and tee box, then carts will of course be faster.
But how many foursomes actually play ready golf in a cart? And the cart path only argument supports walking being faster, even with quick golfers.
 
I would say walkers are faster than cart path only riders, but not if they dont have to stay on paths.
 
It is so dependent on the course. But I will say, if it's cart path only, and holes are close together, I will take the Pepsi challenge with even the fastest player in a cart and me with my push cart
 
I watched Ron (lighningbolt44) take his carry bag off the cart when it was cart path only when his shot was nowhere near the cart path and have his partner take the cart. I hate cart path only with a passion, so I will likely use his method when I'm forced to play cart path only. I find myself carrying multiple clubs out to my shot or ending up with the wrong club too often when it's cart path only and will likely borrow (steal) this idea next time.
 
I know that a course in my area is actually studying this at the moment, or at least have done so last month. Think they're looking at 4 things: riding/walking, handicap, gender and age. I'll call them tomorrow to ask them if I can have the results.
 
Martsy said:
It is so dependent on the course. But I will say, if it's cart path only, and holes are close together, I will take the Pepsi challenge with even the fastest player in a cart and me with my push cart
Click to expand...

One on One, you would lose badly. There is no doubt that one on one the cart is faster. It's only when there's a foursome that I think it tilts in the favor of the walkers assuming a walker friendly course. Some courses are simply not built to be walked.
 
Bullitt5339 said:
Assuming a walker friendly course, I tee off. I walk straight to my ball from the tee. The guys in the cart go to the 1st guy's ball and goes through his preshot routine, hits the ball and then puts his club away and they drive to the 2nd guy's ball and go through the same thing. In the time they typically take to do this, all 4 of us have hit our shots and are headed straight to the green or to our 3rd shots. The guys in the cart hit their 2nd guy's shot and follow the car path around, get their putter and walk down to the green. I'm already there because I carried mine to greenside and I'm ready to go.

I walk, but play with a pair of guys who can't walk anymore, and while they always beat me to their ball off the tee, I'm always on the green before they are because I can take the most direct route and I'm only worried about chasing one ball instead of two.

There's not a significant difference in time when everyone is playing ready golf, but in the case of the article, where it was cart path only, there is a huge difference.
Click to expand...

I've seen walkers do the same thing, and it is painfully slow. It goes back to what was said, a slow player is slow regardless. A fast walker would be a faster rider, and a slow rider would be a slower walker.
 
Bullitt5339 said:
I agree that slow is slow and fast is fast, but I also agree with the article that 4 guys who play at a decent pace and are experienced at walking for golf can play faster walking than the same 4 riding in a cart.
Click to expand...

GREATLY dependent on the course and skill level. 4 fast golfers riding and 4 fast walking will lead to the riders playing faster if they are 1st off every single time. Why? Because by the time one gets to their ball as a walker, the riders are already on the green putting. Now if waiting on a group in front of you is in play, then its TBD.

People seem to assume that those in the cart drive to the ball, wait to hit and then drive to the next ball and repeat. Fast golfers can play in carts too. They drop the person off at their ball and then go to theirs. And frankly I challenge anybody to walk with their foursome against mine in carts and they can choose the course. Why? Because fast golfers are fast golfers regardless of method.
 
Wake said:
I've seen walkers do the same thing, and it is painfully slow. It goes back to what was said, a slow player is slow regardless. A fast walker would be a faster rider, and a slow rider would be a slower walker.
Click to expand...

I walk with pretty much the same group of guys all the time, so I guess I've just never seen a slow walker yet because the group of walkers that we have are pretty fast. I see what you're saying about a fast walker would make a fast rider. It's all in the mindset, I guess. I don't want anyone waiting on me. When I first started walking with a push cart, I would be winded by the time I got to my ball keeping up with them. I'm glad that didn't last long, because it took me back to my Army days when I had to ruckmarch. There's a 73 year old man that walks with us and he's in great shape, we can walk 18 in under 3 hours. I hope I can do that when I'm 73.
 
Bullitt5339 said:
I walk with pretty much the same group of guys all the time, so I guess I've just never seen a slow walker yet because the group of walkers that we have are pretty fast. I see what you're saying about a fast walker would make a fast rider. It's all in the mindset, I guess. I don't want anyone waiting on me. When I first started walking with a push cart, I would be winded by the time I got to my ball keeping up with them. I'm glad that didn't last long, because it took me back to my Army days when I had to ruckmarch. There's a 73 year old man that walks with us and he's in great shape, we can walk 18 in under 3 hours. I hope I can do that when I'm 73.
Click to expand...

FWIW, golf times are almost always fast or slow dependent based on two things.
1. The amount of time spent on and around the greens.
2. The amount of time searching for golf balls.

#1 is far more prevelant than #2 in terms of timing. Walking vs riding has no bearing on it. THerefore it comes down to how long it takes to get to the green.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top