Golf carts vs. pull carts vs. carrying bag
 

Though I was once an enthusiastically but thoroughly unskilled golfer, I haven't golfed more than a handful of times in the last 30 years. I really want to take it back up when the wife and I move to the house we are in the process of buying in The Villages. I would like to know more about the mechanics of carrying bags. I know that everyone seems to own a golf cart in TV, that we plan on buying one and that they can be used (or rented) at probably most or all of the courses there. Do people still use pull carts or push carts to golf? Or are they seen as too slow by the golf cart drivers playing? And does anybody actually carry their own bags and walk the courses? A buddy of mine was an avid golfer and swore by the new (to me, anyway) twin-strap bags that you wore like a backpack. He got good walking exercise while playing. Is that done? And are there courses where walking with or without a push/pull cart is encouraged or at least welcomed vs. courses where it's discouraged or even forbidden?

I walk and carry on the executive courses, although some of them have a good hike between one green and the next tee. The groups I play with are mostly in carts, but have no problem with walkers and we keep up with the players in front. I see some others with pull or push carts, but we are definitely a minority. I would say walking is welcomed on the execs as they rent pull carts at the starter buildings.

On the championship courses, I usually ride because I will get too tired and hot walking 18 and it seems harder to keep up. I don't think walking is discouraged, though.


My carry bag has the twin straps and I would not use a single strap bag. The two straps distribute the weight across both shoulders. However, I'm seeing articles that assert that walking/carrying is not good for the back, although I don't have any problem and I've been doing this for about 50 years.

On the championship courses I haven't seen a walker in the four years I've been here. On the executives, my neighbor and I play them a few times in the winter when the green fees are higher on the championship courses and we both walk. I'd say about a 1/3 of the golfers on the execs walk, maybe less on some of the harder ones like Pelican. By walking you pay absolutely nothing on the execs, the normal $4 fee is for using your cart, so that is eliminated.

The main reason we walk on the executives is because if you ride, it's only about 90 minutes to play 9 holes. To me, it feels like I haven't even broken a sweat or done anything. By walking we at least feel a little exhausted. I use a Clickgear 3.0 push cart, it's one of the most popular and sells for about $200. That way I can use the same bag and don't have to swap anything out between 2 bags. My neighbor uses a small carry type bag that you have to lay down. If I was buying a bag for walking, I would get a stand bag, which has pop-out legs. They stay upright when you sit the bag down next to your ball and is tilted at a good angle to pull your club out, they are also on the lighter side and sell for $50 to $100 on average.

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I also have been carrying for 50 years. Being a carrier [don't you hate that name] brings opportunities and experiences other golfers do not have. I will list some and they are not in the order of importance [and other carriers can add more]:
1] it's just about my only exercise for now and I try to play 3 times a day [it's 1.5 miles per round, more or less]
2] carriers can take short cuts that pull carts can't
3] carriers who drive cars [like me] can go to all of the execs in a short time
4] the pace of the game is conducive to a smoother swing
5] since you hardly ever sit, you don't tighten up
6] after golf in the cold you jump in a warm car, opposite in the summer with the ac on,
7] if you need to back in a hurry you can jump in the ambassadors cart [nice people]
8] when I stop carrying and walking [like when i took the winters off up north], I had back problems---it keeps me loose
9] it's cheaper--i don't own a cart and i can rent one for $5 a nine on the championship courses or jump in a friends cart

carrying tips
1] I carry a putter, wedge, 9,8,6 and 19 degree hybrid and a sun proof umbrella for the shade

I have played with walkers on occasion and on the championship courses walkers never have a sand bottle with them. I guess they don't take divots.

John

A big advantage for me is that I always have the right club for the lie and shot around the green. It's frustrating when I ride to get to my ball and find the lie is not conducive to the shot I planned. The alternative is to take multiple clubs, but that increases my chances of forgetting a club when I leave. (Don't ask me where my car keys are!)

As stated above, I also can take some clubs out of the bag depending on the course I'm playing.

More often then not, I will walk the 9-hole executive courses with a pull-cart. On the 18-hole championship courses I will use the golf cart. There are a lot of folks that walk the 9-hole executive courses - good exercise and you always have all of your clubs with you.

Thanks for all the insight! Though we plan to buy a cart, it'll probably be more for transportation than golf. I'll probably start with a pull cart or maybe a lighter-weight case I can carry and stick to the executive courses (and the driving range) until I can manage my goal of some day becoming a mediocre golfer. THEN I may try a championship course. By that time I'll probably need to use a cart due to the longer and more numerous holes.

Tomwed;

You play 3 times a day? Man, it sounds like The Villages were made with you in mind! Fantastic!

Of course they don't....
 

it's not only the weight...it's where it would go...

I walk and carry a bag. I hate riding in a cart on executive courses. I have a double strap but don't like it so sling one strap over my left shoulder and have nevert experienced discomfort

me neither---
at first i needed the both straps for a long walk from green to tee but i got used to one

Yes I tell outsiders it's like a free buffet down here for me and the execs are like the crab legs.

I walk all the executive courses. I have a small sand bottle, but I don't make a divot, thank goodness. Golfers that make divots really tear up courses.

I walk 1 to 2 executive courses per day with my old speed cart. I usually end up waiting for the riders. Great exercise.

Renting in July and I normally carry, especially for 9 holes. In looking at a map of the Exec's they don't usually end where they start so you have to walk back to 1 to get to your car/cart to get home? Silly question but I was curious.

When playing executive courses, in early morning or late afternoon, we walk and use a pull cart. We always keep up with pace of play, which is an important part of the game.

Enjoy the exercise and beauty of the courses and homes.

If you play Bonita Pass, Tarpon Boil, or Redfish Run, you can park at FishHawk recreation center and be close to all 9th holes. Turtle Mound has parking near the starter shack that is close to their 9th hole. I am not sure, but I think if you play Southern Star or Yankee Clipper you can park at Sterling Heights rec center and be close to your last hole.

If you walk then the last part of your walk to the car is pretty short compared to the rest of the walk. Don't give it much thought.

For the last week I have been carrying a six iron, a putter and a sun mountain sun umbrella that's designed to reflect the sun on the outside. All shots under 150 are a bump and run. My score is about the same as it was with a full set and it's easier and more comfortable.

I'm hoping, after a while, I can enter a one club tourney if they have any down here.

tomwed: There is a guy up in St Paul that played with a 5 iron and putter only. Its been my goal to continue the count down to one iron and a putter

I always walk the executive courses with a Sun Mountain push cart...highly recommended. I've used a pull cart in the past, and I personally much prefer a push cart.

I carried for years, but I'm very tall and it bothers my back a little occasionally to carry, so I've gone to the push cart. I think all of tomweb's advantages of walking can be attained with a push/pull cart except for possibly some short-cuts, but useful short-cuts that I can't use with my push cart are pretty rare.

Sand Bottles
 

When I walk or carry, I use your sand bottle....giggle..

I do carry when I played the championship but I usually only played nine.

Okay, looking for advice...

Does anybody have a good way to carry sand when you push a cart? I really want to fix my divots, and do the best I can without sand...which admittedly isn't much. But I haven't come up with a good way yet.

Input please.

Put it in a big mouth water bottle. Bags always have a place for a water bottle.

I've heard several mentions of sand bottles in this thread. The wife and I were down to TV over Memorial Day weekend closing on our house and I finally let curiosity get the best of me and asked somebody what the heck those oddly topped bottles on golf cars even were. He explained the sand bottle concept to me.

Most of my golfing (which was years ago) was in Michigan and nobody there ever had anything like a sand bottle. If you made a divot, you just grabbed the clump of grass you'd ripped up, put it back in place and tamp it down with your iron. I guess I'm still not 100% clear on the concept of the sand bottle. You make a divot and then fill it with sand? Is this special sand? Do you replace the grass you tore up?

Well, I'm sure the first time I play and make a divot, it'll be explained quite thoroughly to me! And I'm looking forward even to that! I've still got a couple of years of work ahead of me before I retire, but I'm counting down the days before I can become a frog!

I'm no expert. (I'm sure those who are will correct me...heheh.) But in Florida, most of the soil is rather sandy. And Florida divots are rarely a solid piece of turf that can just be placed back in the soil. Even if they are, it would rarely take hold in the sandy soil.

So the common practice is to just put sand in the divot to bring it back up to the original ground level and let nature take its course. The divot then repairs itself fairly quickly.

(By the way, I did get myself a regular plastic water bottle, filled it with sand and put it my bag today as I walked the course. Worked just fine. I feel better now. :) )

I quoted this part of your post because it is important. Just fill the divot and smooth it to ground level. I see many who leave a pile of sand much higher than the grass. The Bermuda will grow over the pile leaving a bump instead of a level surface. The goal is to replace the soil removed with sand.

I have a Clicgear push cart. They make a bottle that hangs on the side.

My speed cart came w/a sand bottle.

Downside
 

No sand bottle is the biggest downside to walking. The second is a bad back. A pull cart can help solve both of these problems as you can find a place for the sand bottle in some of the larger bags. Occasionaly I see someone ("young" and strong) walking on a championship course but not often.

Walkers often travel a shorter distance than those in carts. They don't have to stay on cart paths and can walk across greens and tees instead of having to drive around them. You also don't have to go to your fellow competitor's ball before or after yours. With a cart you drive up the path, get off, walk across the gold course to your ball then back to your ball. You often then drive to your fellow competitors ball and repeat the process. When walking, you walk directly to your ball. There is no excuse for a walker not being able to keep up with carts.

I carried for a long time, but just before I quit playing I was considering getting on of the new three wheel push carts. I would never consider a two wheeled pull cart these days.

Walking is a so much more enjoyable way to play golf. I'm surprised that more people don't take advantage of it. The USGA has been making a big push to get people to walk again.

Carts have their role, but you miss so much when riding. If I could play again and if I could walk again, that's how I'd play.

Most push cart companies sell an accessory that holds a sand bottle. I know Sun Mountain did when I sold them.

What do you suppose golfers did for the first 300 years or so that golf was played before the invention of the riding cart?

Golf carts vs. pull carts vs. carrying bag
 

I do not mean to belittle riders in any way. I ride when necessary and know the need will increase as the years pass. It definitely has its place to open up golf for us as we age.

But I do feel walking is the most enjoyable and efficient way to play the game. I even want to walk on the championship courses, but I will admit there are a couple of places where walking from the green to the next tee is extremely long. I can't cite which nines specifically, but when I played in a scramble at Palmer last month, the last green on one nine was a LONG way from the clubhouse (and the first tee for the next nine). Riders have to get back on the rec trail and ride for quite a ways to get back to continue on the next nine. It might not be a show-stopper for a walker, but even at a brisk pace, there may be a little delay while you catch up.

I haven't played a lot of the championship courses yet, but I hope that is one of the most extreme examples and similar scenarios are not too common.

Have you ever had a caddie? I haven't. But from time to time I have my bag on the back of someone's cart and I walk carrying 1 or 2 clubs. If it's a long walk from green to tee I'll jump in the cart.

If you have never done this,,try it sometime.

Advice. Walk and enjoy while you still can.

Odd...they don't allow sheds in TVs....
 

so her home isn't here...as to the cart...the sales force at any of the villages cart dealers don't get a commission and the pricing is fair so I'd start there...gas:goes a lot further, don't replace batteries, reliable/electric:quiet...

The sprinklers will level that bump out quickly. The guy I marvel at is the one who sprinkles a tiny dab of sand in his giant divot like he is rationing water in the desert, and leaving a very bad place to land a ball in the future, yet admonishes me for not fixing my divot... when I didn't take a divot.

My wife is a sport model....walk only....while we can....we do take the cart to the course though