man & nature # 222 ~ the beat goes on
Friday, August 28, 2009 at 10:01AM 
I really dislike golf carts • click to embiggenThe wife and I continued on our winning ways yesterday with another golf event victory. It's almost getting to be boring.
I attribute our success to my relentless pursuit of golfing purity. For example, at yesterday's event in which there was a field of 170 participants, I was the only golfer who walked the course (propelling my golf push-cart in front of me the whole way). Imagine that, walking a golf course. Other than the fact that I consider walking a golf course 3-4 times a week a great form of exercise - a typical course is a 4.5 mile walk, walking allows me to stay "loose" and actually concentrate on the game.
Staying loose and concentrating on the course / game makes a big difference for me. On a typical course, my handicap is an 8, which means that on a par 72 course I would be expected (on a good day) to card an 80. However, even though I've never actually figured it out, when I play golf out of a golf cart, I almost always can plan on adding an additional 6-7 strokes to my score. That's why I only use a golf cart on new upscale "resort" courses, so many of which are not walking friendly.
It's a sad fact of modern golf life that, when I say want to walk the course (or when I pull up to the bag drop and take my push cart out of the car), they look at me like I have lobsters coming out of my ears.
Reader Comments (3)
I miss playing. My wife and I loved to play a round now and then but her hip is a problem and I had to have my left knee replaced and now my right will soon be done. But someday I vow to return.
Neither my golf bag nor my pockets have the room for a 6-pack of beer which is a requirement when I play (to stay loose and somewhat concentrated). That's why I take a cart.
I think I've only ever used a golf cart in the US. Always used to walk and carry the bag when I played, before I moved here. Golf carts were just for the infirm