Lack of conditioning and cartpaths?

[Jordan Wall]

I think cartpaths, for the most part, are unanimously hated on this site.  And, for the most part, I agree.

But, I was just thinking and though that if a course had good conditioning then there would be no need for cartpaths, correct?  You wouldnt need a cartpath, and therefore the look and appeal of the course would be greater.  Is this not true??  For some odd reason it just seems so simple, that if a course had good conditioning and carts can ride on the course without damaging the course itself then there would be no need for cartpaths anywhere.  And, in turn, the course would become more visually appealing.

Am I missing something, or why are there cartpath's?

[Bob_Huntley]

Jordan,

On the whole, Mike Strantz achieved this on the Shore Course at MPCC.

Of course, the two and half millon dollars spent on sand capping had something to do with it.

Bob

[Kyle Harris]

Jordan,

Your premise is false.

Carts cause damage no matter how well-conditioned the golf course is.

The nicer conditioned courses just put more time into repairing cart damage and typically have a more "cart-friendly" membership.  

[Scott_Burroughs]

You can have the best-conditioned course around, but you can't account for the weather.  A couple of inches of rain creates soggy conditions, especially on courses that don't have the benefit of sandy soil.

Also, not all courses have great conditioning.

This doesn't account for owners' desire for cartpaths, whatever they may be., regardless of the weather/conditions.

[Jim Thompson]

Jordan,

The reason for cart paths can be found by looking at any cow pasture.  People behave like cattle.  They exist or seek out a herd and are drawn to lines and paths.  If you ever look at a pasture, you'll notice little raods run through out it.  Even in the places where people are best behaved one set of cart tracks going up to a green or between a bunker and a green will get the entire heard pathing up the joint.  It's really to bad tah people aren't more like cats.  You can herd cattle, you can't herd cats.

Cheers!

JT

[Mike_Sweeney]

Jordan,

There are 1500 people on this website and 20 million golfers in the US alone. Go ask the other 19+ million people what they think and then you will know why there are cartpaths. Owners build them to satisfy their customers.

[Jim Thompson]

Mike,

Owner's think they are ugly to, but sadly they beat the alternative in many cases.

JT

[Jordan Wall]

Jordan,

There are 1500 people on this website and 20 million golfers in the US alone. Go ask the other 19+ million people what they think and then you will know why there are cartpaths. Owners build them to satisfy their customers.

I do not deny that there are carts to satisfy customers.

But, why the need for cartpaths??  Why not spend the money maintaining a course where carts, when used, can ride freely about the course as so that they do not damage the course?

[Mike_Sweeney]

See Kyle's remarks

Carts cause damage no matter how well-conditioned the golf course is.

The nicer conditioned courses just put more time into repairing cart damage and typically have a more "cart-friendly" membership.  

Jordan,

You can always go to college at St Andrews!!

[SL_Solow]

Certain areas of courses have an inordinate amount of cart traffic such as areas next to tees.  The significant increase in compaction in many of these areas make growing grass problematic at best.  Areas such as these are prime candidates for cart paths.  The danger is that these areas have a way of expanding as they may make life a little too easy for the greenkeeper.  Taken to the extreme, continuous paths make certain that the course is never closed to cart traffic.  Thus constant vigilance is necessary lest the club slide down the slippery slope to continuous and inevitably hideous cart paths.

[Matt MacIver]

Rain begets mud.  

Mud begets more mud.  

Cart paths of some sort (asphalt/concrete, crushed shells, firm sand, wood chips, etc.) are the only way to keep things managable.  

[Andy Doyle]

Around Orlando, where I grew up, many courses have cart paths around the tees and greens, but let carts roam the course in between.  There are usually areas where you can see some damage or compaction, but it seems to work pretty well.  It certainly looks a lot better.  It's probably doable because of the sandy soil.

Andy

[Ryan Farrow]

The impression a cart makes on fairways and rough is as much as an eyesore as the cart path itself. The club I worked at suffered from this. They had cart paths around tees and greens then the carts scattered in the rough and fairway, it just looked awful some days. What it comes down to is the architect actually spending some time to make them less noticeable.

[Jordan Wall]

The point is cartpaths stink so why isnt there something done about them??

Hiding them doesn't seem to work.

[Bob_Huntley]

The point is cartpaths stink so why isnt there something done about them??

Hiding them doesn't seem to work.

Jordan,

Some aristocrat said the same thing about the poor some centuries ago, nothing changes.

Bob

[Tom Roewer]

What you are missing is the fact that most courses(especially in Florida) require the use of a golf car in order to increase income.  In order to play under such a prerequisite you really need paths after rains or there would be no play and therefore no income.  This is why you can find so many continuous cart paths regardless of the course's conditioning.

[A_Clay_Man]

Any modern day industry minded realist will tell you they are in the golf cart rental business, not the golfing business.

Jordan, There is a simple soulution, and it is being done.
Walking only. What a concept? I know I know it implies all those rugged mountainous sites won't be big draws for the rider, anymore.

If it hasn't sunken in yet, the paths are a necc evil because of the fairweather golfer (compaction created when it's crowded). Yet, the paths are ultimately there so on rainy days the super doesn't have to close the course, and be the bad guy. To me, it makes no sense except for that revenue stream in perpetuity.

Do you know how many passes of a golf cart, over a blade of grass, will kill it?

[Doug Siebert]

If carts had big balloon tires, antilock brakes and traction control so you couldn't lock or spin the tires, there would be no need for cart paths, except perhaps for very steep hills in very wet areas (i.e., where the traction control would prevent the tires from turning at all)

The solution isn't to spend $2.5 million sand capping the course (though that has other benefits) or $500K on a 5 mile concrete ribbon.  Someone just needs to steal my idea for better golf carts.  The tires would introduce little or no extra cost, and traction control and ABS are extremely cheap to implement today in an electric vehicle with no transmission or differential.