The Dreaded Cart

[Pete Garvey]

Every year I scratch my head about the amount of cart traffic wear here at IH.  Our ongoing efforts to educate the golfers on where to drive the carts continues to fall on deaf ears.  Hate the sight of ropes and posts.  Question to all:  What is the best cart traffic control program you have ever seen and where?

Obviously, a mandatory caddie program would eliminate this problem but that is not an option.  

[Adam Clayman]

Do not reward bad behavior by ignoring the offences.

Set policy with known damages when violated.

The same way you deal with animals and kids.

Remove other options.

[Jim_Kennedy]

Pete,
They have a great program at Wintonbury Hills in Bloomfield, Ct, it works through the GPS system. Carts straying from the paths are turned off, a message comes over the screen telling the driver to get back to the path, the driver must respond and then the cart will turn on again.

I assume that it could be programmed for sensitive areas, even if you don't have paths.

[RDecker]

When lots of signs and ropes aren't an option and cart paths don't exist the choices are few but I think Taconic in Williamstown,MA has a very good system for use on a classic/older course.  They have a green and white stake that is very discreetly placed near the greensite of each hole.  The golfers are instructed to exit the hole by locating the stake and following the natural progression thereafter(sometimes a small type of path is there other times a small cart arrow may be used.  The system is pretty effective and utilizes the minimum amount of paraphenalia.  Taconic is as busy as any course I know in the New England region and they have found this system to work.

[John_Cullum]

...  Question to all:  What is the best cart traffic control program you have ever seen and where?

Ropes and posts.

[Bob_Huntley]

For chronic violators I would be lenient, bread and water for thirty days and thirty lashes with a rhinoceros hide whip.

It generally does the trick.

Bob

[Chris Cupit]

Pete,

I am just finishing a complete renovation of my golf course.  We have many native areas of fescue, lovegrasses, sedges, etc. that we have roped off to try and keep carts away.

Nothing works.  Every month we send letters.  We have fined people.  Last month I purchased 600 "For the Love of the Game" pamphlets from the USGA and sent one to every golf member as well as my monthly rant on carts and other issues.

The next day I watched as one member literally ran over a "No Carts" sign while tearing across a freshly sodded area.  Their cart temporarily bogged down and they were mad that they got stuck!

Fines and letters sent from their fellow members through the green committee seem to help a little.  You can't embarrass anyone, and most just don't seem to care what damage they may cause.

I will say that I was half hoping the cart would have completely gotten stuck--I would have driven off like I didn't see them and made them walk the 4 holes back!  Alas, they escaped.

[Bill_McBride]

Chris, is this a private club?  If so, the only answer is enforcement by the board of directors.  Peer to peer warning / punishment / expulsion of chronic offenders is the only answer, as members will always ignore the staff until Bob Huntley's whip comes down from the board.  It will only take a couple of expulsions to get the rest of the idiots to realize the rules are serious and must be respected.

Unfortunately, like Sarge Cullum I'm afraid posts and ropes are the only answer if you really don't want traffic in certain areas.

[Chris Cupit]

Bill,

The course is private but it is my mother, sister and I that own and operate it--not a traditional member owned club.  That may be part of my problem as some members may see themselves more as customers than members.  I certainly hope that isn't the case as we do everyhting possible to instill pride in "ownership" among the membership even though they do not actually own anything.

We have been operating for 33 years and I admit that sometimes one just gets tired enforcing the same old issues!

More ropes and posts!

[Bill_McBride]

If they think like customers instead of owners, you probably have a raft of unfixed ball marks and unreplaced divots too, right?  

Have you ever thought about selling shares and making them minority owners?  Then you would have members instead of customers, and be able to get some cash out of the place.

[Chris Cupit]

Bill,

I probally exaggertaed a bit--while there are a few bad apples, overall, I am blessed with a wonderful membership.

My father started the club in 1973 and we just finished a complete renovation of our golf course--I hope to be around at least another 33 years!

Thankfully we have very little debt--the club is non-equity
so the compete renovation was done without one penny of an assessment to the members and there is no need to raise additional capital at the cost of having "co-owners".

[Bill_McBride]

It sounds great, Chris, and probably the dream of many GCAers.  Where is your club and what's it called?

[Chris Cupit]

Rivermont Golf Club in Alpharetta, GA.  Old Joe Lee now a new Mike Riley.  If you're in the area, come by for a tour.  We re-open for play December 1.

[Bill_McBride]

Sounds like fun, Chris.  Congratulations on reopening.  My club, Pensacola CC here in NW Florida, opens this Thursday after a year of construction.  Yippee!

[Tim Bert]

Pete,
They have a great program at Wintonbury Hills in Bloomfield, Ct, it works through the GPS system. Carts straying from the paths are turned off, a message comes over the screen telling the driver to get back to the path, the driver must respond and then the cart will turn on again.

I assume that it could be programmed for sensitive areas, even if you don't have paths.

This "great" program is countered by the not-so-great program of refusing to offer a discounted fee (if only slightly) for walkers (and hiding behind the guise of "it's not an easy walking course - we highly recommend a cart.")

That's my only complaint about the course.  If the policy hasn't changed in the year since I left CT, then I think it is still a valid complaint.

[tonyt]

Any course that charges the same fee for walking or riding doesn't need to worry about preventing damage, because they deserve every bit of damage they suffer.

The same fee? What a cancerous notion.

[Jim Thompson]

Any course that charges the same fee for walking or riding doesn't need to worry about preventing damage, because they deserve every bit of damage they suffer.

The same fee? What a cancerous notion.

Wow Tony!  I never considerd myself to be cancerous.  In fact, I think most find us refreshing.  The reason we charge the same for walking as riding is that the cart is complimentary and may be taken at anytime from the player and since they did not pay for it, they have no rights to it.

JT

[tonyt]

Wow Tony!  I never considerd myself to be cancerous.  In fact, I think most find us refreshing.  The reason we charge the same for walking as riding is that the cart is complimentary and may be taken at anytime from the player and since they did not pay for it, they have no rights to it.

JT

Jim,

Thanks for the reply. Apologies that I have targeted the narrower field of lumping carts on players for revenue purposes.

[JohnV]

Wow Tony!  I never considerd myself to be cancerous.  In fact, I think most find us refreshing.  The reason we charge the same for walking as riding is that the cart is complimentary and may be taken at anytime from the player and since they did not pay for it, they have no rights to it.

JT

That's a great way to put it.  Do you specify that up front?

[Tim Copeland]

You havent lived until you have seen a six-some.......in 6 separate carts.  

I saw it twice today.

Money truly will buy anything

[Jim Thompson]

John,

When people call to ask for our rates we tell them the following:

"$44 Monday through Thursday, $49 Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Holidays, Nine holes anyday is $25.  All greens fees include your complimentary cart."

The starter or counter staffer and most imes both give players the scoop on cart usage, obeying signs, usings cart paths where they appear etc...  On course anyone on the payroll is ENCOURAGED to get off whatever piece of equipment they are on and MOVE any cart that is in a poor location TO a path AWAY from a tee or outside a rope or approach sign all without saying a word.  Its kind of the Sicilian approach to cart traffic management.  The second offense just gets you the Luca Brasi treatment,  I just move the cart out of the way and take the key. I think the word is out that we don't tolerate fooling around with carts, and that's a good thing.

Cheers!

JT

[JohnV]

Jim,

That is probably the best way to deal with carts that I've heard of.  I'll keep that in mind as I talk to clubs who fight these kind of issues.

[Peter Galea]

I'm just happy when they don't break the flagstick, as they drive across the green.