Kirk
Being one of the loudest critics of carts and their more destructive vile offspring the cart paths, I must congratulate David for two excellent articles.
The Game of Golf is not all about changing it because some don’t like certain bit. Nor of destroying its very reason for being because some want to build courses on ‘Land not fit for Purpose’ or in regions certainly not naturally suitable for the game. Nevertheless, the Human Spirit strives to conquer all adversities, well that was true to just recently.
What did we do to attract people to play golf in the latter part of the 20th century? Did we promote the health benefits, the walking of 6,000 yards, of being out in the open de-stressing as we walk, (different pressures have been proven to de-stress the human mind and body). Not to mention the clean air and rays that our bodies also need. No, but to use the term that Kirk seems to like, some ‘asshole’ decides that carts are the way forward, it destroyed at a stroke all benefits of playing golf in the traditional manner. The game changed overnight, no longer worried about fatigue setting in after the first 9 or so holes, young health golfers take to the EASY Way, and not just using the cart for golf but for racing, carry beverages and being a general nuisance on a course.
The pro carts lobby shouts from their Ivory Towers that it’s allowed golf to be played in areas not suitable for golf. Yet in their defence, they do not know the history of the game and forget that their forefathers (well mainly those associated with the British Empire) and with a trace of being Scottish, took golf to the far reaches of the old Empire. Playing Golf in Australia, in the various condition of the Indian sub-continent. Africa and South America, I have posted newspaper reports on GCA.com of golf in various parts of the world dating from the 1800’s. My own family helped to introduce the game to Georgia and Alabama in the late 1870s/80’s. The game was played for well over a century in most of these areas before the cart’s arrival. Therefore, the argument about ‘we need carts to play golf in these regions of the world’ falls on stony ground as far as I am concerned. Its seems that we are today much softer than our forefathers, unable to exert ourselves as they did, perhaps it is just down to seeking the easy option and developers could see that, or could see the opportunity for an easy profit at the expense of golf.
I have played golf in the heart of Africa, Brazil, India and many more places besides, all walking, all carrying my bag. Was it hot, boy, was it hot and exhausting at time. The courses had approx. one or two grass strand found in a square yard of red soil, crushed termite mounds some 2 – 3 yards high as Tees with mats on top, Greens of compacted soil in the colour of the area we played in, some nearly blood red, some terracotta and some just light sandy colour. On these courses you did not want to pitch your ball on one of the isolated tufts (by tufts I mean two or three strands) as it could veer of in any direction. On many occasions, I dreamed of TOC, of watching my ball run true and straight over the contours for the pin, yet knowing that at any moment it may find a tuft and be diverted, Heaven knows where. No Carts, no need of carts, a course scarred by nearly everything Nature could throw at it, yet not scarred or destroyed by cart paths. When sitting back at the clubhouse with a cold beer, reminiscing on our little adventure, we would all have had it no other way, we enjoyed our Game of Golf as its was meant to be (that’s not to say we were not looking forward to a game on TOC, far from it).
Man against himself and the land.
With my long family association with golf, playing golf myself, tried the carts on a few occasions, but realising it is just not golf. The thought of playing with half riding(able bodied) and half-walking group is just a simple no for me. The cart rider is fresher than the walker, as he has put nothing into his game, he has opted for the easy option, yet experience very little compared to a walker. To finish a game after riding 18 holes in a carts presents this golfer with no satisfaction, no feeling of de-stressing, no relaxed and contented feeling in the bars afterwards, I feel cheated of emotion of participation, I feel like someone on the sidelines looking in. That was my experience of using a cart in the 1980’s. I just do not understand how modern golfers can say they are playing golf, which was not my experience from using carts. Yes, I was hitting a golf ball from time to time and then putting, but I found it hard to justify it as a game of golf.
Today with my lower back problems plus one or two other ailments, that affects my fitness regime. I can’t go walk more that 100-200 yards without , a rest or support for my back, when shopping I have to use the shopping trolley to ease my pain, yet I love the outdoors, I spend as much time as possible, however I cannot play, worst still I can not walk the courses. When in St Andrews, I cannot wander over TOC as I once did. The best is a game of putting but manly on a flat surface. I feel I would make me a prime candidate for riding a cart, yet as many of you know, I am against carts (except for medical reasons for those who want to use them). I will not use a cart to play, because its not the type of Golf I want to play, I never enjoyed my few carting rounds in the 1980’s and I will not compromise all those great years and fun of playing golf all over the world, for a game that is just a shadow of the real thing.
It is all about ‘Land fit for Purpose’ and the ‘Human Spirit’ to rise to the challenge. It is not about the shortcuts, the easy ways, the easy life. That you can have at home, some are more forced to accept that situation than others. So if healthy, ‘Walk with Life’ while you can, because carting is just a very, very poor relation of golf.
Kirk, not liking carts or carting, nor does wanting the No Walking courses banned make me or anyone else an ‘arsehole’ (if I have understood your post correctly). Yet I can’t say it reflect upon those using a cart either, they just miss the real enjoyment of the Walking Game, which in my book is the only way to play Golf. Carts have no place on a golf course unless it is to aid the disabled which I suppose currently includes me, and I don't want the use of one.
Melvyn