[Joe Sponcia]

For the 15th time this year...literally, walkers with push carts were instructed to go 90 degrees from the path (not kidding) at my club.  If it's moderately wet we are often told to stay on paths completely.

When you consider how weight is distributed over a larger area (on three wheelers) than the human body, intuitively, it would seem push carts would cause less damage per square foot than carrying...but I have no data to back what seems like common sense?

Anyone else have this happen?  Our fairways are Bermuda.  Thoughts?

[Bill_McBride]

We have quite a bit of push cart usage at our club.  We have been asked to keep them away from the fringes but never any 90 degree rule discussion.  Anyone who suggests that slept through physics!

[Mike Bowen]

At Bandon we were told we could push them across greens.  It's funny how two different courses could have such varying policies.  I personally think you would cause more wear carrying your bag than if you pushed it.

[Carl Johnson]

For the 15th time this year...literally, walkers with push carts were instructed to go 90 degrees from the path (not kidding) at my club.  If it's moderately wet we are often told to stay on paths completely.

When you consider how weight is distributed over a larger area (on three wheelers) than the human body, intuitively, it would seem push carts would cause less damage per square foot than carrying...but I have no data to back what seems like common sense?

Anyone else have this happen?  Our fairways are Bermuda.  Thoughts?

Here are my thoughts.  Absurd.  Next, golf on the course will be prohibited entirely, regardless of the conditions! A perfect course with no blemishes.

From a physics standpoint, the more weight concentrated on a smaller area, the greater the force.  So, walking carrying concentrates more force than walking and pushing per point of contact, but the weight of the cart, whatever it is, adds to the pressure at a different point.  Now, I guess if we have any high school physics students on the site, they could make some assuptions about weights and the area of the contact points on the ground.  One point carrying times x weight total vs. two points carrying and pushing X + Y.  Then factor in the durability of the turf, the conditions of the day and so on.  And have the answer. WTF.  Find a new club.

[Mike_Young]

Here is some trivia from a few years back....

the ball of the human foot had more PSI than a walking greensmower and the walking greenmower bore more PSI than the three low pressure tires of a triplex greensmower.  However the human foot did not create the wear patterns on greens of the mowers...

[Mark Pritchett]

People often confuse impact with damage. 

[jeffwarne]

I see a tremendous amount of damage around greens and bunkers at Links courses in the UK and Ireland.
Which is a major reason why Bandon has you cross the greens rather than concentrate a ring around them.

[A.G._Crockett]

For the 15th time this year...literally, walkers with push carts were instructed to go 90 degrees from the path (not kidding) at my club.  If it's moderately wet we are often told to stay on paths completely.

When you consider how weight is distributed over a larger area (on three wheelers) than the human body, intuitively, it would seem push carts would cause less damage per square foot than carrying...but I have no data to back what seems like common sense?

Anyone else have this happen?  Our fairways are Bermuda.  Thoughts?

I've never heard of it, and it is a laughable idea.  The thought that you could damage bermuda in August with a push cart is absurd beyond belief. 

The only two explanations I can come up with are that the club is trying to discourage walking by a backdoor, or that the person who is deciding this is a complete asshat.

[mike_beene]

I checked the calendar to see if it was April fools.

[Greg Gilson]

Coming from Melbourne where many courses ask you to push/pull across greens , this is top shelf funny. What is the name of the club and who came up with the idea of 90 degrees??

[Ken Moum]

I'd almost guarantee that this silliness was caused by cartballers bitching about having to stay on the paths while evil walkers dragged their clubs everywhere.

It happened ten years ago at my club when some old farts got told they couldn't drive within five yards of the greens. Next thing you know, we had the same 20-yard rule for push carts as for riding carts.

K

[Joe Sponcia]

To be crystal clear it did rain last night and we did have a few (read: under 5) puddles on the course, but I was still dumbfounded.  I appreciate the responses.  I was hoping for actual data from googlenet, but the responses have already strengthened my own confidence in how asinine this is.

[mike_beene]

If it rained enough that you had to play from boats then maybe it would make sense. Next thing you know you will have to weigh less than 150 pounds to play on wet days.

[Adrian_Stiff]

The idea is to spread wear not concentrate it. So walking and carrying tends to be better.

Typical UK policy in the winter is to ban push carts when it gets very wet.

If you go back 10-15 years most clubs had total winter bans, now most clubs allow the newer carts as long as it is not really bad, they still concentrate traffic into the same areas by having to go around the greens so that is a problem for some courses. On November 1st each year carry only was commonplace.

Electric/Powered trollies tend to get banned at an earlier stage. We don't allow Hedgehog wheels though some clubs encourage it.

Winter golf in the UK is quite a learning curve as we have very minimal grass growth for 5 months, frozen ground is another 

[Jon Wiggett]

Adrian,

what is your opinion of the hedgehog wheels? I have not really seen very many up here indeed there are still quite a few thin wheeled trolleys that probably date from the 1950s 

Jon

[Adrian_Stiff]

Adrian,

what is your opinion of the hedgehog wheels? I have not really seen very many up here indeed there are still quite a few thin wheeled trolleys that probably date from the 1950s 

Jon

It looks like someone played in football boots, so my opinion is not in favour of them, it shows up badly where the turf is thin/concentrated areas. In longer grass or on fairways it is not a problem. Wider wheels are better. The problem is not so much the trolley it is the fact that it sends many to the same route.

The taking of trolleys across the greens at Bandon makes sense but illogically I don't like it, my only reason is 'just because'

[Mark Johnson]

We require push carts to be at least 6 feet away from the green.

We had an issue with people leaving them on the fringe or just off the green which killed some grass in certain spots.   The 6 feet rules spreads them out a bit.

We allow them everywhere else, including several waste areas on our course.

[ChipRoyce]

That's just ludicrous. If the course is that wet / vulnerable that Push carts could damage the fairways, they should be closed to all manner of play, even walkers until things dry out.

[John Kavanaugh]

The urban golf dictionary defines 90 deg rule as: "Just show the course a bit more respect than normal."  Anyone who has been around golfers know that you are lucky to get two 45's at best. No one is out there with a protractor. Get over it.

[ChipRoyce]

The urban golf dictionary defines 90 deg rule as: "Just show the course a bit more respect than normal."  Anyone who has been around golfers know that you are lucky to get two 45's at best. No one is out there with a protractor. Get over it.

I don't think anyone here would argue with bit more respect. Nor are we being so literal that the push carts have to truly follow 90* in and out. Its just silly for someone to take the time to even consider, much less communicate a 90* rule for push carts. That means walkers also have to tread lightly. Might as well be wearing the duck boot golf shoes

[Jay Mickle]

I, at 175lbs plus bag, was once told not to walk across a green with my bag by a 250+ lb pro. Common sense is not all that common.

[Jason Thurman]

The damage to turf that push carts deliver may be negligible, but it's very hard for a course to recover from the damage incurred to the course's reputation when the public sees that they're allowed on the grounds.

[Joe Sponcia]

...stop Thurman, that's for that other thread y'all won't let die.

[Jason Thurman]

To my credit, I've only been a spectator on that thread of late. I was addicted back around December, and relapsed briefly a few weeks ago, but I've been clean for a while and I've never felt better.

Here's my only attempt at a logical explanation for restricting push cart usage: If carts are at 90*, or restricted to paths only, then perhaps there's reason to fear that if push carts are allowed on the turf their wheel tracks will be visible and will lead to cart drivers following the lead after assuming that other carts are off the paths. It's a stretch, but my club doesn't allow push carts at all and we still can't keep carts on the paths no matter how many signs we put up. If there were wheel tracks going straight through the moisture down the fairways, I have a feeling the carts would follow.

But let's be honest - they're just trying to collect more cart fees at a time when it would otherwise be more convenient to walk and push. #MythBusted.

[Joe Sponcia]

I'm not sure honestly with regard to tracks being the reason?  When we are 90 degrees with a push cart, traditional carts are PATH ONLY.  I've got a Moonlite/Sunday bag that I walk with, but I would rather push.  I saw quite a few walk and suspect that the 'stimulus' from having to carry vs. play cart path only is 50/50. 

[Tags:]

Tags:

[Tags:]

Tags:

Call to undefined function theme_linktree()