[Patrick_Mucci]

Mark Fine,

Cart paths and their removal or relocation should be an integral part of any restoration.

A careful analysis must be made of each hole, the previous hole. following hole and adjacent holes, and an intelligent routing established.

On many occassions, although there may not be a paved cart path, the grass is worn to dirt where carts and golfers have found the path most convenient to them.

Thought must also be given to optional routings that may ameliorate the effect of cart traffic on the turf.  Where the potential for alternate routings exist, the superintendent must manage the flow of traffic accordingly.  Systematic dispersal can be an effective tool to ameliorating and even eliminating their impact.

Great care should also be taken to disquise or hide the cart paths from the golfers view as they play the hole and golf course.  There is a need for creativity in determining how to best route the cart paths and how to best camoflage them.
However, there must be one point of reference/responsibility in dealing with their creation and the moving of dirt to hide them, and drain them.

Where there is a will, and intelligent thought, there is usually a way to accomplish the co-existance of the two.

I have also come across a very creative method for dealing with the problem of cart paths and wet weather, and that is the creation of sand like waste areas that serve as flat bunkers and cart paths.  Obviously this only works where soil and drainage conditions permit, and not to classic, but modern desert and tropical courses.

[Mark_Fine]

Pat,
All sounds good but trust me there are times when there are few if any good solutions especially if a hole is deemed to need a cart path from tee to green.  What is your solution for parallel holes with shared hazards for example?  Also how do you "hide" cart paths on a classic course with relatively flat terrain?  You can't go adding mounds in all over the place.  

The bottomline as I said before is that most classic courses have limited acreage to accomodate the area needed for cart paths.
Mark

[Patrick_Mucci]

Pat,
All sounds good but trust me there are times when there are few if any good solutions especially if a hole is deemed to need a cart path from tee to green.

Each hole has its own characteristics, but tee to green paths can be successfully hidden or minimized.
The cart paths on the four (4) par 3's at Boca Rio are almost entirely invisible.

What is your solution for parallel holes with shared hazards for example?  

As I said, each hole is unique, and on some holes the solution may difficult if not impossible, but in many cases, creative thought can provide the best of solutions

Also how do you "hide" cart paths on a classic course with relatively flat terrain?  You can't go adding mounds in all over the place.

They don't require noticeable mounds.
At Boca Rio, as flat a piece of property as you'll ever see, the cart paths are totally hidden to the golfer as they play the hole.  Obviously, paths next to the tee are visible from the tee, as from some of the greens, but as the golfer looks forward and plays the hole, the paths are completely hidden.  It's not that difficult if you take your time and are creative.  

The bottomline as I said before is that most classic courses have limited acreage to accomodate the area needed for cart paths.

I don't doubt that, but that doesn't mean a reasonable solution can't be found.  You need to visit Boca Rio
Mark

[Mark_Fine]

Pat,
Is Boca Rio a classic golf course?
Mark

[Patrick_Mucci]

Mark Fine,

Define Classic.

[Mark_Fine]

Pat,
"Classic course" definition - Golf courses built before architects knew what a motorized golf cart was  
Mark

[Steve Pozaric]

For Christmas, I received the Larry Lambrecht book on Irish golf courses.  As I was admiring the pictures, something was nagging at me that they were unusual (other than the fantastic pictures of wonderful courses).  It hit me - a lack of cart paths.

Oh wouldn't it be nice.

Steve

[Mark_Fine]

Steve,
Just think about being forced to add cart paths to those designs?  
Mark

[Patrick_Mucci]

Mark Fine,

Broad fairways designed and built prior to motorized transportation gave way to narrower fairways and broader roughs with the advent of irrigation systems, especially, center fairway single line systems.

This transition or transformation can provide the corridors necessary to insert cart paths, although in certain situations, there might not be an ideal or compromise solution.

But, for the most part, some creativity combined with traffic control can provide a reasonable solution.

Finding the ideal route is the biggest problem, hiding them is quite simple, provided the club wants to spend the additional money to shield them from the golfers eye.  While the amount of money required isn't enormous, it's still a line item, and one that can be easily targeted by a membership trying to save money.

Sometimes tees need to be shifted without disturbing their tactical use, in order to accomodate cart path access.

Each golf course, and each hole must be intelligently analyzed, in a vacuum if possible, to avoid predisposition, or resistance to change.

Start with topos and aerials and then go on site.

Good luck.

[Matt_Ward]

Mark:

Simple question to put to the club(s) in question ...

What's more important -- keeping the cart paths (wherever they are ultimately located) or providing for a superior restoration?

Sometimes cutting to the chase and asking the $64,000 quesiton helps expedite the ultimate solution.

If you go for a combo answer from the question I raised above the end result is going to be some sort of compromise and likely one that isn't the best of all worlds IMHO.

If the key players r-e-a-l-l-y understand the magnitude and long term gain of a restoration the answer on cart paths really becomes quite academic.

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