# of cart rounds on your walking-only golf course?

[Michael Wolf]

I'm looking for comparison data for the thread title: Anybody know the confirmed # of annual cart (buggy) rounds at your local "walking-only" golf clubs?


My home club strongly emphasizes walking only. There are no cart paths, and a player may take a caddy, carry their bag or use a club provided pull cart (trolley). Standard exceptions to use a cart are given for age and medical need.


We've averaged about 800 cart rounds out of our 12k annual rounds played. I'm curious if this 6.6% rate is hi/low. Our club is typical private club age distribution. Course is a very easy walk, but we are in the deep South with brutal summers.


Would also be interested in benchmarking the lowest % of carts on a top private course doing 10k+ rounds. I don't recall ever seeing a single cart on Merion east or Chicago for instance.


Thanks,
Michael

[jeffwarne]

Thats pretty remarkable in the south.
PreCovid our numbers were similar to yours.
Now we allow personal pull carts.carrying own bag.etc.
Cart usage is down.
Caddie usage slightly down-from 100% to 90%.
$$s per loop-way up.$$s per caddie-way up.
The only time caddies are REQUIRED is with a cart available only for medical or age 65.If youve been here you know why.

Caddie usage has remained the norm,but caddies do better financially due to those taking caddies,being those who WANT caddies.
We have a slightly(via attrition) leaner and far more talented/enthusiatic caddie crew due to better $ per loop.Far easier to manage.
Mandatory caddies IMHO can breed complacency and create a situation where you have to have more caddies on hand than economics can provide.
Translation, if mandatory,you need a few caddies around who may not work,who tend to not be the cream of the crop.
Inevitably they are the ones the begrudged caddytakers get, which creates a negative feedback loop.


However allowing carts as a substitute for caddies is the death knell of a program IMHO.
i personally have nothing against ANY mode of navigating a course, and I completely understand the model of user fees(cart fees, trail fees) I happen to prefer the dues based revenue model but everyone has a different opinion and that's Ok if it remains what you signed up for, or you are ok with a change in that model.

[Tom_Doak]

Good question and I’m curious to hear the answers.


Of my own courses, the only one I know for certain is that Stonewall does pretty much zero cart rounds on the Old course. Mr. May and the founders felt so strongly about it that they built a second course to accommodate carts, rather than bend their rule.  When Bill Clinton was President and wanted to come up and play with Governor atom Ridge, the club shot it down because Clinton and the Secret Service wanted carts.

[Tommy Williamsen]

When I joined Four Streams (1999) it was a walking only course. Caddies were mandatory before 1pm every day. Even in the afternoons most guys took a caddie. Memberships lagged and after a few years mandatory walking rules were relaxed. I haven't been there since I retired in 2014 but I think carts are ok anytime of the day.


It is hard to maintain a walking only mandate, on some of the newer courses.

[Jeff Schley]

The first time I played Chicago GC our host took a cart for a bad knee. I'm sure it is only for medical reasons.

[Peter Flory]

Good question and I’m curious to hear the answers.


Of my own courses, the only one I know for certain is that Stonewall does pretty much zero cart rounds on the Old course. Mr. May and the founders felt so strongly about it that they built a second course to accommodate carts, rather than bend their rule.  When Bill Clinton was President and wanted to come up and play with Governor atom Ridge, the club shot it down because Clinton and the Secret Service wanted carts.

Fitting the nuclear football and a rain suit in the bag is probably difficult. 

[Jon Sweet]

From my understanding, a cart on the east at Merion is only allowed with a DRs note. The two times I’ve played I’ve never even seen one on the property other than driving to the range.
The West course there you can take them wherever.
The course I caddie at in VA used to have very few cart paths and was I’d day 60 to 70% walkers. They eased caddie requirements to optional and riders shot up.

[David_Elvins]

75,000 rounds a year.  Last I heard it was 4000ish in carts from people with medical certificates.

[Tim Martin]

I can’t imagine having the walking restriction in the South during the Summer months. Doesn’t Streamsong allow carts in the Summer?

[Jonathan Cummings]

It may surprise some but carts for members are almost becoming the norm at ANGC.  When I played last year there were bunches of carts on the course, particularly on the back nine.

[Jon Sweet]

It may surprise some but carts for members are almost becoming the norm at ANGC.  When I played last year there were bunches of carts on the course, particularly on the back nine.

When I caddied there I can only think of one person taking a cart. He didn’t even play, just rode along with the group he was hosting. I caddied pretty much every day for two months straight 27 or so a day. This was 06 or so.

[Tom_Doak]

I can’t imagine having the walking restriction in the South during the Summer months. Doesn’t Streamsong allow carts in the Summer?

Yes, they do.  The walking-only in the winter is to keep traffic from wearing down the bermudagrass.  It doesn't quite go dormant, but it isn't growing enough to handle the wear, either.