Get off your Bums: Golf was Meant for Walking

I just don’t get it, these people who spend big bucks to belong to a gym and hire personal trainers, all to sweat off, take off weight and shape up. They buy into the latest diets and spring for the newest exercise gimmicks promising to do everything but the dishes. Yet these same people often ride in carts when they play golf.

But listen up you golf cart potatoes. You could get your exercise, lose your weight and firm up your bodies if you just walked. At the same time, you could lower your score, play faster and protect the fairways. How many times have you seen skid marks marring lush tender turf?

Most players burn about 2,884 calories walking 36 holes, at the same time, lowering their risk of heart disease, diabetes and cancer. Swedish researchers found that walking 18 holes equated to 40 to 70 percent of the intensity of a maximum aerobic workout while Golf Science International calculated that four hours of playing golf while walking is comparable to a 45-minute fitness class.
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Walking just nine holes on a hilly course is equivalent to a walk of 2.5 miles, compared to 0.5 miles when using a cart.

It’s a no-brainer: walking the course is good for your overall fitness and health but what about your game? There’s good news here as well. Studies show that walking helps you play better by helping you maintain your rhythm and focus.

Walking to your ball instead of chatting with your cart partner about the hot new pro, gives you time to think about how you’re going to play your next shot resulting in lower average scores.

And the old myth that it’s faster to ride is nonsense, especially ludicrous if it’s cart path-only.

How many times have you grabbed a couple clubs and walked to your ball only to find you need a nine iron instead of the six you have in your hand. Rather then jog back to the cart for the right club, you use whatever you have and crap up your shot.

Besides carrying your bag, what are your options?

Forget the two buck rickety rental carts. I love the Micro Cart™ from Sun Mountain, the Cadillac of push carts. A nifty four-wheeled design, it folds 25% smaller into a neat little package and weighs 20% less than most so there’s no more heavy lifting or slamming stuff aside in your trunk to find room. It’s so easy to push and comes with brakes, beverage and umbrella holders and gadget compartment. I also like that it cuddles your bag so you need no straps. ($199). www.sunmountain.com

Another great new design is Bag Boy’s new Sidekick three-wheel walking cart. It looks kind of like a leggy spider, spreading out with wide legs making it a breeze to push. The front wheel folds up easily with a foot mechanism, then another lever collapses the cart for storage.

It’s loaded with helpful features like an umbrella holder, foot brake system, a quick release Velcro® strap for securing bags, scorecard holder with storage compartment, and a beverage holder. ($165) www.bagboycompany.com

The bottom line: golf is a game that was meant to be walked. And until modern course designers came in to build layouts to fit around real estate developments, often requiring huge distances from tee to green, that is how it was done. It would be hard to imagine electric carts zipping over the feathery dunes of Lahinch or Turnberry.

You too could become a golf purist.