As I was scrolling through our golf club’s social media feed the other day, a recent post caught my eye. The headline read, “NEW Rides!” Below the headline was a picture of our new golf carts. “Ooooo,” I thought. “It’s shiny.” Upon further examination, I saw that they had tires with brand new tread and upgraded seats which resembled bucket seats. “This is quite exciting!” I exclaimed.
Seeing our new carts got me thinking. How long have carts been around? Well, in case you are curious, they were invented in the United States in the 1930s by J.K. Wadley. His invention was used generally to transport those with disabilities. It wasn’t until the 1950s that golf started utilizing them on a regular basis. As of 2021, 70% of rounds were played with a golf cart (Pennington, 2021). The golf cart has come a long way since those first models. You may have even seen decked out carts with all kinds of amenities like cooled seats, pearl paint jobs, chrome tilt steering, and built-in refrigerators. Even the Lamborghini brand is getting into the golf cart business soon.
Recently, the golf cart has received bad press and has even gotten a bit of a bad rap. With the current uptick in rounds played and new players to the game, many due to the pandemic, walking has become en vogue. Walking the course has been touted as an excellent form of exercise and a way to burn more calories than you ever thought possible. (For those of us who have walked for years, we know that well as we ice our knees after walking a round.)
Even more bad news for carts, for years we have heard riding in a cart wasn’t “real golf.” You may have even heard of accidents involving golf carts, some with serious results. One law journal stated just “because someone knows how to play golf, that does not make that person the best at decisions when operating a golf cart, especially if that person is still thinking about the putt left hanging on the lip of the preceding hole” (Lang, 2013.) As someone who has been anti-cart for years, I know the negative sentiment towards these battery-powered parties on wheels. Aren’t golf carts for older people who live in gated communities and have little horns which honk as neighbors wave from their rockers on the front porch?
Maybe. But hidden underneath that plastic windshield lies so much more as I found out.
My big revelation came when, a few years ago, my Mom broke her hip. As you can imagine this put a damper on her lifelong walking routine on the golf course. That incident, which relegated us to the cart, had a silver lining. Even though we have played together for years, we did not have a lot of conversation on the course due to balls being in different spots and other factors. But, when the cart became necessary, I found a special gift: time with Mom. We have laughed, debated, argued, and discussed more things than I could ever recount here. I have learned from her about everything from golf to life in general. We talk about our jobs, our family, and how crazy golf really is. The time in the cart became something much more than just transport during her recovery.
While I have always been a walker, I came to my senses after her injury and figured out that a cart is a really good idea when it is extremely hot outside. Also, when was the last time you saw somebody who was riding around in a golf cart who was not having fun? Even a bad round can be made better by driving around with a cold drink in the cupholder, your foot propped up in front of you, with the breeze in your hair.
Furthermore, isn’t the cart a lifesaver when a bathroom trip is desperately needed and you are as far away from bathroom as you could possibly be? How about when you hear that first rumble of thunder in the distance? Plus, how fantastic was it to watch JoAnne Carner, at age 82, ride around in a cart and play the game she loves at the U.S Senior Women’s Open?
As I watch one of the regular players at my course continue to play with two bad knees which are always wrapped and braced, I think how the cart is one of the reasons he can still be there. His 90-year-old playing partner can putt with the best of them. I love seeing them ride and joke together.
Additionally, I question the idea that carts are the demise of golfing exercise. My mom and I devised a strategy where I walk the hole and she walks in between the holes. How about parking the cart at a reasonable distance and walking to your ball if you want? During slow times, we even park the cart at the end of #3, walk #4, #5, #6, and get back in the cart on #7. (Our course is designed to where we can do this.)
I know the benefits of walking the golf course. The exercise is excellent and there’s nothing better than the dew on your shoes during those early rounds. The science tells us walking benefits our mental state off the course. The golf course looks different when you walk it. It’s a perspective you simply cannot get in a cart.
Please walk the course when you can or want to. But remember and consider the notion the cart can be your friend. It can get you through a round quicker in case you need to save some time. It rescues you from a downpour and it gives you shade when you want it. It offers you a place to put your snack and will hold it for you until you’re ready to eat it.
For me, it was the place I found something invaluable. Time with my Mom. And what a wonderful ride it has been.
References
Lang, R. (2013). A good ride spoiled: Legal liability and golf carts. Marquette Sports Law Review, 23(2), 393-413.
Pennington, B. (August 16, 2021). Golf carts are parked, walking is in, and yes, it’s exercise. The New York Times.
