Graham Averill turned 50 this year and he’s going crazy. Instead of buying a motorcycle or getting a tattoo, he decided to try to get really, really good at golf. He started this project as a 13 handicap trying to get to scratch in a year. Now it’s an 8.1. Welcome to your mid-life crisis.
I just have to come out and say it. I don’t like golf carts. I understand that these carts have their place. They make the sport much more accessible to a variety of people, which is great, and friends’ golf trips wouldn’t be the same if we had to lug coolers of beer on our backs for 18 holes. But I like to walk when I play golf. I love the exercise and I love the added challenge it presents.
I know it sounds weird, but I feel good about myself after completing a walk regardless of my score. Do I have deep-seated problems with exercise, stress, and work ethic that I should work with a therapist? Probably. Should I seek help? Probably not.
And I’ll be the first to admit that I’m pretty fuming at the end of 18 holes if I walk. I live in the mountains and walking my course home is a Herculean effort that involves covering seven miles and climbing over 1,000 feet in elevation, all while carrying a 20- to 30-pound pack on my back. It’s not easy and when I hit the 16th hole, I’m usually out of the water and counting the number of swings I have to complete before I can hit the bar in the air-conditioned clubhouse.
Many readers suggested that I should stop walking and start taking a cart to help conserve energy and stay cool through 18. My own trainer suggested that I start riding more often than walking so I can get more reps.
These are reasonable suggestions and I pride myself on being open-minded, so over the past couple of months, I’ve been interspersing cart laps with my typical walking laps to see if getting off my feet increases my performance.
What about the results of this experiment?
Riding in a cart definitely reduces fatigue, but it doesn’t help my score. And there is some science to prove it. A recent one to study looked at the impact of golf cart use on elite players, analyzing a variety of metrics on the same golfers comparing rounds they walked with a caddy versus rounds they rode in a cart.
Side note: I love the idea of scientists spending hard earned money to study something as stupid as golf cart use.
What they found was obvious. Walking is physically more demanding in terms of step count and energy expenditure and the player’s core temperature…but the performance metrics they studied (carry distance, club head speed and ball speed) were no different for these golfers whether riding or walking. The study suggested that the use of the golf cart mitigates fatigue and preserves neuromuscular function, but the scientists did not go so far as to say that riding gives the player a performance advantage.
Scientists, am I right?
A separate to study conducted by the Colorado Center for Health and Sports Science in 2022 took score and mental focus into consideration when comparing three different modes of transportation: walking with a push cart, walking with an electric cart and riding in a motorized cart. The study found that golfers scored better on the mental focus test while walking with an electric push cart. Golfers scored a better shot on a nine-hole course while walking, regardless of the type of cart they used.
Obviously, riding in a cart is a great way to help mitigate fatigue that could affect the decision and purity of your swing later in the round. I know the swings I make on the 18th hole are not as good as the swings I make on the eighth hole. Fatigue is a factor. I can’t deny it.
But I think, in general, golfers play their best in situations that they are used to. If you always take a cart, you’re going to play better when you use a cart. If you’re always walking, you’re going to play better when you walk.
I didn’t play exceptionally well during my rounds with a cart. I played some of those rounds solo and some with friends and the results were pretty much the same. I played well. Low 80s, mostly. But I felt like I always struggled with focus and timing while playing from a cart. The whole process seems rushed. Ultimately, I feel like I have a hard time getting into a rhythm if I’m not walking and I’m constantly stretching before shots to stay loose. I hurt my back when I was a teenager and keeping my back free is a battle every time I sit down. It’s a constant struggle when I use a stroller, but it’s not a problem when I walk. Once I’ve worn out during a walking round, I’ll stop short unless I have to wait 10 minutes between shots because the course is crowded.
But I certainly wasn’t as physically tired at the end of 18 holes as I was when I walked. After 18 holes in a cart, I felt like I could play another 18. I can’t say I’ve ever felt that way while walking. So there may be something about increasing my reps as my coach suggests.
As for my golf game this week…
After a whole week away from all golf activities (day job!), I jumped back into it with three rounds and a couple of good practice sessions. I’ve been working on the correct hinge (not too early, not too late) with a couple of drills and it seems to add a little pop to my irons. I was worried that a week off would completely destroy my golf game and I would have some rust to hit, especially on the greens. It’s like I forgot how to putt. I played 18 holes with a friend over the weekend (in a cart) and had seven three putts. Seven. I shot 85 which is not a great score but, holy shit, seven three putts!
Also, I’m pretty excited to be in a place with my golf game where I can have a bad day and shoot 85. There was a point not too long ago where 85 would be worth celebrating.
In the end, my handicap has not changed this week. It dropped to an 8.0 even after a decent round of nine holes, but I played 11 holes three times yesterday and the handicap went up to 8.1.
I’m traveling again this weekend, but I’m taking my clubs with me and getting to play two rounds at a classy course, so I’m excited to report back on how well my game is going next week.
Dig deeper into one golfer’s struggle to improve golf in middle age and read last week’s Scratch By 50 where Graham shares some of the lessons he’s learned so far.
The place Scratch By 50: Does taking a cart help my score? appeared first MyGolfSpy.