Page 4 - GG_17-4

Opening Shot

The Walking Dead

Is recreational walking a round of golf on its
last leg? Is it time to put the walking golfer to
rest? Is walking in golf dead? I recall when I
began my golfing career at terrific municipals
like Longview, Mount Pleasant, or Clifton
Park that I walked most of the time. I would
also caddie for members walking every
weekend at Eagle’s Nest, now Towson Golf
and Country Club. Trust me, they tipped a
helluva lot better than Judge Smails. I would
take in 50 to 60 clams including tip on any
given Sunday lugging two big boys in the hot
sun. That purse bought me plenty of Natty
Boh’s for the coming week.
Many golfers today still prefer to walk rather
than ride, especially in less hilly regions like
Florida. The pull cart still has legs when it
comes to walking 18 holes in many parts of
the country. Then again in the sunshine state
you most likely own a golf cart to get around
the neighborhood. These modified wagons on
wheels have basically replaced cars and even
have their own parking spaces at many of the
retirement or active adult living communities.
If this golf cartʼs a-rocking, don’t…!
Golf carts have been around since the 1930s
and mostly served players with disabilities.
It wasn’t until the 50s when companies like
E-Z-Go and Cushman began mass producing
them. While now a fixture at most courses
here, no buggies (as they call them) are allowed on some of the great courses in
Ireland and Scotland. Many golf courses in the United States require that you rent a
cart on weekends in support of the belief that they increase speed of play, obviously
an issue of great concern for the sport.
Golf continues to push the envelope while looking at all possibilities to improve
golfersʼ enjoyment of their recreation including radically new concepts to a
completely conventional sport–the golf Segway, Scooter, and Board. All of these
now provide golfers additional means of transportation on the course as opposed
to walking the links. Somewhere down the road, I envision Marty McFly on a hover
board hitting a uranium composite driver!
So, if you are one of those walking golf zombies at your local tract, we hope you
don’t find Andrew Lincoln or Daryl Dixon there hunting you down!

2 GOLFGUIDEINC.COM