I began my golf journey walking every round simply because it was cheaper that way. Money saved walking meant I could play more. 

On those early walks I formed a deep and lasting love for the process of golf. The mental work it takes. The focus required. The peace you can create for yourself before you swing the club for that all-important next shot. Throwing a bag of clubs from Goodwill on my back and strolling along, trying to figure out how to play this difficult and cursed game became my happy place in a way.

I’ve preferred to walk ever since. 

Turns out I’m not alone in this feeling that I’m chasing. Numerous studies over the years (such as this one) show that walking is better than taking a motorized cart in essentially every area except personal comfort, which is subjective, of course. Golfers who walk play with better focus, burn more calories and achieve a host of other benefits that have been studied and shown to happen. 

Most importantly, they tend to score better, which is everything for a sport where golfers spend thousands of dollars on training aids, practice sessions, the latest clubs, etc. 

To be fair, not everyone can or should walk while they play. There are people out there with physical limitations who should absolutely still have access to this game. Don’t let my preferences get in the way of your good time. I’m a self-confessed lazy person who wants to ride in style just as much as the next guy. 

Walking the Course Has Never Been easier

There’s just never been a better time to walk with the number of options that exist for the modern golfer. We are blessed to have almost an endless variety of lightweight carry bags and push carts, pull carts and electric caddies that will carry the bag and follow you around like a loving puppy the whole time for good measure. 

Personally, I prefer to carry a stand bag rather than use a push cart. All love to the pushcart mafia, I just love being able to walk hands-free along the course, especially during the cold winter and fall rounds up here in Wisconsin that call for hand warmers. This year I added an electric caddy, the Cart Tek Yellowstone, to my rotation and let me tell you dear reader, it has been a revelation.

Read our review on it here:

Bit of advice: some planning before the round will save so much trouble. The thing about walking, when something gets forgotten in the car or the last tee box, there is no quick pop-over-there with the cart to make things right. It’s a long walk back. Do you really even need that thing? 

Carrying on my back calls for a bag as minimalist as possible, because ounces equal pounds and I hate climbing hills. I have even gone as far as carrying just a half-set in a Sunday bag, all to make the journey on foot as easy as possible. To me, having everything I need on the course on my back and ready to go allows me to focus on my game more. It fuels my need for self-reliance and proper preparation. 

Opting for the electric caddy or a push cart to carry my clubs and the beverages and all the many other things that seem to end up in my pockets? No concern about weight this way anymore. In fact, when using most electric caddies it’s better to have some weight in the bag, roughly 30-40 pounds, so the cart stays balanced.  

Naturally, there are some knocks on walking, especially if you’re playing with other people. It’s much easier to have a four-hour conversation with your playing partner when you’re sitting inches apart in the cart. If the tee box is backed up, it’s much more relaxing to wait in a cart. The wind doesn’t flow through the hair as nicely on foot. Your pace is limited by how fast you can walk, which varies for some people. I doubt I’ll ever be able to play 18 holes in under 2-1/2 hours on foot, if you know what I’m saying.

The Secret sauce

The real reason you should walk? I’ll tell you my secret now. But only to those who have made it this far.

From the beginning, I have referred to golf as the best mental health work I have ever done. 18 holes of lessons, hard truths, unfair breaks and occasionally pure joy.  I never expected that walking a golf course could be so therapeutic or that it could help me transition through some of the darkest days of my life. I found my soul on those walks.
The game requires you to flush everything as quickly as you can.

Just hit the shot of your life? Celebrate it, flush it and focus on the next shot. Chunked the ball two feet in front of you? Feel the anger, flush it and focus on the next shot. Believe that the next shot can be the best shot. 

Our lives are full of the same moments. The things we need to celebrate, grieve or be angered by are as intertwined in our lives as the winding paths we walk from shot to shot on a golf course. 

What gets us through are the moments in between. The choice is ours on how to approach the next shot, our next job interview, our next loss. Process. Flush. Focus. Believe that the next shot is the best shot. Walking helps with that, I promise. It’s the secret sauce. The good stuff.

Truly, speaking for myself, I can’t wait to grow up and be just like the golfers I’ve been blessed to play with in their 70s and 80s still walking along, playing this game, learning about life in the process. Moving our bodies and our souls from shot to shot, moment to moment.

Anyone want to join me? Still plenty of time to get a few rounds in before winter arrives.