Golf carts - take 'em or leave 'em?

[elmexdela]

I'm not sure it's a good look for our MPO division to use carts, making the sport look a little less athletic. Even using caddies is kind of humorous you young whippersnappers. When I was their age we had no stinkin' carts and every course was uphill, heh, heh.

No one takes this hobby seriously anyways so what is the harm?

 

[FlipFlat]

As for me, my Disc Golf cart is the difference between playing 54 holes in a day or just playing 18 because I don't have enough water. I had back surgery and still have chronic back pain. Carrying a voodoo Mojo with two 40 oz Hydro Flask ( I known 80 oz of water seems ridiculous :\ but they're always empty after a 18 hole round) plus 18 disc is not possible for me to do without my cart. Also my girlfriends bag rides on the bottom shelf. On cooler days in the spring and fall I have no problem carrying my Innova standard bag with 12 disc and a 32 oz Nalgene bottle i would prefer this setup in the summer if I could just store water like a camel does :\

 

[DiscJunkie]

Don't have a strong preference, actually.
I was an early adopter, 1st or 2nd cart at my home course.
Started using a Go-Kart after appendix surgery and it helped me keep playing until I healed.
Now it seems like more of us old guys have carts than don't

If the course is cart-friendly, I'll usually use a cart.
OTOH, carrying a bag occasionally will help strengthen my back muscles and keeps me from backaches.
YMMV.

 

[elmexdela]

As for me, my Disc Golf cart is the difference between playing 54 holes in a day or just playing 18 because I don't have enough water. I had back surgery and still have chronic back pain. Carrying a voodoo Mojo with two 40 oz Hydro Flask ( I known 80 oz of water seems ridiculous :\ but they're always empty after a 18 hole round) plus 18 disc is not possible for me to do without my cart. Also my girlfriends bag rides on the bottom shelf. On cooler days in the spring and fall I have no problem carrying my Innova standard bag with 12 disc and a 32 oz Nalgene bottle i would prefer this setup in the summer if I could just store water like a camel does :\

I rolled 32 oz of water today. Didnt piss once at the course.

You need moar than 32 oz. Im with you.

 

[FlipFlat]

I'm 35 and have four herniated discs, but I still don't care to use a cart.

This sounds like me 8 years ago. I waited till I was 40 for the surgery ( 3 years ago) started using my cart at 36. Just a suggestion do your body of favor and use a cart so you can keep playing the sport well into your 80s .

 

[brentjacobs]

I voted refuse on general principle. Didn't vote that because I'm macho but I like to disc golf in part for the exercise. Carrying that extra weight is good for me while I'm still relatively young and able. I also carry my bag when I play traditional golf. My dad did the same until he was about 60, then he got a roller cart. He's 73 now and still rolls, won't ride in a cart. I plan on staying physically able bodied for a long time and I'm pretty sure I'm on the right track.

 

[Mr. Butlertron]

I bought a used golf push cart, similar to what many have posted on cart threads, at a thrift store for 20 $. There's a few mods I still need to make for it to be fully ready, but so far I'm extremely pleased with it. It's going to be especially handy when the weather heats up, carrying a crap ton of water around on your back is for the birds.

 

[simpletwist]

LOVE my cart! Actually my cart is designed for shooting; called a Do-All Gun Buggy. Had it for about 7 years now. I even use it in the winter in up to 6" of snow. Holds both my discs and my wife's, 2 stools, umbrellas, drinks, food towels and more. Best $150 I've spent on disc golf accessories.

 

[MopMan]

A good walk defined...

A golf cart does not a good walk make.

 

[DiscGolfMaster]

I don't like carts for disc golf. They make people play even slower, when everyone already plays at a snails pace. Constantly looking for the smoother paths on a course that is nothing but roots and rocks sounds like a headache. I almost never play a course long enough or hard enough to warrant carrying more than 10-12 discs and a small bottle of water. Listening to that thing behind me bumping around would ruin the ambiance of the course. I enjoy getting the extra exercise by carrying my discs. If I feel the need for one physically when I am older, I'll just play my rounds with less discs instead of adding a giant thing I have to pull or push for the entire round.

 

[DiscGolfShopping]

I feel like any good course I won't be able to use one so I dislike them.

 

[JC17393]

Played a tourney yesterday and was paired with a couple cart guys in round 2. The course is entirely wooded with a lot of up and down hill walking. What struck me (and has struck me before) was how often they chose to take odd, somewhat out of the way routes down fairways and between holes primarily for the benefit of the cart. Seemed like extra walking and inconvenience for the benefits it may have provided.

Also, one of the guys on a couple occasions would pull his cart 200 feet away from the tee we were on in order to park it at a tee two holes ahead. The reason being the hole we were playing was uphill and the next brought us back down the hill, and the cart would be a pain to bring up and down. So he was carrying 4-5 discs and a towel and his water bottle in his hands to play these two holes (fortunately for him, he didn't throw an errant shot that necessitated a disc he wasn't carrying). He basically played four entire holes without use of the cart or a bag.

I suppose the argument can be made that it just isn't a cart-friendly course and they were forcing the matter by using it, but they weren't alone (saw plenty of other carts). It's almost like they spent the money on the cart, they'll be damned if they don't use it and make it worth while. Either that or they showed up not knowing how unfriendly the course was to carts and didn't have a bag to switch to (probably the case for one of them, the other works there so he had to know).

That's the biggest reason I'm hesitant to take the plunge...too many courses for which the cart might be more of a pain than it's worth. I'm a small bag guy anyway, so it's not like the added capacity does anything for me. In fact, a cart is going to take up way more room in my small car, making getting it to the course more of an ordeal.

 

[Aim For The Chains]

I have my flak on a luggage cart but dont use it often as a lot of courses are not really cart friendly. Ive used it on a lot of courses and it works but im not sure it is any easier vs a slimmed up bag. It makes hauling a bunch of stuff easier for sure though. I never wear my flak only rebel and smaller bag.

 

[Chaz58]

First off: I don't really care one way or the other about using carts on the dg course, though a lot of courses are really not "cart friendly". I could see using one if a person had a really bad knee, back, leg or something. I've seen a couple of older guys (about my age) out on the courses who had to throw their discs from a sitting position due to a disability (how's that for dedication/addiction to the game?). But, personally, I am out there for the exercise as well as to take care of my disc golf addiction and lugging around a 10 - 12 pound bag (discs, water, valuables like wallet, keys, etc.) doesn't bother me at all. I carry my bag like a "paperboy" so it is less wearing on the body and the bag is nothing like the 60+ pound pack we carried on our backs in the army at times (though I was 40 years younger then!). I'll be 60 next April and intend to carry my bag until I can no longer disc.

 

[whitefedora]

I feel like the OP was asking about golf carts like the ones at Selah. I love using those when available. Just a fun experience.

 

[93EXCivic]

I am going to build one but I wouldn't use it for casual one course rounds. I would like one for multi course tournaments particularly on hot days, mostly due to the weight of water.

Sent from my LG-H910 using Tapatalk

 

[Jimb]

My first round of disc golf on an actual dg course was with one trusty Frisbee. I thought that the people with little bags of "special frisbees" were funny.

I carried a single strap bag for my first nine years of playing and thought that backpacks were totally unnecessary.

Now after less than half a season on a cheap backpack I'm ready to upgrade to a much nicer one to carry my 20+ "special frisbees."

So I wonder what the next logical step might be for me.

 

[elmexdela]

My first round of disc golf on an actual dg course was with one trusty Frisbee. I thought that the people with little bags of "special frisbees" were funny.

I carried a single strap bag for my first nine years of playing and thought that backpacks were totally unnecessary.

Now after less than half a season on a cheap backpack I'm ready to upgrade to a much nicer one to carry my 20+ "special frisbees."

So I wonder what the next logical step might be for me.

Funny you mention this.

I went from being a one disc wonder, to a small 15 disc bag, then up to a 25 disc bag, and now Im back to carrying 13 ish discs.

Back in the golden days you could tell if someone was good by the type of bag they had. Then you could tell who was good by if they had a backpack. Now even the casual weekend chuckers have a zuca.

People do underestimate me because I show up with a small sack of discs. And because most of those are mvp hahaha

 

[Vonbeezy1]

The only thing I don't like about carts (not the motorized ones) is that it slows down the pace of play. I'm tired of playing extended time each hole because a cart person has to drag their cart 100 feet out of the way one way and 100 feet back. Not to mention the run back time when they leave their carts on accident on a hole or far away on accident. /rant

 

[Mike C]

Funny you mention this.

I went from being a one disc wonder, to a small 15 disc bag, then up to a 25 disc bag, and now Im back to carrying 13 ish discs.

I followed a similar progression.

Started out with 2 discs and a water bottle in a grocery bag (Aviar, Leopard, and 16oz of h2o)

Then bought a used starter bag from a friend for 5$, and carried 4 or 5 discs (Rhyno x2, Roc x2, Leopard)

Progressed through a few bags bigger than a starter, but still small. Mostly for storing food / water / snacks, rather than more discs.

Rocked two different backpacks, always had trouble filling them out with discs though. I like them from a comfort stand point, and how many accessories I can carry....

...but, many rounds I bring my RGD Gecko instead of the backpack. Especially shorter courses I'm familiar with, I'll usually bring a putting Ion, Proxy, Vector, Crave or two, and a Fireball.

There's a cut-off point for me somewhere around the 10 disc mark where I feel like it detracts from my enjoyment. In a tourney, sure, I'll bring back-ups and whatnot. For a casual round where I'm not even keeping score, it seems pointless.

Something I've always found ironic is the more you carry, the more you have to carry. e.g. if I am playing 18 holes with 22 discs in my backpack, I have to carry more water to compensate for the additional sweating I'll do. If I bring my Gecko, I can easily jog between holes to reduce how long I'm out there, and over the course of 45 minutes my body only needs so much water.