The Walking Golfer recently came across this excellent article by David L. Weinecke. Below is an excerpt.
Play golf and ride in a golf cart. It is almost a given these days. But the traffic jam caused by golf carts is getting out of control and is taking an increasing .toll on turf. Now golfers are asking, “Why can’t I drive my own golf cart on the golf course? It seems to me that one golf cart per person will cause less damage compared to two golfers per cart.”
While it is easy to count the money generated by golf cart rentals, it is not so easy to account for the damage and additional maintenance required to compensate for unrestricted cart use. There have been several good research studies in recent years documenting the impact of golf carts on turf wear, and this article will examine these effects by letting the numbers tell the story.
Click here to download the full PDF.
David L. Weinecke is an agronomist in the Southwest Region if the USGA Green Section, where he shares practical advice on reducing traffic damage and other turf management issues at coursesin Arizona, California, and Nevada.
