South Carolina

5 Comments

1. Hi,

   Great site! I just returned from a 5 day golf trip with twenty friends in Myrtle Beach. I am an avid walker. Walking is an essential part of golf and my golf game. I have coined the term “gart” to describe golf in a cart. Golf in a cart is painful and exposes the back to possible injury (I earned a certification as a safety engineer). Golf in a cart is a distraction from the strategy of the game of golf. No need to tell you all this – you started this website!

   Each time I arrived at the clubhouse I asked if I could walk. Three out of five times I was told no. The two that allowed me and my buddies to walk were: Crown Park and World Tour. I understand it may have been a fluke that we were allowed to walk World Tour. It was remarkably easy to walk and it was January.

   The no answers were pretty interesting. Since the package was already paid I was not seeking a discounted greens fees to walk. Yet, routinely was told: “if we allow you to walk we have to allow everyone”; “you may be a fast golf, however, not everyone is and we have 125 golfers here today”; “walk? walk? why would anyone on earth want to walk a golf course”. These canards are easily exploded. Not everyone wants to walk. Simple fact. Most of the people I see in Myrtle Beach can barely walk to their cart from the parking lot! As far as being a fast walker / player is concerned I concur – walking is much faster. Except for course designs with half a mile between holes.

   I am not opposed to giving golf course operators the money for a cart. I understand they need funds to operate their course. I get it. I am a businessman. Yet, if you get my money I ought to be allowed to walk unless it does slow down play because of distance between holes. My former pro @ Providence Golf Course in Richmond Virginia has the best idea. He charges a flat fee and calls carts complimentary. Bobby Greene. Genius. He runs a great course there and makes money. And he has managed to protect the game for those that wish to play golf – not gart!

   My intention is that of the 100 rounds I seem to play each year is to play golf. Despite my intention about 30% of these rounds are cart bound due to ridiculous course operator rules. I am happy to do anything possible to change this arcane and arbitrary behavior. The game has its own maddening facets let alone dealing with the absurdity of gart.

   Thanks,

   John
   USGTF Level III Teaching Professional

2. John, I read your comments on Walkability Ratings for South Carolina. Do you know of a national listing for walkable courses. Keeping these sites up to date must be challenging. Call ahead of course. Gina in Canada

3. Most of the semi-private and private courses allow there members to walk in Canada, and most of the members do, in the fall, when it get,s cooler, nothing can be nicer, we play at Myrtle Beach in the winter, you freeze your ****** some days on a cart, and it distract from the game. I can play just as fat walking,than cart play, i walk to my ball, rather than driving back to the cart path, and my concentration is better, there for you score better.

4. My wife and a few friends have been spending Thanksgiving week on the Grand Strand for the past 17 years, and we’ve made it a point to look for walking courses. So far the best are: The Dunes (no questions asked); Caledonia and True Blue (allowed but TB is a tough hike); and TPC (though it takes some convincing since they don’t want anyone to slow down play).
   We walked for 3 years at Kings North at Myrtle Beach National, but we’re told that walking had never been allowed, despite their hosting a Thanksgiving youth tournament where the kids walked. Needless to say, we haven’t gone back.
   We play on a hotel-golf package, so cart fees are included and we gladly forfeit the fee for the opportunity to walk — so it’s a no-brainer for the course.
   It’s an annual ritual to choose the courses and call each about their walking policy — too bad that more don’t allow it since it’s not very crowded that time of the year and we play in under four hours.
   My obsession for the year is to find a new locale that offers the same type of affordable golf but allows or encourages walkers — any recommendations?

5. Hi Scott – Unfortunately don’t have any affordable golf locations with great weather lined out right now. There are some areas of Florida with a decent number of walking courses. It’s hard to find great places to go in the winter months, even here in AZ the golf is expensive at good walking courses like Talking Stich and We Ko Pa-Saguaro.

   Hopefully someone else responds and can help you out!