More than just safety tips, how to get the most out of your round with a golf cart
Golf carts have become more available and utilised in the last 20 years. We now see golf boards becoming popular where individuals can ride like skateboarders along the fairways. They are popular for golf tours as they enable golfers to play multiple days in a row without excessive fatigue building up. For our top 10 tips we just don’t want to give the usual slice (excuse the pun) of safety tips. They are there but we also want to give other tips that will make the game quicker and easier which is what golf carts are designed to do. We also want to give tips golfers who cart more aware as well.
1. Strap it in and then double check it again
OK you have been allocated your golf cart and you arrive at your cart with your clubs. You put your clubs on the back and then strap them on . Don’t assume that it is then all over, red rover. Double check during the round. Many a set of clubs have become adrift because the lock has become loosened or they would not properly fastened in the first place. Double check during the round. It only takes a second.
2. Accelerate and break slowly
Remember when your Dad was teaching you to drive? He told you to accelerate slowly from the lights and anticipate the stop by easing your foot down on the brake. He told you to think of your passenger. Even more important in golf carts. You don’t have seat belts. Some people start off like they have just got the green light at a Grand Prix! Also wait for your companion’s feet to hit the floor inside the cart not their bum before you start off. Otherwise they could be out of the cart!
3. Drive up and down the slopes
No need to take the cart everywhere. It is not a 4wd!. If your partner’s ball is on a side slope, park it at the bottom and let them walk. Then travel straight up the slope. The same applies for going down a slope. Go straight down. Golf carts are top heavy, let alone with you and your bag and clubs in there too. Golf carts can easily tip over and then your golf round is really over!
4. Get a cart bag
If you are going to be a regular golf cart user, then a get a golf bag designed to be used on a cart. One that has a sloping top, so you can arrange your clubs in ascending order and see them easily from the back of the cart. I have ever seen cart bags with swivel compartments so that you that turn it around and get easy access to your clubs. Also one that has wear pads or sleaves for the strap to go over or through. You spending less time fumbling around at the back of the cart, will make you less frustrated and probably play better.
5. Take your putter cover off for the ride
Remember when putters never had covers? Maybe that was before we started paying hundreds of dollars for them. With you fumbling around at the back, putting your club options back in the bag, the putter cover can be the item that you can be less attentive about. It is often the easiest to fall off especially with the velocity that you can drive a cart at. If the putter has a separate compartment in your bag it not going to get banged about in a golf cart. Put the cover in the bin at the back. Better still put put all your wood covers in the bin. It will save time especially if you have to do a reverse zig-zag back down the fairway trying to find where they had fallen off.
6. Have a windbreaker permanently in your cart bag
It can be great to feel the wind blowing through your hair as you ride a cart (if you have any remaining!) It can also make it nice ride on those hot, humid summer days. However most of the time it is a lot cooler in a cart then walking. Have a windbreaker vest or pullover permanently in your bag so you can pull it on if the day is a little cooler. You are not going to play well if your muscles are cold from the ride.
7. Balls and tees available
Use the holders in the cart for tees and balls for your spares. This will make it easier to use another one if necessary. Better still if it is day where carts have to stay on the path, keep a ball in your pocket so if you need to hit a provisional, you can do so right away without having to tramp back to the cart.
8. Keep all four wheels on the path when parked
Carts (and people) often course wear and tear to the grass around common access points (i.e. near the greens). How you can help driving a cart is when you park, keep all four wheels on the path. This will reduce the amount of bare lies around carts paths which even you might encounter. Another way to reduce wear and tear on the golf course is to drive as far as you can along the cart path and then turn in 90 degrees onto the fairway to your balls. I know this is easier if you and your partner are playing good cart golf and not zigzagging across the fairway.
9. Do a sweep of your cart at the end of the round
I almost left a range finder behind in a cart once. The club professional did the sweep for me and gave it back to me. Check your cart over before you leave. Consider it like a motel room. Things can hide in little pockets or dark creavices. It will often mean your golf tour can continue on, hassle free.
10. Be social…
And finally especially if you have a walker or two in your group, be socialable. If the group is all down the fairway, how about you drive slowly with the walkers and chat. You may find a great relationship rather than zooming off down the fairway and only catching up with each other at the next tee box. Golf is about managing the pauses in play and talking to your playing partners may help you keep level headed about your game, whether it is good or bad.
