In this week’s NCAA Men’s National Golf Championships the use of push carts at the hands of members of the nationally ranked Stanford Cardinal Golf Team seems to have turned a few heads.

As you can read in this article “A Pushback Against Push Carts” by John Paul Newport of the Wall Street Journal, some talking heads felt that use of push carts by young golfers represents unmanly behavior. These are obviously the same people who think that dropping cigar ash on a putting green is no big deal.

A Good Walk Enhanced…….

Trent Dilfer, former NFL quarterback who obviously took a few too many head hits from charging lineman said “push carts are a BAD look for these kids”. PGA pro Bo Van Pelt agreed. Ex-PGA pro Steve Flesch said that using them in tournaments doesn’t look right.

As Newport says, these are prejudiced expressions of thoughtless macho men who continue to perpetuate the ludicrous notion that hand carts somehow represent a more lowly form of muni-golf. They are oblivious to the concerns of golfers of all wage categories who want to get a good walk on the golf course without the stress of lugging 20 lbs of equipment on their back.

Hand carts have been the mode of transportation for golf clubs everywhere but the United States forever. The snobbishness Americans cling to against their use is just senseless.

I dare say that Dilfer probably does not carry his bag from his trunk to the bag drop at the celebrity events he plays in and Van Pelt and Flesch pay others to carry around their coffin sized bag of golf goodies when they play in a tournament.

At our place we fought for almost 20 years for the right to stay out of motorized carts if we choose and walk the course for our physical well being. We finally prevailed and hand carts have become a seamless part of the fabric of our country club every day of the week. Many of those who fought it vociferously are now adopters.

At least guys with a college education are starting to get it. Stand up and assert your right to push anywhere you play.

(Click to read John Paul Newport’s article “A Pushback Against Push Carts”)

May, 2014