There’s a quiet argument running through golf about whether the cart helped the game or hollowed it out. We’re not neutral. Strawgrass was routed to be walked — greens close to the next tee, a rhythm to the loop, no long transfers across cart paths — because the game simply reads better on foot.
When you walk, the course unfolds at the speed it was designed for. You feel the ground firm up and soften, read the wind across four hundred yards instead of guessing from the tee, and arrive at your ball with your head already in the shot. You also, not incidentally, get four hours outside in beautiful country — which is most of the point of being here at all.
A cart gets you to the ball. Walking gets you into the round.
On your first loop, take a caddie. Not for the bag — for the angles. A good looper will save you three or four shots just by pointing you at the correct side of the fairway, reading the grain on greens you’ve never seen, and talking you out of the hero shot on the fourth. By the back nine you’ll be playing the course the way it wants to be played, which takes most people three visits to figure out alone.
Push carts are there for the days the legs say no, and we keep a few riding carts for those who need them. But if you can walk it, walk it. The course will thank you, and so, eventually, will your scorecard.
