Yes, they make walking a golf course much easier compared to carrying a bag by helping the golfer save energy and protect his or her back, shoulders and legs over a 4-5 hour round of golf!
We have all reached a time at some point in our golf journey where we have to decide whether to make the golf push cart purchase or continue to carry our bag. I recently reached this same crossroads in my golf journey and considered a number of questions and did some research before making the decision.
My situation consisted of nearing the age of 40, but I still truly enjoyed walking 18 holes and reaping the exercise benefits, but my back was a bit sore. The reality was I was getting older, my body didn’t feel the same as even 10 years ago, but I truly enjoyed walking.
The carrying of the golf bag seemed so natural and it made me feel at home at the golf course, but I needed to consider the push cart. Since the age of 10, I have carried my bag and love being out on the course enjoying the outdoors and taking on the mental and physical challenge that the great game of golf presents.
Update: I have owned a golf push cart for 3 years now and have loved every moment of owning one and being able to walk more often. I have been able to save energy and protect my body by not having to carry a 20-30 pound golf bag around the course.
- Check out our how many calories you burn in a round of golf, here.
- Check out our post on Playing Golf Alone and The Benefits, here.
So, I began my research and asked all of the questions below:
- Are golf push carts lame?
- What are the greatest benefits of utilizing a golf push cart?
- What features did I want in a golf push cart?
- What is the best golf push cart?
Are Golf Push Carts Lame?
Once I got over my ego that I needed to carry my bag and did some research and discovered that the 2014 Stanford golf team all used push carts in winning the NCAA 2014, I felt better about using a push cart. The answer to my question above quickly became no.
In fact I found 5 major benefits (see below)
They are not lame and there are some major benefits. For many of us that played golf as a junior or in high school, we wouldn’t have dreamed of using a golf push cart because you just didn’t do that. You had a nice carry bag with an awesome stand and part of the round was being able to carry your bag around the course.
Well, times have changed and the mindset has shifted. If you aren’t using a golf push cart you might actually be at a disadvantage to the others that you are competing against.
What are the Benefits of Golf Push Cart?
Here is a quick recap of the 5 greatest benefits of utilizing a golf push cart?
- Saves energy
- Keeps you in better health
- Increases pace of play
- Amazing options on the market today
- You can play more often
Benefit #1 – Saves Energy
Let’s face it, walking 18 holes and carrying a bag for 4 hours is a decent workout that requires you to walk between 6 and 7 miles while carrying a 25-30 pounds bag on your back.
Naturally, if you didn’t carry the bag and instead used a golf push cart on the final 5-6 holes you are going to be more fresh and be able to execute the shots that you need to produce your best score. Why zap your energy when you have the option of a push cart? Because your ego gets in the way.
Ultimately, it provides a competitive advantage to keep your legs fresh and your arms, shoulders and back feeling better than if you were to carry your bag for those first 3 hours. That last hour of play in a round of 18 holes can be the difference between winning and losing.
Also, when you think about the pro golfers, they aren’t out there lugging around their bag as they try to compete for millions of dollars, why aren’t we giving ourselves the advantage of not carrying a bag? Let’s get over our ego and utilize the tools that can help us play better!
Benefit #2 – Keeps You In Better Health
Lets face it, many golfers already struggle with back issues or face them later in their careers. Not only can the golf swing be difficult on the back, but carrying a bag around for 30 years isn’t helping.
There have been numerous studies performed on junior golfers and if someone uses a push cart, they are more likely to stay healthy throughout the season. Now apply this to someone over the age of 40 and you have the benefits to be even greater, right?
Benefit #3 – Increases Pace of Play
Not carrying a 20-30 pound bag on your back will allow you to walk at a brisker pace and if 4 golfers in a group are carrying vs the same 4 golfers utilizing a push cart, one would think the ones with the push carts will play at a faster rate.
We all know golf is slow enough right now, why not utilize something that could help with the pace of play. There may be some nuances that take adjusting to, like not being able to walk across a green, but you will quickly adjust and leave your push cart in the correct places as you walk up to the green.
Benefit #4 – Amazing Options on the Market Today
There are some amazing options on the golf market today for push carts. When I was a kid, the only real option was a pull cart, but the push carts are oh so very nice now with the three bigger wheels and the ability to roll down a smaller hill without tipping over.
They also provide different features and storage areas for your cell phone, golf balls, tees, and your favorite on course beverage. Another major benefit is being able to stuff your bag with extra layers of clothing, extra golf balls or anything that might make your round of golf better.
I know that when I am carrying I try to eliminate excess equipment or accessories to prevent the bag from being heavier than it needs to.
As a result of utilizing these impressive push carts, I can now load up my bag and head off. Living in the part of the country that I do, it would be 65 degrees when I start the round and be 45 by the time I am done.
Benefit #5 – You Can Play More Often
I think we would all love to play more golf. As we age, the ability to walk, get some exercise and possibly even play daily becomes more of a possibility with the golf push cart.
Sometimes after walking 18 holes, our bodies can be sore and why not take off some of the pressure of carrying the bag and maybe get in an extra round of golf or two over the course of a week, month or year? Let’s utilize the equipment that is available to play more golf!
Plus we can play better on back to back days as our bodies can be more fresh! It can also allow you to play more than 18 holes in one day. Staying fresh and not being exhausted at the end of walking 18 holes can allow you practice more or have some extra energy to play an additional 9 holes.
What Features Did I Want in a Golf Push Cart?
| Feature | 1 = Not Important 3 = Somewhat Important 5 = Very important |
| Motorized | ✅ |
| Push Feature | ✅✅✅✅✅ |
| Price | ✅✅✅✅✅ |
| Storage | ✅✅✅✅✅ |
| Easy Fold Up | ✅✅✅✅✅ |
| Lightweight | ✅✅✅ |
| Handbrake | ✅✅✅ |
| Umbrella Holder | ✅✅✅ |
| Three Wheels | ✅✅✅ |
| Stability/Balance | ✅✅✅✅✅ |
What Is the Best Golf Push Cart?
As I dove in and started to research what golf push cart is best for me, I had the following checklist.
- Folds down easily and compacts nicely.
- Great balance on the course.
- Features such as cup holders and other storage options.
- Durable
- Price
So I went to work and started reading different reviews of all the different options on the market. There are some rather impressive motorized push carts if you have some extra money to spend. This golf push cart is simply amazing and would be awesome to have ff I had an unlimited budget, this would have been my choice:
However, the reality is that most of us have a budget and I found two great options that I had to decided between.
This was another impressive one that met all of my items on my checklist. There are some awesome reviews on the ease of use and its performance on the golf course:
I was split between the Bag Boy Niton and the Clicgear Rovic Model. At the end of the day, I went with this more affordable option, the Clicgear, and after 5 rounds has continued to impress and I am 100% satisfied with my purchase.
The price was right, it is rather compact and provides awesome storage and a hand break:
Here are the features that I thought this option provided:
- Stability
- Storage
- Price/Value
- Easy Fold Up
- Stability/Balance
- Umbrella Holder
- Handbrake
- Three Wheels
Take Action
Golf is a wonderful game enjoyed by many. Our goal at golfjourney365 is to play as often as possible, enjoy the game we love and share everything we learn on our journey to play great.
A golf push cart is something I should have purchased several years ago, but I am glad I finally made the purchase recently. Do not leg your ego get in the way of being comfortable and let it impact your overall performance and enjoyment of the game.
How Long Is A Golf Course, find out here.
Go out and find your best golf push cart and remember you can’t go wrong with any of the three above. Let’s play as much golf as possible and enjoy the game that we all love.
If you are looking for other advice on how to play better and break through your next barrier. Here is the recipe we believe works for golfers to get to the next level:
What You Can Do Today to Get Better
What does this mean for you? I believe in the following recipe to get better:
1 – Improve your motion in the golf swing by identifying a golf instructor. Here are some options:
Here is a list of golf instructors that we have reviewed:
2 – Train to swing faster and improve your swing speed. Here are some options:
Looking to gain more Speed and Distance in your swing. Two Options:
3 – Understand course strategy and work to break through your next barrier. Here is a series on breaking through:
We have provided guides on how to break 100, 90, 80 and 70. Check out more below, if interested.
Don’t Forget to Check out our 15 best golf swings of all time.