Editors' Blog Blogger Bio

Trek the Course Pain Free

Recent studies indicate that regularly carrying a golf bag poses a health risk, especially for younger or smaller players whose bag makes up 10-20 percent of their body weight. This finding has prompted the American Junior Golf Association, which has an annual membership of more than 5,000 junior golfers (boys and girls ages 12-18), to allow limited use of non-motorized pull carts during their events for the first time this season. Research is not yet complete, but Injuries and Overuse Syndromes in Golf, a medical journal study by Georg Gosheger published in the American Journal of Sports Medicine, proved that players who regularly carry a golf bag are more prone to experience lower back, shoulder and ankle injuries.

Even so, I firmly believe that walking is by far the only way to play golf. But that doesn't mean I'd have to compromise my back, shoulders or ankles. Pull carts and push carts are becoming easier to maneuver on the course and fold down for easy storage, and carry bags are lighter than ever, which means I can still kiss that golf cart good-bye and continue to trek the course on foot.

Sun Mountain's Speed Cart V2 has adjustable brackets that secure your bag so you don’t have to deal with straps and pneumatic tires that absorb bumps and dampen vibration. It also easily folds down in seconds and will fit in small spaces like the trunk of your car.

The Clicgear Cart triple folds (shown above) down to 24x15x13 inches, about 40 percent smaller than most carts, and the 12-inch tires guarantee a smooth ride.

Sun Mountain has two new carry bags that’ll help you walk the course pain free: the Swift weighs less than three pounds and still holds a full set of clubs, and the Zero-G has a padded hip belt that’ll transfer a lot of the weight from your shoulders to your hips.