Golf Cart Traffic - Please Help!

Golf carts can be a great benefit to golfers, especially those who find it difficult to walk for 9 or 18 holes. Here at Isla Del Sol they are more or less a necessity. While they are great tools for facilitating travel during play, golf carts are also a detriment to the golf course itself. With COVID-19, each golfer now has their own cart. This places a significantly greater amount of stress on the golf course. To put it in perspective, last Sunday we had 181 rounds played with 174 golf carts being used. Normally 181 rounds would require only 91 carts. Last May we averaged 85 rounds per day with 43 carts. This means we experienced an increase in cart traffic by more than 300% over last year!

No matter how careful we are, every golf cart damages the golf course in some way. How one operates the cart determines the extent of damage. Golf carts primarily harm the course in two ways.

1. Turf Wear -  When a golf cart accelerates, turns or stops it tears grass leaves and crushes the cells that make up the plant. These stresses reduce the plant's ability to make food through photosynthesis, resulting in a reduction of plant growth.
2. Compaction - When golf carts drive on the golf course they cause compaction of the underlying soil. This results in less soil porosity which is needed to facilitate air and water movement, as well as provide space for plant roots to grow.

As you can imagine, with cart traffic at significantly higher levels we must be even more concerned about the damage being done to the golf course. While you may or may not be observing issues at this time, it's important to understand that the grass is entering its peak growing season. The increased summer growth rate can mask a lot of the underlying stresses. Even if things look great now it doesn't mean everything is okay. We may not witness the detrimental effects until next winter when the grass is growing at a slower pace. How we behave today has a direct impact on golf course health and our level of satisfaction down the road.

As communicated in the Isla Del Sol YCC Rules and Regulations as well as previous writings, there is a set of rules for all golfers to adhere to. These include:

• Unless other restrictions are specified by the pro shop, the 90 degree rule will be in affect at all times. The proper procedure is to stay on the cart path until you reach your ball. At that point, the cart may leave the cart path and proceed to the ball. Thereafter, carts may proceed on the fairway for remaining shots until reaching the "No Carts" boundary at which point they must return to the path.

• In addition to the 90 degree rule, there are two white stakes on each par 4 and par 5. The first stake is located closer to the tee. This is the point where it is first acceptable to enter the fairway. The second stake is located closer to the green. This is the last acceptable point to return to the cartpath before the green. Many times a blue line will be painted across the fairway in relation to the 2nd white stake. Carts are not to cross this blue line. Keep in mind, the two white stakes represent the limits, not the exact entry and exit points. You are encouraged to ride on the cartpath as far as possible before entering the fairway and return as soon as possible after playing your approach shot. 

 

Illustration shows a cart following the 90-degree rule to play 2 shots from the fairway before returning to cartpath.

Notice the blue line in front of the green. This serves as the absolute limit for carts with blue flags.

The white post signifies that carts should be back on the path by this point.

• Par 3 holes are always cart path only unless a player possesses a blue flag.

• Carts with authorized Handicap/Blue Flags will not be driven inside the painted blue circles surrounding each green. In the absence of a blue circle, a cart will not be driven closer than fifteen feet of a green, tee box and never between a greenside bunker and a green.

• Blue flags do not give the freedom to drive wherever or however the driver wants. Blue flags are a great tool for allowing those who need assistance the ability to drive closer to their ball or the green and make it possible for people to continue enjoying the game. Except when driving directly to play their next shot, players with blue flags should abide by normal cart etiquette rules. For example, when leaving the green, do not continue to follow the blue line all the way around the green. Instead, immediately return to the cartpath before proceeding to the next hole.  

Carts with blue flags may drive up to the blue line to play a shot but should return to the cartpath before proceeding to the next hole.

• When conditions require that the golf course is "Cart Path Only," all carts must be kept on the path at all times. No Handicap/Blue Flags will be permitted on the course. Knowing that wet conditions are more prone to soil compaction, any Cart Path Only rulings will be in effect for the entire day, even when standing water may not be present. 

• When traveling on cart paths, keep all 4 wheels on the path. Do not pull two wheels off the path, even when parking by tees and greens. This causes significant wear and unsightly conditions.

The worn area to the right of the path is a direct result of carts pulling two wheels off the side of the path while driving or parking. This type of damage is 100% preventable by golfers' actions.

Following these rules is always important but becomes critical during this time of significantly higher cart use. The more concentrated the cart traffic, the more significant the harm is to the golf course. That is why we direct cart traffic to move away from highly visible areas like tees and frequently played areas like greens surrounds.

Please understand that these rules are not meant to be a burden or a punishment. Rather, we want nothing more than to continue providing the best experience and well-conditioned golf course for your enjoyment now and in the future. We need your help to achieve this. As your golf course superintendent you can always reach out to me or Fred Curtis, our Director of Golf, with questions.

Thank you for your cooperation!

Kevin Sunderman
Certified Golf Course Superintendent