Do You REALLY Need to Use a Golf Trolley

It does not take a genius to work out that most club golfers no longer carry their clubs.

In part, this is because most of us are obsessed with putting 14 clubs into our bags, along with waterproofs, more golf balls than we need (far more than we need), water bottles, perhaps a hip flask, a spare jumper, alignment sticks, an umbrella, energy bars. The list goes on and on.

Turn up at any golf club in Britain and you will see electric trolleys lined up en masse. If not electric trolleys then those that you push.

Winter Considerations

With summer now a distant memory and soggy fairways looming in the weeks and months ahead, might it be time to ask yourself if you really need a trolley?

Most courses will impose a trolley ban at some point during the autumn and winter. And if the spring is anything like the one we endured in 2024 then it could impact upon us for a lot longer than that. Much of the country is already under water, with courses struggling to stay open.

So the first question I have to ask you is this: do you really need that huge golf bag? Why not invest in a pencil bag for the winter and reduce the number of clubs and paraphernalia you stuff inside it? 

I am convinced that most of us do not need - or use - all 14 clubs, so why not choose this time of year to be a little bit more selective about the equipment we carry?

Trolleys Can Be Life Changing

(Image Credit: Kevin Diss Photography)

I know that for many club golfers there is no choice but to use a trolley, and I count myself among that number.

After years of wear and tear on my body, and too much time spent hunched over a computer in my job as a journalist and ghost writer, I had to stop playing because of severe shoulder pain. I had also suffered back and neck pain earlier in my life and in order to keep playing I had to stop carrying my bag in my forties. 

It was a tough call but for me it was the right thing to do. Occasionally I would carry my bag but I would always pay for it afterwards.

As I have recorded here several times, my shoulder issues forced me to take a long break from golf. I hated not being able to play this sport that I love so much. 

I finally returned to the game earlier this year after steroid injections eased my shoulder pain and initially I bought a cheap push trolley. To say that using it was hard work is something of an understatement. 

But I had a game-changing experience when I took delivery of a magnificent Motocaddy electric trolley. I say it was a game-changer but in reality it was actually a life-changer for me. I simply adore my trolley and without it I know that it would be a struggle to continue playing the game. Having returned, I have been well and truly bitten by the bug again.

And I know that many other players are in exactly the same boat as me.

As a senior golfer, I regularly play with two gentlemen who are in their 80s and can only complete 18 holes if they use a buggy. They told me recently that the advent of winter will probably mean that they have to hang up their clubs for several months, not because of the cold but because if we do have a wet few months then my golf club, like many others around the country, will almost certainly impose a ban on buggies and they are simply not mobile enough to use a trolley. Carrying their clubs is out of the question.

So yes, for most senior golfers there is no possibility of carrying clubs.

The Positives of Carrying Your Bag

But I regularly see youngsters heading to the first tee with their bag attached to the latest state-of-the-art electric unit. Or sitting in a buggy! And that simply cannot be right. 

Golf is a form of exercise and if you are able to shoulder your bag you should most definitely do so. 

Most of today’s bags are super-lightweight, regardless of the size. There is no need to carry two dozen golf balls - surely six-10 is more than enough. Think about the clubs you don’t use or barely ever hit in anger, and remove them from your bag. Leave your everyday shoes in the boot of the car, take out the stuff you don’t need. If it is a glorious day, remove your waterproofs and umbrella. You might be surprised how light your bag becomes.

And as an added bonus, you will earn the thanks of the greenkeepers because you will not cause any damage to the course when it is wet underfoot.

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