What is “cart friendly”?

[glassila]

There was a recent thread that went off topic for a bit and the subject of whether a course was cart friendly was discussed.
It seems like courses want to be listed as "cart friendly" in UDisc even when (in my opinion) they are not.
What makes a course "cart friendly"? It might be easier to ask What makes a course "NOT cart friendly"?

2 courses that come to mind that are listed as cart friendly, but I felt were closer to Not cart friendly were Iron Hill (Delaware) and Waterworks (Kansas City). Iron Hill because of the rocks and boulders everywhere. Waterworks because of the steep hills on 1/2? the holes.
In both cases I felt it would have been easier and more enjoyable to play without a cart.

 

[ru4por]

To me it is the ability to drag a cart with less effort for a round, than it is to bag it.

Not Cart Friendly
Rocks
Roots
Rivers
Very narrow paths between holes
Steep hills
Lots of off camber fairways

 

[BogeyNoMore]

Having not succumbed to the cart craze yet, I will not offer my inexperienced opinion.

Call me a luddite.

 

[wolfhaley]

I feel like Waterworks was somewhat cart friendly. Pretty grassy fairways so pulling/pushing a cart wouldn't be too bad.

Never played Iron Hill but that one looks NOT cart friendly for sure.

 

[DavidSauls]

I'm not a carter, but people ask about our private course. I'm not sure what the correct answer should be.

Most of the course is cartable, but there's one hole in the middle that angles up a steep slope. I've seen carts topple there, and people carry them.

But my answer comes down to the fact that people who play with a cart and come back again, play with the cart again. I take that to mean that it's at least fairly cart-friendly.

 

[jupiterboy]

Steep ascent or descent. If it is difficult to walk on, then dragging a cart up or down makes it even harder.

 

[HyooMac]

Agree about Iron Hill. All those rocks!

In addition to those already listed by @ru4por, add:

Having to lift and carry a cart

Anytime I have to pick up the cart, the course becomes either "Somewhat" or "Not" cart friendly - depending on the rest of the round.

Great example is Candy Park West (a good course near Iron Hill). Smooth rolling until you hit a deep ravine with a stream. You're suddenly on the Oregon Trail....

I just recently changed the UDisc cart rating after playing Hyzer Creek in the Adirondacks (turns out anyone can do it without being a course ambassador). Couldn't believe it was rated both cart and stroller friendly.

 

[biscoe]

Eye of the beholder and all that... I pretty much use my cart everywhere due to back issues but that doesn't make all those places cart friendly.

 

[sisyphus]

Cart friendly doesn't mean ADA compliant (fully accessible via, let's say a mobility scooter), but if marked as 'cart friendly', I'd expect a course to have access to almost all holes, pulling (not carrying) a cart, and if I chose to skip holes, is there a path that can get me along the course?

 

[mostlynorwegian]

When disc golf is more like actual hiking than manicured walking.

 

[jupiterboy]

When disc golf is more like actual hiking than manicured walking.

You know if you are looking for hand holds you are really scrambling.

 

[NewnHot]

I saw people using carts at Throw Down the Mountain at Olympus in Brooksville Florida. I would say that one is not cart friendly. More like hiking than a stroll in the park.

 

[glassila]

Having to choose either cart friendly or not cart friendly kind of stinks.
It would be nice if there were 3 or 4 levels of cart friendliness.
1. Very cart friendly (very easy to pull a cart +95% of the time. Occasional rocks/logs/etc to avoid. No lifting or carrying cart required. Very minimal risk of cart tipping over.)
2. Mostly cart friendly (fairly easy to pull a cart most of the time. You will need to maneuver around rocks/logs/etc on several holes. You may have to lift cart a few times for stairs or other obstacles. There may be slopes which require your attention to keep cart from tipping over.)
3. Not very cart friendly (difficult to pull a cart on most holes due to rocks, logs, etc. Multiple holes with steep slopes that can easily cause cart to tip over. You will need to lift or carry cart numerous times for stairs or other obstacles. Playing with a cart will be frustrating and much slower.)
4. DO NOT BRING A CART!

 

[DeanMoriarty]

How to gauge "cart-friendliness":

Would it be more of a burden than a help to use the cart at the course?

Is it going to be possible to get it up and down hills if the course is extremely hilly?

How rough is the terrain that the cart's wheels will be rolling over?