Cart Path Rules at the Parkway

With records rains all over the province last week and one inch in the rain gauge this morning.  I believe now is as good a time as any to talk about the cart path rules here at St. Clair Parkway Golf Course.  One of the first decisions made by the turf department every morning is the cart rules for the day.  When making this decision, a lot of things have to be considered.  How wet is it?  What is the forecast for the rest of the day?  How busy is the tee sheet?  Are there proper staffing in place to enforce the cart rules of the day?  Is there staffing to clean the carts at the end of the day?  Will the Golfers even obey the rules?  All these questions come into mind when making the decision.  You have to understand that the goal here is to make the right decision for the golf course, not the golfer.   Here are the carts rules that we have.

 

Normal Golf Cart Rules: 

Drive the cart responsibly

Avoid sharp turns, even with the smoother tires the turf can be torn

Use cart paths whenever possible

Obey cart exit signs.  When you come to the cart exit signs follow the arrows and exit to the cart path.  Stay on the cart path to the next hole.

Fairways Only Cart Rule:

Carts are allowed to go from the cart path to the fairway at a 90 degree angle.  Once in the fairway they are allowed to stay until they get to the cart exit signs. 

No Carts in the rough

No Carts in the tree lines

Cart Paths Only Rule:

Carts are to stay on the path at all times.

              Stay on paths when approaching a puddle, slow down and drive through the puddle slowly.

 No Cart Rule:

This one seems simple right!  Well it has come to my attention that some of you feel carts should be allowed to go all of the time because we have cart paths.  Here are the reasons we do not allow carts to go out some days. 

Cart paths are washed out

Cart paths are still flooded

Water over the bridge on #6

The puddles on the paths are too deep for the carts to pass

The potential damage to the carts and the course, make the labour involved in repairing the cart or the damage to the course not worth it.  

Handicap Cart Rules

Allowed to by-pass the cart exit signs, and access the green from the back.  Parking on the Inter-rough cut of grass no closer.

Cart path only rule, they are not allowed to leave the path

Fairways only rule, they are not allowed to by-pass the cart exit signs

Handicap rule only applies when the conditions are for Normal Cart traffic

#7 Golfer decided to cross the wettest fairway we have.

#16 Golfers decided to drive in the tree line to look for there ball.  The cart path is right there.

Golfers decided to drive into a saturated area in the rough on #18.  You would think after the first golfer went in there the second golfer would know better.