New push cart makes walking easier

Bag Boy, a golf company that makes golf bags and carts, is urging golfers to get out and walk more. It will host Walk the Course Day at the Crossings Golf Club in Glen Allen, Va. , Sept. 27.

Throughout the day, golfers who walk the Crossings course can use a Bag Boy push cart for free and $5 from every walker's green fee will be donated to the American Heart Association.

I hope this type promotion spreads to area courses. I'd like to see more golfers walking. Recently, our team tested two push carts and we've found they make walking much easier. And we know it's better for you. But many walkers don't like to carry their bags on their backs – for good reason.

“Research has shown that players who regularly carry golf bags are more susceptible to injuries and more likely to suffer from lower back, shoulder and ankle injuries than players who walk the course with a push cart,” said Bag Boy president Craig Ramsbottom, president of The Bag Boy Company. "Golf is historically a walking sport and we're proud to work with The Crossings to encourage golfers to re-discover the health benefits and enjoyment of walking the course."

If you only know of carts as the two-wheelers that you push, they've come a long way. We recently tested a Bag Boy 180 3-Wheel push cart ($169.99).

The Bag Boy is light and easy to push and adjustable for players of different heights. It's also easy to fold down. The third wheel bends back into the base for storage. You can have an accessible drink holder, a bag area big enough for a super size staff bag or a small stand model. There's a place for tees, pencils and scorecards and even a little coverage storage box that our testers found big enough to hold extra tees, cell phones and Sky Caddies all at the same time.

Walking with the Bag Boy was simple. You push and follow. There are electric models you control with a remote control for more than twice the price that you hardly ever have to push, but I found the Bag Boy easy to use, and it folds easily to fit in a trunk. You won't get two of these in one truck easily with two bags, however.

But it beats a pull cart or carrying your bag – and it's fun to walk the course on a nice day.