Carry or pull?
Written by Dr. Antoni M. Jakubowski
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The trolley gets the thumbs down and the dual strap carry bag the thumbs up |
One of the most common golf related questions I get asked is “Should I carry or should I pull?”
Depending upon the time of year, some courses do not give you the option. However, the answer is simple. Carry...all year round. There are many benefits to carrying a bag, and avoiding the continuous bending forward and twisting body position you have when pulling a trolley. Your walking posture is greatly improved if your clubs are evenly balanced due to the dual straps, and the exercise benefit is much greater – you actually strengthen your legs and lower back.
Pulling a trolley is more harmful because it requires you to walk the round in a bent-forward and twisted position. This is the position that will and does cause back trouble, and can also produce shoulder pain. Why increase the odds of a bad back by pulling? That's the long and the short of it.
Similarly, knowing the weight of a full set of clubs, balls and your bottle of water, why would you want to carry all that on one shoulder? You must be mad. Always look for a bag with double straps.
There are a number of carry bags on the market. The following points are what to look for in a carry bag: dual straps – crucial for balance and comfortable carrying, a lightweight durable construction, waterproof, back pad for comfort, a stand, and a few pockets to carry the necessities. Ask your PGA professional to help you choose.
There are many impressive bags on the market for 2004 and it is good to see the manufacturers utilising the technology available to them. Titleist has the X-38 Techy, Sun Mountain has the Superlight 3.5 and the SunII pencil bag pictured here and Cobra has the impressive DB1.
However, the best option of all is a power trolley. The leading products on the market are Hill Billy and PowaKaddy. An electric trolley will transport your clubs from tee to green with ease and they are becoming ever-more popular, from juniors to seniors.
A final point about carrying, though. During the winter months especially, you may want to reduce the number of clubs in your bag and keep golf balls, jumpers and complete rain gear to a minimum. Carry what you need for the round, not the month. Happy Carrying.
Save your back completely and get a top caddy Premium Golf suggests employing a caddy. If you want the best, Steve Williams, who is Tiger's caddy might work for you but you'd probably have to lure him away with a larger wage bill. To top it, bear in mind that he earned $1.07 million dollars for Tiger's nine wins in 2000. That doesn't include earnings for the 11 other US tour events Tiger competed in that year. It is reported that Steve Williams, a Kiwi, is New Zealand's highest paid sportsman. |
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If you are interested in learning more about Antoni's work at the Gonstead clinic in London, you can visit his web site:
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