Warm winter golf leads courses to temporarily ban carts

Denver area courses become walking-only for winter play due to high use and grass damage

By Jim Bebbington

This winter’s warm weather has led to many Colorado courses seeing steady play and this week forced Denver courses to implement a rare and – they hope very temporary – ban on golf carts.

All city of Denver courses went cart-free as of Feb. 9. With the warm and dry winter weather, golf play has remained unusually high on many courses throughout December, January and February during a time when golf-cart damage to turf cannot be repaired because grasses are dormant. City of Aurora courses went walking-only in mid-January and are limiting tee times to two hours a day for the same reasons.

Course operators said they want to bring back carts as soon as possible but that with the amount of play the courses have been seeing this policy was needed so that by spring the courses start the regular season in good shape.

“People have a good understanding of that,” said French Martin, assistant professional at Denver’s Wellshire Golf Course. “The main thing people were saying yesterday is they’re aware obviously but they want the carts.”

With temperatures in the 50s and 60s for much of January and February and very little rain or snow, many Colorado courses are seeing record play for this time of year.

“We are seeing severe wear and tear on golf course traffic areas from carts that will only accelerate turf loss as this weather pattern persists,” the city of Denver announced in an email to players this week. “Walking only allows us to be responsible stewards of the course while maintaining course conditions under challenging circumstances. We will continue to monitor weather and course conditions and will reinstate cart use as soon as conditions safely allow.”

The policy covers the city courses including City Park, Wellshire, Kennedy and Willis Case. Denver’s Evergreen Golf Course, which is at a higher elevation, is closed for the winter.

Many area public courses have remained open and busy this winter despite superintendents expressing concerns that turf can be damaged if the course doesn’t get a chance to ‘rest.’

Colorado AvidGolfer Magazine is the state’s leading resource for golf and the lifestyle that surrounds it, publishing eight issues annually and proudly delivering daily content via coloradoavidgolfer.com.

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