“We’re Out of Toilet Paper, Hand Sanitizer—and Golf Pushcarts?”

Pre-pandemic, push carts were already infinitely more accepted in the United States than at any point in my lifetime. Largely due to college golfers adopting them in the last seven years or so, pre-pandemic American golfers were increasingly overcoming the supposed embarrassment of using one over a motorized golf cart.

The rest of the world has always been perfectly fine with push carts, pull carts, trolleys, etc… and now, with physical distancing rules or some courses limiting cart usage, the day has arrived when we are witnessing not only an appreciation but a run on the simple devices. Some of the finest courses in the world where they were once forbidden are now okay with push carts. AND golfers changing their shoes in the parking lot.

(Visualize shocked Emoji here.)

Of course any form of walking, even with a push cart is better exercise, connects you with the course and your group (if all walking) and is just a quieter, calmer, more centered experience.

I’ve heard from golfers enjoying the push cart (Charlie Rymer discussed on Shack Show Ep. 2 about his golf in Myrtle Beach with his beloved electric push cart and how much more he’s enjoying non-cart golf). And frequently, I’ve heard from others asking if I know a guy who knows a guy who might have an extra for sale.

Jason Scott Deegan was the first to cover the topic for GolfAdvisor and covered many elements for those needing a reference piece.

But this on the manufacturing side is noteworthy.

"There's been a tremendous rush for push carts," said Craig Ramsbottom, the president of Dynamic Brands, which sells popular BagBoy models like the Nitron. "It caught us off-guard. The demand, it’s hard to describe. ... Over the last week, we got down to zero carts. It's amazing. Whether it was a slower moving model or color, anything and everything sold."

The Wall Street Journal’s Andrew Beaton has tackled the topic as well in a piece “We’re Out of Toilet Paper, Hand Sanitizer—and Golf Pushcarts?”

Suddenly, people eager to trade the misery of sheltering in place for the frustration of chasing around a tiny ball realize they need a pushcart.

Mr. Hansen is the national sales manager for ProActive Sports Group, which distributes Clicgear, a line hyped as the “Rolls-Royce of pushcarts.” His firm typically has a strong sense of how much inventory it needs for a season. It takes the estimates, adds a fudge factor and places orders long in advance.

None of its statistical models accounted for a pandemic. As soon as golf courses changed protocols, pushcarts began flying off shelves. Courses tried to order them in bulk. Retailers that sold out wanted more. Individuals went hunting online.

The U.S. has no strategic pushcart reserve. Distributors say it can take weeks or months to get new shipments, a process hardly made easier by coronavirus supply-chain disruptions.

Regular golf carts are never going away and a significant profit motive will always keep them safe. Besides, way too many courses are tough to play without one. But in this bizarre time, let the push cart join things like better tee time spacing, unraked bunkers and slower green speeds as having gained fans.