Buggies, Caddies and Etiquette in California

The short answer

California is the rare American golf state where the answer to walk or ride genuinely depends on where you stand. Head to the Monterey Peninsula and you step into a walking and caddie culture as serious as anywhere in the country: Pebble Beach Golf Links and Spyglass Hill both encourage walking and run a professional caddie service, the Links at Spanish Bay is walking only, and just up the coast the Alister MacKenzie masterpiece at Pasatiempo was built before electric carts and rewards being walked. The classic private clubs, Cypress Point, the Olympic Club in San Francisco, Riviera and Los Angeles Country Club, are walking clubs with caddies at their core.

Drive inland to greater Palm Springs and the picture flips. The desert is cart country: riding is standard, the buggy is usually included in the green fee, and the heat from late spring into autumn makes walking the exception. Many desert and inland resort courses run cart path only or 90 degree rules to protect the turf. Knowing which California you are playing, the coastal walking world or the desert riding world, is the single most useful thing to settle before you travel.

Caddies and walking on the coast

If a caddie experience is the reason you are coming to California, the Monterey Peninsula is the heart of it. Walking caddies at Pebble Beach are best arranged in advance, ideally at least 72 hours ahead through Caddie Services, and the resort asks single carry bags to weigh under about 24 pounds; heavier bags ride on a push cart. Forecaddies are offered for groups of three or four and walk with the group to give lines, reads and pace, and crucially, if anyone in the group takes a cart, a forecaddie becomes mandatory and the cart stays on the path throughout. Spyglass Hill works the same way, with indicative single caddie fees around 160 dollars per bag, about 110 dollars per bag when a caddie carries two, plus a customary gratuity of roughly 70 to 100 dollars walking single. The Links at Spanish Bay is walking only, and Pasatiempo near Santa Cruz, a public MacKenzie design, takes caddies on a day of notice and is a joy to walk for anyone who can handle the hills.

Treat the caddie as the local expert that they are. Ask for the line off the tee, the read on the greens and the pace, listen on the famous holes, and tip on top of the fee. Walking is part of the privilege on this coast, so resist the urge to ride unless you genuinely need to, and where a cart is unavoidable, keep it on the path and out of the way of the people walking.

Riding and the heat in the desert

Greater Palm Springs is a different game. This is a desert, and from late spring into early autumn afternoon temperatures routinely climb past 100 degrees Fahrenheit, so carts are standard, usually included in the fee, and tee times move early to beat the heat. Many desert and inland resort courses run cart path only or 90 degree rules, especially after overseeding or rain, so expect to park on the path and walk in to the ball at times. The prime, comfortable season runs through winter and early spring, when the desert is at its best and the courses are busiest. Whenever you ride in the heat, carry far more water than you think you need, wear a hat and sunscreen, and get out early.

Etiquette and how to plan around it

The usual courtesies apply statewide: keep pace, repair pitch marks, replace or sand divots, rake the bunkers, and keep carts away from greens and tees. Dress codes at the better clubs and resorts mean a collared shirt and proper golf shoes, with no denim at most, so pack accordingly. The smart way to build a California trip is to decide which side of the state you are playing and set expectations to match: a Monterey leg planned around walking and caddies, with tee times and any caddie requests locked in well ahead, and a desert leg planned around cart golf and early starts. Settle the walking, cart, caddie and dress questions before you travel, and the golf takes care of itself.