The Walkability Index
I dropped flat on the 13th tee box at Karsten Creek Golf Club, the sun beating down on my face. My water bottle dried up somewhere after the turn and my mouth was full of cotton. Dizzy but conscious, I crawled over to a patch of three-inch rough shaded by the thick grove of oaks.
This was it, I thought. I’m going to die right here – 21 years old… alone… on this damn tee box… on this damn course I had no business playing in the first place. My last thoughts weren’t about my family. They were spent recounting how in the hell I got here…
As the club’s transportation specialist (cart barn boy), I was lucky enough to enjoy playing privileges. And for some reason on this late July afternoon, yours truly decided to walk the course alone. Teeing off just after lunch, the front nine went as planned. I took full advantage of the water coolers strategically tucked away along the cart paths.
But somewhere around the turn (a quarter of a mile walk up a hill and around the corner at Karsten), I started to feel it. I was in the best shape of my life, but no amount of hydration could save me on this day. Instead of calling it after nine, I stupidly pushed on. Around the 11th and 12th holes along the creek, the humidity is oppressive. A hundred yards and 20 vertical feet from the 12th green to the 13th tee was the straw that broke my back.
Maybe if I survive here long enough, a member might stumble upon me. Maybe it’ll be one of the guys or gals on the Oklahoma State golf team, who – after laughing at this pathetic sight – can call up to the clubhouse and send a cart (or an ambulance) for me.
Thirty minutes and no passersby later, I’d recovered enough to stand on my own two feet. I finished the 13th, then took the maintenance shortcut straight back to the clubhouse. Karsten may have won that battle, but I survived to see another day.
Since that time, I’ve been wary of walking a golf course. Not that I don’t do it – but I’m often suspicious of those psychopaths who exclusively shun carts. They probably wear socks to bed, too. How am I supposed to enjoy a round if I’m barely surviving it?
Mark Twain once famously claimed, “golf is a good walk spoiled.” Posthumously, that is, until the quippy line was discovered to have been attributed to no less than seven others. No matter the origin of the quote, its spirit rings true in this author’s bones.
In a game full of choices (shorts or pants, send it or lay up, Caesar wrap or hotdog at the turn), the first – and possibly most important – choice of the day is encountered from the onset.
For me, a husky fellow who is riddled with creaky knees from years of church league basketball, that answer is easier than most – if a cart is available, you’ll probably find me in it. But there are many “purists” out there who would admonish me for such a decision.
“You’re lazy,” they may chide, never knowing the hurtful impact of their slanderous statements.
(Laziness is subjective. Energy levels, however, are objective according to the laws of quantum mechanics, and I choose to conserve mine for the far more important decision of never laying up.)
And while these pretentious folks sashay about the golf course on their fleet feet, I choose to take the high road. Because at the end of the day, it’s a choice. MY choice. Whether to survive the walk, or to thrive in my game.
But HOW do you choose? Some may want to walk, but are afraid they may regret the choice somewhere deep in the round. After years of struggling with this myself, I developed a proprietary algorithm that helps me answer that question before I ever get off the couch.
Enter: The Walkability Index
I wanted to assign an objective walkability score to any given golf course. I say objective because there are groups out there (looking at you, Walking Golfers Society) who use subjective ratings like “Course is easy to walk” and “Course is essentially unwalkable.” Just like some might think climbing to the top of Mt. Everest is manageable, it’s an impossible task for someone of my fitness level. With an objective rating on a scale of 100, one can determine their own threshold for walking a golf course. If there’s a track over 70/100 on the Walkability Index, I’m seriously considering the riding option.
The five factors by which a Walkability Index is determined are:
Total Length Walked (the distance measured from the tips of the first tee to the 18th green assessed by natural walking paths and middle of the fairway – not necessarily cart paths)
Total Elevation Gained + Lost (the sum of elevation gained walking up hills and lost walking down hills)
Average Slope
Max Uphill Slope
Max Downhill Slope
The grading system is simple - each factor is graded on a 1-10 point scale. The sum is multiplied by 2 and that total out of 100 is the Walkability Index for that course. Here are a few examples:
Lake Hefner (South), Oklahoma City, OK
6405 yards on the scorecard
Total Length Walked: 4.22 mi
Total Elevation Gained + Lost: 521 feet
Average Slope: 1.9%
Max Uphill Slope: 9.3%
Max Downhill Slope: 9.1%
With these factors plugged into the algorithm, Lake Hefner South’s Walkability Index is 40/100. This is a straightforward municipal golf course that could be walked by most any day of the week.
The Patriot Golf Club, Owasso, OK
7158 yards on the scorecard
Total Length Walked: 6.26 mi
Total Elevation Gained + Lost: 1,543 feet
Average Slope: 3.7%
Max Uphill Slope: 24.2%
Max Downhill Slope: 24.1%
The algorithm gives The Patriot a Walkability Index of 98/100. It is technically walkable, but do you want to?
Again – not scientific and there are other factors at hand that aren’t taken into account, like soil conditions, temperature and humidity, etc. But I think this is a simple way to determine what is feasibly and enjoyably walkable for YOU. I’ll leave you with a few others.
Karsten Creek Golf Club
7417 yards on the scorecard
Total Length Walked: 5.47mi
Total Elevation Gained + Lost: 1,416 feet
Average Slope: 4.2%
Max Uphill Slope: 25.4%
Max Downhill Slope: 19.1%
Walkability Index = 92/100
Southern Hills Country Club
7184 yards on the scorecard
Total Length Walked: 4.74 mi
Total Elevation Gained + Lost: 900 feet
Average Slope: 3.2%
Max Uphill Slope: 18.0%
Max Downhill Slope: 20.7%
Walkability Index = 70/100