Why Don’t Pro Golfers Use Carts? [Can Tiger Woods?]

If you’ve ever played golf before, chances are you’ve probably seen golf carts riding around the golf course.

Many golf courses will have them for use, so why when we watch the top players on professional tours do we never see them using golf carts?

In this article, we’ll take a look at why pro golfers don’t use carts when they play in tour events.

Why Don't Pro Golfers Use Carts?

Ed Welton

Founder, Editor

Ed is the founder and editor at EEE Golf. He’s been playing golf for over 20 years, competing in many top amateur events. He’s played courses all over the world and played with some of the best players in the game. His aim is to help educate people about the game of golf and give insights into the sport he loves most.

Why Don’t Pro Golfers Use Carts?

Why Don’t Pro Golfers Use Carts?

Golf carts are not allowed for use on the PGA Tour, except under certain medical circumstances, because the tour believes that they give an unfair advantage.

The top professional tours believe that part of the importance of competition is that everyone is playing an even field.

If some players are riding around in carts, they’re not using as much stamina as the players who are actually walking the course.

It might not seem like golf is the most physical of sports. However, walking 18 holes on long courses with slopes and hollows, often for four days straight, requires a good level of endurance, and a golf cart removes that element of fitness.

Ed’s Top Tip


If you want to get better at golf and feel much fitter, leave the buggy and walk it. An 18 hole round is far more enjoyable on foot and it will do great things for your health.

As well as the fitness part, it’s also about the tradition of the game of golf. Golf is a game full of history and tradition, and it’s important that the current professional golfers honour that.

After all, you wouldn’t have seen Old Tom Morris riding a cart down the fairway of Prestwick Golf Club all those years ago.

Despite most pro golfers not being able to use a golf cart, there are some players who can get a special exemption for a PGA Tour event, provided it’s for an injury or medical condition.

This rule was never actually the case on the PGA Tour. It wasn’t until 2001 when Casey Martin, a professional golfer with Klippel-Trenaunay-Weber syndrome won a case in the Supreme Court which gave him the right to use a cart in PGA Tour events.

Since then, the rule was updated to let professional golfers ride carts at events so long as they have a valid reason.

Why Doesn’t Tiger Woods Use A Golf Cart?

Tiger Woods doesn’t use a golf cart because he claims that it’s just not something he’d want to do and if “If I can’t play at that level, I can’t play at that level.”

So regardless of whether or not he’d be allowed to use a cart because of his various injuries, he’d choose not to as it’s just not something he’d want to do in big tournaments.

It’s certainly a shame, especially when Tiger is still able to compete at a very high level, with the only thing holding him back from success is the fact that he struggles to walk for 18 holes over four days.

Perhaps it’s an ego thing or maybe Tiger just doesn’t want to break the games traditions. But I’d still love to watch him play, even if it is while using a golf cart.

Has Any PGA Player Ever Used A Cart?

Yes, PGA golfers in the past have used a golf cart while playing in tour events.

The first player allowed to use a golf cart on the professional circuit was Casey Martin, who had to go through court proceedings with the tour in order to have the rule changed.

Martin, suffered from a circulatory disease in his right leg which made it difficult to walk, so walking an entire course was very challenging.

After a four-year battle with the PGA Tour, the Supreme Court ruled that Casey Martin could use a golf cart under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

However, since winning the claim in 2001, Martin has only gone on to play in a handful of events on the PGA Tour, struggling to keep his PGA Tour card.

Another high-profile player to have used a cart on the PGA Tour is John Daly. Having won the PGA Championship in 1991, Daly has the right to play in the major championship for as long as he wishes.

But suffering from osteoarthritis in his right knee, Daly is allowed to use a golf cart under the Disabilities Act.

Final Thoughts

For many golfers, golf carts are an essential part of the game. But in the professional circuit, walking is an integral part of the game.

However, golf is also a game of fairness and inclusivity. Therefore, if players need to use a golf cart, as it’s for a valid medical reason, it’s also acceptable.

FAQs

Can players use golf carts in practice rounds?

No, golf carts are not allowed in practice rounds, unless the golfer has been given a special medical exemption allowing them to use a golf cart.

Why don’t they use carts in the PGA?

Golf carts aren’t used on the PGA Tour because they’re seen as an unfair advantage, but also because the game is about endurance and tradition, and golf carts impact this.

Can pro golfers use a golf cart?

No, pro golfers can’t use golf carts in a professional tournament unless they’re given a special medical exemption like Casey Martin or John Daly.

Is Tiger Woods allowed to use a cart?

Yes, because of his injuries, Tiger Woods would be allowed to use a golf cart but he chooses not to because he doesn’t believe he should use one.

Does senior PGA allow carts?

Yes, since 2006, the Senior PGA Tour has allowed players to use a golf cart in events, except for a major tournament and certain other events.

Can Champions Tour use carts?

Yes, the Champions Tour lets its players use a buggy if they wish, apart from when it’s a major championship.

Why is John Daly allowed to use a cart?

John Daly is allowed to use golf carts in PGA tournaments because he has osteoarthritis in his knee and so struggles to walk long distances.

Can Tiger use a buggy?

Yes, if he wanted to Tiger Woods is allowed to use a golf buggy in tournaments because of his leg injuries which he sustained in a car crash in 2021.

Ed Welton

Founder, Editor

Ed is the founder and editor at EEE Golf. He’s been playing golf for over 20 years, competing in many top amateur events. He’s played courses all over the world and played with some of the best players in the game. His aim is to help educate people about the game of golf and give insights into the sport he loves most.

Scroll to Top