To outsiders, it just seems that if the guy can hit golf shots, he ought to be allowed to hit golf shots, regardless of how he gets from one to the next. Let's take the technical issue first. But anyone who confuses competitive golf with a stroll in the park should remember the last time they walked five or six miles over hill and dale, or the last time they did that four days in a row under crunching psychological pressure. Traditionalists like Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, and Tom Watson support the Tour's view that walking is an indispensable feature of competitive golf. For example, they point to Ken Venturi's storied victory in the Open at Congressional in 1964, when he staggered through his second eigthteen holes delirious from heat exhaustion.
Traditionalists make a valid point, but they overlook some things.
For one, nobody plays thirty-six holes per day at the U.S. Open anymore. If they did, officials wouldn't allow a competitor to continue in Ken Venturi's condition, not at the risk of a law suit. Then there's the little inconsistency that carts are allowed on the Senior Tour. Most ironic is the fact that Palmer and Nicklaus have built numerous courses where golfers are required to ride carts, bestowing a dreadful scourge upon the game. Traditionalists object that by conserving energy Martin gains an advantage when riding in a cart, and they seem to have a point.