While many clubs embrace convenience, East Lake Golf Club (Atlanta) doubled down on walking and caddies as a way to strengthen culture, member interaction, and course conditions.
To Chad Parker, President and General Manager of the club, this decision reflects both tradition and philosophy. Plus, it strengthens the club’s caddie program.
Walking as a club philosophy
While the club historically had golf carts, today the club operates as a walking-only course, with carts available only to those with medical needs. Caddies are also required for all players.
“Golf was originally designed to be played on foot, and we believe walking allows players to experience the course the way it was intended—strategically, socially, and aesthetically,” says Parker.
Being a walking-only course, the pace of the game is slowed, creating a connected rhythm and reinforcing the culture and traditions that define East Lake GC.
Parker says walking encourages engagement with the golf course, deeper interaction among players, and stronger relationships between members and caddies.
“Our caddie program is an important extension of our broad ‘Golf with a Purpose’ mission,” says Parker. “Beyond enhancing play, the program creates meaningful employment opportunities and mentorship experiences for our caddie team.”
Another benefit of a walking-only course is the agronomic advantage. Reduced cart traffic minimizes turf compaction, wear patterns, and stress around tees, fairways and high-traffic areas. It also reduces the need for extensive cart path infrastructure and helps maintain cleaner aesthetics across the property.
“Walking rounds—especially with experienced caddies—often move more efficiently and consistently than cart golf,” says Parker. “There tends to be less leap-frogging, less waiting around carts, and better overall group flow.”
However, from an operational standpoint, a walking-only course requires a disciplined caddie schedule and careful tee sheet management to ensure proper coverage during peak periods.
The caddie experience becomes inseparable from the golf experience, thereby making staffing and training critical.
The cultural payoff
The payoff of this initiative is cultural as much as operational, according to Parker.
“Walking helps create a distinct identity and experience that members cannot easily replicate elsewhere,” he says. “It reinforces tradition, strengthens community, elevates the role of caddies, and creates a more thoughtful and connected version of golf.”
And members love it. Parker says feedback is always extremely positive. Conversations last longer, relationships deepen, and members engage in more meaningful ways with one another, their caddies, and the course itself.
“Once people acclimate to the walking course, they often find it difficult to imagine the course functioning differently,” he adds.
