Interview with BATCADDY Community & Affiliate Member, Beau Hanna

In this week's post, we sat down with BATCADDY Community and affiliate program member, Beau Hanna from Daphne, Alabama to learn more about what drives his passion for golf, and how his regular of retired engineers enjoy walking the course, all now with their Batcaddys!

From left to right: Mike McKown, 72, X8R | Brian Dykes, 67, X3R | Mike Schulz, 70, X3R | Beau Hanna, 71, X3R

How long have you and your fourball players been playing golf?
Mike McKown: 40+ years
Mike Schulz: 60 Years
Brian Dykes: 60 Years
Beau Hanna: 59 Years

Mike McKown, Brian Dykes, and Beau Hanna have been playing together since around 1979. Mike Schulz has been playing with us since 1996. We're all retired engineers.

Have you guys always been active from a lifestyle standpoint? And what sports did you play?
Yes, we’ve all played multiple sports including baseball, basketball, football, track, tennis, soccer, softball, and camping.

How many rounds do you guys play per week?
Mike McKown: 5-6
Mike Schulz: 4-5
Brian Dykes: 3
Beau Hanna: 3-5
All of these numbers are weather dependent. We don’t really have any "too cold" days here in South Alabama, but we have things like rain and hurricanes.

Do you always walk golf when you play?
We always walk when playing on our home course and ride when playing in tournaments or leagues. The two Mikes do that about once a week. Brian does it once a week during the summer for a league and Beau only plays our home course and no tournaments or leagues. This past summer during the months of August and September we arranged to ride because it was so hot that the sweat made it difficult to grip the club. While the cart solved the sweating, we all really didn't like riding. When it got to be late September and the weather moderated, we began walking again even though we were paid up through the end of the month.

How would you compare walking to riding?
We all prefer walking over riding. Better exercise, going directly to your shot instead of having the cart drive between the two shots, allows more concentration and focus, and enjoy surroundings more. In our view there’s no comparison, walking is the only way to truly enjoy golf. The added exercise, fresh air, and sunshine is a real health benefit.

How does using the caddy affect speed of play?. Can you elaborate?
Speed of play is always faster using the Batcaddy. It allows you to leave your cart to help find a partner’s ball, take short cuts to your ball and have all of your "tools" at your disposal. The additional benefits are being able to pack additional sport drinks, water, and clothing to fit the changing conditions on the course. Being able to go directly to your ball and get prepared for your next shot is much more efficient than waiting while your partner in the cart does that and then driving to your shot and not being able to start the process until then. Even if you leave your cart and take your range finder to your shot, you have to wait until the cart shows up with your clubs to be able to play. If you also consider the days when it's cart paths only, it’s MUCH better to walk and use the Batcaddy. It’s not only speed of play, but we’ve modified our carts to have a sand bottle on them so we can better help maintain the course.

What is your favorite course to play, and which is the toughest you have played?
We all picked our home course, Lake Forest in Daphne, AL as our favorite course because we play it all the time. Magnolia Grove in Mobile, AL is also a favorite.

Our toughest courses?
Mike McKown: Kings Barn in Scotland
Mike Schulz: Wild Horse in Gothenburg, Nebraska
Brian Dykes: Royal Dornoch, Ireland (couldn't stay out of the gorse)
Beau Hanna: It's been so long since I've played anywhere else, I can't remember one.

Anything you would like to close with?
BATCADDY has been a godsend to us older guys who still enjoy walking and need a little help in "toting" the bag. Some of us have purchased two of these carts and would not use any other brand. The quality of the product and the customer service is second to none. When we started playing together, we all walked and carried our bags. Then the "stand" bag came out and we thought that was great. Then one of us got a 3-wheel pushcart and couldn't believe what a difference that made in our energy remaining after a round. Then one of the guys got a Batcaddy. While we thought it would make a little difference, it turned out the be almost as big a change as going from carrying the bag to pushing it. It really is like having a caddy with you (other than you must get your own yardages and rake your own bunkers). It makes walking the course a much more pleasurable walk and when it's over you still have energy to do something else the rest of the day. Another great thing about BATCADDY is they sell parts and accessories so you can replace treads, or any other part of the cart that may wear out, they’re pretty easy to work on.