Compare · Walk, Ride, Push, or Hire

Four ways aroundthe course.

Push it, ride it, hire it — or have it follow you. Only one option keeps you walking, carries the bag, talks strategy, and pays the course back. Here’s the honest math on all four.

Head to Head

The honest scorecard.

Every option gets you around eighteen. The differences are what you carry, what you burn, what you spend — and what the course earns.

Your bag
RoverCarried for you — hands free
Push CartYou push it
Riding CartStrapped to the cart
CaddieCarried for you
You walk the course
Rover✓ Every step
Push Cart✓
Riding Cart✗ You ride
Caddie✓
Calories per round
Rover~1,400
Push Cart~1,400
Riding Cart~800
Caddie~1,400
Effort on you
RoverNone — it follows
Push CartPushing, all 18
Riding CartNone
CaddieNone
Pace of play
RoverFastest way to walk
Push CartSlower — push & reposition
Riding CartFast
CaddieFast
On-course advice
Rover✓ Master Caddies AI advice
Push Cart✗
Riding Cart✗
Caddie✓ The original
Comforts on board
RoverCooler · speaker · USB · storage
Push CartBottle cage, maybe
Riding CartCooler, maybe
CaddieGood conversation
Cost per round (golfer)
Rover$15–20 rental
Push Cart$5–10
Riding Cart$20–25
Caddie$80–120 + tip
Cost to the course
Rover$99/mo lease — 5 rentals covers it
Push CartInventory on a rack
Riding CartFleet capital + turf & path upkeep
CaddieRecruiting + running a program
Revenue to the course
Rover✓ Rental + Master Caddies share
Push CartMinimal
Riding Cart✓ Rental
Caddie✗ Fees go to the caddie
Storage footprint
Rover10–12 units per cart bay
Push CartRacks
Riding CartA full cart barn
CaddieA caddie yard
Calorie figures are MET-based estimates for a 185-lb golfer (see Why Walk). Rental and caddie fees vary by course; ranges reflect typical U.S. pricing. Course lease figure is Rover’s standard 48-month program.
The Season Math

What fifty rounds really cost.

Caddie on the bag
$5,000+

50 rounds × $80–120 plus tips. The full experience, at a price.

Riding cart
~$1,150

50 rounds × $20–25. You sat for every one of them.

Rover rental
~$875

50 rounds × $15–20. Less than cart money — and you walked 250 miles of it.

Rover owned
$3,995

One-time, plus $200 S&H. Pays for itself inside a season vs. a caddie.

“80% of the caddie experience, for about 20% of the cost.”

The Rover Caddie Experience
The Walking Calculator

What a round on foot is worth.

Your weight, your age, your course. See the burn per round, the walk-vs-ride gap, and what a year of walking adds up to.

§ 01 — The Golfer
Your numbers, your round.
Set your weight. The burn updates live.
185
pounds
100200300
§ 02 — Walk vs. Ride
Walking with Rover1,453 cal
Riding a cart855 cal
Walking burns +598 calories more per round — same course, same clubs, no carrying.
Estimates use MET values from the Compendium of Physical Activities (hands-free walking ≈ 4.0 METs, riding ≈ 2.5 METs), adjusted for weight and age. Walked distance ≈ 1.45× scorecard yardage. Individual results vary — this is an estimate, not medical advice.
Calories Per Walked Round
1,453calories
≈ 11,353 steps · 5.4 miles on foot
Weekly Exercise Target
170%
One walked round vs. the CDC’s 150-minute week
Extra Burn vs. Riding
+598 cal
every round you walk instead of ride
Your Year On Foot · 72 rounds
Calories burned
104,611
Steps walked
817,405
Miles on foot
386 · 14.7 marathons
Fat-loss equivalent vs. riding
12.3 lbs
Hands free, every step of it
The App Field

How we stack up.

The bag was only half the story — the other half is in your pocket. Every golf app gives you yardages. Master Caddies is the only one with the head pro’s playbook, a voice that answers back, and a revenue share for the course.

Revenue share to the course
Master Caddies✓ On every round
Arccos✗
18Birdies✗
TheGrint✗
Golf Logix✗
Course-specific strategy
Master Caddies✓ Head pro embedded
Arccos✗
18Birdies✗
TheGrint✗
Golf Logix✗
Voice caddie
Master Caddies✓ 6 personalities
Arccos✗
18Birdies✗
TheGrintText only
Golf Logix✗
Real-time voice Q&A
Master Caddies✓ Ask anything
Arccos✗
18Birdies✗
TheGrint✗
Golf Logix✗
Cart mode — 2 players, 1 phone
Master Caddies✓ Exclusive
Arccos✗
18Birdies✗
TheGrint✗
Golf Logix✗
3D hole flyovers
Master Caddies✓ Every hole
ArccosAerial map
18Birdies✓ Flyover
TheGrint✗
Golf Logix✓ Full 3D VR
Course leaderboards
Master Caddies✓
Arccos✗
18Birdies✓
TheGrint✓
Golf Logix✗
Hardware cost to you
Master Caddies$0
Arccos$425–600 sensors
18Birdies$0
TheGrint$150 optional
Golf Logix$0
Annual cost
Master Caddies$99.99
Arccos$200–300
18Birdies$99.99
TheGrint$39.99–99.99
Golf Logix$29.99–49.99
Golfshot (free GPS + 3D flyover) and Blue Tees (cart-mounted GPS speaker, ~$180) omitted for space — neither offers voice strategy, course-specific intelligence, or course revenue share. Pricing from app store listings and brand sites, current as of 2025–2026.
Meet Master Caddies
For Golfers

Walk your next round.

Rover is at 471 courses and counting. Find one near you, or see what walking eighteen does for your health.

For Course Operators

Turn walkers into revenue.

Five rentals a month covers the lease. Run a 30-day Caddie Experience Program at no cost to the club and let your members prove the demand.