The new carts at Cherokee Run in Conyers, Ga., feature an electronic management system allowing the clubhouse to track, control, and contact golfers on the course. Braemar GC in Edina, Minn., has added Golf Skate Caddies, which look similar to Segways and electric skateboards in that they’re electric and designed for a single rider.
On August 19, the city council in Conyers, Ga., approved the purchase of 64 new golf carts for the city-owned Cherokee Run Golf Club, the Rockdale (Ga.) Citizen reported.
The new carts, purchased from Club Car Inc. for $251,000, are much more tech savvy than the previous ones, including a messaging system to contact golfers while out on the course and an electronic management system that will allow the staff to track the carts on the course. The new system enables workers in the clubhouse to control the new carts remotely, slowing or stopping it when nearing dangerous or prohibited areas, the Citizen reported.
“Golfers from time to time abuse our equipment, and we’ll be able to identify that,” City Manager Tony Lucas said. Lucas is hopeful the upgrade will prevent abuse to the new golf carts, and the golf course will be able to hold abusers accountable for their actions, the Citizen reported.
Club Car was granted the contract following a recommendation from Lucas to the council. Among other reasons, Lucas was impressed with the performance of the current carts also supplied by Club Car in 2011, the Citizen reported.
“We’ve got almost five years out of our current fleet, and that’s almost unheard of,” Lucas said. He also mentioned that Club Car provided excellent support service when the staff of Cherokee Run had to fix a battery problem only three years into the contract made in 2011. “Club Car provides a high quality product and they have treated us well,” Lucas said.
In addition, Club Car offered a $15,000 discount and quoted a higher trade-in value for the 2011 fleet than either of the competitors, as well as two utility vehicles free of charge, the Citizen reported.
The new golf carts will be red with beige canopies seats. As usual, the included amenities consist of a sweater basket, hinged fold-down windshield, and staple drink holders, the Citizen reported.
In Edina, Minn., Braemar Golf Course has also upgraded its course vehicles to Golf Skate Caddies. The new caddies look similar to Segways and electric skateboards in that they’re electric and designed for a single rider, with a place for a golf bag in the front, the Minneapolis-based KARE 11 reported.
“It’s still traditional golf; it’s just a different way to get around the golf course and I think that’s an exciting thing for the golfing industry,” said General Manager Joe Abood. Braemar is the first in the state to offer these electric caddies and sent golfers out on them Thursday, KARE reported.
The Golf Skate Caddy has only recently taken off in the United States within the last two years, and originated in Australia. According to the Minnesota Golf Skate Caddy representative Kevin Unterreiner, around 140 golf courses in the country are using them, KARE reported.
“I took a January vacation to Orlando and one of the courses I was playing at had these, so I rode it. I got hooked right away and just said, ‘I gotta help bring these to Minnesota,'” Unterreiner said.
According to Golf Skate Caddy’s website, it has an advantage over a sitting golf cart when it comes to keeping core muscles warm for higher performance levels, KARE reported.
“It’s kind of like riding around on a boat and then getting a jet ski or a personal watercraft. It gives you a little more freedom and it’s just a little more fun,” said Scott Peterson of Eagan, who used one of the Golf Skate Caddies. Unterreiner said it also has proven to be popular with a younger generation of players, KARE reported.
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