(Photo by Meagan Deanne/The Forum)
The club is trying out four Finn cycles this season and has found them to be a “head-turner for sure,” according to Head Professional Chris Larson, as well as “super-quick” for playing a round. The scooters are also proving to have a benefit in reducing turf stress.
There isn’t much in the world of golf that the staff running Moorhead (Minn.) Country Club (MCC) isn’t afraid to try, Inforum of Fargo, N.D. reported. And a lot of the times. it works.
“We’re definitely not scared to push the envelope and try new stuff,” said Head Professional Chris Larson. “And certainly there are some ideas that we strike out on.”
The latest idea at Moorhead CC, though, seems to be catching on quickly, Inforum reported. This summer, the club is trying out four Finn cycles, which are electric-powered, two-wheeled scooter versions of the traditional four-wheel golf cart.
Made by its parent company Sun Mountain Sports in Missoula, Mont., which made its name with golf bags and push carts, The “Finn Cycle” is mostly about speeding up the game in an era when one of the major complaints of golf is how long it takes to play 18 holes, Inforum reported.
The clubs are placed between the handlebars at an angle that ends below the seat. MCC’s scooters are painted a bright, almost neon, green, Inforum reported.
“We’re having a lot of fun with it,” Larson said. “It’s a head-turner for sure. Playing-wise, if you’re playing with a foursome and all four have these Finn scooters, it’s super-quick to play.”
Sun Mountain Sports’ website claims that golfers average 7.5 minutes per hole by using a scooter, Inforum reported. The scooters are a little faster than a golf cart, and their wide, studded tires and a low base give a rider an added sense of stability. The tires are also probably less invasive on the course than a traditional golf cart, Inforum reported.
Larson said it didn’t take MCC’s Head Golf Course Superintendent Ryan Inglis very long to come away impressed. “He was a little reserved before we started issuing them out,” Larson said. “But after he went out, he was like ‘these are fantastic.’ You have two tires to one person, as compared to someone taking a golf cart out by themselves where you have four tires and you have more weight and more traffic.”
The Finn Scooter takes seconds to learn how to use, Inforum reported. The throttle is a small push lever on the right handle, with both handles having squeeze brakes.
Larson saw the product over the winter at the annual PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, Fla., Inforum reported. Sun Mountain sells the Finn Scooters to clubs through a revenue-sharing format, with Moorhead having a lease for three years. After that time, MCC will own them.
Larson said MCC is going to wait “for the novelty to subside a little bit” before it will consider adding more, Inforum reported.
The scooters are being made available to players on a first-come, first-serve basis, and golfers must have an automobile license to operate them.
When fully charged, they’re expected to last 36 holes, although Larson said MCC’s experience has been that they last even longer, pointing out that the batteries are new and that the MCC course is somewhat of a flat track.
The reviews from golfers that have used the scooters, Larson said, have been off the charts.
Other courses in the region that are experimenting with the scooters, according to Larson, include Hawktree Golf Club in Bismarck, N.D., Dellwood Country Club just north of St. Paul, Minn. and the Giants Ridge Golf Resort in Biwabik, Minn.
C+RB reported recently on the use of the scooters at Eagle Creek Golf Club in Norwalk, Ohio (https://clubandresortbusiness.com/clubs-introduce-alternative-golf-vehicles/)
At the least, offering the scooters is a way to address the time element of golf, Larson feels.
“We’re always looking at ways, how can we get this game quicker?” he said. “How can we make it more fun, because it’s been the same game forever, but not taking away from the traditions of the game, the respect and integrity and all of the things that go along with golf that make it so great.
“There are ways we can jazz it up, make it new and fresh, and this is one way to do it.”
To view video of the scooters on the MCC course, go to https://www.inforum.com/sports/golf/4053770-Moorhead-Country-Club-jazzing-up-golf-with-electric-cart-scooters
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