A new golf car with added power and improved safety features is the perfect fit for a mountainous Colorado property.
When a property has three golf courses called Summit, Mountain and Valley—and the elevation of the “Valley” course is 7,200 feet—getting from point A to point B is not for the faint of heart.
The varying topography in four microclimates, from the valley floor to the 9,200-ft. peak of the Summit Course, only adds to the distinguishing characteristics of these courses at The Club at Cordillera, near Vail, Colo.
“It’s probably some of the most challenging terrain a golf car can face,” notes Brock Sloan, the club’s Director of Golf. “On any given course, there can be a 300- to 500-foot change in elevation.”
So while golf cars are sometimes an amenity that members or guests at many properties take for granted, vehicle performance matters greatly at a site like Cordillera.
“We need a more powerful cart to handle the mountains here,” says John Kuzina, the Head Golf Professional of the Mountain Course.
When Cordillera’s lease with E-Z-GO was coming to an end as the winter of 2007 approached, Sloan and club President Joe Petrash started exploring their options by researching different types of golf cars. Then they took a visit to E-Z-GO and got a first-hand look at its new golf car prototype, the RXV™. As part of a tour of the E-Z-GO factory in Augusta, Ga., they tried out the RXV, which is available in gas and electric models, on various slopes, sands and grasses at the company’s test center. They liked what they saw and signed a new four-year lease for the model, which had been unveiled in November 2007 after five years of research and development.
This April, the first of the new RXVs arrived when the golf season opened at Cordillera, which became one of the initial properties to take delivery of the vehicles. Each of Cordillera’s three 18-hole courses now has a 65-car fleet of the electric golf cars.
The semi-private property customized its new fleet, selecting black golf cars and adding its logo on the rain covers. “We really like the look and design,” reports Sloan.
Putting on the Brakes
While aesthetics count, however, the real selling point for Cordillera is that the signature feature of the electric RXV—its dual braking system—is made for the property.
This industry-first braking system stops automatically on steep slopes as needed. The “drive by wire” system maintains consistent speeds with ease, and the dual braking system increases efficiency up to 30 percent by supplying a battery recharge whenever the brakes are applied.
“It recharges as you play golf,” explains Sloan. “And there’s no lock on the brake. When you’re playing mountain golf, that is a big deal.”
The no-lock brake is quieter as well, reducing noise on the golf course, he adds.
Because the parking brake automatically engages when the RXV comes to a stop, the golf car requires no foot pedal application. Sloan says the staff had to educate golfers about this safety feature, but they have adapted easily.
“That [brake] has been terrific,” adds Joe Kamby, the Head Golf Professional at the Valley Course. “Golfers can stop the golf car on a severe hill, and it holds.”
Charging Ahead
Unlike other electric golf cars, the RXV’s drive train boasts an alternating-current (AC) motor, rather than the traditional direct-current (DC) motor. The AC motor generates more power and has a longer operating time between battery charges, making it 30 percent more efficient than direct-current cars and enabling a 10 percent improvement in daily range.
“That system is constantly delivering energy back into the batteries and increases the length of time that the vehicle can be on the course,” notes Brandon Haddock, E-Z-GO’s Marketing Communications Manager. “The automatic brake, in combination with the AC drive ability, electronically controls the vehicle speed on steep slopes, and golfers don’t have to worry about the vehicle gaining a great deal of speed.”
The staying power of the RXV is a natural fit for the rugged terrain at Cordillera, where the previous cars had to be recharged after one round of golf.
“With the [operating] challenges here and all the changes in elevation, we needed to make sure these cars are able to go 36 holes per charge,” notes Kamby.
The extended life is not the only improvement that the RXV battery has to offer. Kuzina says it is also more maintenance-friendly than the battery in other models. A Battery Filling System, an option that allows for easy maintenance and refilling of the batteries, hooks up to a hose to check the water level, eliminating the need to open the RXV battery, he explains.
“In the past, you would just fill [the batteries] with water until they overflowed,” Kuzina notes.
The RXV is optimal for the dry climate at the high-altitude property, notes Sloan, and the time it takes to fill the battery is less than two minutes per car. Previously, the staff spent 15 to 30 minutes per golf car filling batteries, he reveals.
In addition, says Kuzina, “The chargers are much lighter and more compact.”
Kamby agrees, adding that the smaller chargers make the batteries easier to work with in the storage barn.
Kuzina also reports that a light system indicates if the golf car is charging or not.
“Our past chargers had no lights or gauges to let us know if they were charging, but the RXV has red and green lights on the cars and the chargers. If one is red, it’s really easy to see if you’ve got a problem with the car or the charger,” he continues.
Enhanced Operations
By requiring less energy to charge and to operate, the environmentally friendly electric RXV minimizes its carbon footprint.
Kuzina says the RXV, which has more torque to climb the hills, also handles better than other golf cars. The thicker steering wheels—another custom feature on Cordillera’s golf cars—are easier to grip and turn, adds Sloan.
The Director of Golf says the RXVs have enhanced golf course operations as well.
“The golf cars are maintenance-free, so our staff is giving more attention to the members and guests,” explains Sloan, adding that the RXVs require little more than a washing after use.
He also says the RXVs offer a more comfortable ride, with ample seating space for two men, and have had a positive effect on golfers’ rounds.
“They go a little faster, and they stop a little easier,” he says. “I think the pace of play has been better.”
That’s the idea.
“Golfers have come to rely on golf cars to get them around the course safely,” says Haddock. “Golfers are looking for a comfortable car that’s quiet, that’s easy to operate, and truly fun to operate.”
The Cordillera staff expects the RXVs to provide even more benefits in the future. Kamby says E-Z-GO also supplied a scanner that can be hooked up to the golf cars to diagnose any mechanical problems. While there has been no need for the diagnostic tool so far, he adds, this capability no doubt will come into play after the golf cars endure more wear and tear.
“It’s just a real user-friendly golf car,” says Sloan. “It was tough for me to believe it. But when they said it was maintenance-free, it has been maintenance-free.”
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