Electric push carts (trolleys)

Products
#61

So I’ve played several rounds with the Alphard and it’s been great. The battery easily lasts 18 holes (claims to last 27 which I totally believe), the remote control is pretty intuitive, and it is easy to control. I would say my cart is a little top heavy and the wheelie bars aren’t great so I do have to be careful going directly up steep hills. Assembling and disassembling is easy and the cart, bag, and unit easily fit in the trunk of my car.

All in all a good purchase for me. I probably should have waited for the Black Friday sale – they are $589 right now so I spent a little extra, but I also got the preorder for the new auto-follow they are releasing in January.

I would say if you have a compatible push cart, under $600 is a bargain to not have to lug your cart around anymore.

One thing I realize now is the importance of a follow mode. Using the remote all the time isn’t a big hassle but I am really looking forward to just have it follow me down the fairway and not futz with it

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#62

Glad to hear you like it!

I’ve splurged on one for my wife so she can keep the same cart (Bag Boy Quad XL) and have a “Follow” option - plus I also pre-ordered the new “Sidekick” (enables side by side tracking).

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#63

I hope the sidekick is as good as advertised-- it would be ideal. The mygolfspy preview gave it high marks: https://mygolfspy.com/we-tried-it-alphard-cb-sidekick-review/

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#64

The only issue I feel that might surface is the transport of the attached motor unit. Most likely, the attached motor unit will be in the way of folding the push cart designed without the attachment.
If I’ll need to assemble and dis assemble the attachment when I transport the cart with the attachment, then it’ll be too much work.
Already dislike the folding and the unfolding of the manual push cart.

#65

Hmmm. You may want to take a look at the “Nitro” model which features a 1 button push to open or close.

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#66

Thanks, I know there are options out there. Nothing is near perfect and fit into the general public’s budget.
As a consumer, the less the cost the better. As someone on the other side of the coin, the pay is never enough, right?
I stopped using caddy long ago. For one, not many golf courses still have this service. Two, when I encounter an opportunity to get a real caddy, the cost will often be high to the point we will not considering using it. We are not someone who would not mind paying the equivalent of half the green fees to the golf course and then shell out more for “tips”. Mind you, I talked to several of the caddies and they all feel their “fair” share of the tips should be better than the minimum wage. Our local minimum wage is close to $20/hour. 4-5 hours demands additional $60-$80 on top of everything else.
Too bad there aren’t many golfers from the Rockefeller family.
No thanks to the real caddy, which is what most golfers preferred. No thanks to the $3,000-$4,000 follow me electric caddy with the need for transporting and maintenance.
I’m not even certain a private club will provide storage for self propelled golf cart at the club just like a member’s locker to store clothing and golf clubs.

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#67

Haha Rockefeller golfers! Yes golf can be a money intensive pursuit… (especially if you like trying different clubs, as I do!)

But actually, re: push carts… some private clubs are amending their restrictions and allowing walkers with push, and electric, carts - including the one I joined earlier this year … which is the primary reason I chose it (in addition to proximity to home).

Additionally this club does … but for an extra annual fee … offer push cart storage. So some clubs are starting to change…

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#68

If there is a way to generate extra income, any club will consider a change. Provided they have the physical space for the expansion.
Like one the local Mercedes Benz dealership ( been sold and moved away from the downtown location ), it had a storage room of 3,000+ squared feet to store the hard tops of convertibles, several levels tall in the space. The storage were mostly used for the Summer months by the owners but they need to rent the space year round in order to keep it.
I see that a lot of the golfers ( true golfers who will hang around for duration instead of a fading fad); realizing the benefit and the enjoyment of walking a golf course. More and more are walking now instead of riding, except for those who has medical reason.
Seniors and the super seniors are choosing the shorter golf courses with relatively flat terrain. Not those high end golf courses which were built with housing development that required longer distance between holes. I call it a long walk if from the green to the next tee box is over 3-400 feet. Some are so inconsiderate, with the distance the walking golfers will also need to deal with elevation changes.
There should be electric push cart as an option other than a riding cart. I don’t see why it’s not doable, overseas in other countries, they had the electric push cart for rental close to a decade now.

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#69

Very much agree with you on that one!

I’ve read there are a few courses, not in my area in NY but out West, that do have other options like the “Golf Board” or a golf bike … but no, not many (yet? :crossed_fingers:) offer electric push carts for rent…

#70

One of our local daily fee golf course had tried the electric scooter ( surfboard with 3 wheels and a space for golf bag) for a summer. The reception was well, almost rent out everyday on the small fleet of a dozen or so. Strangely, most the renters were seniors who wish to try something new. Also the funky looking uni-wheel short surf board type of electric device which require the bag to be carried on the shoulders of the golfer surfing. That one only last for a few weeks.
Did not become a long term rental option. Not sure if the bottom line did not pencil out or the liability issues.
An electric golf cart which follows at maximum speed of a typical waking speed of 2.5-4.0 MPH will seem to be safer than a moving golf cart?
The current golf cart rental fee around here is $18-$20 per seat. I’d pay $15 for the electric push cart instead of the need to maintain and repair my own. Plus the need to transport it to and from the golf course.

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#71

There is a course near me that rents e-push carts but it’s super hilly. I don’t think it gets much use but I think it’s too hilly to be the sweet spot.

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#72

I’ll take push carts over shouldering the bag anytime, so will I take the e-push cart over the push carts anytime.
walking is good for everyone except for the handicapped and the medically needing. Although I’m not very fond of the extreme distance between the green and the next tee box.

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#73

Depends on the course - my club happens to be an old school layout where the next tee is situated very near the last green.

Only one exception on the back 9 where there’s a slightly longer walk past the competition tees to the regular teeing ground.

But otoh that’s where the electric trolley really earns its keep!

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#74

Many of the modern golf courses here were built with the development fist and the golf course or Country Club were enhancement to the property. Some of them were designed by renounced builders but they are only friendly to the riding carts. Think 400-600 yards away with elevation thrown in. No one wants to walk even with motorized puash carts ". I had done walking these golf courses when I passed 63. It was tiresome to walk these inconsiderate designs even when I was much younger.
No one wish to own “the honor” to tee off first for the next tee. I doubt even with the electric push carts could make some of these golf courses walkable for seniors. This is why I seldom patronize these golf course/resorts. I like to walk the golf course to feel I was golfing.

#75

Agree with you there also. So NOT a fan of those development courses broken up by roads and condos. But I understand if someone lives in FL that’s what a lot of golf there is…

#76

As much as I love the game, I would not live on a golf course. For one, the premium one has to pay for the community, for two, all the chemicals they apply on the golf course for turf management. I also do not golf within a week of the new application of any chemicals on the golf course.

#77

Its not just Florida, I see it almost everywhere I go to play, Virginia (my home area), North Carolina, California. Golf courses, in general, aren’t all that profitable, while real estate development is, so the best economically feasible way to build a golf course is to combine it with housing. . My home club is within a housing development, luckily with zoning that requires reasonably large lots (1 to 5 acres). We do have some long walks from green to tee, my golf bag generally goes 5-1/2 miles or so for a round. We’re also on the east edge of the Blue Ridge, with a fair amount of up and down (800 feet in a typical round). At 67, I wouldn’t carry my bag, but its not a bad walk with my motorized trolley.

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#78

Golfing buddy of mine just bought a Kam Kaddie last month. It hasn’t seen the course yet and probably won’t until April, but it’s a nice looking electric trolley. Seems a bit sturdier than some others I’ve seen and it included some attachments that others charge extra for. It does have a remote, but no steering capability. The tires look a bit too smooth for a hilly climb, but maybe they will work. He was able to get it for only $550 + tax and I know some guys have similar setups that cost closer to $1000. I might have gone for it, but it’s back up to $630 now.

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#79

This is very true for the most part.
Nevertheless, coin has two sides. Profitability is depending on how the business end is planned and executed.
Our local municipal golf courses have always been cash cow for the cities. They all have high volume traffic and lower maintenance cost. The privately owned golf courses all have lower numbers of play except for the weekends and the in season months. They have occasional special assessment to cover the capital improvement projects.
A golf course mixed in a development is an endangered spices. Why would I call it this? Simply because it will have to be developed into other project, if the community could not sustain the standard of the golf course as planned.
Most likely, the original developer will close down the ltd which developed the community with golf course as soon as it’s sold out. The community will have to maintain the golf course ( or sub the management to others ).
We had a couple of the golf community which had to open up for public play after the building was complete to get cash-flow . Some become semi-public for years before reverting back to private and some had never been able to sustain the golf course.
Only a couple of municipal golf courses had been taken back by the Cities/counties for best and higher use. Like converting the property into office/ warehouse development.
One of my favorite link style golf course south of the city had that fate.
I also know some golfers sold their golf community property and moved out because the assessment from maintenance of the golf facility.

#80

Yesterday I ordered a Motocaddy M7 electric cart I saw on sale. I should see it next week, but may not get to use it for a while. It was more than I wanted to spend, but I decided to go for the remote maneuverability without the assembly of the Alphard onto my 5 year old cart. Looking forward to not working so hard on the hills at my course.

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