Get FinancingHow To Choose A Golf Cart: Key Buying Tips
Global golf course construction is on the rise, according to a 2023 report from Global Market Insights. The firm’s research indicates that growing consumer demand is being driven by increasing popularity among adults aged 40 and above, as well as among young adults, who are increasingly turning to “golfing activities” during their leisure time.
The upshot of this, in concert with dropping prices on electric golf carts, GMI says, is that the golf cart market’s value will double from about $1.5 billion in 2022 to $3 billion by 2032, growing by about 5% per annum. Manufacturers are responding, and the range of options available to you has never been better!
NeedTurfEquipment.com plays host to a huge selection of new and used golf carts for sale, including both gas and electric models from the industry’s leading brands. Before you bid or buy, though, there are seven key considerations that can help ensure you get the right cart for your needs.
Golf Carts, Golf Carts Everywhere
Personal, commercial, and industrial golf carts today are designed for far more than hauling golfers and their clubs across 18 holes. They’re easy to operate, relatively affordable vs. other vehicle types, and—especially in the case of electric carts—offer substantial environmental benefits.
Golf carts are even street-legal in some states, making them a popular transportation option in warehouses and factories; at construction sites, airports, and zoos; on college campuses, retirement communities, and rental properties; and at campgrounds, concert venues, weddings, hunting and fishing outings—even on heavy equipment dealers’ lots. On the golf course, they’re also used to sell snacks and beverages and haul groundskeepers’ tools and supplies.
Your particular use case will largely determine what type of cart is best for you (passenger capacity, gas vs. electric, etc.).
Key Golf Cart Features
Buying a golf cart is much like buying another vehicle type: You can stick with basics or go all out in terms of features, including headlights, taillights, turn signals, blinkers, contoured leather seats, USB and accessory chargers and outlets, seat belts, cup holders, side mirrors, horns, protective floor mats, and windshields (tinted, impact-resistant, split, etc.) Other possibilities include hard-top roofs, brush guards, grab bars, coolers, battery chargers/charge indicators, covers, lift kits, rear flip seats, and winches.
Special Features For Upscale Golf Carts
If you really want to trick out your cart, there are plenty of special features and customizations to do so, such as audio systems, DVD players, backup cameras, automotive-level safety glass, OPS (operator protective structure)-rated canopies, heaters for all-weather use, custom and off-road tires and hubs, wraparound bumpers, and electronic fuel injection technologies for gas models.
Other examples include E-Z-Go’s patented IntelliBrake System that automatically applies the parking brake, and Club Car’s Shark Experience. The latter comes via a partnership with Verizon and PGA pro Greg “The Shark” Norman and entails a connected in-cart touchscreen that provides distance-to-pin measurements, hole flyovers, music, news, and other entertainment options.
Top Golf Cart Brands
Club Car, Cushman, E-Z-Go, and Yamaha are among the top golf cart brands. You’ll find hundreds of new and used carts from these companies and others every day on NeedTurfEquipment.com.
Yamaha’s lineup includes Concierge, Umax, Adventurer Sport, Rally, and The Drive models. The company’s Umax Bistro, meanwhile, is an example of a service cart that includes an ice chest, sliding snack tray, and optional coffee cambro. There’s even a Umax Range Picker that comes equipped with a protective cage around the driver.
Elsewhere, Club Car’s Personal, Utility, and Golf Operations models include the 6-passenger Onward 6P featuring an enhanced suspension system for added safety. Club Car says its street-legal electric Carryall utility models cost just “pennies a day to operate” while providing performance the company says is similar to that of a small pickup truck.
E-Z-Go’s ELiTE Lithium Series models, meanwhile, use Samsung SDI lithium batteries that are backed by an 8-year warranty, require no maintenance, and can charge twice as fast as SLA (sealed lead acid) batteries.
Power & Speed
The Marketeer Company is credited with releasing the first electric golf cart (a 36-volt model) in 1951, while Max Walker gets credit for presenting the 3-wheeled Walker Executive, the world’s first gas model, in 1957. The market now features 2- and 4-cycle gas models that use regular unleaded gas, and electric models that use 36-, 48-, and 72-volt rechargeable batteries. Electric carts are quieter, lighter, easier, less expensive to maintain, and more environmentally friendly.
Those equipped with traditional lead-acid batteries generally provide about 5 horsepower or so, which is considerably less than the 10 to 15 horsepower most gas models can manage, but carts with newer lithium-ion batteries often provide power comparable to gas carts. They do, however, tend to cover fewer miles between charges (generally 20 to 60 miles, or 32 to 96 kilometers) than the 100-plus mi (160 km) a gas cart can travel on a single tankful, and gas models generally also tackle slopes and hauling tasks with more gusto.
What To Look For In A Used Golf Cart
Age is a key consideration when buying a cart. If too old, you may have trouble finding replacement parts and service providers. If buying new, you’ll pay more but also typically acquire a warranty. If buying used, look for rust and corrosion, listen for odd operational sounds, note the cart’s overall condition (brakes, steering, tires, etc.), and determine how many hours/rounds it has amassed (if available).
Also note that some carts are sold as “used,” where some are “refurbished.” The former generally means the cart is being sold as-is, while the latter usually means the cart belonged to a golf course fleet but the dealer ran a thorough inspection and made various updates or upgrades to the body, tires, etc.
Used Golf Cart Prices
While you can acquire a used golf cart for a couple thousand dollars, quality used models with basic features generally run between $2,500 and $5,500 depending on their condition, age, and other factors. Used street-legal models may run slightly higher, and carts designed for industrial use slightly more yet.
New models with basic features, meanwhile, generally start at about $5,000. Custom features, size, stainless steel accessories, current technologies, and other advanced and luxury features, however, can push prices to $30,000 and beyond.
Find The Right Golf Cart
Look to NeedTurfEquipment.com for all your new and used golf cart purchases, including carts from leading manufacturers like Advanced EV, Bintelli, Club Car, Cushman, Envy, E-Z-Go, Icon, Yamaha, and others.