The History of Golf Carts
- Origin. Merle Williams experimented with electric cars during the gasoline rationing of World War II. ...
- Early Popularity. Golf carts became very popular very early, and Marketeer soon faced many competitors. ...
- Early Characteristics. The first golf carts were powered by electrically charged batteries. ...
- Changes. ...
- Leaving the Course. ...
- Going Corporate. ...
What golf carts are made in America?
One of the leading innovations in golf took place in 1932 when Lyman Beecher of Clearwater, Florida, invented a cart for golfers that was pulled by two caddies like a rickshaw. He used this cart at the Biltmore Forest Country Club in Asheville, North Carolina, because his health was poor, and he found it difficult to walk the hilly golf course.
When was the first golf cart made?
Origin. Merle Williams experimented with electric cars during the gasoline rationing of World War II. His Marketeer Company originally built buggies for women to use when grocery shopping. In 1951, Marketeer produced the first electric golf cart at its Redlands, California headquarters.
Why are golf carts so much fun to drive?
Mar 26, 2022 · The electric golf cart was initially invented by Carl Williams of Long Beach, California, after using the knowledge he gained from electric car production during World War II rationing of gasoline. A production line for electric golf carts was established in 1951 by Marketeer Company in Redlands, California. Who Started Ez Go?
What are the coolest golf carts ever?
In 1961, Taylor-Dunn introduced their first golf cart, the Tee-Bird line. This was a 36-volt cart that came in a model 2336G that was a three-wheel cart and model 2347G a four-wheel cart. They also made a fiberglass model Eagle III that had very classic …
Who built the first golf cart?
The first motorized cart was available for public use in the 1950's, but was invented in 1935. The man credited with putting the first cart together is Lyman Beecher of Clearwater, Florida. Beecher, an electrical engineer, put together a non-motorized cart that required two men to pull it.
What was the first golf cart?
The first golf cart was a 1932 homemade cart, it became popular with people that had disabilities. It was not till the early 1950s when people started using them on the golf course. The early manufactures of the golf car were Marketeer, Cushman, Lektro and E-Z_GO. Harley Davidson started making them in 1963.
When did golf carts become a thing?
1932One of the leading innovations in golf took place in 1932 when Lyman Beecher of Clearwater, Florida, invented a cart for golfers that was pulled by two caddies like a rickshaw.Dec 10, 2015
Who made golf car?
Volkswagen GolfManufacturerVolkswagenProduction1974–presentBody and chassisClassCompact car/small family car (C)5 more rows
Where did golf carts originate?
History. Reportedly, the first use of a motorized cart on a golf course was by JK Wadley of Texarkana, Texas/Arkansas, who saw a three-wheeled electric cart being used in Los Angeles to transport senior citizens to the grocery store. Later, he purchased a cart and found that it worked poorly on a golf course.
When were electric golf carts invented?
In 1951, Marketeer (Merle Williams) produced the FIRST ELECTRIC GOLF CART ⛳️ at its Redlands, California headquarters. However, they were very popular with many people throughout this period and were marketed heavily towards women who needed to go grocery shopping.
How fast do golf carts go?
between 12 and 14 miles per hourWhat is the Average Golf Cart Speed? The average top speed of a typical golf cart without any upgrades is between 12 and 14 miles per hour. Without any sort of modification or upgrade on a golf cart, the top speed that you will be getting on a golf cart is about 14mph.
How heavy is a golf cart?
between 500 and 1,100 poundsA golf cart typically weighs anywhere between 500 and 1,100 pounds. The wide discrepancy has to do with the make, model, and type of golf cart. Additional modifications can also increase the weight of a golf cart.Apr 20, 2021
How do golf carts start?
In a gasoline-powered golf cart, the engine starts when you step on the gas pedal, and it shuts off when you take your foot off the gas. That feature helps save gas, cuts down on emissions and helps keep the course quiet, too.Feb 22, 2021
What does golf stand for?
The word 'golf' is not an acronym for anything. Rather, it derives linguistically from the Dutch word 'kolf' or 'kolve,' meaning quite simply 'club. ' In the Scottish dialect of the late 14th or early 15th century, the Dutch term became 'goff' or 'gouff,' and only later in the 16th century 'golf. '
What does GTI stand for?
Grand Touring InjectionGTI stands for Grand Touring Injection. Volkswagen uses for its direct fuel injection system. Over 40 years ago, GTI technology was first deployed in the 1976 Volkswagen Golf GTI. GTI was meant to power long-distance journeys without sacrificing performance by using a new direct fuel injection system.
When did ezgo start making golf carts?
1954E-Z-GO: In 1954 EZ GO golf cars were introduced by Billie and Beverly Dolan of Augusta, Georgia. First made in a small machine shop, the company has since moved up throughout the years to boast a huge state-of-the-art facility and they remain one of the most popular / top golf cart manufacturer in the world today.Jun 10, 2021
When did golf carts start being used?
In the late 1970s, golf carts began being used far from golf courses. In 1979, Club Car modified its standard cart to include a rear cargo box, creating a utility vehicle. In 1986, Yamaha built the first Neighborhood Electrical Vehicle (NEV) for driving on city streets. NEVs have increased in popularity ever since.
When did golf carts become popular?
Golf carts became very popular very early, and Marketeer soon faced many competitors. E-Z-Go and LEKTRO both began building golf carts in 1954 . Cushman started a year later, and Club Car in 1958. In the early 1960s, Taylor-Dunn and Harley-Davidson also began selling carts.
What were the characteristics of the first golf cart?
Early Characteristics. The first golf carts were powered by electrically charged batteries. The first E-Z-Go, for example, ran on a 36-volt battery originally designed to power wing flaps on B-17 bombers. Most golf carts possessed three wheels and tiller steering (a chrome bar shaped like a triangle with rounded edges) throughout ...
What is a golf cart?
Although a golf cart is technically a trolley pulled by a walking golfer and a golf car is a self-propelled vehicle, people use "golf cart" to refer to the millions of motorized vehicles on courses worldwide.
Where are golf carts used?
Increasingly, golf carts have become popular off the course, with many being used at schools, businesses, gated communities and on city streets.
What was the steering wheel on a golf cart in the 1960s?
Most golf carts possessed three wheels and tiller steering (a chrome bar shaped like a triangle with rounded edges) throughout the 1960s and well into the 1970s.
When was the first golf cart made?
However, manufacturer Jato changed this when they debuted the first known gasoline-powered golf cart in 1957.
When did golf carts become popular?
However, the implementation of better batteries, stronger motors, and better steering helped to make golf carts a more popular option by the mid-1950s. At this point, they had become a popular choice for golf courses who wanted to help golfers who couldn’t walk long distances.
What is a golf cart community?
Golf cart communities are unique towns or living areas that utilize golf cart paths to link them together. For example, Peachtree City, Georgia is well known for having many golf cart paths and is one of the earliest of golf cart communities.
What golf cart did JK Wadley use?
According to several sources, JK Wadley of Texarkana was using a three-wheeled electrical golf cart on his Los Angeles golf courses. This cart was used specifically to take senior citizens to a grocery store from the course and was not used in the manner of modern carts.
How many miles of golf cart trails are there in Florida?
For example, the Villages in Florida has over 100 miles of golf cart trails and even allows most golf carts on streets.
Why are golf carts interesting?
These early carts were interesting because their basic operation and design is still being used years after their invention. For example, many early golf carts ran on 36-volt batteries, a fact that is true even now. However, many utilized a three-wheel design that was eventually phased out after the 1970s.
Why didn't people want golf carts?
Others didn’t want carts because they were worried about how they may tear up or damage their courses. That’s because early golf carts were not quite as smooth in operation as they are today. The History of the Golf Cart & the evaporation of the tradition of walking.
Who invented the golf cart?
In 1932 Lyman Beecher invented a golf cart designed to be pulled by two men. This cart was to aid in taking the ailing Beecher up and down the hills and valleys of the golf course. The caddies felt that the work of dragging the cart up and down the hilly Biltmore Forest Country Club course was demeaning and too much effort. Beecher later devised a gasoline cart, but it was too noisy, so his next idea created a three-wheel cart run by storage batteries. He never patented the design, opting instead just to use it to keep him on the golf course. In 1960, At age 80+, Beecher ran his invention into a sand trap, tipping him and the cart over. After setting the resulting broken arm, the doctor advised Beecher to give up golf. He did so and retired his cart which disappeared after he moved to Florida to live out the remainder of his 102 years.
Who wrote the history of golf carts?
A History Of Golf Carts – The Men And Their Machines. Written by Chuck Wilson in Club Car, Cushman, EZGO, FAQ, Harley Davidson, Yamaha. One of the things that make it difficult to identify the first golf cart is that none of the first electric carts were initially meant to be golf carts. They were a “modern” convenience used for handicapped ...
What golf carts did Melex make?
Melex started their production with 3 wheel golf carts that were almost exact copies of the EZGo golf carts. They soon added 4 wheel carts to their production line. Even though the carts looked just like the EZGO, the first carts had some significant problems.
Why were golf carts banned?
The golf courses were also routinely banning the carts citing noise and smelly exhausts.
Why did the cart run on batteries?
Since it ran on batteries, the cart had no emissions and was nice and quiet to operate. In addition to the cart, he also invented a device that started and stopped the car when it rolled over one wire or another automatically. This eliminated the need for a driver to control its use.
When were Melex golf carts invented?
The Melex golf carts were first seen in the United States in 1971 after a representative of the Polish government saw golf carts in action during a golf tournament he was attending. He asked Troy and Ken Cotton about golf cart popularity and how he could make money for his country manufacturing them in Poland.
What was Taylor Dunn's last golf cart?
This was the grandfather of single passenger industrial carts. The Tee-Bird line ran until they built their last golf cart in 1985.
When did golf carts become popular?
Although they were used as early as the 1930s, golf carts were everywhere by the 1950s. Their impact was immediate, bringing many more people to the game and allowing people who previously had trouble walking the course to play. In fact, the 1950s saw a huge wave of popularity in our game influenced largely by the emergence of fan-favorite Arnold Palmer and Dwight Eisenhower, a popular president who played a lot more golf than any of his predecessors and didn’t care who knew about it.
What were the first golf clubs made of?
The first golf clubs were rather primitive looking things made mostly from hickory wood. Go into any collectors golf shop and you see them displayed conspicuously in the “unplayable classics” section. Golf clubmaking was an artful and tedious task in which some of the early golf professionals specialized, but because of this clubs were expensive and the game remained an elite affair.
Who came out with the Big Bertha?
Some 25 years ago, Ely Callaway got to wondering if larger drivers might make the tee ball easier for golfers. He came out with the “Big Bertha” and the rest is history. My 460-cubic-centimeter driver looks perfectly normal to me now.
What was the first golf cart named?
The first cart was named “Caroche,” which was supposed to provide it with a sense of elegance. But that intention backfired, as golfers didn’t know how to pronounce the French word for carriage and many ended up saying something like “car roach,” which soon morphed into “cockroach.” As such, that name was quickly abandoned.
When was the DS cart made?
This investment group brought in a new designer named Dom Saporito, who helped develop a more stylish DS cart, that was launched in 1982 and utilized the designer’s initials for its name. This model featured the company’s first 48-volt electric motor, adding about 30 percent more power to the previous drive-train.
How many bats do you need for golf?
You need one bat in baseball and one racquet for tennis and you don’t have to travel that far to use them. But golf relies on a battery of woods and irons, plus tees, balls, towels, brushes, scorecards, pencils and a few miniature entrenching tools packed all into a heavy bag and hauled around a 6,000 yard course.
What engine did Club Car use in the 1990s?
Club Car makes some changes. The next radical change in the 1990s was under the hood. In 1992, the company switched to a 9 horse power 286cc Kawasaki engine, dropping the older 341 cc side valve engine. And in 1995 it came out with its first 48-volt electric engine option, an upgrade from the previous 36-volt option.
When did Clark Equipment go public?
The company went public in 1993, and all of its outstanding stock was purchased by Clark Equipment Company in 1995, although that firm was bought out by Ingersoll Rand later in the year. Sometime in the 1990s it also overtook E-Z-GO as the No. 1 seller of electric golf carts in the world.
Overview
History
Reportedly, the first use of a motorized cart on a golf course was by JK Wadley of Texarkana, Texas/Arkansas, who saw a three-wheeled electric cart being used in Los Angeles to transport senior citizens to the grocery store. Later, he purchased a cart and found that it worked poorly on a golf course. The first electric golf cart was custom-made in 1932, but did not gain widespread acce…
Types of golf carts
New technology such as the SoloRider, an adaptive golf cart designed for a single user, is allowing disabled persons access to the golf course and the game itself. The cart’s seat swivels around, extends to an upright position, and allows the golfer to stand upright, be supported, and swing using both hands.
Golf carts may be modified from their original configuration to perform similar …
Golf cart communities
• Peachtree City, Georgia has many miles of golf cart paths that link the city together. Children aged twelve or over may operate a cart on Peachtree City cart paths with a parent, grandparent or guardian in the front seat. Unaccompanied fifteen-year-olds with valid Georgia learner's permits are allowed to operate golf carts alone. Golf cart travel is used by a great majority of the community, especially among high school students. McIntosh High School and Starr's Mill High S…
Safety
Along with the rising frequency of golf cart crashes, the number of golf-cart-related injuries has increased significantly over the last decades. A study conducted by researchers in the Center for Injury Research and Policy of The Research Institute at the Nationwide Children's Hospital found that the number of golf cart-related injuries rose 132% during the 17-year study period. According to the study, published in the July 2008 issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, th…
Legislation
Arizona has a large snowbird population, and many of them live in large RV parks or retirement communities that use golf carts to get around. In 2014, Arizona Governor Jan Brewersigned a law permitting golf cart drivers to drive as close to the right-hand edge of the roadway as possible. Prior to the passage of the law, golf cart drivers received traffic tickets for failing to drive in the center of the roadway. Complementing the new law, a golf cart safety education program was in…
See also
• Electric car
• Electric vehicle
The History of Golf Carts
- The Earliest Known Use of a Golf Cart
Like many types of motorized vehicles, the history of golf carts has many diverse elements that may be hard to fully track. That’s because many people were coming up with similar ideas around the same time, making it hard to figure out exactly who came up with a golf cart first. While som…
Merle Williams – An Important Golf Cart Innovator
- Earlier in the last section, we named the mid 1950s as the time when golf carts started becoming popular. And there was one man who probably helped make this popularity possible – Merle Williams. This engineer and designer had already been experimenting with electrical carts as early as World War II. His desire was to create a simple cart that could cut down on gasoline use – alr…
The Rise of Competitors
- While Williams early jump start on the market helped Marketeer become very successful early in his career, the quick and widespread popularity of his less-expensive and easier-to-control golf carts soon inspired many competitors. Companies like Sears and Roebuck, as mentioned earlier, manufactured some carts but never in a major way – they mostly made them to compete a little …
The Implementation of Gasoline
- Gasoline-powered golf carts have never quite had the same level of popularity of electrical models. Though they do provide some advantages – such as more power and easier control – they are often considered luxury models because they cost more to produce and maintain. As a result, most manufacturers did not touch the gasoline market for a long time. Most couldn’t figur…
Other Changes That Have Transformed The Market
- The innovation of gasoline and a four-wheel standard have both helped to change the golf cart market in many ways. Gasoline helped create a higher-end style of carts that appealed to those willing to spend a little extra money. And four-wheel carts helped to manage the glut of accidents that were occurring at the time. Three-wheel vehicles have a much higher tendency to tip over a…
The Rise of Golf Cart Communities
- Golf cart communitiesare unique towns or living areas that utilize golf cart paths to link them together. For example, Peachtree City, Georgiais well known for having many golf cart paths and is one of the earliest of golf cart communities. Even children as young as 12 years old can operate a golf cart in these communities, when accompanied by an adult. And children over the age of 1…
The Newest and Most Interesting Golf Carts Available Today
- Modern golf cart manufacturers are consistently looking for fun ways to update their carts. Though minor changes in engine power, control methods, and much more have all been implemented over the years – and are far too numerous to list here – there are a few interesting new innovations that may capture the imagination of many people and get them interested in go…