Carts
Golf may be the only sport that makes use of an actual vehicle which isn’t really a necessary contrivance on the sport itself providing ease of comfort for golfers.
The golf cart is a derivative from regular vehicles, and for such purposes they’re designed to be much smaller. That’s how golf carts are sometimes referred to as golf car. Just the same, golf carts runs on gasoline and some on electricity. They are operated the same way as vehicles and works exactly like any street vehicle. The only difference is it’s that they run on slower speeds, flat and small tires with heavy thread allow them better traction on the golf course terrain.
Traditionally, golf carts were once really what their name implied –carts. These carts are used by the gentlemen golfers as a way to relieve them the burden of lugging heavy golf equipment around the several thousand yards course. And because golf were also enjoyed regularly by senior individuals, as it is one of those sports that require neither strenuous activity such as running, it didn’t take much speculating before the golf cart was designed to also carry passengers. Maybe from horse drawn golf carts, it transcended to motor golf carts that run on gasoline. Further advances in technology than created golf cart variations that run on electricity.
The culture that surrounds the sport also has a hand in the contribution to the evolution of golf carts. Affluence is one thing the game of golf has plenty. And what’s the better way to indulge oneself is to have a handy and comfortable vehicle that can take them in between holes. Some golf courses are extremely big. While quite a number of golfers would welcome the walking to the next hole, senior golfers may not be up for such strenuous activity. Plus there is still the problem of lugging ones golf baggage.
Since its inception, golf cars now are in a wide range of designs and styles. A good number of them now include accessories normally found on contemporary cars like audio and video entertainment, freezer and ice boxes, even mini tables or bars that hold several bottles of liquor. Designs of golf carts are also approaching close to those designs of contemporary cars. Custom golf carts with custom golf cart wheels with their own spinners, custom body panels in several personalized colors, unique shapes, those designs that is seen usually in cars are also quite frequent in golf carts.
One thing that remains common to most of them golf carts is that they are more in general used to transport small numbers of passengers in short distances and in between holes. So they have smaller wheels, they have restricted speed limit in accordance to the 25 mph per ANSI Standard z130.1 set. They have tire threads specifically designed to run on golf course terrain, threaded tires that also allow only minimal mud fastening. The usual size of golf carts is diminutive compared to ordinary street cars. They generally measure 4’ x 8’ x 6’ in dimensions and weigh no more than 900 to 1000 in pounds. Most of them don’t have complete cover, so that means most of them don’t offer air conditioning.
With the need to maintain a degree of freshness and sanitation to some sort of pride, electric golf carts have become somewhat of a standard in golf courses, though gasoline counterparts of golf carts are gaining popularity on suburbs where their safety and open cabin makes them highly complementary. Then slowly, electric golf carts then became widespread in home communities because of their lack of pollutants, lack of noise, and offers pedestrian/ driver safety. There were even instances wherein home communities disallow regular vehicles passing on certain roads except these golf carts. Electric golf carts became the utility golf carts that see exclusive use on both disabled and elderly. Purposely built golf carts, aimed as general transportation, were then released. And they were called Neighborhood Electric Vehicles, though like regular golf carts, they are still regulated with several operating limitations.