- March 5, 2009
- Golf Carts
Not Solely for the Wealthy
A description of the different types of golf carts, including custom golf carts, used golf carts, electric and gas powered, as well as pulls carts.
Great for Golf, But What About All the Other Uses?
When most people think golf carts they think of a buggy that takes a golfer and his golf clubs around the course. And that's a fair assumption seeing that is what they were originally produced for. But in this day and age there are other uses apart from the obvious.
A golf cart or golf buggy (officially referred to as a golf car according to ANSI standard z130.1, since "carts" are not self-propelled)[1]. is a small vehicle designed originally to carry two golfers and their golf clubs around a golf course with less effort than the traditional method of walking.
Golf cars come in a wide range of formats and are more generally used to convey small numbers of passengers short distances at speeds less than 15 mph (24 km/h) per ANSI Standard z130.1 as originally manufactured. They are generally 4' x 8' x 6' high and weigh 900-1,000 pounds. Most are powered by 4-stroke engines.
Originally golf cars were electrically powered, but later on gas powered variants started to occur. Electric golf cars were the first mass-produced electric vehicles for private consumer use. This variety is now used in many communities where their lack of pollutants, lack of noise, and safety for pedestrians and other cars (due to slow speeds) are beneficial. When purpose-built for general transportation these are called Neighborhood Electric Vehicles (NEVs), but with various operating limitations such as top speed and heavy regulation on which type of streets these types of cars are permitted to be used. These may resemble the golf cars shown above, although some are now being made with all–weather car–like bodies.