The pandemic caused many to rediscover the joy of walking. Will the feeling last?

Golf’s return to walking, at least in the game’s motorised cart-centric markets, might be an isolated moment dictated by the necessity of the times. But it’s also a chance to appreciate anew the game on foot and maybe embrace walking as an aspect at least as central to the golf experience as, well, what carts were just six months ago.

Quaint, perhaps. Retro cool, in a way. To some, maybe an inconvenience. Nevertheless, walking brought golf back quicker than any other previously “normal” activity. Whether it was in chilly Tasmania or sunny Western Australia and Queensland, walkers were everywhere, many possibly rediscovering the way they first came to the game. Walking golf made social distancing natural, not something to be mandated. In essence, the experience wasn’t all that different from a walk in the woods.

Golf, of course, is more than a Robert Frost poem. So maybe we frame our discussion in less romantic, more practical terms. Science and data are clear: walking is better for your health, your swing and your score.

Maybe golfers intrinsically knew this. In every state where courses reopened, lightweight carry bags and pushcarts were gobbled up like flat-screen TVs on Black Friday – and back orders stretched beyond mid-year. Bag Boy, a leading manufacturer of buggies/pushcarts, called the interest level “unprecedented”, with sales projected to be “four to eight times” what they were a year ago. On eBay, “buggies” and “trollies” were selling for three times their original price (if you could find one), and some local shops were looking for trade-ins.

Though it was initially the only option, all sorts of golfers embraced playing the game on foot – in Australia and abroad. Lowell Weaver, owner of The Medalist Golf Club in Michigan, one of that US state’s top public courses, says there were fewer than 200 rounds recorded by walkers in all of 2019 at his place, but this spring, he saw more than that number in a single day – on a course that winds up and down hills, across ponds and ravines, over and through 111 heavily wooded hectares.

“People were itching to play,” Weaver says. “People found out they could walk our course. I now have people coming out to walk that wouldn’t have before.”

The numbers for walking rounds decreased as states and countries reinstated cart privileges, but that meant leaving behind one of the healthiest aspects of the golf experience. If sitting is the new smoking, playing golf while planted on your rear for 90 percent of the afternoon seems at best counter-productive. Making the biomechanically demanding moves of the golf swing after reclining in cushioned comfort seems a bit like jumping off your couch to suddenly execute a couple of squat thrusts every five minutes.

By contrast, walking can be the foundation for a better swing, says Lance Gill, founder of LG Performance and co-director of the Fitness Advisory Board for the Titleist Performance Institute. “What you’re doing on every single step is, you’re going through a golf swing,” he says. “It involves your neck to your shoulders to your mid-spine to your lower spine to your pelvis and, of course, your legs and feet and how they work together as a team. It’s the best warm-up you can do because it involves every part of your body.”

Neil Wolkodoff, the medical director at the Colorado Center for Health and Sport Science, says that though golf on foot is additive to your fitness routine, his studies show that walking burns 50 to 55 percent more calories than riding. “That can be significant in terms of health impact,” he says. How significant? A study from the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, where the vast majority of golfers walk, showed the death rate for golfers is 40 percent lower than the rest of the population.

Wolkodoff says walking can help reduce injury, too. “Walking the course is like idling the metabolic and muscular engine,” he says, “so the body is partway warmed up to the demands of the actual swing.”

Tour players are better than average golfers for a lot of reasons, but Gill says walking is one of them. “Their ability to be able to control their knees, their pelvis, their ankles, their core is off-the-charts good,” he says. “It’s not necessarily because they work out more, it’s because they walk upward of 50 miles a week.”

Health is nice, of course, but how about something immediate and tangible? Well, Wolkodoff’s study showed that players averaged three shots better for a nine-hole round when they walked with a buggy compared to riding. 

There is a natural rhythm to the game on foot that goes beyond calories burned and strokes saved. “Walking is a form of meditation,” Gill says. Golf’s sense of escape, especially in times of stress, is best experienced as a walk in the woods rather than a race around a cartpath. (And we haven’t even discussed how course maintenance is easier and less expensive when the majority of rounds don’t involve 550 kilograms of motorised vehicle compacting the turf everywhere you look.)

Unfortunately, despite all these benefits, despite the rise in popularity of golf meccas like Barnbougle Dunes or those bucket-list trips to Ireland and Scotland where walking is more or less mandatory, and even the recent surge in walking-related purchases like buggies and lightweight carry bags, there is no sense the walking game will fully return to golf. In the US, lawsuits demanding the use of carts in states that had banned them were threatened before state authorities eventually relented on their no-carts rules.

Furthermore, the cart is built into the economic model of how the golf-course business functions at some venues. As Weaver says about the business side of his course operation, a riding golfer in a typical outing might generate twice the revenue of a walking golfer, and that’s not just in cart fees. “If you’re in a golf cart, you’re more likely to get a hot dog or a burger, a couple of snacks and a six-pack to go.

“If you’re walking, you might only get a bottle of water.”

Healthier, certainly, but walking seems simpler, cleaner. Probably what we need in times like these. Weaver has seen that change at his course. “There was a willpower to walk,” he says. “I had people who had signed up thinking they were just going to play nine, but they’d come in after the turn and say, ‘You know what, I’m going to walk the back nine, too.’”

Maybe this resurgence in walking is a good reminder that the game’s basic appeal lies in a steady progression of steps that seem to refresh more than they fatigue. Steps forward that bring us all the way back to where we started.

Walk Your Way To A Better Swing

Leading instructor and fitness expert Lance Gill says walking is an important contributing factor to playing better golf. Here he breaks down how your steps can improve your swing:

• When your lead foot is about to hit the ground, your hip is in a similar position to how it is at your address position. Also, the ankle is in what’s called “dorsiflexion”. Proper dorsiflexion helps you maintain ideal posture during the swing.   

• On the forward stride with your left foot, the right arm swings forward in a cross-rotational pattern. That activates the core muscles, extending from the right shoulder through the abdomen and down into the left leg. That rotational movement mimics what happens in the backswing and downswing.

• When the spine gets to a vertical position, your body has to deal with gravity. Every part of the musculoskeletal structure has to work together, or you’ll fall over. This is called axial loading, and it develops the balance needed during the swing.

• On your back leg, the foot is pushing off the big toe. That puts the back leg and hip in extension, activating your glute muscles. As Tiger Woods can tell you, those muscles fire on your downswing.

• As your back foot presses into and off of the ground, it moves into what’s called plantar flexion. That’s a similar action to how the foot works in the transition from backswing to downswing, all the way to impact and into your follow-through.

The post Love In Motion appeared first on Australian Golf Digest.

Our editors met with new companies and heard about innovations from brands across the industry all week at the 2020 PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, Florida. Here are some of the coolest products we saw, which you’ll likely continue to hear more and more about as the year progresses.

Bushnell Wingman

A cart speaker might not be your thing, but when you decide to make one and you’re Bushnell, the premier company for providing golfers with on-course distance information, it becomes a whole lot more than a music machine. The Bushnell Wingman is a speaker that doubles as a GPS yardage device, providing front, middle and back distances when paired with the Bushnell Golf app on your phone. You can also play music through the Bluetooth, and by using the remote – which conveniently doubles as a ball marker – the music pauses for the audible readout of the distances to the green. The Wingman features a battery life of at least 10 hours, automatic hole advance and an input to charge other devices. It also comes with the company’s Bite magnetic clip that allows the speaker to be mounted on your cart so you don’t lose it.

Check out championsports.com.au for more.

The Gatekeeper

Behold the Aussie invention helping golfers all over the globe make a more consistent stroke – and ultimately sink more putts. The brainchild of Cronulla man Brett Arnold – brother of tour pros Scott and Jamie – The Gatekeeper helps users make the correct, pure path by attaching a pendulum ball and “gate” apparatus to the putter shaft. If the putt is perfectly on plane the ball will pass through the gate without contact. However, if the user’s putting stroke is not straight or if the arced path doesn’t match, the ball will strike the gate and alert the user immediately. Golfers of all ability levels often suffer from too much face rotation during their putting stroke. The Gatekeeper helps counter this rotation with the gate width that narrows if the device is off axis with the ball’s path. As Arnold says, “We’re just easin’ the tension, baby!”

Order yours at www.aigolfco.com

Club Car Tempo Walk

One of the biggest criticisms of golf carts is they spoil a good walk – and the undeniable health benefits associated with moving on your own two feet. Club Car has come to the party to silence those critics and offer an ingenious walking option with the new Tempo Walk. Simply clip the small sensor to your shorts at your lower back and this motorised bag carrier will follow you as you walk, in any conditions, on any terrain. It comes fitted with a screen that displays GPS data of the hole you’re playing, along with a dedicated Esky space and divot-bottle holders. There’s no word on Australian availability and pricing yet but it’s understood the Tempo Walk will operate on the same model as traditional carts, where clubs can lease a fleet of their own and rent out to members on a per-round basis.

Stay up to date at clubcar.com

Ping Heppler Putters

The first thing you notice about Ping Golf’s new Heppler putters is what you don’t see. The company that has made great strides in understanding the role grooves play in how putts roll and then executing that understanding in multiple models over much of the past decade has introduced a model with a perfectly flat, grooveless face.

What gives? Well, for Ping, as always, it comes down to research. Turns out, while the grooves in Ping models like those in the current Sigma 2 provide a demonstrable benefit in roll and consistency, not every player prefers them. The reason is simple and it has to do with one of the important yet more difficult to pinpoint aspects of putter design: sound and feel.

The Heppler lineup took extensive tour-player research as a starting point for the face design, but also incorporated a number of material and visual technologies as well. There are nine models in the lineup and each incorporates a stunning two-tone visual of copper and black. The blade models (Anser 2 and Zb3) are cast from 17-4 stainless steel, while the mallets – Piper, Piper C (armlock), Fetch, Ketsch, Tyne 3, Floki and Tomcat 14) mix low-density, lighter die-cast aluminium with higher-density, heavier stainless steel. The aluminium ADC12 is about 10 percent lighter than the 6061 aluminium that has been used in many other putters and is about one-third the density of steel.

Like the Sigma 2 putters, the full Heppler lineup also features Ping’s adjustable shaft length technology. Hidden under the grip, the system adjusts between 32 and 36 inches on the standard models through a carbon fibre sleeve within the shaft.

In Australia, Heppler putters will retail for $435 for the Anser 2, Zb3 and Piper C models, and $475 for the Piper armlock, Ketsch, Fetch, Floki, Tyne 3, Tomcat 14.

Visit americangolf.com.au for more.

Callaway Mavrik Irons

The new Callaway Mavrik irons, which include three models, expands on the company’s use of artificial intelligence, stretching its use from its metalwoods down to its irons. It is, says Dr Alan Hocknell, Callaway’s head of research and development, a logical next step.

The Mavrik iron line, made up of the strong-lofted game-improvement style (Mavrik), a more compact players distance iron (Mavrik Pro) and a launch-focused option (Mavrik Max), all share a common design philosophy of speed and launch in the long irons; speed and spin in the mid irons and spin and launch angle in the short irons. Helping to achieve that in all of the irons is a new flash cupface that is precisely engineered using AI not only for each iron model, but for each club within that model.

In the case of the standard Mavrik, strong lofts (the pitching wedge is 41 degrees) help drive a distance-driven package. Attention also was paid to improving the sound and feel on shots struck low on the face (where many players in this category strike the shot) through the use of a mass dampener. The company also continues its use of tungsten encased in microsphere-filled urethane, which allows for centre of gravity positions that produce a launch angle one would expect to see despite the strong lofts.

The Mavrik Pro [pictured], a little misleading as players of many ability levels can play this club, uses the same core technologies as the standard Mavrik in a more compact head shape with a flatter lie angle and thinner topline. In other words, attributes that shotmakers prefer.

Mavrik Max also shares the core technologies of AI-driven flash cupfaces, tungsten energy core and urethane microspheres, but adds a twist for a super game-improvement iron: instead of producing strong lofts for even more distance, Callaway backed off a couple of degrees (a 43-degree pitching wedge) to provide more launch angle for players that often need it.

Callaway Mavrik irons are available with a number of stock shaft options at retail in Australia at a cost of $179.99 (standard steel) and $199.99 (graphite and pro steel) per club.

Check out callawaygolf.com.au for more.

Taylormade Pix 2.0 balls

The TaylorMade TP5 Pix 2.0 balls reflect the next iteration of the company’s approach to adding flashes of colour to a white golf ball to improve focus and enhance performance. But unlike in the past where the company has used scientists and university professors in sports optics to develop the visual aspects of its drivers, putters and golf balls, the developments spurring this new design came from a somewhat lower tech – and decidedly higher performance – source: Rickie Fowler.

The TP5 Pix 2.0 balls, which are available in both the TP5 and TP5x varieties, continue the use of a multi-coloured pattern of images to produce a visual indicator of the ball’s rotation, introduced last year. The images arrayed on the original TP5 Pix were a design developed by researchers at Indiana University. The aim is to enhance the eyes’ natural ability to better process darker images more efficiently when it’s lighter and lighter images when it’s darker. Fowler, who has occasionally played a Pix ball since switching to TaylorMade TP5x last year, wanted to improve the ball’s effectiveness in terms of aiming.

“The Pix graphics give you a precise focal point to work with,” Fowler said.

In the Pix 2.0, the pixilated images, which are now a multi-coloured triangle, are arrayed to make room for a distinct open space between the logo and sidestamp on the ball. The orange baselines of the triangles line up to frame the open space that encloses the logo and sidestamp. According to the company, the feature, which TaylorMade is calling “ClearPath”, is designed to improve both alignment and provide feedback on whether the putt was struck solidly and on target.

The new balls are the same as the monochrome TP5 and TP5x balls, the company’s trademark five-layer urethane cover balls that were upgraded last year. The current version features an improved layer just below the cover, a high-flex modulus resin. Eric Loper, director of golf ball research and development, called it “the fastest material that TaylorMade has ever used in a golf ball”.

TaylorMade Pix 2.0 balls: $74.99

Puma Cloudspun range

Have you dreamt of playing golf in a shirt that’s so comfortable you’d never want to take it off? Something you could golf in it, work in it, relax in it… basically live in… Well, we may have found it.

When it comes to Puma’s 2020 Cloudspun apparel, there’s more than meets the eye. This new collection of polos and layering pieces with innovative Cloudspun technology are literally the softest, most lightweight, breathable, stretchiest fabric the brand has ever used.

Each Clouspun piece in the 2020 Spring Summer collection is not only eye-catching but features a supreme fit and, according to the company, “the softest polo a golfer will ever wear thanks to Puma’s custom-milled fabric, brushed for additional softness, genuinely warranting the marketing tagline ‘Ours Feels Better Than Yours’.”

The moisture-wicking, four-way stretch fabric delivers the softness of cotton and the performance of polyester without simply looking like a golf top. The result is a collection of wardrobe essentials for any golfer that will easily transition from a business meeting to the golf course to dinner with friends, without sacrificing comfort or style.   

The SS20 Cloudspun Collection, available now in select retailers across Australia, includes one polo and two layering pieces for men, along with two layering pieces for women, and starts from $90.

Check out cobrapumagolf.com for more.

FootJoy Pro|SL shoe gets a reboot

When FootJoy consulted its top tour players to inquire about making changes to the popular Pro|SL model, the best-selling shoe in golf and the shoe chosen by more tour players than any other, the feedback was clear: don’t.

But players never settle, and neither does FootJoy. The brand operates with a singular focus on the game of golf and every little thing golfers need to perform at the highest level. Because to them, “only everything matters”, And it is why the brand spent more than 18 months to develop, test and perfect a new Pro|SL.

“As the industry leader, we didn’t tweak or adjust the new Pro|SL, we innovated and advanced and received tour approval,” said Richard Fryer, the director of product management for FootJoy footwear. “As a result, we’ve developed a product that delivers more stability, more traction, more comfort and more choice, setting the standard in performance footwear, again.”

The all-new Pro|SL offers more traction and stability for every single shot. The all-new Infinity outsole configuration provides grip that just won’t quit, with 189 points of traction that deliver superb contact with the ground and the perfect foundation throughout the golf swing.  The unique infinity shape optimises stability, with an 11.5 percent wider heel and increased forefoot stability.   

Pro|SL offers just the right amount of comfort with a Dual-Density (D2) midsole that delivers both stability and cushioning. Its advanced design utilises two densities of FootJoy proprietary Fine-Tuned Foam (FTF): a firm FTF around the perimeter for support and control, and a softer FTF under the foot for max cushioning and comfort.

With multiple layers of comfort and support, along with a super-soft waterproof leather and Power Harness to hug your feet, the all-new Pro|SL provides the comfiest ride in golf with maximum medial/lateral control and support.

For those looking for even more comfort and stability, FootJoy has created an additional option, Pro|SL Carbon, integrating a full-length carbon fibre insert into the midsole for off-the-charts stability and motion control. Carbon fibre flexes and elastically snaps back to its moulded position with each step recovering more of the energy generated while walking and allowing the body to work less. This will result in less leg and foot fatigue at the end of the round.

Pro|SL Carbon shoes provide enhanced wrap-around comfort and no-slip fit with a soft, molded collar and conforming underfoot cushioning with an OrthoLite Impressions FitBed.

“I’m someone who loves to be comfortable, and the new Pro|SL is the most comfortable golf shoe I’ve ever put on my feet,” said Louis Oosthuizen.

“When I tried Carbon for the first time, I wanted to put them in play immediately,” said Charley Hoffman. “The comfort and stability is incredible”.

Looking to design and customise your own golf shoes?  The all-new Pro|SL is now available on MyJoys. Create custom MyJoys with more than 14 million possible combinations of colours, prints, laces and more, available for both men and women in both laced and Boa.

Available now in Australian stores for $299.95 (BOA and Carbon models) and $269.95 (laced).

Check out footjoy.com.au for more information.

The post 8 Great Products We Saw At The 2020 PGA Show appeared first on Australian Golf Digest.

For many golfers, golf carts were the initial lure to the game. Mum and/or Dad played golf, but their kids were far more interested in getting behind the wheel. Over time, those kids became golfers and replenished the cycle.

Regardless of your view on golf carts, there’s no doubting how deeply they have innovated our game. Golf carts revolutionised the way we play and who can play, as well as providing a much-needed revenue stream for pro shops.

Club Car is the most recognisable brand in the golf cart industry, but many may not know the company is headquartered right near the world’s most recognisable golf course: Augusta National Golf Club. Australian Golf Digest recently caught up with Club Car’s vice-president of golf business development and industry relations, Fred Palmer. Palmer has been with Club Car for more than three decades. He has seen vast changes in the industry, and will continue to oversee many more.

“I’ve used my 33 years with the company to open up doors and help industries drive business,” Palmer says. “I work with superintendents, golf pros and club managers to learn more about what’s going on from those on the front line. We’re lucky to be involved in such a wonderful sport.”

Australian Golf Digest: How did Club Car’s connection with Augusta, Georgia, start?

Palmer: “It’s a two-part story. Our major competitor, E-Z-Go, started here in the 1950s. Club Car was actually a Texas-based company that a local (Augusta) gentleman bought and brought over here in the late ’50s. Club Car was not home-grown, it was imported into Augusta. In 1978, eight gentleman who worked for E-Z-Go left, found some investors and purchased Club Car.”

How much of a connection has Club Car forged with the Masters and Augusta National over the years?

“Well, you know what? For Club Car, that is our week in the sun. People obviously come from all over the world to attend the Masters, so we use that week to host people, do plant tours, organise dinners and, of course, play some golf. It’s a huge week for business and we try to get people visiting to spend a little time with us.”

Is Club Car one of the major employers in the area?

“Yes. Augusta is right near the South Carolina border, but it’s predominantly on the Georgia side. There are two counties: Richmond and Columbia. We’re one of the largest businesses in Columbia County. We’re probably one of the top three employers in the county for  manufacturing.”

Let’s localise it a little for our readers. How important has the relationship been with the Australian golf industry and the Oceania region?

“Australia is a big market for us and a very important one. It’s amazing how many Australians come over for the Masters. In the business, we call it the ‘Aussie invasion’ [laughs]. My Australian colleague, Kevin Gates, is always gathering the influencers, the decision makers, the distributors and the press during Masters week, to really leverage that time. Your country is well represented that week [laughs].”

What are some of the trends Club Car has noticed within Australian golf over the years?

“I think golf globally has its hotspots. Some are trying to figure out, let’s call it the ‘new world order’, of golf. People are pressed for time and the younger folks like doing lots of little things in bites and bits. I see Australia as being very similar to the United States in the sense that driving revenue to the golf clubs and getting players to play remain challenges we try to overcome all the time. In Australia, like the US, there are those clubs that will probably never have any trouble with economics. Then there are clubs fighting for memberships and looking at innovative ways to keep their business going. It’s no different to the American golf industry.”

What has Club Car and the golf cart industry achieved that you are particularly proud of?

“The economics of the golf car are what keeps a lot of the business going in our game. If you think about what a golf club profits from a fleet of golf cars, in many cases it is the difference between being right side up and upside down, financially. I look at carts as complementing golf. There are players who need to ride in golf carts, and there are some who love to walk. In my regular group of golf buddies, some of us love to ride and some walk every time. I think golf carts are something clubs must have to continue to function.”

Where do you see golf carts over the next two decades?

“From a very high level, I think you would have to look at what’s available in technology in other industries. We are sort of a trailing industry, so technology that’s perfected and used in other markets and industries golf tends to adapt later. Like lithium iron batteries – they have been around for quite some time, yet they are only starting to come into golf. You’ll see more of them in golf carts in the near future. I see a couple of other things advancing in golf carts soon: I see the continued evolution of GPS technology, management tools, software and customer service growing considerably.

Many golfers admit their first experience in golf was driving the golf cart for their parents, but then they ended up falling in love with the game themselves. Do you see golf carts as an overlooked catalyst for growing participation?

“That’s a good question. I think of many young children who have gone with their parents out to the golf course and what started as getting their parents snacks at the shop turned in to a lifelong obsession with golf. In a very simple way, I see your point that a golf cart does that for the game.

In the US, we have a product called 4Fun. We haven’t commercialised it in Australia just yet. But really, it is a family vehicle that everybody rides in and it has four bags. It creates this different feeling of community. If you’re riding in two golf cars, or all four in a group are walking, you might not interact that much. But the 4Fun allows for more interactions across 18 holes than a regular two-passenger would. It’s also a great vehicle for ladies and juniors to go out and have lessons with the golf pro. In all of our designs, we’re always asking ourselves, ‘How can this help the business of golf?’”

Do you see golf carts as helping to shorten the time it takes to play golf?

“There’s no question. I think long-term success for golf means offering a section of the market that is delivered in bits and bites. If somebody only has time to play four holes, we can’t just force them to play nine or 18. We have to figure that out. If you’ve only got two hours in the morning – and that includes getting to the golf course and you can only play for an hour and 15 minutes – that’s better than not coming at all. I don’t think we need to be so bound by the nine or 18 number. Obviously, tours and competitions are a whole different arena. But I think in the business of trying to attract new golfers, we have to be more flexible how they digest the game. Who knows exactly how we can do it? We need to keep thinking. A golf cart can allow a golfer to play four holes of an existing course that doesn’t necessarily have loops back to the clubhouse. Do we need to price it in the number of holes played before 10am? Maybe. We need to be more creative in how we price golf.”

The post Live To Ride appeared first on Australian Golf Digest.

Australian junior golfers will be among the thousands of beneficiaries of a strategic partnership between Club Car and US Kids Golf.

The mission of US Kids Golf is to help kids have fun learning the lifelong game of golf and to encourage family interactions that build lasting memories. The right equipment, attitude and opportunities are all key to making this happen, and Club Car has happily been doing its part since May 2017 when it became a partner with the organisation and the many initiatives and tournaments it holds.

This includes the US Kids Golf’s World Championship, the pinnacle event for competitive youth golfers aged 5-12 and the Teen World Championship for kids aged 13-18 – both held at the historic Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina.

“If you want to be inspired about the future of golf – or simply motivated to excel in a certain area of your life, go to either one of these US Kids’ championship events,” said Fred Palmer, vice president of Golf Business Development and Industry Relations for Club Car.

“These are the world’s largest junior golf tournaments, attracting more than 2,300 participants from 50 nations – including Australia. And these are not just participants… these are the most talented golfers from our next generation. It’s truly amazing to watch the determination and mental toughness in these young people.”

As the official golf car and personal transportation vehicle of US Kids Golf, Club Car will have a distinct presence at the upcoming tournaments, displaying the Onward product line to excite tournament attendees with its latest consumer vehicle designs.

“Our Grow the Game campaign is ongoing and our partnership with US Kids Golf, and our participation at these events, gives us exposure to both current and future golf enthusiasts. When the younger generation sees the updated styles these vehicles offer, it gets them even more excited about the game,” said Kathryn Sterba, Club Car Marketing leader, Golf.

The post Club Car partners with US Kids Golf to ‘Grow the Game’ appeared first on Australian Golf Digest.

For the third year in a row, Club Car has been recognised by US Golf Digest with a prestigious Editor’s Choice Award for Best Golf Car.

This time, it was the company’s stylish new Tempo Connect, with its enhanced technology and entertainment system, that caught the editors’ attention in the Electric Riding Cart category.

“It is rewarding to be recognised by Golf Digest as we celebrate a milestone year, our 60th anniversary in the golf industry,” said Robert McElreath, vice president of connectivity for Club Car. “We remain committed to delivering the best golf car experience for golfers and the Tempo Connect delivers unprecedented connectivity, content and customisation to the course, all in an effort to move the game of golf forward.”

The Tempo Connect is the first golf car that includes both Visage Fleet Management – an industry-leading connectivity platform for golf operators to simplify operations, control costs and maximise course efficiencies – and Shark Experience, the premier in-car course entertainment system exclusive to Club Car and in partnership with Greg Norman Company and Verizon.

According to the Golf Digest Best Club Transport feature, the Tempo Connect earned the Editor’s Choice Award for many reasons.

“Although the cart has self-compensating double-reduction helical rack-and-pinion steering and dual hydraulic shocks, what drew us to this model was the Shark Experience that includes hole flyovers, swing tips, streaming music and the ability to watch or keep track of your favourite sporting event,” the American edition of our magazine said in its appraisal. “Better, the speakers are angled so you can hear clearly while in the cart but hear nothing as close as six or seven feet away.”

Club Car executives in Australia are hopefully of bringing the same technology here in the near future.

The post Club Car Tempo Connect recognised as 2018 Best Electric Golf Car appeared first on Australian Golf Digest.

First it was the consumer line. Now it’s the commercial line offering a resource for customers to design their own vehicles.

Club Car has just introduced our Commercial Configurator – an online tool that allows customers to choose the features and accessories they need in their fleet of Club Car utility and transport vehicles.

“Right now, the six Carryall 500 and 700 models and the Transporter utility vehicles are the main products available for custom-build on the Configurator,” said Vickie Chiappetti, digital marketing leader for Club Car.

“But with all the combinations, that’s really 57 cars, with 489 accessories,” she said. “It’s a customisable, turnkey solution. And it’s the biggest and most challenging product line covered by this launch.”

But it’s more than just an automated accessory selector. The tool uses – and adds to – sophisticated analytics to help the customer make the right choices and Club Car run its business.

“We know that 70 percent of the buyers who access the website are new to Club Car,” Chiappetti said. “They don’t know us. So we show them that we are listening and, to point them in the right direction, we ask their industry, their role at the company and their business needs.

“Then, using that input, we introduce them to a product line that will meet those needs that cover a host of industries: education, resorts, government, construction and more.”

All the data collected feeds into the business planning.

The Configurator offers important benefits:

• showcases the product line
• builds brand and product awareness
• shows the complexity of the products
• expected to accelerate delivery

Dealers in the showroom are already using the Configurator to market the cars.

Expectations are high. The Onward consumer car has seen great success through its Configurator. The commercial vehicles could see similar results. Then, next up for a Configurator will be the golf car line.

The post Club Car offers Build-Your-Own option for commercial vehicles appeared first on Australian Golf Digest.

The deal continues Club Car’s commitment to growing the game through PGA coaches – the cart company also a proud partner of the world-renowned PGA Education Program.

“The PGA of Australia has some of the most highly sought after coaches in the world,” David Pryles, General Manager – Commercial of the PGA of Australia said.

“Club Car has been, and continues to be a fantastic supporter of our PGA Professionals; their ongoing support of the PGA Professional Championship and our Education Program is invaluable to growing the game of golf in Australia.

“We look forward to working with them in the future.”

The golf car manufacturers are also proud to continue their sponsorship of the PGA Professional Championship at Hamilton Island and were on hand to see Matthew Docking claim the 2017 title last week.

Docking will now take on the likes of Sergio Garcia, Adam Scott and Marc Leishman at the Australian PGA Championship at RACV Royal Pines November 30-December 3 courtesy of his win, his third in four years of playing the tournament.

Club Car Regional Vice President, Kevin Gates added, “Our significantly expanded relationship with the PGA is targeted directly at helping the Vocational Professionals who are either our customers or key influencers at golf clubs across the country.

“We’ll be providing support and educational input to the PGA Trainees and the PGA International Golf Institute as the central component of our partnership. Our relationship with the PGA of Australia mirrors our status as Official Golf Car of the PGA of America and we’ll be driving synergies and shared resources throughout both organisations.”

Club Car is an Ingersoll Rand company with over 50 years experience in manufacturing the industry’s finest golf and lightweight utility vehicles.

Active in Australia since 1984, Club Car is represented by a network of authorised distributors. Call 1800 CLUBCAR for your nearest Club Car representative.

For results from the 2017 PGA Professionals Championship, visit pga.org.au.

The post Club Car steering Aussie pros in right direction appeared first on Australian Golf Digest.

THANK the golf-course real estate boom if you ever find yourself perched behind the wheel of the all-new Club Car Onward.

Dubbed the golf cart of the future, Club Car has been forced to meet the growing demands of young families in gated communities who want more than your typical golf cart to get them around their neighbourhood.

Enter the Onward, a highly customisable personal transportation vehicle (PTV) with an edgy new look, specifically designed for use in master-planned communities. Packed with features including an Integrated Bluetooth overhead-mount sound system that syncs with your mobile devices, lockable storage compartments and premium-comfort seats that feel like you’re sitting on your lounge, the Onward is tailor-made for Aussie fairways, according to Club Car vice president (Oceania) Kevin Gates.

“Here in Australia we are well placed to develop this new and exciting market,” says Gates. “As gated communities and golf course residential facilities develop and populations grow, so too does the demand for something a little different to the average golf cart. Onward offers something for everyone; and customers can configure and build their own carts online.”

Available with gasoline or electric powertrains and in two or four-passenger models, all varieties come with standard dual USB ports, LED headlights and comfort-grip steering wheels. But it’s the booming speakers we love most, an accessory that could see the American trend of music (discreetly) playing on the fairways gain some serious traction Down Under.

The early signs suggest Gates and his team could be in for a busy year. The product’s Australian launch at The Vintage in the New South Wales Hunter Valley saw more than half of the vehicles on display sold on the spot.

“We will be holding more launch events around the country in coming months,” adds Gates. “The growing consumer and PTV market is an important part of Club Car’s growth and future. We are focused on exceeding the expectations of consumers and our investment in Onward and the dedicated team who lead that business is testimony to that.”

For more information on the features of the new Onward PTV, go to clubcar.com

The post Club Car: On Song, Every Round appeared first on Australian Golf Digest.