Golf Skate Caddy

[Golfingdad]

They look like fun, but the thing that worries me is the inevitable fall after hitting a big and somewhat hidden gopher hole or something.

Once every round or two, I find myself apologizing to my cart partner for driving over a bump or through a depression that did not look nearly as big as it turned out to be.  I worry about catching one of those with one of these boards.  Unless they have a great suspension system that a golf cart is lacking. ;)

I agree with Golfingdad. The course would have to require a waiver from injury before your could rent one. In addition, there might be a requirement that any damage to the golf course or the Golf Skate Caddy from such collisions would be paid for by the person who rents the board.

I agree too, they look fun but they are a liability nightmare.  There are enough stories about drunken idiots that roll their golf carts, they will end up killing themselves on these.  I can see guys thinking it would be cool to ride them on the greens, through mud and waste bunkers.

Just a bit of clarification:  I didn't mean that I was "worried for the inevitable fall" on behalf of the course liability.  I meant I was worried on behalf of my joints and bones.  My post wasn't meant to be about legality and lawsuits and stuff, but more about mo own personal doctor visits. ;)  I think it would be fun to try and I hope a course around here gets some so I can give it a go ... and I'll be as cautious as possible, perhaps even taking @David in FL 's helmet suggestion.

A quick search of my own says golf carts weigh about 900 to 1000 pounds. A GSC weighs under 90 pounds.

So let's have 25 pound bags and 200 pound golfers.

Golf cart: 1000+200+200+25+25 = 1450

GSC: 85+200+25 = 310 pounds

From there, the math is pretty simple.

Interesting, a quick search of my own yielded:

The actual weight of a Club Car golf cart depends on the model and also on he engine type. A gas engine that uses a 4.6 L tank weighs more than the electric model, typically about 100 lbs. more. A top of the line gas model weighs in at 606 lbs., while the electric version of the same model weighs approximately 495 lbs.

So, go with the light one and you're still talking about 950 pounds vs. 310.  Still not a comparison.

[RayG]

Unfortunately, as a surfer and skateboarder- I would spend more time looking for little hillocks and ramps to carve around on than actually playing golf.... Once a surfer always a surfer...

[Jeremie Boop]

And the Yamaha specs for a battery powered model put it at 985 pounds.

Golf cars tear up the course, regardless. These will likely do about the same type of damage, with some benefits and disadvantages to them being smaller but more plentiful wheels (i.e. smaller wheels is both good and bad, as are having four of them per foursome instead of two being both good and bad).

Quote:

Originally Posted by Golfingdad

So, go with the light one and you're still talking about 950 pounds vs. 310.  Still not a comparison.

I was just putting out there that I also found the carts similar weight to what Savvy said carts were, not really saying one was more destructive than the other.

[saevel25]

I was just putting out there that I also found the carts similar weight to what Savvy said carts were, not really saying one was more destructive than the other.

Yamaha has golf carts. For them you are looking at about 950 lbs for electric and 750 lbs for gas. That is not adding in two people and clubs. You might be looking at 1300-1400 lbs when fully loaded.

I think the pressure exerted by the golf cart would be more. Even if you have a smaller tire size. You are looking at 1200 lbs (gas cart + 2 guys + 2 bags) versus 350 lbs or so for the Golf Skate. Unless the surface area is 4 times as less, I think the Skate is slightly better.

Golf Skate says they have 10 inch wheels. Most I've seen looking them up are 3-3.5" wheel width versus the Yamaha 8" wheel width.

[Crim]

My club has golfboards. Like a motorized surfboard.

www.golfboard.com

I will most likely be riding a golf board next month. A course 30 minutes away from me just got some.

As a golfer who still skates a little bit & and has friends who golf + skate...we can't wait.

[Strandly]

I would try one, but wouldn't pay more then the regular cart fee.

Yeah this is exactly what popped into my head.  In fact I would probably expect to pay less considering the work it takes to operate it and the difference in comfort compared to a regular cart.

The one awkward thing about the gadget that seems strange to me is the bag on the front.  Why would you want the bag/clubs blocking the driver's view?  Seems like really poor design.

[saevel25]

The one awkward thing about the gadget that seems strange to me is the bag on the front.  Why would you want the bag/clubs blocking the driver's view?  Seems like really poor design.

Umm, Driver is 45-47 inches. Unless you are about 4.5 feet tall then I don't think you'd have to worry about it.

[SavvySwede]

Quote:

So, go with the light one and you're still talking about 950 pounds vs. 310.  Still not a comparison.

I think we are focusing too much on the static weight. It is more about weight distribution, particularly when taking a turn.

Quote:

Originally Posted by saevel25

Quote:

Originally Posted by Strandly

The one awkward thing about the gadget that seems strange to me is the bag on the front.  Why would you want the bag/clubs blocking the driver's view?  Seems like really poor design.

Umm, Driver is 45-47 inches. Unless you are about 4.5 feet tall then I don't think you'd have to worry about it.

I would also prefer the bag in the back. Sure you can see over but you could miss small obstacles like a recessed drain cap with the bag blocking the ground immediately in front.

Just to be clear do I think this thing is still pretty cool and would try one if given the right opportunity. There are just a lot of cons on my mind. The experience for the golfer and the potential revenue boost are the only clear pros I see, both of which being the most important factors if they can make up for unseen costs such as maintenance and liability. Its all about the Benjamins in the end.

.

[MyrtleBeachGolf]

I'd pay $10 more to rent one than I would for a regular cart. The only real downside is there is less room to put my "stuff". Where is my Bluetooth speaker system, cooler full of beer, cell phone and 3 boxes of extra golf balls gonna go?

[iacas]

I'd pay $10 more to rent one than I would for a regular cart. The only real downside is there is less room to put my "stuff". Where is my Bluetooth speaker system, cooler full of beer, cell phone and 3 boxes of extra golf balls gonna go?

It has a cooler for beer… they showed it in the video.

[MyrtleBeachGolf]

It has a cooler for beer… they showed it in the video.

Even better. I didn't watch the video yet. But I kinda like the idea of it.

[k-troop]

I think it looks cool, and I also think it will help grow the game.

The reality is that golf is getting older.  The generation of golfers created by the Tiger phenomenon are getting married and having kids now, or busting their humps in their careers, and playing less golf.  New golfers aren't being created at the rate they were 10 or 20 years ago.  All of us are going to die--if the sport doesn't create new golfers, golf will die too.

I see a trend in golf aimed at younger players.  Modern clothing, energetic young players like Speith and Fowler, are trends pushing towards motivating younger players.  The golf bike and golf skate are part of that.  Take a 16-26 year old kid.  Maybe he plays with his dad every now and then, or he's a young professional and going out for the first time (or for the first time since he was a kid and played with his dad) with a group of his peers.  They try the golf skate, and it's really fun.  It's part of his experience for that round, that time, and it gets him back to the course again.  Had he ridden in a cart (and sat around bored all day between pitiful hacks at the ball) he might not have come back.

I think it's a cool idea.  I would totally try it, all though I know I wasn't the guy they had in mind when this was conceived.

[colin007]

heres the issue i see.  looking at that thing i could easily play 9 in 40 minutes.  18 in a an hour 20.  but thats on an empty course.  what if its busy and theres slow foursomes in regular carts as far as the eye can see?  that would be like popping a Viagra and only having the JCPenney bra catalog to peruse.

[anthony]

I know a friend that has a motorized "skateboard" that looks similar to this, but it is a bit narrower. As a preface, I skateboarded regularly for probably 20 years, can ride big bowls, half pipes, grind rails, all that shit.

Anyways. His motorized skateboard went great on the cement, but really really sucked if there was any type of loose gravel or dirt conditions. Which is weird, because it was marketed for "off road" and had knobby tires. The problem was there wasn't enough weight. The tires would just spin and spin, and you could whip the back end around real easy. Not sure what these weight, but they'll need to be 100 lbs or more for proper traction, I'm guessing.

Also, people probably need to be a bit athletic, and definitely have some balance, to ride something like this. Otherwise, I can see injuries left and right resulting from riding these.

[tristanhilton85]

This isn't something I would pay extra to use on a regular basis, but I definitely would want to try it at least once.

[bkuehn1952]

I have no interest in this aside from thinking it's an interesting idea.

Thank you.  I sent the link to our local municipal golf course.  While I have no interest in trying these, you are correct that the concept is interesting.  Further, kids and younger golfers will likely also find them interesting, too.  With merely shipping as a fixed cost, why not give them a try?

[Crim]

heres the issue i see.  looking at that thing i could easily play 9 in 40 minutes.  18 in a an hour 20.  but thats on an empty course.  what if its busy and theres slow foursomes in regular carts as far as the eye can see?  that would be like popping a Viagra and only having the JCPenney bra catalog to peruse.

LOL.

If the course gets really backed up....that's when you start surfing my friend.

[turtleback]

It will be interesting to see how this plays out. I got a chance to ride a Segway once and to be honest it was very cool - for about 3 minutes - then I was over it. But other people are different so there might be some demand for it. My guess is that lots of folks will try it- once. I'd be surprised if many people made it their regular mode, the way many (most?) do with regular golf carts. To me it is a niche novelty item. But I am me, and I am not representative of the market, so they may well end up very successful.