Although the roots of the game are derived in walking the hills and pastures that have been transformed into our treasured golf courses, golf in America is very much about riding those fairways, and there are only a few major players in the motorized golf car business - E-Z-GO is among the leaders and a very special partner of ours at General Managers Monthly.
Whether you’re a high-end private facility or the local Par 3 course down the street, golfers often gauge their “golf” experience upon the quality of the golf car. Gas or electric, fast or slow, noisy or quiet…golfers get as much enjoyment out of riding the golf course as they do playing golf on it.
For E-Z-GO and its parent company Textron Specialized Vehicles, innovation, sustainability, technology and service are at the forefront of what they do. Adam Harris is Vice President and General Manager for E-Z-GO and has been with the company for 12 years, starting in sales and working his way up to his management role. His experience in sports, however, precedes his time in golf, as he was in marketing and public relations for Octagon, a global sports management and marketing firm.
After growing up across the street from a public golf course in Reidsville, North Carolina, Harris’ career journey with E-Z-GO has led him to the promised land - Augusta, Georgia, where the company is headquartered and is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year.
I asked Harris the very broad question “What’s new in golf cars?” and he had a lot of great information to share on the subject.
“Technology is at the forefront of the golf car industry, as it is in many aspects of the game,” Harris explained. “Golf cars were once just a commodity with very few bells and whistles and were meant for basic transportation needs. Now in our 70th year, we’ve been doing this for a long time and have led the way in innovation as technology has advanced.”
Harris says E-Z-GO was the first fleet manufacturer to offer a lithium-powered battery solution in partnership with Samsung. The brand’s ELiTE series of vehicles, featuring Samsung SDI lithium battery technology, has been a game-changer in the electric golf car market. After all, the previous types of batteries were not only messy but also required constant maintenance dealing with acid and corrosion. They also lacked durability.
“This technology allows us to give a solid five-year warranty on the product and has become a headache-free solution with much less maintenance and attention needed to ensure a great golfer experience,” Harris adds. “It’s more service and experience-focused, which follows the mission of almost every golf facility out there. This has been the right solution at the right time.”
Harris also says these new cars are more efficient and take less time to charge, saving in facility energy bills each month.
He also highlights a gas model with a smaller engine. This SMART engine is great on fuel economy and is quieter than the gas models you’ve seen in the past. The technology that’s built-in can monitor performance and basically self-diagnose any fault readings or issues that might arise.
E-Z-GO was a golf car company from the start when two brothers, Bev and Billy Dolan, “started with a simple belief that they could build a better golf car - one that meets the needs of the customer better than any other vehicle on the market.” The vision that these brothers had after watching Bobby Jones ride around the 1954 Masters Tournament in a three-wheeled golf cart has resulted in a company built on innovation and service that now has more than 1,500 dedicated employees in Augusta.
Today, E-Z-GO serves several markets, including residential communities, theme parks, national parks, military bases, universities and of course, golf courses. “Anywhere you need to move people or some level of load.” This diversity in clientele has enabled E-Z-GO to go beyond basic golf necessities. Today’s models can be multi-passenger and lifted or have nice rims and sound systems. “These are amenities you’d expect in your automobile and are now being delivered in a golf car, a smaller, more sustainable option in local transportation,” Harris boasted.
With the changing demographics in golf, the golf car is as big a drawing point as any other in the game, and companies like E-Z-GO are driving participation in the game, just as our biggest golf club manufacturers, indoor simulator brands and famous golf destinations are.
For more information on E-Z-GO golf cars, log on to its website today!