Deeply contrary to the culture of speed, golf carts and the people who drive them are demanding a piece of the road for themselves - and they’re getting it. In many ways the timing is absolutely right.

Designed to travel at a leisurely pace and run on electricity, golf carts leave a significantly smaller ecological footprint than the average vehicle. The first electric vehicle available to consumers, golf carts are compact and cheap to run, quiet, easy to drive and non-polluting. how to clean upholstery also painfully slow. Most golf carts top out at speeds of 15 mph with the pedal to the metal. But if you’ve got time to get to where you’re going, what’s the problem?

Many communities have simply connected the dots between their warm weather, a preponderance of golf courses and retirees, and the sheer efficiency of these vehicles amp; upholstery cleaners in roads and pathways dedicated just to them. Much like bike lanes in other cities, golf cart lanes are showing up in communities all over Florida, Arizona and California.

According to a new york times article, golf cart sales to individuals have doubled over the last 10 years, a phenomenon largely due to a change in US legislation. Ever since the shampoo carpet cleaning Highway Traffic Safety administration allowed “low speed vehicles” such as golf carts, to travel up to 25 mph on roads with speed limits up tp 35 mph in 1998, golf carts have been slowly moving off the golf course and into people’s garages.

Of course, you have to pimp your ride before you’re legal. Road worthy carts have to be outfitted with seat belts, windshields, turn signals and brake lights before they can legally tear up the asphalt.

In 1999, Rancho Mirage CA was one of the first American cities to make Golf Carts part of the municipal scene when the city adopted a program allowing drivers to travel the streets in their carts. The city has designated golf cart lanes and paths that traverse the downtown area and skirt leather furniture cleaning entrances to some of the most exclusive designer golf courses and country clubs in America. Carrying golf clubs, groceries and purse dogs, residents cruise roads named after the icons that invented this glamorous slow-moving golf life: Bob Hope, Gerald Ford, Ginger Rogers, Dinah Shore, Frank Sinatra. With scarves streaming in the slow desert breeze, this is SoCal at it’s finest.

The city is no stranger to the ways of the golf cart. The Thunderbird Country Club in Rancho Mirage is said to be the first place to ever see a powered vehicle on the fairway. In the 1950s, the likes of Desi Arnez and Bing Crosby were wheeling around furniture steam cleaners Thunderbird greens in the first 3 wheeled electric golf carts Americans had ever seen. To have the modern cousins of these early vehicles taking over the streets of Rancho Mirage 60 years later is not really surprising. Some would wonder what took them so long.

FAIRBORN — Wright State University moved in more than 1,300 first-year students on Thursday, Sept. 4, with the smooth precision of a military operation. The freshmen and their belongings were whisked to campus residence halls by 450 volunteers and a fleet of 100 golf carts.

“It looks pretty organized,” said Laurie Mays of Centerville, who was moving her son, Parker, to Wright State.

Tyrone Bruton of Columbus was impressed with the help he received with his daughter Tynesha’s boxes. “It gives you a feeling you’re at home,” Bruton said. “It’s like family.”

Wright State faculty and staff members loaded the carts and drove them to any one of 15 residence halls. Student volunteers quickly unloaded the carts and paraded the freshmen’s things into dorm rooms.

“Usually, it’s a couple loads because they’ve got a vehicle full of stuff,” said Albert Bondurant, Wright State director of organizational development and learning. “Then we go back and pick up another parent and do the same thing. Just over and over and over.”

The carts carried clothing, shoes, bedding, televisions, stereos, computers, fans and all sorts of small appliances.

“I’ve had kids move in with one small suitcase, and others where we fill the golf cart three times and wonder how we can cram all the stuff into the room,” said Bill Rickert, Wright State associate provost.

Rachel Stephenson, an incoming freshman from West Milton, said the move-in was exciting. “I’m nervous, and ready to get out of my house,” Stephenson said, laughing.

Jessica Jones, a first-year student from Columbus, was wistful about the move. “I’ve lived with my mom my whole life and to be away from her is kind of sad,” Jones said.

As of July 31, applications from first-time freshmen students for Wright State’s Dayton campus were up 11 percent from last year to 6,093, according to university officials. Wright State enrollment is on track to increase 5.3 percent from 2007, with a projected 13,662 undergraduate and graduate students. Classes start Monday.

When going to the golf course or using a golf cart for some other specific traveling reason, you can rent new or used golf carts as reasonable prices. When you rent a golf cart, you usually have to put some sort of deposit down so that the place you are renting it from, knows that you will bring it back if you want your deposit back. Usually the deposit can be anywhere from $350.00 up to $500.00. With most places, they allow you to rent the golf carts by daily, weekly, weekend, or monthly increments and the prices will vary from one retailer to the next.

Tags: Renting used golf carts

There have been several references to all terrain vehicles, utility vehicles, micro trucks and golf carts in the Labette Avenue. This writing is an attempt to define and explain each vehicle and the purposes for them to avoid confusion in future discussion. There are distinct differences, so Bill Miller offered to give us pictures and definitions of each vehicle. Since this discussion could become quite lengthy, the newspaper will discuss one per week.
Most of us have seen the standard two-person electric golf carts. They may be seen at golf courses, on television, or in the movies. Golf carts come in a variety of colors, mainly white, red, and green. They are either electric or gasoline powered and are set up to run between 15 to 20 mph, according to speed allowed on golf courses. They can come in deluxe models that resemble Rolls Royces, Cadillacs, Lincolns, Jeeps or Hummers with about every luxury money can buy. The standard golf cart can be bought at a very reasonable price. The golf cart can be plugged in to electricity to be charged up. In an older golf cart powered by gasoline, the cart can go an unbelievable distance on a gallon of gas. The gas-powered ones usually have a little more power than the electric ones.
The newer electric carts built in the last year or so are the best deal for the power. The newer carts have an electric engine that is far more efficient and for the money paid are really the best buy.

Pringle and pastels this ain’t. If you were to show up at your English Country Golf Club in one of Bad Ass Golf’s custom carts, you’d certainly be refused entry on grounds of impropriety. But who wants a tepid gin and tonic at the 19th hole when you could be out ripping up the bunkers, dune-buggy style, on the 24HP Super Jumper (seen above in mid flight — $12,800)?

The range runs from mini-hummers through roadsters to, inevitably, a six-seater limo, but you can also pick up some parts to pimp your own buggy, from suspension kits to “Stock Bling” wheels (”Fits All Cars Turf Legal”).

The company is based in — where else? — Las Vegas, and like any other business on the strip, Bad Ass offers to put you in hock: The company will finance your purchase so you have some cash left over for, say, an $8,400 Louis Vuitton golf bag.

Tags: Break Club Rules with Bad Ass Golf Carts