For more than two decades, business establishments have been vying for vehicles from the Augusta-based manufacturer to display for golf fans.
AUGUSTA, GA (March 31, 2008) – Badges to the Masters Tournament and hotel rooms aren’t the only things in high demand during Masters week in Augusta. Just try getting a golf car to park in front of your business establishment. Each year Club Car, a golf car manufacturer based here, is flooded with requests from restaurants, hotels and car dealerships that want to place one of the company’s vehicles on display for the week.
“It’s not exactly in the same league with the green jacket, but it’s certainly become a tradition,” says Mike Read, Club Car’s director of marketing.
No one seems to know exactly when the tradition began (most seem to think it dates back to 1986-87) or why it’s become so popular, especially with businesses located along Washington Roadleading to the Augusta National Golf Club. What is certain is that requests for the cars seem to start earlier each year, and no one wants to get left off the list of establishments that will receive a golf car.
“We started getting requests about two months ago,” says Ray Bentley, Club Car’s director of aftermarket sales. “We’ve had requests for 90 to 100 cars already.”
Bentley says Club Car tries to fulfill as many requests as possible. It also tries not to overlook any deliveries, as happened once a few years ago.
“We forgot Hooters one year, and they weren’t too happy,” Bentley recalls. “They even put a message on their sign out front saying they didn’t need us any more and they’d get a Harley instead.”
Evidently Hooters has forgiven the oversight because an orange golf car has been requested once again. “We won’t forget this time, either,” says Bentley.
One of the most challenging parts of Bentley’s job comes after the tournament ends and it’s time to load up the cars – a combination of golf cars and utility vehicles – and return them to the Club Car plant. “We always seem to find two or three cars not where we left them,” he says. “One year there was a big party at one of the hotels and one of our cars went swimming.”
Club Car, a business of Ingersoll-Rand Company Limited, a diversified industrial firm,
Honors the Game in its service to customers and support of the golf industry. Club Car is the exclusive premier partner of the National Golf Course Owners Association in the U.S. and NGCOA Canada’s exclusive Golf Car Supplier and Platinum Partner. Club Car is also a sponsor of the European Golf Course Owners Association and a Corporate Advantage Partner of the Club Managers Association of America. It is the Official Supplier of Golf Cars and Utility Vehicles to the 2010 Ryder Cup, the Official Golf Car and Golf Utility Vehicle and an Official Sponsor of the PGA European Tour, the official supplier of golf cars and utility vehicles to PGA Tournament Players Clubs, and leading sponsor of the PGA Professional National Championship, The First Tee and the Executive Women’s Golf Association.
About Club Car
Club Car provides fleet, turf, hospitality and financing solutions for golf, agricultural, recreational and industrial markets. For more information on Club Car, go to www.clubcar.com. Based inAugusta, Ga., Club Car is part of the Industrial Technologies sector of Ingersoll-Rand Company Limited.
Ingersoll Rand (NYSE:IR) is a diversified industrial company providing products, services and integrated solutions to industries ranging from transportation and manufacturing to food retailing, construction, and agriculture. Driven by a 100-year-old tradition of technological innovation, Ingersoll Rand enables companies and their customers to create progress. For more information, go to www.ingersollrand.com.
Contact:
Bill Bryant, Bryant Marketing Communications
(678) 366-3232, bbryant@bryantmarcomm.com
