AUGUSTA, GA (May 1, 2009) – A recent New York Times story and an accompanying video, which takes a tongue-in-cheek look at how not to operate a golf car, should be required reading and viewing for all golfers, according to officials at Club Car.
In the story (Golfers Test Limits of Good Sense in Golf Carts, April 27), author Bill Pennington writes, “(Golf cars) do look like fun. But it is amazing, and a little scary, all the crazy things people do with golf carts.” Dr. Lara McKenzie of the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, adds: “A lot of people are getting hurt because they do things in a golf cart they wouldn’t think of doing in an automobile.”
In a video posted on the Times’ web site, Pennington demonstrates several things golfers have been known to do while operating a golf car that can result in personal injury or damage to the course. But driving into a bunker, going too fast over hills and around turns, and driving onto a green, as Pennington does in the video, are some of the tamer acts some golfers have committed while behind the wheel of a golf car.
As the story and video point out, vandalism that can result in personal injury and damage to the vehicle and the course are not uncommon when drivers throw safety and caution to the wind.
“A golf cart can make the game a lot more fun and accessible, but in the wrong hands, a golf cart is trouble,” Pennington says.
Robert McElreath, vice president of global marketing for Augusta, Ga.-based Club Car, agrees. “Safety is the No. 1 concern of all golf car manufacturers. We also provide educational materials for golf course owners and operators and encourage them to impress on their customers the importance of caution and common sense when they’re operating a golf car. But in the final analysis, golfers must exercise good judgement.”
In a whitepaper published earlier this year by Club Car, which included results of a survey conducted by the National Golf Foundation, golf course owners and operators cited vandalism as one of their most serious operating concerns.
To help courses better protect their customers and course conditions, Club Car recently introduced a GPS-based product that makes it easy for course managers to limit vehicle use or maximum speed anywhere on the course, including near lakes, bunkers, environmentally sensitive areas and on steep downhill portions of the cart path. The Guardian system also enables courses to lock down their golf car fleets at the end of the day to deter joyriding, vandalism and vehicle theft.
The New York Times’ story and video can be seen at http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/27/sports/golf/27parmain.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=golf+cart&st=cse. The Club Car whitepaper can be accessed at http://xrtdealers.clubcar.com/GuardianSVC/whitePaper.pdf
About Club Car
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, a Silver Partner of the GCSAA 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.
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 in Augusta, Ga., Club Car is part of the Industrial Technologies sector of Ingersoll-Rand Company Limited. Ingersoll Rand (NYSE: IR) is a global diversified firm providing products, services and solutions to enhance the quality and comfort of air in homes and buildings, transport and protect food and perishables, secure homes and commercial properties and increase industrial productivity and efficiency. Driven by a 100-year-old tradition of technological innovation, we enable our customers to create progress and a positive impact in their world. For more information, go to www.ingersollrand.com.
Contact:
Bill Bryant, Bryant Marketing Communications
(678) 366-3232, bbryant@bryantmarcomm.com
