Electric Golf Trolley Buying Guide – Choosing The Perfect Trolley For Your Game
Carrying your clubs is so 2018, please don’t tell me that you’re still doing it! Jokes aside, the popularity of trollies and electric trollies is growing and there are benefits for your game in not carrying anymore.
Imagine having that feeling of someone carrying your bag for the whole round. They take all the strain and effort away from you so you can just savour the golf at hand. This is your chance with an electric golf trolley. Today on the blog we will be looking at what models are out there so you can find which is best for you.
A bit of history
The electric golf trolley was invented when American, JK Wadley, saw some older folks getting their shopping in LA with the help of a motorized trolley. It wasn’t until the 80’s when Joe Catford brought the trollies to the UK with his brand Powakaddy, who are still market-leaders to this day.
In those days, most probably didn’t think that the game would be helped so much by the advancement of this technology. Electric golf trollies have helped keep a lot of people playing who would have struggled thanks to age and/or injury. There are many reasons to buy one and many options to choose from.
Should you consider buying an electric golf trolley?
Many people underestimate the effort it takes to play a round of golf, you burn around 1200 calories per round carrying your clubs. As you can see, this is a considerable amount of energy to burn and much of this is because golf bags are heavy and a round of golf is a long walk. Why not give your body a break and push or pull instead?
Any golfer would see a benefit in using a trolley, they would see more benefit from an electric trolley. The trolley can really give your body a break and let you concentrate on your golf, no more getting to the last few holes and feeling so tired.
How does an electric trolley work?
Electric golf trollies are more like a packhorse than a caddy, obviously they don’t really give you advice but they do carry your clubs. The key is a battery and a small motor that helps drive the wheels and drive the trolley forward for you.
With the weight of your clubs being taken up by the trolley and the propulsion being taken by the motor, you can just walk alongside in perfect serenity. Well, depending on how well you’re playing of course. Let technology bear some of the load on your behalf, your body will thank you.
What are the main benefits of an electric trolley?
I’ve touched on it briefly but the first thing you will notice is that you feel so much fresher after a round. Your body will be far less tired and you will have fewer aches and pains, especially if you’ve not played in a while.
This reduced body fatigue will come with a reduction in mental fatigue too. A tired body can get to you during a round and it certainly makes you feel worried which can reduce your mental focus on the shots ahead of you. This will be a thing of the past as you practically skip your way up the 18th hole.
Electric trolley vs. manual trolley
Manual trollies have a great benefit to golfers, they save your back and your shoulders from the strain of carrying a bag. You can also carry more gear if you think you’ll need to wrap up during the round. They are more easily transportable as they tend to be smaller so if you have a small car they can be great. However, if you play on a hilly course, they can be like doing sled pushes when you’re on a climb!
The electric trolley has more to it, you have the battery and the actual trolley tends to be larger. They push the clubs for you too of course which helps especially on those hilly courses. You also have to remember to charge it or that battery can be a dead-weight. Manual and electric trollies each have benefits and downfalls, you need to decide which is best for your needs.
Should I consider buying a remote control golf trolley?
Usually you control the speed and power of your golf trolley using controls on the handles of the trolley. With a remote control trolley you don’t even need to do that, just keep the trolley in your pocket and you can call the trolley to you like batman calls the batmobile. The main benefit here is convenience, if you are looking for a ball for example and it isn’t where you thought it was, youc an just summon it.
One of the main disadvantages of the remote controlled golf trolley is that it’s a bit gimmicky and people may judge you. You don’t see many of these around but the people who have them do seem to love them. It’s cool but it’s really not that necessary plus it may take some time to get used to steering.
What are the disadvantages of an electric golf trolley?
First and foremost, you need to make sure you keep your battery charged-up, get into a charging routine and stick to it. If you run out of juice mid-round then you are basically pushing around an extra bit of weight for a laugh, that’s not in your interest. They are also fairly big so you need to make sure you have the boot space, home storage space and/or golf club storage space to keep it.
The other disadvantages are relevant for any golf trolley be they electric or not. They aren’t that good for the grass so greenkeepers will ask you to walk certain ways to avoid fragile parts of the course. They may also be banned in bad weather and you’ll need to carry. Finally, those wheels pick up a lot of grass cuttings, trollies make a lot of mess wherever you keep them if you don’t clean them thoroughly.
What are the batteries like?
Like in everything, battery technology has progressed a lot in recent years, golf trolley batteries are no different. They now work for longer and are lighter than ever before. In the early days of electric trollies, you basically attached a car battery to a cart and hoped that it lasted for the whole round.
Nowadays, batteries will easily see you through a round and they have become incredibly light. They even charge fairly quickly now too. Most modern golf batteries are lithium ion batteries so they can be charged frequently without loss of performance.
Can you get electric golf trollies for juniors?
These are pretty hard to find, although it isn’t had to find regular golf trollies for juniors. Whilst there will be exceptional cases, junior golfers shouldn’t need that electric motor to help them get round a course. Their clubs are light and their youthful exuberance for the game of golf should carry them comfortably around eighteen holes!
Should an older junior really need a helping hand to get round, then you could just get an adult electric golf trolley. Maybe this is a gap in the market, if you’re reading this, you could go away and create products for this niche.
How long does the battery last?
When you are choosing your trolley, you can decide the kind of power reserve you would like for your set-up. Many people play 18 holes only and so a battery of this kind of range is most common. However, for those who forget to charge often and for those who play a lot more, 27- and 36-hole versions are available, they cost a bit more though, of course.
You just need to consider your own game and what will be best for you. Some people buy a spare battery that they keep charged too, that way, if you’re caught short or you decide to play extra holes, you can make a quick switch and you’re juiced up and ready to play.
Can I still push it if the battery dies?
You sure can, and thankfully modern electric golf trollies are lighter because this used to take the power of Hercules back in the day. Gone are the days of watching older golfers falling to the ground like a recent marathon finisher having pushed their ton-weight golf trolley and dead battery around for a few holes.
If you buy one of these trollies, you will run out of battery on the course one day, it’s inevitable. Thankfully, the new lighter batteries and improved design of the actual trollies themselves mean that it need no longer be such a physical effort to push one of these trollies unassisted.
Can you get trollies with GPS nowadays?
GPS devices have become a great tool in the arsenal of the modern golfer, they make life easier as we have a bird’s-eye view of the course complete with yardages from our current position. It is reasonable that some of the most innovative electric trolley manufacturers have combined this incredible technology with their products. Gone are the days of forgetting your GPS because you left in a hurry, now it’s all built-in.
Powakaddy and Motocaddy are two of the biggest players in the electric trolley industry and they each have offerings complete with GPS. Powakaddy brought the first version of this to market in 2019 and now in 2020 you have even more options. These are definitely worth considering for the serious weekend warrior.
What is the best electric golf trolley?
Of course, this is very subjective and I can only give you my opinion from my research. Powakaddy have been in the game the longest and they have some fantastic products on the market. However, I find that their designs can look a bit dated and clunky.
The Motocaddy M-Tech is definitely not cheap, but it is packed with great features and is a wonderful all-rounder. This trolley is super-quiet, packs away into a tiny size and even has a USB charger port so you can play some music or charge your phone during the round if you are into that. This is a modern electric golf trolley, with carbon fiber detailing, for a younger audience.
What is the lightest electric golf trolley?
When looking at the weight of a trolley, manufacturers get sneaky and tell you the weight without the battery. Well that’s fairly pointless as you won’t be using it without the battery so be careful with this statistic. Most trollies weigh about 10kg or so, then the battery needs to be added and they are about 3kg, if you get a lithium ion battery.
Hill Billy make a super-lightweight trolley that comes in at only 8.3kg. This is really impressive and even more impressive is the price they sell this at. Thanks to their online-only business model, you cut out middlemen and make savings. The lithium battery for this trolley is only an additional 2.6kg so all-in you have a trolley at 10.6kg, which is very hard to beat!
What is the most compact electric golf trolley?
Powakaddy have pushed the boundaries on this one and created a trolley with the apt tagline of “impossibly small”. The Powakaddy CT6 unfolds itself like a contortionist in a circus act as you prepare for your round. This is an astounding piece of engineering and one you will, no doubt, love to show your golfing buddies.
This is 35% smaller than the nearest competitor, just to give you an idea of just how impressive this is. It isn’t scarce on features either. It comes with a colour display and a USB charging port too. If you lack space, this one makes for an easy choice!
Best value for money electric golf trolley
Electric golf trollies are not cheap, however, they are an investment worth making if it means you can enjoy your golf more. To get the biggest bang for your buck, Ben Sayers have some great products at under £300. One of the ways they achieve this great price-point is by using older battery technology so it is a bit heavier.
That being said, by not using lithium batteries, you get an electric trolley without paying too much. Ben Sayers make good quality golf gear at affordable prices, they are a fairly well-known name so you’re not taking a risk on a cheap product here.
Best remote control golf trolley
So you love your electric golf trolley and you want to impress your fellow members with a fancy new gadget, you want a remote controlled trolley. The Motocaddy S7 Remote is packed with features including the pressure-sensitive remote pad that will alter the speed of the trolley based on how hard you hit the buttons. That could be an issue after missing a short putt and being angry though so just keep the breathing good.
Another great feature on the S7 is automatic downhill control (ADC), a new feature on this particular product. If you’re on a hilly course, going downhill with an electric trolley can get a bit hairy at times, not with the S7. This ADC feature gently guides the trolley down the hill at a good pace so you don’t have to panic.
Best electric golf trolley accessories
Once you’ve got yourself an electric golf trolley, you’ll want to truly make it your own by pimping it up a bit with some accessories. There are loads out there than can make your new bit of kit even more perfect for you. Once of the best, being someone from Scotland, is the winter hand warmers. These mitts just attach to the handle to keep the hands warm on those cold days.
You can also get a mount for your phone or GPS system so you never have to search to get a yardage on your next shot. The classic accessory, a must for everyone, is the umbrella holder. On those rainy days, this keeps you and your kit dry whilst making it feel even more like you have a caddy on the bag.
Conclusion
One of the best things about using a golf trolley is that you can carry more stuff with less effort, you can use a bigger bag and be more prepared. This is a particular advantage on days when the weather looks like it could and will change constantly. Using the power of the electric motor, you can simply load up with no extra cost on your body.
The trollies listed above give you plenty of options, whatever budget and needs you have. Electric golf trollies can help you play for longer and continue to enjoy the walk that golf gives. They have extended the playing careers of many club golfers and are one of the most underrated pieces of golfing technology ever invented. Get yourself one for this season, your body will thank you.
Hi, I am Matthew, a mid handicap golfer who likes to play as much as possible. I love trying out new gear and this blog is where you can find all the gear I have tested over the years!
