This page discusses the following topics:
1.
Ebikes open up a new opportunity for golf courses with NEW REVENUE in the form of rental income and from new golfers bringing their own ebikes to the course paying green fees, buying food, and spending on products. Ebikes are attracting new young golfers because of the fitness attraction, and keeping older golfers playing more years…both generating revenue to golf courses. That is why many golf courses all over the world are already eagerly welcoming ebikes on their courses.
As reported on the Single-Rider History Review, in spite of the beneficial “Covid Bounce” which is now starting to wear off, the golf industry has been in a 20 year decline, has closed over 1200 courses, and lost 22% of its regular players. Simply stated, senior golfers are not replacing themselves with their young adult children. This is the “canary-in-the-coal-mine” warning. Many in the industry know we must speed up the game to survive, not to mention expand with new young players. Single-Rider devices have come and gone, but failed to deliver the promise of faster rounds for many reasons described on this page, most notably VERY expensive, difficult to ride, and unique parts..
Ebikes solve all of this. They are attracting new young players as well as older players who benefit from the exercise element. Ebikes are generating new revenue and adding an element of fun to this great game.
For the future of green-grass golf, to prevent it going back to an elite game only for the wealthy like it was in the early days, we must speed up the game. The best-known golfers in the world are behind it.
Natural Resistance to Change – Of course, any time something new comes along, there is natural resistance. When noisy gasoline golf carts were introduced in the 1930’s, they were an abomination to golf which was played by men in suits while caddies carried their clubs. But over time, carts became the norm. The problem is, they were originally designed for 2 people which requires 1 to sit half the time. And nearly 100 years later, that is still the design. One golf course pro commented, “If ebikes had been available back then, this is how we would all be playing golf today!”
Golf courses can think of ebikes just like electric bag carriers, except we can ride ebike bag carriers and that speeds up the game which is good for the golf course!
Why is the normal riding device a 2-person golf cart? Because that’s the way it started in the 1930’s and the industry just fell into line. As one local golf pro noted, “It makes no sense because carts are designed so that one person has to sit half the time watching someone else play golf.”
Looked at from the other point of view, if the norm had everyone on their own wheels riding straight to their own shots, if someone came up with a new idea for 2-person golf carts, no golf course would consider buying them because they would slow down the course dramatically and cut down on the number of rounds they can sell per day.
We are shaking up the old outdated standard of 2-person golf carts. Ebikes are a perfect marriage for golf. They are inexpensive, safe, efficient, can provide exercise or can be ridden like a scooter with all throttle.
This page addresses the common concerns and questions that golf courses have including revenue, impact on the turf, safety, liability, and maintenance.
You might also find our review of the “Single Rider History Page” interesting. It includes other types of bicycles adapted for golf.
Because ebikes are proliferating outside of golf, and because they are so perfect for golf, we believe they will become common very quickly. We are hoping all golf courses will embrace this great new technology and take advantage of the new revenue it offers. Our Golf Ebikes were featured at the recent global PGA Show in Orlando where golf course owners and managers got to see them in action.
To be sure, we don’t expect to “replace” golf carts. We know that many people will prefer to ride like they always have. But 96% of golfers responding to a survey said they would love to rent an ebike if they were available at their course. That is why we believe GolfEbikes will become common on golf courses.
2.
ATTENTION GOLF COURSES
If you are interested in purchasing a sample or multiple GolfEbikes to rent to your golfers, please contact
Steve Divnick at sales@golfebikes.com or by calling 937-476-1298 (Eastern USA)
Ebikes are a new phenomenon…new technology. They are growing exponentially around the world and prices are exceptionally low, less than half the cost of other single rider devices which have not been able to deliver on the promise of speeding up the game because they are so expensive. With GolfEbikes, you can rent them for the same rate as a golf cart and they will pay off quickly and generate new profit for you.
OR…
You can just allow golfer-owned ebikes on your course. “They are just like electric bag carts, except you can ride them which speeds up the game and attracts more golfers.”
“We need to make sure that we’re attracting and growing new fans. We are doubling down on our commitment to technology and innovation.”
Joe Arcuri, PGA Tour CMO
“With creativity and innovation, golf courses can thrive. Welcome to the new world order of golf.”
Joseph Mentone
Golf Course Industry Report
“Playing 18-holes on your ebike put a big smile on my face. I want 8 of them for our golf course. I like that they speed up the game, offer as much exercise as a golfer wants, and are just plain fun. From a revenue point of view, I think they will attract new young golfers and keep older golfers playing more years. This will not only be good for our golf course, I think it will have a positive impact on the entire golf industry. Well done.”
Richard Denny, PGA Golf Professional, Jamaica Run Golf Club, Germantown OH
3.
Increased Golf Course Revenue
Ebikes will increase golf course revenue a number of ways.
- They will attract new younger golfers who will not only generate new green fees, they will get range balls, buy food, and spend money in the pro shop.
- Since ebikes also provide exercise, they will keep older golfers playing and paying more years.
- As more golfers start using ebikes, it will speed up the rounds allowing golf courses to sell more tee times
A local golf course in Ohio that rents out single-rider devices estimates that it has brought 870 NEW golfers to its course and that the gained revenue from green fees, and food and beverage totaled $55,000 last year. As those kind of numbers become better known to the golf industry, it will help speed up the adoption of ebikes.
How Much To Charge Golfers?
If you get ebikes to rent, you can charge at least the same as for a golf cart. Some courses charge a premium. We are in favor of whatever your market will support. Because they are so inexpensive, whatever rate you charge will quickly pay for them.
How much do you charge golfers who bring their own ebike? Some courses treat golf ebikes like motorized bag carts and only charge a standard walking fee. Others add a “trail fee”. Because it is a competitive marketplace, and we are finding that most golf courses charge a standard walking fee.
Will golfer-owned ebikes reduce cart revenue? If the only people riding a bike would otherwise rent a cart, then it would reduce cart revenue. But most ebikers come from those who are currently walking. So ebikes will speed up your pace of play. And of course, if you get some ebikes to rent out, they will generate revenue for you. Also, if we can get everyone in or on their own wheels, it will speed up the entire course and you can sell more rounds per day.
Turf Impact – Less Than Half the P.S.I of a Cart
A 20×4 inch fat tire ebike has LESS THAN HALF THE POUNDS-PER-SQUARE INCH impact on the grass as a golf cart
Golf carts weigh about 1,000 pounds, plus one 200 pound riders = 1200 pounds. Golf cart tires are 18” tall x 8” wide and do not “squish out”. There is about 3 inches of circumference in solid contact with the ground. 3×8=24″ x 4 tires = 96 square inches in contact with the ground. 1200 pounds divided by 96 = 12.5 pounds per square inch for golf carts.
Fat tire ebikes weigh 80 pounds plus a 200 pound rider = 280 pounds. 20×4 inch soft fat tires squish out to 5 inches wide on the turf. The larger diameter tires and combined squish have about 4.5 inches of circumference in solid contact with the ground. That is 5 x 4.5 = 22.5 x 2 tires = 45 square inches in contact with the ground. 280 pounds divided by 45 = 6.2 pounds per square inch for ebikes.
It’s not even close. Ebikes impart less than half the pounds per square inch of a golf cart. They are easy on the grass!
Can ebikes spin the tires? The maximum power of ebikes allowed on public roads is 750 watts and that isn’t enough power to spin the tires. So ebikes won’t cause damage to the grass.
Ebikes are Safe and Easy to Ride
The phrase, “As easy as riding a bicycle” applies to ebikes. In fact, with the throttle, they are even easier. The controls are intuitive. Balance is automatic with the Bag Carrier on the side. Once around the driveway or parking lot and you are good to go!
With the low-pressure fat flotation tires, ebikes are very safe and stable on all surfaces. We have tested them riding up, down, and sideways on steep wet grass hills without any slippage. These soft tires can also safely cross over ridges such as the edge of cart paths, as well as over small rocks on cart paths. Obviously, common sense always applies. For instance, if you are riding up over a cart path edge, approach it straight-on rather than at an angle.
Our ebikes have front and rear disk brakes for immediate stopping and control on hills.
Good Golf Course Citizenship – Always ride in a way that respects the course, replacing divots, never riding on the greens or tee boxes, and honoring cart path rules when the course is wet.
Safety Story
An interesting thing happened at the PGA Show Demo Day Riding Arena. We were there with our ebikes, along with companies selling other single rider devices like fat tire scooters and stand-up boards. At the end of the day, the PGA manager of the riding arena called me aside and said the following:
“I have been watching people have trouble riding these other devices. They have fallen over, run into the fence, and had to get off and pick up the front and move it in order to make the turn at the end of the arena. And that is after significant instructions from the owners. But no one has had any problem jumping on your ebikes and riding all over the place and making tight turns…and all you’ve told them is where the throttle is!”
I would also add that the other devices did not have golf clubs loaded while we had full bags on our ebikes so people would experience the reality that balance is automatic and they don’t even feel the weight on the side.
Maintenance and Parts
Ebikes are very easy to work on. Youtube is rich with “How to” ebike content that applies to all ebikes including maintenance, adjustments, fixing flats, and everything else that will ever be needed on a bike. Also, any local bike shop can perform maintenance. There are even growing numbers of mobile ebike repair businesses. There are already millions of ebikes in the country with those numbers growing daily.
Parts: We can get whatever parts are needed. Or, Amazon and Ebay are full of internchangeable ebike parts.
LIABILITY & RESPONSIBILITY
One of the concerns often asked about is liability. What if someone has an accident on their ebike on the golf course? Liability and responsibility is not any different than the normal liability rules on the golf courses. The golfer is responsible for any accidents or damage whether walking, riding in a rented cart, or riding his or her own ebike. Because ebikes are new to golf courses, some may still be concerned about liability. We provide a simple liability and responsibility statement you can print and have ready to hand them if it comes up in conversation. We suggest you print it, sign it, and take it with you if you are going to a new golf course and aren’t sure if they welcome ebikes.
GOLF COURSES
For golf courses renting ebikes, we provide a 1-page liability waiver combined with basic operating instructions and safety recommendations. You can print it and have first-time renters sign it. You can also give them a copy of it to reference as they use the bike for the first time.
4.
How to approach golf courses…
If your golf course hasn’t yet seen Ebikes, we invite you to show them yours and let them ride it and invite them to take a look at our website.
Many golf courses learn about ebikes from the golf media and other forms of publicity.
But most learn about it with a direct approach from our customers. To help in that process, we have developed a strategy for the best way to share the information with your local golf courses that includes suggested wording designed to get a “Yes” answer.
We also provide a printable “Golf Course Handout” page that you can leave with the manager or pro so they have something to show their owner or committee if necessary.
As noted above, more and more courses are getting ebikes to rent, so you can certainly combine the request to ride your ebike with the suggestion that they can join the ebike movement and get some to rent. We are optimistic that most, if not all golf courses will soon welcome ebikes and the many new golfers and revenue that will come with them. With millions of ebikes being manufactured and sold around the world, they are a tide that cannot be held back!
“The game needs modernization to bring in the next generation.”
USA Today
