Golf Carts Get Street Legal

Initially gaining popularity with elite golfers in the 50s and 60s, golf carts are now making their way into all sorts of unlikely places. Employees in airports, warehouses, movie sets and resorts have all gotten mobile with golf carts over the past decade. Residents of careless communities and tropical islands have been using them on the sly as a cheap way of getting from a to b for years. But perhaps one of the most surprising places to find golf carts these days is on the streets of America.

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. They're 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 by building 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 National 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 the 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 the 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.

Rate Article

Related Videos
Play Video Broken Down Golf Cart Cocktail Recipe	Play Video Electric Golf Cart Basics by Everything Carts	Play Video Rickie Fowler's New Puma Motocross Inspired Cart	Play Video How to Play Golf Rules - Golf Is Hard Tv	Play Video How to Play Golf the Long Game - Equipment

Listed below are more articles related to the above article from the "Golf" article category.

People interested in the above article "Golf Carts Get Street Legal" are also interested in the related articles listed below:

 

Golf and Your Child

More children are learning to play golf today than ever before. A big reason for this is Tiger Woods. He has taken the sport and popularized it among children of all ages. What used to be a boring game for kids to play has suddenly become increasingly popular.

How to Pick the Right Golf Clubs

Golf trainers who have been to high level training sessions, such as any PGA program, know the discipline of picking the right golf clubs. These trainers also know how to understand the effects of the body's movement in respect to the golf club being used. Trainers act as consultants, giving important tips to their students. It is easy to fall prey to marketing hype, however. If your trainer favours only one brand, this is a sign that he may be just riding the hype. It is better to find golf trainers who are flexible in their choice of brands. This is a good sign of objectivity.

What is a Golf Slice?

Fix golf slice is a thought on many amateur golfers' minds. Studies reveal over 80 per cent of all amateur golfers slice the ball. There have been more training aids, drills and tips to fix the golf slice that I can't even begin to count. If you hit a golf slice, have you taken lessons; bought any training aids, and done several drills only to still hit a slice? What a frustrating situation! Do you realize what's causing your golf slice?

Physical Requirements for Golf

The fitness components for golf are a select few, but they are critical to a golfers success. The golf swing is a physically demanding movement on the human body. It involves coordination, balance, stability, muscular strength and endurance, and dynamic sequence of motion just to name a few.

Online Lessons in Golf

There are many different ways to achieve golf lessons, and many ways to effectively acquire valuable lessons out there. Among the many ways to learn lessons of golf, online golf lessons are one of the fast effective ways to gain knowledge of strategies and techniques. Improving your golf game while realizing your best potential is one great reason to utilize online golf lessons.

The Importance of Exercise in Golf

Exercises for golfers may seem like an oxymoron, but I'm here to tell they are most definitely not. Golf is physical! Golf causes injury! Golf can very easily break down the body! To hit the ball maximum distance, your body has to have a higher level of golf specific strength and flexibility.

Choosing Your Golf Clothes

Golf is about patience, vision, and what you wear. That's right, what you wear can have a major effect on your game. Golf is a unique game that doesn't always spell out a specific dress uniform for golfers, but if you aren't thinking about what to wear your game can suffer. Included below are some tips for golfers of any age, and a ability to improve their game by selectively choosing what they wear.