British golf trolley manufacturer Stewart Golf has delivered a fleet of 60 of its flagship X9 Follow machines to Taiwan’s most prestigious golf club.
Golfers at Sunrise Golf & Country Club near Taipei, Taiwan, traditionally play golf in a four-man electric buggy accompanied by a caddy. The buggy is guided by magnetic tracks that are embedded within the cart paths: an arrangement that is common in Taiwan and across Asia more generally.
However, golfers are becoming more health-conscious and are asking to walk the course more, but a shortage of caddies to facilitate this has led to the club ordering a fleet of Stewart Golf’s X9 Follow. Club officials have also gone a step further by signing a multi-year distribution contract to supply to other golf clubs on the island.
Stewart Golf CEO Mark Stewart said: “I’m thrilled that Sunrise chose Stewart Golf to help promote walking at their golf club. Our aim is always to help golfers play better golf and also to have a more enjoyable on-course experience. I am confident the membership will love their new machines. It’s no secret that the X9 Follow is a premium option when it comes to fleets, but its technology, design and quality have shone through.”
Stewart visited the club during the Taiwan Course Owner’s Association AGM, which was hosted by Sunrise. The fleet had just been delivered a few days earlier and club staff were busy building dedicated storage areas for the trolleys.
In 2017, Kitzbühel GC in Austria took delivery of 30 machines (now 45) and became the first golf club in the world to offer a fleet of X9 Follows to its members. The X9 Follow uses patented technology to allow the golfer to walk totally handsfree with the trolley always a few paces behind. This is connected to the trolley by a Bluetooth handset with remote control functionality. All Stewart Golf trolleys are built by hand at the company’s headquarters in Gloucestershire.