Golf Car UK Ltd of Abingdon in Oxfordshire has supplied The Essex Golf Centres with a fleet of 50 new 48-volt electric golf cars, utility vehicles and Ranger vehicles from market-leading manufacturer, Club Car. The Essex Golf Centres has moved from petrol-powered vehicles to Club Car electric golf cars to enhance the course environment and to reduce operating and maintenance costs. Another key factor in winning this prestigious contract was the after sales care offered by Golf Car UK including full training in the products and golf car marketing, backed up by a prompt call-out service.
Melvin Cox, Director of The Essex Golf Centres, was keen to convert from his previous fleet of petrol vehicles to the electric golf cars. “I believe battery power is the way forward. The electric golf car removes the worry of emissions that can damage the environment and it is much quieter, reducing noise pollution around the course. The electric golf cars are also cheaper to run, demand less maintenance and eliminate the hazard of having fuel on the course.”
The electric golf cars feature the PowerDrive Plus system from Club Car delivering a unique balance of hill-climbing power and energy efficiency. Based on this system, Golf Car UK was able to demonstrate that a fleet of electric cars would lead to lower operating costs as well as lower course maintenance costs.
Melvin Cox is delighted with the vehicles and the service provided by Golf Car UK: “Although Golf Car UK offered us the most cost-effective package, it was their presentation that impressed us the most. The after-sales service is impeccable as is their general approach and training programme.”
John Makepeace, Director of Golf Car UK, said: “Service is of the utmost importance to us. We provide our clients with some basic training to enable them to maintain and market their golf cars properly. The Essex Golf Centres sent six people to our technical training seminar and this helped us troubleshoot problems as well as build closer relations with the customer.”
The vehicles supplied by Golf Car UK are divided between the two courses run by The Essex Golf Centres. The Hainault Forest Golf Complex has taken delivery of 35 golf cars, a Ranger vehicle and five utility vehicles from Club Car’s Carryall range (two Carryall I and three XRT rough terrain models), whilst the Southend Golf Complex is operating 15 Club Car golf cars, a Ranger vehicle and an XRT rough terrain vehicle.
According to Melvin Cox, the change from petrol driven to electric golf cars will help boost business and matches the natural settings of the two courses. The Hainault Forest Golf Complex is located in picturesque parkland and boasts 36 holes on a 100-year-old, tree-lined course. The Southend Golf Complex is a five-year-old links course designed by PGA Pro golfers, Alan Walker and Charles Cox, business partners of Melvin Cox. Both courses are open to the public and sales average approximately 160,000 rounds per year.
Melvin Cox is very positive about the Club Car golf car fleet: ”Our customers generally come from a catchment area with a 15 mile radius and we hope that the golf cars will increase that scope and therefore attract a greater number of players. Our prices are deliberately competitive and so far the response has been good.”
The golf cars were supplied in dark green, the corporate colour of the Essex Golf Centres. As well as dark green, the colour options for the Club Car range of electric and petrol golf cars now include classic blue and burgundy coloured body shells which complement the standard colours of beige, white or grey. As before, customised colours are also still available upon special request.
As well as the electric golf cars, Golf Car UK has supplied six Carryall utility vehicles from Club Car including four new XRT rough terrain vehicles and these are an important part of the greenkeeping and gardening machinery at The Essex Golf Centres. They are used for a range of applications on the golf courses including maintenance, materials transportation and landscaping work.