For these of you who may need some place to be, I’m going to chop to the chase.
Motocaddy has upgraded its remote-controlled electrical caddie lineup with:
Sleeker, sportier designs
Cable-free “CLICK ‘N’ CONNECT” battery expertise
Palms-free navigation with enhanced downhill management
GPS capabilities (on the premium mannequin) with 40,000 pre-loaded programs
A retractable anti-tip wheel that stays hooked up when folded
If that’s all it’s worthwhile to make the swap out of your gas-guzzling driving cart to one thing extra refined, cool. They go on sale in March. The M7 REMOTE is $1,549, the M7 GPS REMOTE is $1,899.
So long.
If you would like the total story on why these electrical trolleys (because the Europeans name them) are quickly gaining traction stateside, be at liberty to stay round.
The American Electrical Revolution
Do you know that greater than 80 % of Motocaddy’s U.S. gross sales in 2024 have been within the distant class? That’s not only a development; it’s a revolution.
And for these of you who’ve made the swap, perhaps a revelation.
5 years in the past, recognizing an electrical caddie at an American course was like discovering somebody utilizing a persimmon driver—a uncommon curiosity that prompted questions and sideways glances. Now I can’t play a weekend spherical with out seeing at the very least a pair gliding effortlessly throughout the golf green whereas their house owners stroll alongside, distant in hand, wanting smugly at the remainder of us pushing our three-wheeled contraptions like cavemen.
My buddy Josh was a non secular rider. He owns a cart and lives on the golf course and used to all however completely journey door to door and again once more.
A number of years again he made the swap. Granted, he now not performs on the course that borders his home (that’s a loooong story for an additional day) however he’s given up driving for what I suppose is golf’s equal of energy strolling.
He hasn’t seemed again and neither have the opposite guys in his foursome with their electrical trolleys.
Why now?
The expansion of electrical caddies in America is an ideal storm of well being consciousness, expertise developments and financial sense.
Contemplate the next:
The common driving cart price has climbed to $25-35 per spherical
Strolling 18 holes burns roughly 1,500 energy (versus 800 when driving)
Research present strolling golfers document higher scores (most likely as a result of they’re not pressured to drive to their companion’s ball first)
Most fashionable electrical caddies fold down sufficiently small to slot in a compact automobile’s trunk
And so, Motocaddy’s refreshed lineup isn’t a lot about fixing one thing that’s damaged as it’s about taking one thing that’s working exceptionally effectively and making it higher.
The brand new lineup: What’s truly modified?
The basics of the brand new M7 fashions stay the identical: a battery-powered caddie that you simply management both manually or with a distant handset. What’s modified is execution and integration.
The headline function is the CLICK ‘N’ CONNECT battery system. Should you’ve ever fumbled with connecting cables on earlier fashions, that is your “hallelujah!” second. The battery integrates seamlessly into the body with no uncovered connections to corrode over time.
One other important improve is the retractable anti-tip wheel which might stay hooked up whereas folding. I suppose that makes it a purposeful timesaver.
Each fashions function enhanced downhill management expertise. Should you play on hilly terrain, you’ve most likely had a push cart make a break for it a time or two. Hopefully, you stayed out of the water hazard.
The good one: M7 GPS REMOTE
Should you’re the kind who likes their golf tools to be smarter than they’re (and, let’s be sincere, who doesn’t?), the M7 GPS REMOTE is your jam.
Its 3.5-inch LCD touchscreen show doesn’t simply present distances; it provides you full-hole mapping, permitting you to pull and drop the pin for exact goal yardages.
With 40,000 pre-loaded programs and Wi-Fi functionality for updates, you’re lined whether or not you’re taking part in your native muni or that bucket-list course.
The GPS mannequin additionally helps you to measure photographs, observe scores and stats, and obtain smartphone alerts through Bluetooth.
At $1,899, it’s not low cost, but it surely’s lower than the mixed price of a premium push cart, a high-end GPS machine and a yr’s price of cart charges at most programs.
The easier choice: M7 REMOTE
For individuals who simply need the strolling advantages with out the technological bells and whistles, the usual M7 REMOTE delivers the core expertise at $1,549.
You continue to get the responsive distant management with over 100 yards of vary, the downhill management expertise and the brand new battery system. What you’re giving up is primarily the GPS performance.
The cart path much less traveled
For me, the largest promoting level of an electrical cart (trolley) is freedom.
Freedom from cart path-only restrictions. Freedom from ready to your cart companion. Freedom from cart charges and freedom from slinging golf equipment in your again, as a result of carrying a 30-pound bag for 4 hours isn’t everybody’s concept of enjoyable.
Right here comes the skepticism
Now, I do know what a few of you might be considering: “This sounds great but what happens when the battery dies on the 16th hole?”
Legitimate concern. However Motocaddy claims their new high-capacity lithium battery is sweet for 36 holes. Even when the trail much less traveled is an apt and frequent descriptor of your spherical, you’ve acquired to actually push it to not make it by means of 18.
Others would possibly balk on the price ticket. Sure, $1,500+ is substantial. However amortized over years of use and factoring in saved cart charges, many customers discover these pay for themselves in a few years of normal play.
The extra reliable concern is storage and transport. These aren’t precisely pocket-sized, even when folded. However if you happen to’ve acquired room for a set of golf equipment in your life, you possibly can most likely discover area for one in all these.
The decision
Should you had advised me 5 years in the past that remote-controlled electrical trolleys would turn out to be mainstream in American golf, I’d have laughed you off the primary tee. But right here we’re, with gross sales surging and extra converts on daily basis.
The brand new Motocaddy fashions signify a refined iteration of what’s already working, reasonably than a revolutionary change. For present electrical caddie customers, the upgrades are good however maybe not important. You’re most likely good with what you might have.
For the uninitiated, nonetheless, these new fashions provide a compelling entry level into what could be golf’s most vital tools development for the reason that hybrid membership.
And with healthcare prices what they’re nowadays, the additional 4,000 steps per spherical would possibly simply be what retains you taking part in effectively into your golden years. Your heart specialist will thanks, even when your driving cart buddies gained’t.
The brand new Motocaddy M7 REMOTE ($1,549) and M7 GPS REMOTE ($1,899) can be found now.
For extra info, go to www.motocaddy.us.
The outdated ones have been fairly good, too
Should you’re trying to be a part of the electrical revolution with out the premium price ticket, hold a watch out for discounted 2024 fashions as retailers clear stock for these new arrivals.
The put up Electrical Revolution: Motocaddy’s New Distant-Managed Caddies Are Coming for Your Driving Cart appeared first on MyGolfSpy.