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Chattanooga: Gas carts going downhill

By: David Uchiyama
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Steve Ray

Frank Talley and a handful of other members at Copper Basin Golf Club crunched a few numbers when they considered converting their fleet of carts.

They came to an unusual decision, but one that fits their semi-private club.

“To go through the expense of transforming everything over, it was cost-prohibitive in our situation,” said Talley, the club president. “We debated all the different things and did our research and figured that gas carts are more feasible for us.

“But at four bucks a gallon, we may regret that decision.”

The ever-increasing cost of gasoline has spurred an industry trend of switching from gas-powered carts to electric carts.

Only a few area courses rely primarily on gas-powered carts, and they are the hillier courses such as the nine holes in Copperhill. Montlake Golf Course in Soddy-Daisy also uses gas carts.

“We’re a mountain course with lots of hills and valleys, so gas carts serve our purpose better,” Talley said. “We’ve had gas for many years.”

Gas carts undoubtedly serve a purpose in the golf industry, but more on the maintenance and landscaping side than the people-moving side.

“Numbers of sales have dropped off tremendously on gas units,” said Carson Miller, a sales rep for Club Car dealer Alabama Contractor’s Equipment in Fort Payne, Ala. “I’d estimate that it’s a 25-30 percent reduction in sales. But I don’t want to totally blame gas prices.”

Steve Ray, owner of his own cart sales shop in Ooltewah, correlates the connection between electric cars and electric carts.

“The cart industry is moving away from gas and toward electric,” the E-Z-Go retailer said. “The batteries now are so much better, the motors are so much more efficient and more powerful.

“The golf clubs that used to be gas are going electric because they’re more affordable, they last longer and there is less maintenance.”

The decision to use electric carts was essentially a no-brainer for those at The Bear Trace at Harrison Bay. The course opened in 1999 when a gallon of gas cost about $1.50.

“There was not a need for gas carts here,” said head professional Robin Boyer, who has a fleet of 72 electric units. “Gas carts are noisy, and that can interrupt some people in play. Many of the private country clubs have electric because members don’t want the noise.”

The cart fee at Copper Basin rose during the winter from $10 to $12 for 18 holes. Talley said that helps a bit.

“We’re still getting less revenue, because I think people are spending their recreation money for gas and groceries,” Talley said. “So we’re still getting less revenue.”