There are plenty of things to consider when you buy a golf cart, but two decisions seem to stress out buyers the most:

• Selecting the power source
• New vs. used

In this post, we will tackle the first one. The bottom line in the electric vs. gas debate is that it’s all about choosing the type that best suits your needs. Let’s go over some points that will help you make the best decision for your particular situation:

The Good – Gas

• Longer range: Depending on the engine, you can get between 100 and 200 miles out of one tank of gas.
• More powerful: This is especially important if you plan on using the car off-road, for hunting, on a farm, etc.
• No charging required: Just fill the tank, and off you go.

The Bad – Gas

• Maintenance: Gas golf cars require tune-ups, oil changes, exhaust and muffler service, and all the other maintenance that goes along with an internal combustion engine.
• More systems and moving parts mean more things can go wrong.
• Repairs are more costly.
• Difficult to run at slow speeds.

The Good: – Electric

• Quiet.
• Smoother starts.
• Not as much maintenance.
• Fewer moving parts means fewer things can go wrong.
• Acceptable for indoor use.

The Bad – Electric

• Shorter range: A properly maintained set of batteries will take you about 20 miles.
• Needs an electrical outlet to re-charge.
• Batteries must be replaced every 4 to 6 years.

Think about where and how you plan on using your golf cart, and let those requirements guide your decision. Talk to friends and neighbors who own golf cars, and get their recommendations. Then visit National Carts and get some professional input before making your final decision.

Whether you’re new to golf or you’re an avid golfer who has recently moved to a new area, you might be looking for a place to play and wondering how to make the best decision. Depending on where you live, there’s a good chance that you have plenty of options. In fact, in some warm-weather locations, you might find five or six golf courses within a ten-minute drive from your house.

The most important thing to remember is that, no matter how seriously you take your golf game, it should be fun. Every day you spend on a golf course should be the most enjoyable experience you can make it. So, for example, if you’re a beginner or have only been playing for a short time, look for courses with wider fairways, fewer hazards and more even greens. On a difficult course, you’ll spend a lot of time searching for your ball in the woods. Or, even more frustrating, watching a putt that barely misses the cup just keep rolling and rolling… right off the green!

On the other hand, if you’re a skilled golfer who’s been playing for a long time, you’ll probably find an easy course too boring to really enjoy. Every time you play, you yearn for a challenge! To the skilled golfer, standing at the tee box looking down a narrow corridor of a fairway with dense woods on both sides presents a test of your skills and you want to win! (You beginners will get there someday with enough practice.)

So how do you figure all this out?

1. It’s simple… play! Ask a few golfers in your area which courses they like and do some online research. Then, get out there and try a few courses. Eventually, most players settle into one that they consider their “home course,” and the best way to figure out which one you enjoy the most is to play as many of them as you can.

2. Look closely at the amenities. Most clubs treat their course like a rock star, as they should. They want the grounds to be as beautiful and enjoyable as possible and so do you. However, pay attention to details like the condition of the cart paths. In the excitement of playing a new course, it’s easy to overlook a bumpy ride in the golf cart, but will it make playing there less enjoyable when you’re bouncing along that path every week? Are the golf cars well maintained and operating smoothly? Does the pro shop have everything you need and can you get a decent bite to eat at the restaurant? Sometimes, the little things make a big difference.

3. Talk to other players. While you’re playing, don’t be shy about talking to other players in the clubhouse. And while you can ask them what they like or don’t like about the course, it’s also important to ask yourself if you genuinely like the people there and enjoy their company. If you do, that’s probably a good indication that you’ll enjoy playing there.

4. Location. Is the course easy to get to? As you drive from your home to a new course, pay attention to traffic. If you have to drive past a huge shopping area and you like to play on Saturdays, will it be a pain to get to, especially around the holidays? Is there a lot of construction along your route, or are any new construction projects planned? Again, it’s easy to overlook this on your first visit to a course, but if you deal with it repeatedly, it might wear on you.

So get out there and explore the golf courses. And, most of all, enjoy yourself! Eventually, you’ll figure out where you like to play the most!

What to look for. What to look out for.

There are a lot of ways to upgrade a golf cart and customize it to your needs. After all, the main reason to have one for your personal use is simply to have a comfortable and convenient way to get around your neighborhood. You might as well enjoy some of your favorite tunes when you’re behind the wheel.

There are plenty of ways to upgrade your golf cart, depending on your preferences and the type of golf cart you own. That said, when shopping for a stereo system, there are a few things to keep in mind.

First, golf carts are sometimes exposed to the elements, especially rain and humidity. So, it’s important to choose a system that can withstand a little moisture, similar to the equipment you might install on a boat. Second, if you have an electric golf cart, you should pay attention to the amount of electricity the stereo draws from the battery and what the limits of your battery are. You would hate to install a new system and find out that it drastically cuts your battery life. If your golf cart is gas powered, however, you obviously don’t have to worry about this.

“If you’re not experienced with doing these types of installations, it’s a good idea to see a professional,” said VP of Parts & Service Tom Bledsoe, who has been with National Carts since 1991. “Every now and then, I see someone who tried to do it themselves and ended up not being happy with the results, both in how the system sounded and how it looked.”

Here are a few important things to keep in mind when you’re shopping for a system:

Amplifier – This is the main component of your stereo system and its performance will largely determine how good the system sounds, so look for quality. You’ll also want to think about some of the options that are available. For example, if the amplifier is Bluetooth compatible, you won’t need to plug wire from your MP3 player or smartphone into it. Also, you’ll see quite a few options in the control panel, so consider the driving conditions. A simple, intuitive layout is always better than one with too many buttons. Finally, as with any stereo system, the more wattage the amplifier has, the better it sounds. But more watts also means more of a draw on your battery, so you’ll need to find the right balance, or consider upgrading your battery, too.

Speakers – Quality speakers deliver quality sound, so this is not a good area to skimp. For a golf cart, it’s a good idea that your speakers are also durable and can withstand the elements. Look for a speaker that uses rustproof hardware and sealed components. It’s also important that the speaker has some flexibility in how it’s mounted so that you can have them installed in the best location that works with your model of golf cart. And if you want to show off a little flair, some speakers come with multi-color LED lighting and a highly stylized design!

Power Source – In addition to the amount of electricity your stereo requires, it’s also important to make sure that the electricity used by the stereo (and any other electrical accessories) is evenly drawn from your batteries. If it’s drawing off of just one or two batteries, it will run those down quickly, forcing the rest of your batteries to work harder, potentially leading to battery failure. Installing a voltage reducer or DC converter is a good idea if you plan to install a stereo system on your golf cart.

To answer your questions and help you identify the best stereo for your golf cart, come see one of our Parts and Service professionals today, or give us a call at (800) 940-8068.

To keep your golf cart running smoothly and minimize costly repairs, it’s important to perform regular preventive maintenance. For electric carts, that includes properly caring for the batteries. A properly maintained, high-quality battery should last four or five years with normal use. If you try to save a few dollars and buy inexpensive batteries, it will end up costing more in the long run when you have to replace them prematurely.

Be sure to wear safety glasses and heavy rubber gloves when checking battery fluid levels or adding water. Battery acid is corrosive. The batteries in a golf cart pack a lot of voltage. Enough to weld metal. So, always remove jewelry such as watches and rings. You don’t want them to come in contact with the terminals.

Unless you have sealed batteries, you should regularly check the electrolyte water levels in each cell of each battery to ensure the leaded plates are covered. People often ask if they need to add acid to golf car batteries. Under normal operating conditions, you never need to add acid. A properly operating battery will only need water added periodically.

Not only can dry cells shorten battery life, but they also can be a fire hazard. Use only distilled water to refill, and don’t fill the cell all the way up — add just enough water to cover the plates. If corrosion is present, you can use baking soda or cola to clean the terminals.

Dirt, dust, and grass also can interfere with the battery connections. That’s why we recommend cleaning the top and sides of the battery when you wash your golf cart. It helps with the vehicle’s long-term life and its day-to-day performance. Avoid getting other electrical components wet if you clean the battery compartment with a hose. This could cause a short in the system.

Together, the Combined Dealerships Will Have a Year-Round Fleet of More Than 2,500 Vehicles

Virginia Golf Cars, a 23-year-old family-owned golf car dealership in Harrisonburg, Virginia, has merged with a Florida-based dealership. The sale to Mid Florida Golf Cars closed on Dec. 5 and created a combined company with the country’s largest rental fleet.

The sale is a merger of talent and assets that allows Mid Florida Golf Cars to expand its footprint along the East Coast. By consolidating two fleets, the company’s Harrisonburg branch will bolster its inventory of rental golf cars during the busy summer months. Vehicles from Florida can be repositioned for northern events from April through September, which is typically the “off season” for events in the Sunshine State. Then from October through March, Harrisonburg-based golf cars will be relocated south so the Florida branches can serve even more customers.

“With this merger, overall utilization of the fleets will increase, so cars aren’t sitting dormant for a large part of the year,” said Tom Cannon, CEO of Mid Florida Golf Cars. “We’re lucky to have a fantastic team of sales, customer service, and technical professionals in Harrisonburg, all of whom are staying with us as we bring the two companies together. Jointly, we will field a fleet of more than 2,500 golf cars for events and business needs from Florida to Maine, and as far west as Ohio.”

Cannon said Chad Dunham, vice president of Virginia Golf Cars, will join the Mid Florida Golf Cars executive team and continue to manage operations in Harrisonburg. Chad and his parents, Ron and Jeanie, founded Virginia Golf Cars in 1994.

“I don’t think you could draw up a better scenario for two companies to merge,” Chad Dunham said. “Mid Florida Golf Cars brings so many benefits to our operation with their technology, processes, and industry relationships. Joining forces positions us for tremendous growth because our rental fleet is traditionally tapped out during the summer. I’m excited about the new opportunities and what they mean for our employees.”

Mid Florida Golf Cars got its start in 1988 when Darron and Bobby Sanders bought 10 used cars from a buddy. They sold those first 10 vehicles in a week, and then bought 10 more. It didn’t take long for the Sanders brothers to realize they were onto something good. They struck a deal with the regional manager for a major golf car manufacturer; rented some warehouse space – and they were in business.

After nearly 30 years of growth at retail locations throughout Florida, the company is expanding outside the state as part of Cannon’s business strategy, which centers on efficiencies and economies of scale. The founders say Cannon’s plan is the ideal solution for challenges faced by both organizations in what is historically a seasonal business.

“We’ve been looking at new business opportunities for years,” Bobby Sanders said. “But finding the right deal and executing the vision isn’t always easy. This deal with Virginia Golf Cars aligns perfectly with our goals. It’s rewarding to see the plan come together as we take this thing to the next level.”

But even though large-scale growth is impressive to the outside world, the Sanders brothers are most proud of the fact that their reputation is second to none.

“We built this business the old-fashioned way,” Darron Sanders said. “We did it by sticking with our core values of taking care of the customer, providing courteous service, and hiring team members who look and act professional. Business trends come and go, but those values never go out of style. No matter how much we grow, they will always be part of Mid Florida Golf Cars.”

About Mid Florida Golf Cars: Mid Florida Golf Cars (MFGC) is one of the oldest and largest golf car dealers and rental fleet providers in the United States. Family-owned since 1988, the company is based in Orlando, Florida, and has branches in Tampa, Jacksonville, and DeLand, Florida, and a branch in Harrisonburg, Virginia, which operates as Virginia Golf Cars. MFGC provides golf car sales and rentals to individuals, Fortune 100 companies, and all types of customers in between. It is an authorized dealer for EZ-GO, Club Car, Yamaha, Cushman, and Carryall.