Golf Video Guide

Golf Carts — An Amazingly Diversified Niche Industry

Golfers out for a Sunday afternoon game just take them for granted on the golf course, and never think about their origin. I am talking about golf carts, those miniature vehicles dotting each golf course. Even so, golf cart production is a multi-million dollar industry and different systems abound. Golf carts are manufactured as miniature cars, and golf-cart corporations provide leasing and financing choices just as the huge car corporations do.

Golf originates from a medieval game played on the coast of Scotland in the 15th century. Golfers would hit a pebble instead of a manufactured ball around the sand dunes employing a stick or wide club. As time passed, stones were exchanged for man-made balls, the earliest of which were thin leather bags stuffed with feathers. The gutta-percha ball wasn’t invented until 1848 and might be hit the maximum distance of 225 yards. In 1899 rubber balls were invented that may reach distances of 430 yards if hit by a professional. Golf sticks evolved into carefully weighted golf clubs, and in the 1880′s the use of golf club bags became fashionable. The caddie, a servant who carted all the player’s gear aound the golf course, had his burden lessened in the early 1950′s by the introduction of the golf cart.

The 1st golf cart manufacturers were E-Z-Go, Pargo, Harley Davidson and Cushman. The cost was astoundingly high for this era, $1200, however as even more manufacturers entered the field it dropped to $600, still a steep price for this era in inflationary terms. Fifty years later, E-Z-Go is still producing golf carts today. There are 100s of golf cart manufacturers listed online, and virtually all of these corporations specialize solely in these vehicles, and don’t produce any larger cars.

The 1st golf carts were gas-powered, however recently the market has shifted to even more battery-powered systems. Golf carts can be customized just like cars, and lift kits and ATV wheels are sold to golfers who wish to express their individuality out on the course. There are corporations which specialize in creating entire custom golf cars, or even miniaturized versions of full sized cars, like the Humdinger (Humvee), mini Jeep, Rolls-Royce, Cadillac or even Mercedes-Benz.

Golf carts come in three forms: manual push/pull carts, electric motorized carts, and electric or even gas golf cars that hold passengers as well as gear. Push/pull carts have two to three wheels and a vertical support to hold a golf bag. They are basically just a manual dollies with clips and holders especially adapted for golf gear, and sell for $50 to $100. Moving higher in sophistication, motorized golf caddies cost about $500 all the way to $1000. Golf carts, which resemble dune buggies in size, begin at about $1800 for a small basic model.

Ebay has a massive choice of both new and utilized golf carts at low prices however service can be a problem with the smaller vendors. Check if the vendor has a physical store as well and is not just a reseller of a larger firm. Warranty service can be affected by this.

Manufacturers are also expanding their sales by renaming carts “Electric Utility Vehicles” and suggesting alternate utilizes for them, like hauling lawn equipment and travelling around rural properties.

Christmas, spring break, and summer are peak seasons for a Caribbean luxury travel vacation. The sunny Caribbean with its picturesque landscapes provides the best locations for a luxury travel vacation during the peak seasons. Be it natural beauty, cultural and historical sites, exotic spa experiences, or adventure safaris and water sports, the Caribs offer the best of them.

Jamaica with its all-inclusive resorts such as Couples Ocho Rios and the exclusive super-luxe and glamorous hotels like Ritz-Carlton Rose Hall Resort & Spa leads the pack for a luxury travel vacation during peak seasons. The Dominican Republic, surrounded by immense natural beauty, soaring mountain peaks and rainforests is the ideal place for an adventure filled vacation. Bavaro and Punta Cana in the southeast attract the maximum visitors who flock the shop fronts for amber jewelry.

The enchanting island of Barbados also called “Little England” lures visitors with its British colonial charm and Bajan hospitality. Golfers love the golf course here while the natural harbor attracts yachtsmen. Turks and Caicos mesmerize visitors with miles of sandy beaches and deep blue waters. Apart from natural beauty, the islands also offer several facilities such as casinos, golf, and luxury resorts. The Providenciales is the most developed among the group of islands.

The Bahamas offers visitors casinos a la Las Vegas and numerous theme parks at its biggest tourist attraction, the Atlantis Paradise Island Resort and Casino, a mega hotel complex on Paradise Island. Mustique and Palm are two private and exclusive islands in the St. Vincent and Grenadines. For years, Bermuda has been a favored destination among the wealthy and it has always offered pure luxury vacations to visitors with its colonial backdrop, romantic sunsets, and pristine beaches.

Those with a taste for luxury find the Virgin Islands irresistible with its natural harbor and opulent hotels like The Ritz-Carlton and Wyndham Sugar Bay Resort and Spa. During peak seasons, visitors should plan and book luxury vacations and spa services in advance to avoid disappointment. Visitors should opt for resorts with facilities for shopping, casinos, nightlife either in-house or nearby.

Golfers struggling to improve their performance on the course must typically focus on the fundamentals to get to a more consistent level of play. Often one of the most overlooked areas of play is the postural address or setup position of the swing. Most people are aware of the importance of their setup routine; however, many overlook the less addressed area of posture.

Proper posture and foot placement allows you to maintain your balance throughout the swing. Balance throughout the swing allows you to hit the ball squarely in the center of the clubface. Also proper body alignment can help to create a setup that leads to control. Postural alignment is an integral part of the quality of your golf swing.

Good postural alignment helps you create power and control the direction of the shot. Key pre-swing elements such as ball position and body alignment create the conditions that lead to control. The body angles that you create at address directly influence the path and angle on which you swing the club. They influence the body positions and movements; thus your setup directly affects all elements of the swing.

A physical fitness assessment can give you much information on achieving good posture throughout your swing. Don’t overlook the advantages of muscular strength and flexibility when considering the golf swing. These advantages can make the difference between playing great golf and constantly struggling to maintain your current level of play.

By identifying areas of weakness, you are able to direct your fitness regimen to retrain old muscle habits, improve muscle memory, coordinate spinal movement and thus improve your posture. Concentrating on the muscles that control the spine angle, your center of gravity and balance, you will improve the muscles necessary to correct current swing faults. This will obviously lead to better golf performance.

Retraining posture through correct technique, proper exercises and stretch routines can be perhaps the best thing you can do to improve your game.