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By admin, August 27, 2010 12:54 pm

THE E-Z-GO MPT 800
Featuring an 800 lb payload capacity, a durable, corrosion-resistant chassis and a choice of a 48-volt electric drivetrain or a best-in-class 13 hp Kawasaki® gas-powered engine, the E-Z-GO® MPT 800 is ready to perform a variety of tasks. The vehicle can easily be customized with a wide range of innovative options and accessories to address the specific needs of your operation. Designed and tested for performance, the MPT 800 responds to all course maintenance challenges.
GREEN FACTORS
• Electric model features efficient, zero-emissions 48-volt electric drivetrain with TruCourse Technology for precise tailoring of vehicle performance to course topography
• Electric model features enhanced regenerative braking to maintain performance during long intervals between charges
• Gas-powered model features a 13 hp, single-cylinder OHV engine with a hemispheric combustion chamber for increased fuel mileage and reduced emissions
• Foam seating made of 100% recycled materials
• Sloped surface design requires less water when cleaning
• Repairable seat components minimize landfill usage
• Recyclable plastic components

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By admin, June 21, 2010 4:39 pm

SUITE SEATS – A FAST, EFFICIENT WAY TO DRAMATICALLY IMPROVE THE APPEARANCE AND COMFORT OF A CUSTOM CART

When thinking of customizing a cart, the first thing that comes to mind for most cart dealers is “custom paint”. While special paint is an attractive way to customize a cart, it is time consuming. Removing accessories, disassembling body components, and scheduling time for the body to go to the paint shop can add weeks to the time before a cart is ready for sale. After the cart comes back from the paint shop, customizers usually realize that “something” needs to be done with seats, because now they stick out like a sore thumb.

For years, the usual answer was to staple on some seat covers to color coordinate the seats to the new paint, or to hide some wear and damage to the old stock seats. But while covering the old seats may help the appearance, it does nothing to improve the comfort of the cart – you still have the old, worn out seats underneath. Stock seats are designed for fleet applications, where the most important criteria are utility and being inexpensive to produce, with little attention paid to comfort or lateral stability.

Cart customizers are increasingly turning to Suite Seats to finish their carts. Manufactured in Nicollet, Minnesota, Suite Seats are available for over 12 different cart models, and are offered as stock in 72 color combinations. Because Suite Seats are also offered in custom colors and fabrics, along with custom embroidery, the options available for customizers to set their carts apart from their competition are as broad as the customer’s imagination. “My carts just never look complete without doing something with the seats”, says Charlie Roden, owner of Caddy Shack located in the Lake of the Ozarks region of Missouri. “Because Suite Seats are so easy to install there’s really nothing I can do to a cart that is as cost effective in terms of price and shop time.” According to Charlie; “Once I hit my customer’s hot button…what they are passionate about….then I am able to design a cart that they love and the additional accessory sales really help my bottom line.”

Custom embroidery on Suite Seats helps draw out what a customer is passionate about, and is a valuable sales tool for cart customizers. Sports & hobbies such as golf, football, hunting, fishing, family names & crests, or even business names embroidered on Suite Seats make the cart owner feel that the cart has been truly personalized for them.

Suite Seats bolt in just like the stock fleet seats, with no special cutting or drilling, and are made to line up with the factory mounting holes. Suite Seats are also available for virtually every rear seat kit, in both flip and stationary models. With the investment of less than a half hour of installation time, carts can quickly be upgraded and be ready for the showroom floor.

Contact United Commercial Upholstery at (507) 232-4224 or www.ucuinc.com to find out more about what many cart dealers already know – Suite Seats great looks, comfort, and ease of installation help pave the way to increased sales.

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By admin, April 20, 2010 8:50 pm

COVER STORY

B&B Preferred got its start 7 years ago when Bobby Thomas of Electric Car Distributors in Rancho Mirage, California, and Britt Kennard were visiting one afternoon at Bobby’s sales location.  Bobby mentioned that he felt they were paying too much for specialty cowls and body pieces that were being offered at the time.  So Bobby and Britt decided at the time that they would form B&B Preferred.

Does the above sound familiar?  If it does, it’s because the above paragraph ran in the January/February 2008 issue of Golf Car News.  After a couple of years of that partnership, Britt bought out Bobby’s interest and built B&B Preferred to be the World’s largest and most successful manufacturer of cowls and body-systems.   B&B Preferred now ships cowls and body-systems throughout the World from their manufacturing facility in Bangalore, India.  Two years ago, B&B started building private label cowls and body parts for the two largest manufacturers of golf carts.

The old saying of “what goes around–comes around” certainly applies here.  After directing B&B Preferred for about 6+ years now, Britt sold majority interest in March of this year to his good friend and former partner Bobby Thomas, his son J.R. Thomas, and their General Manager, Jason Stella.  In visiting with Britt, he told me that he felt that he had taken the business as far as he could and the business needed the expertise of the Electric Car Distributors group, to grow the business further.

Since the previous issue when B&B Preferred was featured on the Golf Car News cover, new models have been added to their very successful line of cowls and body-systems.  Since that time, B&B Preferred now offers 6 different styled front cowls for the Club Car Precedent chassis along with their very popular Bolero and Z-Sport models.  A year ago, they designed a new look for the industry, the Monarch Sedan as a third body-system.  For the Yamaha Drive chassis they have a new cowl the Rapide, along with the Monarch Sedan and Z-Sports for the Drive chassis.  In design now, are new bodies for the E-Z-GO RXV chassis, which will be debuting in the late summer of this year.

When asked how B&B Preferred rose to the position of the Worlds largest and most successful manufacturer, Britt credits Zarryl who does the design work and is responsible for quality at the manufacturing facility in Bangalore, some of his dealers that has continued to give him direction over the years, the ease of fitting their product to the chassis for which the body part was intended, and their very affordable product.  When pushed further as to what he felt was the single most and significant reason for their success, he said: “All of them!  Without all four, we would have never made it!”

Hopefully under the direction of the new partners, we will see more designs and offerings in the marketplace and with even better quality.

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By admin, April 1, 2010 8:56 pm

FULLRIVER BATTERY MANUFACTURING OFFERS LONG RANGE, MAINTENANCE-FREE, DEEP CYCLE AGM BATTERIES

Fullriver Battery Manufacturing was established in 1995 and specializes in the production of sealed, maintenance-free deep cycle, AGM (Absorbed Glass Mat) batteries.  Fullriver offers a complete line of AGM batteries for the golf car, utility vehicle and low speed vehicle (LSV) markets.

AGM batteries are sealed lead-acid batteries, often referred to as VRLA (Valve-Regulated Lead-Acid) batteries.  They are similar to conventional wet lead-acid batteries however the electrolyte/acid is absorbed in a fiberglass material rather than in a liquid form.  Another key difference is that AGM batteries are sealed, so that the gasses produced during operation are recombined and remain within the battery rather than being released into the atmosphere.  The sealed construction means there is no water loss in AGM batteries – therefore no maintenance.

Fullriver batteries are engineered to be true deep cycle batteries that provide the exceptionally long range which is often required in this industry.  More lead can fit in an AGM battery than a traditional wet battery of the same size, allowing for both increased range and battery life.

Fullriver Battery manufactures its batteries from grid casting through final assembly.  This means the entire manufacturing process is controlled within the Fullriver factory to ensure batteries adhere to the engineering specifications.  It also ensures consistency in product quality and performance, which is of utmost importance to Fullriver Battery.

Fullriver Battery has a world-wide presence with distributors and OEM’S throughout North America and overseas.  Product and service are available through our distributor network consisting of highly experienced battery dealers.  Technical support is also available directly at Fullriver USA. For more information visit www.fullriverdcbattery.com.

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By admin, January 6, 2010 2:48 pm

2010 BEST OF SHOW WINNER – CLASSY CARTS
WOOSTER, OHIO

The “Little Pete” was built using a 1980 E-Z-GO Marathon 2 cycle gas golf cart.  The frame was stretched and the engine moved back 24″, a tag-along axle was added behind the drive axle for the duel axle look.  A custom 6″ lift kit was added for the height.  The seat pedestal was lowered for the bucket seats, the hood and cab were all hand fabricated, the dash was built using real cherry wood and lots of LED lights were added per the customer request.  To complete the truck theme, the exhaust was connected to the stacks and since the engine was a 2 cycle, exhaust smoke could be seen coming out of the stacks.

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By admin, October 19, 2009 11:00 am

FAIRPLAY’S NEW EVE LSV

Over the last few years, more and more people have embraced Neighborhood Electric Vehicles (NEV’s) and now commonly referred to as Low Speed Vehicles (LSV’s).  Unless you have been living in a vacuum, you know the Federal Government has significant tax credit in place through the end of this year for qualified LSV’s.  Many “Golf Car Dealers” have jumped on the band wagon while others are sitting on the sidelines.

If you are now motivated to get going, we suggest you contact a LSV supplier and find out if your market is available.  One of the benefits of being a licensed dealer is that most states protect dealers’ territory with restrictions on how close another dealer with the same brand can be located.   One way to determine a quality dealer is networking.  Contact some of your trusted colleagues in the business that have LSV’s already and get their opinions.  Surf the web and make some calls.

The EVE by Fairplay (on the cover) is one of the more popular LSV’s offered.  Fairplay has been in the electric vehicle business for over 5 years.  There home office is in Colorado, where all the sales, marketing, tech support and new production development.  The cars are assembled in California facility with a fair amount of US content.

The EVE LSV comes in two models. The ECO is the base model with a lower cost and more basic features. The DELUX (featured on the cover) has added features, such as custom aluminum wheels with upgraded tires, side turn indicator lights, Suite Seats with the distinctive embroidered EVE logo, in dash analog clock, and upgraded trim packages with burl wood or carbon fiber on the dash and steering wheel. Both models feature DOT approved safety features to keep you and your passengers safe such as four wheel brakes, one piece windshield, three point harness seat belts, side turn signals, DOT approved wheels and tires, side mirrors and a 100% electric motor capable of speeds of up to 25 mph to keep up with traffic.

To help market the EVE LSV line, Fairplay offers a variety of ways for dealers to promote the brand. An example is an attractive, prominent sign for display at the dealers business and a smaller “Electric Car Parking Only” sign, both of which are made from UV stable vinyl mounted on an aluminum plate to allow years of use. Other marketing support includes; co-op dollars for yellow pages advertising and print media to assist dealers in aligning their name with the EVE products and draw the growing number of consumers looking for an alternative form of transportation.

One of the popular selling features of the Fairplay EVE vehicle is the 44% US parts content and assembly work done right here in the USA. They use D&D motors made in New York state, front hydraulic brake system from Jake’s in Pennsylvania, Curtis controllers from the Dominican Republic, Trojan batteries are made in Georgia, with seats made by Wise Seats in Arkansas and Suite Seats from Minnesota, and Stretch Plastics manufactures the DOT windshield in California, just to mention a few.

Fairplay is developing more LSV models using both high speed DC and AC configurations. They are working more competitively priced commercial vehicles that will be similar to their popular HOSS and TRANSPORT vehicle.

The EVE LSV web site is www.evelsv.com, the full Fairplay line at www.fairplaycars.com.

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By admin, August 14, 2009 3:55 pm

THE NEW ADVENTURER ONE FROM YAMAHA
The Adventurer One utility vehicle is the newest in a long line of tough & durable utility vehicles from Yamaha.  Standard features include a tilting dump bed with fold & lock tailgate, headlights & tail lights, horn and a 2” hitch receiver.  Available in gas & electric.

For more information visit Yamaha online at yamahagolfcar.com

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By admin, July 14, 2009 3:49 pm

GOING  GREEN WITH EARTH CAR SOLAR PRODUCTS

Earth Care Products was incorporated in 1992 with the vision and goals of developing a Green Business Model that consist of products and procedures to improve the quality of living. Our goals were to develop Green Products that would produce energy by using nature’s resources in solar, and reduce energy cost by inventing and designing state of the art products. 

Our latest invention, a design patent,  The Solar Golf Car Charging System designed from Thin Film Amorphous Solar modules manufactured by Power Film, and a unique quick plug wiring harness, that includes the new technology of the Smart Controller work synergistically to  add power, travel distance, endurance and extended battery life to a golf car.  Our system is subject to tax benefits, and promote environmentally friendly stewardship of our nations golf courses.  

Each day seems to deliver more testimonies and endorsements that enforce the quality and performance of Earth Care’s Charging System. One of our first  to sign up as a dealer was Little Egypt Golf Cars, Ltd.,  Neal and Marcie Smith,  Owners,  and prestigious winners of the EZ-GO Golden Circle Award, with 20 years experience in the business. There Testimony, ” We are very excited about the possibilities of the Earth Care Peel and Stick Solar Top. We have test where we ran the E-Z-GO RXV 36 holes and the car was still 100% charged after the round.  In years past, we experimented with the crystalline  solar panel type but the results never met our expectations. The Earth Care Product is the first solar panel that has truly performed to our level of expectations and in fact has exceeded those expectations. We are excited to be associated with Dr. Grady”

With more major companies calling, ordering and testing our products. To name a few, Disney World, EZ-GO manufacturing, Sea World, US Navy,  Golf Cars of Ms, Curt Busching 25 year Club Car Distributor followed by other Club Car  and EZ-GO Dealers. We now have products in several foreign countries.

Our manufacturer, Power Film, has recently moved into a new facility and are available to Earth Care Products offering three shifts for mass production. Therefore, we can now offer truck load quantities and at the same time deliver that very special size you need for your surface area. By conducting lab test and new field test we are now utilizing our new technology. We begin with a low volt panel, allowing our smart controller that monitors and optimizes the charging process to service 24, 36, 48, 72 and even 90 volts, we are able to begin with more amps and use only the amps needed to keep batteries charged.

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By admin, May 14, 2009 5:03 pm

The following are the press releases from the two Industry Trade Shows this year. The shows had strong attendance, in spite of current economic conditions and the details and reverent stats are all below. Nivel for the first time in many years had booths at both shows with unbelievable support from dealer customers. We were so impressed with the turnout Nivel is planning booths at the shows for 2010, we hope to see you there.

WELL ATTENDED 56th PGA MERCHANDISE SHOW BUILDS NEW BUSINESS, OPTIMISM FOR 2009

More than 41,000 industry professionals form all 50 U.S. states and 74 countries came to the 56th PGA Merchandise Show, Jan. 29-31 in Orlando, Florida (Pictured on the cover), to uncover the latest products and trends, write new business, share business best practices and strategize for the year ahead. The results found the industry’s most influential business leaders pleasantly surprises by the resiliency of the golf industry and recharged to navigate a predicted tough economy in 2009.

Refusing to let the recession cast a shadow over the golf industry, the 56th PGA Merchandise Show was only a 4.53% decline in attendance by PGA Professionals, retailers and industry leaders who came to see the latest products of 1,100 golf manufacturers in 1.1 million gross square feet of interactive exhibit space of the Orange County Convention Center (OCCC). PGA Merchandise Show days also were jam packed with indoor and outdoor product testing, more than 70 education seminars, special events, and programs at the PGA Equipment Forum and new Fashion Gallery, plus celebrity appearances, networking events and the introduction of several industry growth of the game initiatives.

2009 Stats:

41,000+ attending industry professionals

All 50 U.S. States – Top 5: Florida, New York, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and North Carolina

74 Countries – Top 5 outside of U.S.: Canada, UK, Japan, Germany, and Korea

1,100 Exhibiting companies

1.1 million gross square feet of interactive exhibit space

Best New Products: Fine Tune – Robo Cup, Earth Care Products – Solar Panel, Frogger – Amphibian Towel

“Our goal was to create an event that would help organize the golf industry as it goes forward in 2009, and judging by the strong traffic on the Show floor, the reports of orders being written, and the business relationships being made, it seems the business of golf is off to a fine start for 2009,” said Ed Several, PGA Shows Group Vice President. “The PGA Merchandise Show this week vertainly underscores the resiliency of the golf industry and speaks to the industry’s commitment to growing the game under all circumstances. New innovative products, fresh approaches to business in this economy and programs such as Get Golf Ready, show that golf is continuing to press forward.”

From the new Fashion Gallery anchoring the apparel section to the Equipment Test Center and Indoor Demo Days, the 2009 PGA Merchandise Show was bustling with business.

“There seems to be a very positive vibe at the Show this year, despite the economy,” noted PGA Professional Keith Bach of Players Golf Academy, Hilton Head Island, S.C. “I’ve been coming to the Show for the past 10 or more years, and this is as good or better than any in recent memory. I was happy to see how crowded the Show was today (Thursday). It just proves that the golf industry is strong. People still want to play golf, and the Orlando Show remains the best place to see everything in golf under one roof.”

“I don’t know if anyone knows exactly what will happen with the economy, but the golf industry will endure,” said Kawaja, who oversaw the addition of the Ashworth band to the adidas family at the ‘09 PGA Show. “I think every industry in America is in for a tough first quarter, but in April when the sun comes out and is shining, the core golfers will return and continue to play the game. There will be an asterisk to this year, but at the end of the day, golf will be OK. Golfers still want to play and they will spend. Those PGA Professionals, golf facilities and golf companies who manage their businesses efficiently during the challenging times will be fine in the long term.”

The PGA Merchandise Show is the world’s largest and most influential golf business gathering and marketplace for the global golf industry.  The 57th PGA Merchandise Show returns to Orlando, Jan. 28-30, 2010, at the Orange County Convention Center.  Mark your calendar with thes upcoming dates: PGA Fall Expo, September 1-2, 2009, Las Vegas, PGA Merchandise Show, January 28-30, 2010, Orlando, Florida. For additional 2009 PGA Show event information or to plan for 2010 participation, please visi: www.pgashow.com.

GOLF INDUSTRY SHOW ENJOYS PRODUCTIVE RETURN TO NEW ORLEANS

USGA joins as participating partner; format change for 2010

The Golf Industry Show returned to New Orleans February 5-7, 2009, with an exciting display of the latest products and services to the golf and club industries. Feedback from attendees and exhibitors in evaluating the experience has been overwhelmingly positive.

Total attendance was 17,151, including 7,012 qualified buyers – those who can directly influence a purchase decision – and 765 exhibitors covered 257900 square feet of the New Orleans Morial Convention Center’s trade show floor.

“In just five years the Golf Industry Show has taken hold as a must-attend event,” show officials noted. “The feedback we receive continues to be positive. Attendees and exhibitors appreciate the team approach we promote and the enhancements we make to increase the event’s value. We look forward to next year’s show in San Diego, the formal addition of the USGA, and the format change that will be so beneficial to everyone involved in the event.

The Golf Industry Show is an innovative trade show designed for the owners/operators of golf facilities and the professional members of the golf course and club management industries. The event combines education, networking and solutions for golf course superintendents, owners, operators, club managers, chief operating officers, architects, and builders to form one of the largest trade shows in North America.

The Golf Industry Show is presented by the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA), National Golf Course Owners Association (NGCOA), and Club Managers Association of American (CMA), along with participating partners Golf Course Builders Association of America (GCBAA). American Society of Golf Course Architects (ASGCA) and the National Golf Foundation (NGF). The three presenting partner organizations also hold their annual conferences in conjunction with the Golf Industry Show.

The United States Golf Association (USGA) will join the Golf Industry Show beginning in 2010 as a participating partner.

In addition to the inclusion of the USGA, the Golf Industry Show will feature a different format in 2010. Based on feedback from attendees and exhibitors, the schedule will be modified so that all events (education conferences and trade show) are held on weekdays. Responding to member and exhibitor desires to preserve more of their weekends, the trade show portion of the event will be conducted Wednesday and Thursday (Feb. 10-11), with virtually no competing events. GCSAA and NGCOA education will be held on Monday, Tuesday and Friday.

The Golf Industry Show sent almost 200 volunteers to help New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity build eight houses in the Jefferson Parish and Central City sections of New Orleans. The volunteers worked two full days at the two work sites, doing tasks such as laying sod, installing flashing, leveling dirt, building fences, finishing roofs, and construction stairs, walls and floors for local families. For more information please visit: www.gcsaa.org.

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By admin, March 14, 2009 6:01 pm

PALMETTO CUSTOM CARTS LEADS THE WAY IN CUSTOMIZATION WITH TOMBERLIN
Erick Boyance at Palmetto Custom Carts in Charleston, SC has been one of the industry leaders in aftermarket golf car cosmetics for the past 3 years.  “I owe my success to one person, Kellie McDowell, my Fiancé.”

Before starting Palmetto Custom Carts in March of 2008, Erick was customizing used golf cars in his back yard.  After 50 units or so, Kellie recognized a very lucrative business opportunity.  Dragging Erick, kicking and screaming, Kellie convinced him to open Palmetto Custom Carts. Business was slow and the dream of supporting himself customizing golf cars was gradually dwindling.  Little did Erick know; that was all about to change. 

While vacationing in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, Erick’s father drove passed a golf car dealership with cars he had never seen before - he had just discovered the Tomberlin

E-Merge.  Erick’s cell phone lit up and the investigation began.  He got online and discovered a dealership in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Vacation Equipment Rentals owned by Jamie Hysner.  Burning up the highway and landing right in the middle of Bike Week, Erick finally saw what his father was so excited about.  “The E-Merge was like no other car I had ever seen, the lines were so different” said Erick. The icing on the cake came when Eric realized that not only were the E-Merges visually appealing, they were also street legal LSVs, Low Speed Vehicles.  “These things can go on all roads posted 35mph and below and come with more standard features than any car in the industry. It was a no-brainer as far as we could see it” stated Erick.

After a lot of advice from Jamie and a new found passion in his heart, Erick and Kellie contacted Tomberlin and the rest is as they say, “history.”  Erick sold out of his initial order in the first two weeks; this was the revitalization Palmetto Custom Carts was looking for.  Since March of 2008, Erick and Kellie have sold 55 Tomberlin units and see no end in sight.  As a matter of fact, they have designed and manufactured their own custom parts such as chrome bumper kits, chrome side vents, diamond plate floor boards and a host of others.  Several of Erick’s custom carts are available for viewing at www.tomberlin.net in the photo gallery section of the website.