Golf Cart/Clubs Anti-Theft Items

[Joecooool]

I saw the thread on the clubs being stolen from Palmer's Legends and wanted to provide information on what I've purchased to protect my cart and clubs.

We all know about Apple AirTags, unfortunately so do the thieves. There are apps that will locate AirTags that are following you so that they can be found and disabled. This basically renders the AirTag useless for tracking thieves.

But there is a work around.

When a thief knows he has an AirTag in his proximity, he can trigger the AirTag to make a noise that he can then find it and take out the battery. So, to combat that, you can disable the sound the AirTag makes. The thief will still know he is being tracked, but he will no longer easily be able to find the AirTag.

To disable the sound mechanism of an AirTag, start by opening the device. Press down on the stainless steel battery cover, twist it counterclockwise, and then remove both the cover and the battery. Inside the metal cover, you'll see a small metal dome—this is the piezoelectric speaker responsible for producing sound. To silence the AirTag, you can either pry off this metal dome entirely or insert a thin insulator, such as a piece of tape, between the dome and the AirTag body to prevent it from vibrating. Additionally, some users choose to disable the speaker by removing one of the contact legs connected to the dome, effectively breaking the speaker circuit. After this modification, the AirTag will still function normally with Apple’s Find My network for tracking purposes, but it will no longer emit any sound when it’s separated from the user, when someone uses the “Play Sound” feature, or when the anti-stalking alert is triggered.

Here is a one minute video showing how to do it - disable airtag piezoelectric speaker - Search Videos (https://www.bing.com/videos/riverview/relatedvideo?q=disable%20airtag%20piezoelectric%20 speaker%20&mid=730C655F5F4DD15A0B23730C655F5F4DD15A0B23&ajaxhist=0)

A thief can’t disable an AirTag he can’t physically access. The AirTag needs to be physically found and its battery removed to fully stop tracking. A thief also can't "jam" the signal easily because AirTags use Bluetooth.

So the trick is to then hide the AirTag so they can’t find it. I have purchased these AirTag holders and have mounted them in areas where a thief might not consider. On my electric cart, I put it on the side of the battery pack which makes it look like it’s part of the battery. On my gas cart I mounted it on the inside of the air filter housing.

Amazon.com (https://www.amazon.com/AirTag-Security-Mount-TagVaultTM-Low-Profile/dp/B0CF7NJYV8?th=1)

There are many places on a cart where you could hide/mount an AirTag. Nothing is perfect and eventually a thief could still find it, but its going to take a looooooooong time without it making a sound. And I’m willing to bet a thief will just give up and move on knowing he is being tracked and can’t immediately find it.

To keep a thief from stealing my golf clubs from the cart, I mount an AirTag on the bag as well. Here is a discrete holder that you can mount to fabric. I have it mounted deep in the bag where you would have to have a flashlight and know what to look for in order to find it –

Amazon.com (https://www.amazon.com/Elevation-Lab-TagVault-Pack-Backpacks/dp/B0B8F5FWQQ?th=1)

Again, the sound is disabled on it so good luck finding it.

And to keep the golf clubs on the cart, I use this cover cable lock.

Golf Club Security (https://watchdoggolf.com/)

This is a cheap way to protect my cart and clubs. Is it “thief proof”? No, nothing is. A good thief could probably break the lock in a minute or two, but again, most thieves aren’t wanting to be in the act that long and may pass my cart for easier pickings.

[ElDiabloJoe]

I too use AirTags on my cart and expensive toys. Keep in mind the new AirTag 2's are due to come out this fall. They are rumored to not only have the same size/form factor, but increased difficulty for disabling the sound. This is because, unfortunately, people who want to stalk other people will disable the sound so the person being stalked does not hear the "You're being tracked" beeping signal.

Pluses and minuses, as they say.

[charles_2000]

I use one of the bike cable locks through my Ghost bag's handle and through the golf carts frame. I realize its not helping with club thief. But, I also dont have to worry about the bag falling off the cart from the not so great Yamaha strap.

[tophcfa]

I use one of the bike cable locks through my Ghost bag's handle and through the golf carts frame. I realize its not helping with club thief. But, I also dont have to worry about the bag falling off the cart from the not so great Yamaha strap.

I use a golf bag cover with locking cable going through the bag handle and into the cart frame. I also take the rangefinder out of the exposed bag pocket and hide it away for safe keeping and fold down the golf bag rain cover when parking the cart unattended. It’s not completely theft proof, but it’s enough of a significant deterrent that I feel comfortable a thief will move on to easier pickings. Whenever practical, I try to drop the sticks at home before going out, but I typically pack my swim bag and hit the nearest sports pool after a round.