[Altavia]

https://www.hagerty.com/media/opinio...snt-all-green/

The golf cart is king at The Villages, but the grass isn’t all green

Three weeks ago a story posted on Slate carried the subhead, Why golf carts—golf carts!—are a transportation mode of the future. It cited a Harvard Business School study from seven years ago that concluded a “souped-up golf cart” offered transportation’s “most transformative potential.”
“Indeed,” said the Slate story, “these puttering vehicles, most often associated with leisure and affluence, just might provide a pathway toward safe, affordable, and entertaining rides for the masses.”
The Villages, the massive Central Florida retirement community that uses golf carts as the main source of transportation for its 130,000-plus residents, has been on top of this trend for some time. In September of 2005, Villages residents strung together 3321 carts in what the Guinness World Records lists as the largest golf cart parade. Even then, that was a drop in the bucket compared to how many carts were in the Villages.

And how many are here now?
It’s impossible to tell. They don’t have to be licensed, so an accurate number is elusive. A story from last October in the developer-owned newspaper The Villages Daily Sun (the Villages developers also own an oldies radio station and a TV station) tried to come up with a number. It asked Christopher Laufersky, director of sales for The Villages Golf Cars, which boasts four dealer locations:

Let’s say that each occupied home in The Villages—69,529 as of Sept. 30—has at least one golf cart, with only a small percentage of the population not owning one, he said. Then consider that many residents actually own two golf carts per home. “It’s got to be somewhere between 70,000 to 80,000 golf carts,” which easily makes The Villages the world’s number one golf cart community, Laufersky said. “Our manufacturers who have relationships in other communities say there is nothing to this scale.”
Richard Brooks, of The Villages Discount Golf Cars (three locations), disagrees. “There has to be almost 100,000 golf cars here,” he said. “No question.”

Indeed, most everything you need on a daily basis—from groceries to doctors to movie theaters—can be accessed by the 100 miles of cart trails that pass through cart-only tunnels and over multiple major cart-only bridges that span the Florida Turnpike and U.S. Highway 441.

Debbie Swann
Three weeks ago a story posted on Slate carried the subhead, Why golf carts—golf carts!—are a transportation mode of the future. It cited a Harvard Business School study from seven years ago that concluded a “souped-up golf cart” offered transportation’s “most transformative potential.”
“Indeed,” said the Slate story, “these puttering vehicles, most often associated with leisure and affluence, just might provide a pathway toward safe, affordable, and entertaining rides for the masses.”

The Villages, the massive Central Florida retirement community that uses golf carts as the main source of transportation for its 130,000-plus residents, has been on top of this trend for some time. In September of 2005, Villages residents strung together 3321 carts in what the Guinness World Records lists as the largest golf cart parade. Even then, that was a drop in the bucket compared to how many carts were in the Villages.

Debbie Swann
And how many are here now?
It’s impossible to tell. They don’t have to be licensed, so an accurate number is elusive. A story from last October in the developer-owned newspaper The Villages Daily Sun (the Villages developers also own an oldies radio station and a TV station) tried to come up with a number. It asked Christopher Laufersky, director of sales for The Villages Golf Cars, which boasts four dealer locations:
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Let’s say that each occupied home in The Villages—69,529 as of Sept. 30—has at least one golf cart, with only a small percentage of the population not owning one, he said. Then consider that many residents actually own two golf carts per home. “It’s got to be somewhere between 70,000 to 80,000 golf carts,” which easily makes The Villages the world’s number one golf cart community, Laufersky said. “Our manufacturers who have relationships in other communities say there is nothing to this scale.”
Richard Brooks, of The Villages Discount Golf Cars (three locations), disagrees. “There has to be almost 100,000 golf cars here,” he said. “No question.”

Indeed, most everything you need on a daily basis—from groceries to doctors to movie theaters—can be accessed by the 100 miles of cart trails that pass through cart-only tunnels and over multiple major cart-only bridges that span the Florida Turnpike and U.S. Highway 441.

Steven Cole Smith
“There’s really no reason to own a car unless you need to go out of town,” said Rose Leary, a Boston resident who is staying with friends in The Villages while she shops for her own home. “They lent me one of their golf carts, and I’m having a ball riding all over the place. My car hasn’t moved since I got here.”

Golf carts have been part of The Villages since before it was formally founded in 1992. When the basic community started in the 1960s, it was essentially a group of trailer parks that featured free golf. There are 57 golf courses now.

The most recent U.S. census said in 2021 that The Villages was America’s fastest-growing community, and the number of carts has skyrocketed along with the population.

Regardless of the actual number of carts, The Villages has long been studied as a model community for the transportation future. The Villages stretches into two counties, and at 32 square miles, it is larger than Manhattan. On top of that, it has acquired thousands more acres into which it can expand.
The population is centered around 17 villages-within-The Villages, each a separate community (or “special purpose district, established pursuant to Florida State Statutes,” says a Villages website). Crime in The Villages, aside from domestic disputes and the occasional drunken bar fight, is minimal, though the community’s cart world isn’t entirely rosy. In 2017, for example, a golf cart chop shop was busted, thus explaining multiple cart thefts in the area.

The carts can be dangerous, too. A study by the Taylor & Francis Group “compiled information about golf cart crashes in The Villages between 2011 and 2019. During the observation period, a total of 875 golf cart-related accidents occurred, representing an average of 136 crashes, 65 hospitalizations and nine dead or disabled annually. Of all crashes, 48 percent resulted in hospitalization, severe trauma, or death. Of these, ejection occurred in 27 percent, hospitalization in 55 percent and death or disability in 15 percent of crashes,” said **************.com, reporting on the findings.
The study concluded that seat belts, which are not mandatory, could save lives. Nothing much is mandatory, it turns out; though some carts are outfitted with belts, turn signals, brake lights, satellite radio, and even rear-view cameras. Lights are required if you drive carts at night. Insurance on carts is available, but again, optional.

Two laws are on the books. One is that you can’t drive a cart unless you are at minimum 14 years old, the importance of which was underscored by a recent crash where a woman let her nine-year-old granddaughter drive. The cart rolled over, and the grandmother was ejected and hospitalized.
The other law is that carts cannot exceed 20 mph, enforced by an engine governor to prevent faster speeds. No one advertises it—and there are indeed dozens of cart-related ads in The Villages Daily Sun—but it seems everybody knows someone who is mechanically inclined and willing to bypass the governor. With that change, perhaps plus some mild engine work, different gearing, and bigger tires, there are reportedly carts here that can top 40 mph. And people do get tickets for speeding, but it’s rare.

The Villages has also seen arrests for carting while intoxicated, and you can lose your driver’s license for that. “Even seniors who have no business driving anymore zip around like teenage joy riders, say residents. Crashes are not uncommon, and visitors are warned to watch out for bad drivers—and drunk ones,” said the New York Times in one of its multiple stories about The Villages and its golf carts.

While most of the carts are the typical ones you see on a golf course, a surprising number of Villagers look for personalization, often ending up at Village Streetrods, where general manager Brandt Bell has a showroom full of new and used carts that resemble hot rods. Dennis Williams owns a Streetrod cart, purple with flames. “It’s something different,” he said. “I like it.” Another advantage of the Streetrod is that most have a “frunk” in the front, good for carrying home groceries from the seven Publix grocery stores in The Villages. Prices average about $25,000 for a new Streetrod.

Williams’ cart is electric, but most in the community are gasoline-powered. “Ninety percent of what I sell is gas-powered,” Bell said. “The range is so much better.” The fuel of choice is 90-octane ethanol-free gasoline, because ethanol is tough on small engines, especially if you keep your cart frequently parked. There are carts with new lithium-ion batteries, though, that have increased the range per charge.
Rose Leary, the future Villages resident, started her (gasoline-powered) cart, and motored away, possibly part of the transportation future. “If we’re ready for it, a better future of mobility is right there waiting for us,” said Slate. “You can catch a glimpse at your local golf course.”

If that future does indeed arrive, we’d best take a real long look at The Villages.

[margaretmattson]

If they are going to look at the Villages for insight, I would question three things in this article.

1.Safety? Lol- Where does one begin?
2.Affordable? Some cost the same as a small car and many even more.
3.Entertaining? Personally, I can think of better things to do with my time than drive in a putt-putt cart whose maximum speed is 20 mph.

Keep the golf carts where they belong-
On the golf course! Hence the name, GOLF cart. I won't begrudge if you use one occasionally to run errands, but always? NO!

[thelegges]

Originally Posted by margaretmattson

If they are going to look at the Villages for insight, I would question three things in this article.

1.Safety? Lol- Where does one begin?
2.Affordable? Some cost the same as a small car and many even more.
3.Entertaining? Personally, I can think of better things to do with my time than drive in a putt-putt cart whose maximum speed is 20 mph.

Keep the golf carts where they belong-
On the golf course! Hence the name, GOLF cart. I won't begrudge if you use one occasionally to run errands, but always? NO!

There are many older residents who move to TV, not for the entertainment, not for golf, but for the availability of having golf cart transport. They no longer own a car, and use their cart to go to appointments, grocery, and visit friends and relatives.

So your golf course only theory doesn’t pan out for how many use their cart. Our aunts, and parents moved here around “07”, no car, just a 4 seat cart. They choose not to have the expense of car maintenance, and insurance, and never had issues. They took day trips with travel companies, cruised, and if they need a car, just rented. When didn’t keep a car here until 2019, we flew in used only our cart, and worked very well for us

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

I prefer my golf cart except when it's rainy, or if I need to drive a longer distance with limited time constraints. One really NICE days, I'll drive from my house in the Historic Section to Odell for a club I'm in, but if it's muggy, or looks like it'll rain, or very windy or cold, or if I'm running late, I'll take the car.

I actually enjoy the slower pace of the cart, and the sensation of being "outside" when I'm driving it. Three years living here and I still get a mini-thrill driving over the golf cart bridge across 441.

[retiredguy123]

I don't own a golf cart because I would need to share the road with cars, SUVs, trucks, and large commercial vehicles. To me, this presents a dangerous situation. Also, they are too slow.

[Bill14564]

Originally Posted by margaretmattson

If they are going to look at the Villages for insight, I would question three things in this article.

1.Safety? Lol- Where does one begin?
2.Affordable? Some cost the same as a small car and many even more.
3.Entertaining? Personally, I can think of better things to do with my time than drive in a putt-putt cart whose maximum speed is 20 mph.

Keep the golf carts where they belong-
On the golf course! Hence the name, GOLF cart. I won't begrudge if you use one occasionally to run errands, but always? NO!

If I can reach it by cart then that's what I'll drive. My wife too, that's why we own two carts.

The other day, during the heavy downpour, we took the car. Very atypical.

[margaretmattson]

Originally Posted by thelegges

There are many older residents who move to TV, not for the entertainment, not for golf, but for the availability of having golf cart transport. They no longer own a car, and use their cart to go to appointments, grocery, and visit friends and relatives.

So your golf course only theory doesn’t pan out for how many use their cart. Our aunts, and parents moved here around “07”, no car, just a 4 seat cart. They choose not to have the expense of car maintenance, and insurance, and never had issues. They took day trips with travel companies, cruised, and if they need a car, just rented. When didn’t keep a car here until 2019, we flew in used only our cart, and worked very well for us

I understand and appreciate golf carts are a necessity for some. The article talks about making golf carts the MASS TRANSPORTATION of the future. That is what I responded to.

[Michael G.]

How about a Hy-bred, the best of both worlds and a lot of saver then golf carts.
Runs on batteries for limited miles, has AC, and you're storing one vehicle.

[ThirdOfFive]

Originally Posted by retiredguy123

I don't own a golf cart because I would need to share the road with cars, SUVs, trucks, and large commercial vehicles. To me, this presents a dangerous situation. Also, they are too slow.

Agreed about the dangerous situation. But even on the MMPs there are a lot of dangerous situations caused by cart drivers who are ignorant of how carts handle, or of the law, or both.

In my opinion people who may have driven cars all their lives but are suddenly driving a cart in an environment with a whole lot of other carts are suddenly playing a game that they think they're familiar with, but aren't. Golf carts are NOT cars and do not handle like one. For one thing golf carts have a high CG and a narrow (and short) wheelbase. It doesn't take much to roll one: a couple of seconds worth of inattention or hitting a turn at too high a speed can upend you even if another cart, or person, is not involved. Another thing is that those one-cylinder four cycle engines don't accelerate well. Many times we've seen one cart try to pass another, where the cart being passed is going only slightly slower than the passer, and because of the slow acceleration and/or top speed you end up with two carts abreast for far too long. I've had to take the grass more than once to avoid two carts bearing down on me.

Second is the ignorance of the laws and rules regarding cart use. Snowbird season is coming and it is a guarantee that TV will be flooded with people who THINK they know how to operate a cart within the law, but don't. We'll see it here in TOTV. We always do; folks expounding on their version of how carts must be operated that very often are not just advertisements for their ignorance but if engaged in, endanger not only them but others as well.

Remedies? Why not, when the snowbirds pick up their gate cards or IDs, mandate a short video on how to operate a cart in the Villages environs? There are other things that could be done too, but won't be.

[Fredster]

Originally Posted by ThirdOfFive

Agreed about the dangerous situation. But even on the MMPs there are a lot of dangerous situations caused by cart drivers who are ignorant of how carts handle, or of the law, or both.

On our roads the same can be said about
many auto drivers!

[retiredguy123]

Originally Posted by Fredster

On our roads the same can be said about
many auto drivers!

I agree, but cars are larger and heavier, and they are equipped with thousands of dollars worth of mandated safety features.

[DAVES]

Endlessly the same topic. Might be useful to create a changing game that you must get a minimum score to be able to run a golf cart in the villages.

Terms of drivers, we notice the fools not the safe drivers. Accidents is truly a false term. Since, almost all accidents are avoidable, an accident is HEY what you did CAUSED an issue.

[Topspinmo]

IMO Villages not good example cause it is golf cart community. Naturally going to be high number of golf carts where you have specific paths and rules on road for them. As far as safety goes, that depends on operators. All years I been in villages I still see golf cart drivers trying to turn left from golf cart diamond lanes. Disaster waiting to catch up with them. IMO golf cart on roads/path provided lot safer than bicycles on road. But, again it’s the operators.

[Topspinmo]

Originally Posted by retiredguy123

I agree, but cars are larger and heavier, and they are equipped with thousands of dollars worth of mandated safety features.

Golf cart are not allow on road over 25 MPH. Not like they’re going down I75 with hundred years of vehicle accidents naturally safety has improved.

IMO the problem in most instances are inpatient vehicle drivers speeding, cutting off golf cart in diamond lanes, and driving off the back bumper of golf cart. Go head or give room.

[Topspinmo]

Originally Posted by ThirdOfFive

Agreed about the dangerous situation. But even on the MMPs there are a lot of dangerous situations caused by cart drivers who are ignorant of how carts handle, or of the law, or both.

In my opinion people who may have driven cars all their lives but are suddenly driving a cart in an environment with a whole lot of other carts are suddenly playing a game that they think they're familiar with, but aren't. Golf carts are NOT cars and do not handle like one. For one thing golf carts have a high CG and a narrow (and short) wheelbase. It doesn't take much to roll one: a couple of seconds worth of inattention or hitting a turn at too high a speed can upend you even if another cart, or person, is not involved. Another thing is that those one-cylinder four cycle engines don't accelerate well. Many times we've seen one cart try to pass another, where the cart being passed is going only slightly slower than the passer, and because of the slow acceleration and/or top speed you end up with two carts abreast for far too long. I've had to take the grass more than once to avoid two carts bearing down on me.

Second is the ignorance of the laws and rules regarding cart use. Snowbird season is coming and it is a guarantee that TV will be flooded with people who THINK they know how to operate a cart within the law, but don't. We'll see it here in TOTV. We always do; folks expounding on their version of how carts must be operated that very often are not just advertisements for their ignorance but if engaged in, endanger not only them but others as well.

Remedies? Why not, when the snowbirds pick up their gate cards or IDs, mandate a short video on how to operate a cart in the Villages environs? There are other things that could be done too, but won't be.

Might as well get use to idea of golf carts in golf cart community. It’s only going to get worse as population increases.