The future of golf has arrived at an award-winning Arizona course in the form of a new fleet of high-tech golf carts. The Quintero Golf Club in Peoria, working in conjunction with a company called Textron Fleet Management, has deployed 90 electric carts, each of which is equipped with a touchscreen tablet. The tablet puts a host of features at players’ fingertips to deliver a new level of convenience and game management to the links.
Among the features that the new golf carts offer are integrated score keeping, course maps complete with 3D flyovers, and GPS tracking. They system can also provide information on pin placement, distances to hazards, and pro tips on how to approach all 18 holes. The tablets also allow users to send messages to one another, check in with the golf shop, and even order food and drinks to be delivered to them right on the course.
The Textron system isn’t just for the players, however, as it also brings some added benefits for course managers. For instance, the connected carts allow staff to monitor the location of players out on the course at all times, helping them to keep better track of the pace of play. The carts can even be remotely disabled if players wander off the property or are caught misbehaving in any way. The system also uses GPR tracking to create geofences that prevent the carts from being driven where they shouldn’t be. For example, the greens are generally off limits for carts at most courses, and these connected carts will automatically shut themselves down before players can drive them into restricted areas.
Powered by high-capacity lithium-ion batteries, the golf carts are also highly efficient. This makes them more environmentally friendly compared to older models and allows them to run further on a single charge. Downtime is kept to a minimum thanks to a fast-charging system that allows the carts to be quickly turned around as golfers come and go.
Textron offers courses a host of customization options, including a choice of two tablet sizes, a text-based interface or a custom built 3D operating system, and more. Quintero is currently the only place to offer these high-tech carts, but other courses will likely start adopting them moving forward.
