Introduction
In several thousand conversations with golf clubs, club owners, employees and board members over the last 25 years, the Cart Care Company has developed an enormous wealth of knowledge based on many years of experience. Our customers benefit from this knowledge, because in many conversations we repeatedly hear about similar concerns, problems and challenges. Many golf courses are looking for a way to turn the cost centre of golf carts into a sustainable profit centre. With this short impulse, we would like to draw your attention to the ten most common and most expensive mistakes in relation to the golf cart fleet and at the same time provide you with a solution approach on how to manage the transformation from a cost centre to a profit centre.
The 10 most common mistakes
Many facilities complain that they have too few carts on the course at peak times. This means that the facility misses out on important revenue. The utilisation of the cart fleet over the course of the year plays a decisive role in deciding how many vehicles your fleet should include. The problem here is that, despite the digital possibilities, too few facilities have real tools at their disposal to really evaluate and analyse utilisation. Solution: (Digital) tools for recording capacity utilisation, e.g. GPS system (www.cartcare.de/gps/) or IOTee (www.iotee.eu)
Regular maintenance of your golf carts can prevent vehicle breakdowns and excessive repair costs. We therefore urge you to ensure that your carts are thoroughly cleaned at all times. In addition, attention should be paid to the maintenance of the installed battery technology. It is essential to follow the detailed instructions and tips in the user manual - alternatively, more and more systems are using low-maintenance batteries. Proper care and maintenance are sensible investments in the longevity of your fleet and reduce costs in the long term. Solution: Follow the care instructions (www.cartcare.de/care/)
Every round with a golf cart puts more strain on the turf of the golf course than a golfer travelling on foot. In addition, there are always black sheep among golfers who simply don't follow the rules on the course. Nevertheless, many golf courses do not yet use a GPS system that can be used to block certain areas of the course. The use of a GPS system and the associated possibility of speed reduction has been proven to result in less property damage and personal injury on the courses. Solution: GPS system (www.cartcare.de/gps/) and mobility guarantee in Cart Care long-term hire
In many discussions with golf courses, the topic of cart hire outside of business hours is a problem area. Especially in the summer months, many golfers play early or late after office hours. The greenkeepers or catering staff are then often called in to help organise the hire. However, this means an avoidable waste of resources that could be avoided with digital fleet management solutions. Solution: Fleet management with IOTee (www.iotee.eu)
Mystery shoppers at golf courses know all about it: The guest comes into the secretary's office, buys a green fee and the secretary doesn't ask the crucial question: "Would you like to book a golf cart for your round?" - and the sales opportunity is gone. The same applies to the presentation of golf carts at many courses. Where do you display the carts? Visible on the way from the car park to the secretary's office or hidden away in a shed? There is often untapped sales potential here. Solution: Advice from Cart Care sales professionals in the free potential analysis
It is still common practice to set the prices for a round with a golf cart based on instinct. As with the pricing of green fees, golf courses often use competitive prices without taking into account the real direct and hidden costs. Only very few golf courses set their prices according to economic criteria and therefore the majority are too low with their approach and thus reduce turnover in the long term. Solution: e.g. yield management with IOTee (www.iotee.eu)
When making decisions about your cart fleet, realise that you are not just looking at the price at the bottom right: this is often a case of comparing apples with pears. Favourable offers sound tempting, but usually do not meet the actual needs of the golf course. The cheapest provider is rarely the best. Time and again, inferior materials are used in the carts or the battery quality is skimped on. This usually results in cost-intensive readjustments to the systems afterwards. Solution: Advice from Cart Care Sales in the free potential analysis
The two best-known ways of financing are buying or leasing. In the best case scenario, your golf cart service provider will even work together with a leasing partner and can offer you both options from a single source. But beware: these options are not suitable for every golf course. The right partner for golf carts also offers seasonal hire, which also includes collection of the golf carts for winter storage. Here, too, it is better to make a meticulous comparison, otherwise you will quickly fall into a cost trap. The latest model in the industry is a long-term rental that runs for 48 months, similar to leasing. The carts do not become the property of the golf course, but the golf course benefits from savings on insurance and the guarantee that the vehicles will actually leave the course after 48 months without having to worry about selling them. Solution: Cart Care long-term hire as an alternative
When choosing the right partner, close, professional support is important. Inadequate on-site support almost inevitably leads to problems and high costs. Make sure you choose a partner who can provide you with rapid assistance in the event of a problem, both in terms of personnel and spare parts. Solution: e.g. annual service by Cart Care service technicians
Since the beginning of the coronavirus crisis and the Evergiven accident in the Suez Canal, global supply chains have been under pressure. In the past, golf courses have been used to making investment decisions at very short notice and being able to count on their realisation. Golf courses need to rethink their approach quickly and adopt a longer time horizon. Avoid ordering too late and running the risk that the desired delivery times cannot be realised. According to some economic institutes, this will continue for the next 24 months. When selecting your partner, pay attention to seriousness, professionalism and company size. Solution: Consider new or replacement purchases at an early stage due to longer lead times
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