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I am a staunch advocate of walking the golf course when possible. But if I have to use a golf cart when I play, I want it to be safe, comfortable and well-designed. Millions of dollars in R&D goes into the driver- and passenger-seat experience of every new car. Why not put some thought into ergonomics for golfers on four wheels, too?
In recent years, only two of golf's Big Three golf cart manufacturers have appeared interested in innovating. As I discovered in 2020, despite its industry-wide image as the Cadillac of golf carts, Club Car was lagging behind major competitors E-Z-GO and Yamaha, along with whom it controls practically the entire American on-course golf cart fleet market. The Augusta, Ga.-based Club Car hadn't updated its design in well over a decade. The cupholders were shoved to the sides of the cart at knee-level, and storage was confined to two cubbies behind the cupholders. No smartphone spot either - Club Car's golfer-facing design hadn't changed since their rise.
Meanwhile, Club Car's competitors had been busy pondering how changing behaviors among golfers needed to be reflected in golf carts, which are used in two of every three rounds played in America. E-Z-GO had centralized cupholders and, crucially, installed molded slots behind them where golfers' smartphones could sit, close at hand and out of pocket. Yamaha followed suit, with a handy centralized dashboard with those comforts close by. By comparison, Club Car was playing with a wound golf ball while its competition were several generations into their Pro V1 eras.
Fast forward to 2025. After an ownership change (Ingersoll-Rand sold the company to a private equity firm in 2021), Club Car is finally back to a leadership position when it comes to golf cart design, with its new-edition Tempo fleet vehicles sporting a fully overhauled dashboard at the 2025 PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, Fla.
Club Car's game-changing new golf cart design
It's not that Club Car golf carts had become uncomfortable or unreliable over time. By sticking with a 19th-century golfer interface, they had become stale. And even though the main fleet cart, called Tempo, was freshened in 2018, the dashboard design, which had not been updated in more than 20 years, remained. Rather than being centralized within easy reach, Club Car's cupholders sat at knee level towards the margins. Because large tumblers and metal cups had not yet become popular, these cup holders sat in front of the cart's main storage space, blocking golfers' access to food, wallet and cell phones they like to keep close by. The size of those cup holders also tended not to accommodate larger cups easily.
"[W]e recognized it was time to introduce a fresh, purpose-built dash design," said Jeff Tyminski, Club Car's vice president of product management and marketing. "This marks an exciting new chapter in our product evolution."
After studying Club Car's Tempo golf cart redesign on display at the 2025 PGA Merchandise Show, I came away thinking they might well have gone from worst to first among the Big Three, leapfrogging both Yamaha and E-Z-GO. Like those brands, Club Car's redesigned golf cart dashboard has brought more of the action towards the center, with a couple of interesting and novel design decisions that now sets them apart.
In something of a nod to the past, the two pairs of cup holders still sit apart, though nowhere nearly as close to the edges of the cart as they used to. They also sit up higher for more logical accessibility, and they do not threaten to block anything behind them. The center of the console features a generously-sized bucket where golfers could conceivably store a rangefinder (if they don't want to use the vertical metal bar to stick a magnet to), wallet or keys. There are two dedicated smartphone slots at the back, right where they should be.
The cleverest new design feature is the way Club Car incorporates extra storage, via a carve-out dead-center beneath the smartphone slots. The depth of this wide, shallow cave would be a perfect alternative spot for a phone, yardage book or scorecard on a rainy day. Two further exterior cubbies sit where they used to, though now there are no cup holders blocking the way. If you find yourself running out of storage space in one of Club Car's new carts, you have brought way too much junk with you to the golf course.
"Our new dash sparked curiosity, questions, and overwhelmingly positive feedback from partners and customers," Tyminski said of the redesign process, which took the better part of nine months. "The new dashboard keeps golfers focused on enjoying the game and fellowship by offering smart storage for essentials while giving the vehicle a sleek, modern upgrade."
Club Car's new fleet golf carts will be rolling out to golf courses over the first six months of 2025.
Comments (2)
"despite its industry-wide image as the Cadillac of golf carts" is the funniest thing I'm going to read today.
From my perspective Club Cars have been so far behind in ergonomics, comfort & reliability for a very long time. It's nice that after 20 years they have finally addressed their incredibly inefficient dashboard. It's a good start and I hope they don't stop there as they really need to address the unbelievably heavy steering, the ride comfort and update the styling of the body.
David, I fully agree with you that Club Car haven't historically held up to their reputation. Interesting note about the steering; I've always felt that newish golf carts drive more or less the same - which is to say, fine - but to be honest I've mostly focused on the dashboard experience in my article from 2020 and this one. I appreciate that I'm not the only one thinking about this aspect of the overall golf experience; thanks for your comment!