In this article, the golf coach team here at Tell Me More Golf dives into the world of golf cart brands. 

I am the head golf instructor at Tell Me More Golf with over 50 years of experience. 

Golf carts are becoming more and more popular. There are many reasons for traveling around the course by cart. They’re great for older players who lack mobility, while they’re perfect if you want to save energy by not carrying a bag. They’re also great utility vehicles. 

Here we’re going to look at some different golf cart brands, so let’s get into it. 

Best Golf Cart Companies

There are many golf cart manufacturers companies that make golf carts, but these are the best golf cart brands:

Yamaha

If you want quality, then you can’t go wrong with Yamaha. Rent a golf cart at your local golf club and there’s a good chance that at least some of what they have available will be carts made by Yamaha, who are undoubtedly one of the most prolific and well-known golf cart manufacturers. 

Club Car

Many Americans will be familiar with Club Car as it’s one of the biggest golf cart makers on US soil.

They produce a variety of golf carts, designed and built for both personal and commercial use. 

Club Car golf carts are ideal on undulating golf courses, or courses with different terrains. At a previous club, I used to use a Club Car cart on a regular basis, and it was great to drive up and down the hilly areas between some of the holes. 

American Custom Golf Carts

Also known as ACG, American Custom Golf Carts is one of the best-known brands in the US. They produce standard golf carts, but are more known for their production of customizable golf carts, making them a hit with people who like to do things their own way. 

ACG offers cart users custom features such as adding more power, changing the color/design of the vehicle, as well as LED signaling systems. 

Luxury Golf Cart Brands

Most of the top golf cart brands produce carts that can be described as luxury, including the likes of Yamaha, E-Z-GO Carts and Club Car, but if you want a golf cart from a manufacturer that specializes in luxury golf carts, then Garia is the brand for you. 

Garia is a Danish producer of golf carts and they pride themselves on delivering premium products.

Garia consider their vehicles so prestigious that they don’t use the term “cart” but instead their vehicles are called “golf cars”. 

Garia golf cars come in many different designs, each as funky and high-tech as the next. They are also quite customizable too, but you’ll need to have plenty of cash to play with as a standard Garia made up to suit your specifications will set you back at least $20,000. 

Vintage Golf Carts: How to Identify Value

When it comes to golf carts it’s not always a case of the newer the better.

In fact, some old models are seen as vintage and are thus considered valuable by collectors

How do you tell if a vintage golf cart is valuable or not? Well, a lot of it comes down to the make, model and condition of the golf cart. Age is of course a factor but just because a golf cart is old it doesn’t mean that it carries any value. Many old golf carts are worthless.

As mentioned in other Tell Me More Golf articles, there are generally a few things to take into consideration when it comes to identifying value. In the case of golf carts, these are as follows: 

Rarity 

Some golf carts are now considered rare. These are likely to be prestigious models from top brands that are no longer commonly available. Rare golf carts aren’t necessarily really old golf carts, but there won’t be many of them around, making them potentially valuable. 

Condition

You may have a vintage golf cart, one that is both rare and sought after, and one that is made by a great brand. However, if it’s in a poor condition and no longer works, then it may not be worth much. Alternatively, if you have a vintage golf cart that has been well looked after and is in excellent condition, you’ll be looking at a higher valuation. The condition of a golf cart is key to identifying value.  

Make/Brand 

This is important. For a vintage golf cart to be worth anything it has to be of a certain level of quality, which means that the make or brand of the cart is important. The make or the brand of the cart is also essential in identifying the vehicle, which is of course a key part of any valuation process. 

Old Golf Cart Brands

There are quite a lot of vintage golf carts out there, made by golf cart brands such as Yamaha, Cushman, and Club Car all of which are huge players in the golf cart industry. 

Other brands who over the years have produced golf carts, which can be classed as old golf cart brands, primarily because you can still find vintage models from them, include Melex Pargo, who produced a number of golf carts in the 60’s and 70’s, some of which can still be found. 

Another popular brand of old golf carts is renowned motorcycle manufacturer Harley Davidson, who famously created an electric golf cart way back in 1969, otherwise known as the 1969 Harley Davidson Electric low-speed vehicle, which at the time was a high-quality new golf cart. 

Best Gas Golf Cart Companies

Electric golf carts are becoming more and more popular and will perhaps end up being the only option at some point. However, for now, gas golf carts still have a place and in some cases are even preferred. 

Many people like to use gas golf carts because they perform better uphill, while they’re better for pulling loads or carrying extra weight, such as heavy golf equipment. There is of course the extra speed too. 

If you’re looking for the best gas golf cart brands then you should go with the tried and trusted names, such as Club Car, who produce some excellent gas golf carts, such as the Precedent i3, a two seater cart, which with a 4.6-gallon fuel tank is great for long rounds out on the course.

These are other top gas golf cart brands: 

• Yamaha
• Cushman

Electric Golf Cart Brands

Lots of people prefer to use electric golf carts, as they don’t wish to waste fuel driving around the course. Golf courses and clubs therefore need to provide electric golf carts for golfers to rent out. This means that brands have had to keep up with demand. Several golf cart brands have gone down the electric route in recent years. 

E-Z-GO are one of the big dogs when it comes to golf cart producers, so it’s no surprise that they cater for the golfer seeking electricity. The RXV Shuttle 2+2, the RXV Shuttle 6 and E-Z-GO Rxv Electric are all great non-petrol options. 

Yamaha golf carts are also hugely popular. Yamaha is a big producer of golf carts and they too have some great electric options. In fact, they offer two different types of electric golf carts, ones that have an AC-motor power engine and ones that have a DC-motor power engine. The Yamaha UMAX AC Electric Golf Cart is one of the best on the market, costing around $10,000. 

Star EV is another great electric golf cart brand. They are younger than many of the big brands, but they’re a sizable player when it comes to the production of golf carts featuring AC motors, that’s for sure. Star EV has produced more than 50 models of golf cart. 

Online Golf Cart Dealers

If you’re looking to buy a golf cart online, then your best option may be to visit the manufacturer directly. 

It’s important to do some research, find out what golf car is likely to best serve your needs and then buy online directly from the golf cart brand. 

Popular golf cart brands such as Club Car and E-Z-GO take golf cart orders online, as do many other manufacturers. 

Alternatively, there are numerous online golf cart dealers. The following sites stock a variety of golf carts that are available for online purchase: 

• Advantage Golf Cars
• Go With Garretts
• Golf Cart Resource
• Golf Cart World
• Performance Golf Carts

TellMeMoreGolf.com – Frequently Asked Questions

What are the 3 major golf cart brands?

Generally speaking, the golf cart market is dominated by three main brands. These are: Yamaha, Club Car and EZ-GO. 

Hire out a cart at your local club and the chances are what’s on offer will have been made by one of the above brands. 

What manufacturers make golf carts?

Lots of manufacturers make golf carts, such as Yamaha Motor Company, Inger-soll Rand, who operate Club Car, and Textron, who produce EZ-GO golf carts. 

Other golf cart manufacturers include: Xiamen Dalle Electric Car Company, Polaris Industries, Columbia Parcar and Garia Inc. 

What is the cheapest golf cart brand?

Of the best brands, Club Car golf carts can be bought for the cheapest prices. A new Club Car golf cart can be purchased for around $7,000, but if you go down the used route, you can pick one up for somewhere in the region of $3,500.