Part of golf’s charm – and burden – is the game’s reluctance to change. While an annual array of new gadgets, technology, swing breakthroughs and inane stuff generates buzz each year, the core of the game and how to play it remains the same.
Until a new idea creates a splash, that is. Pssst. Over here. Surf’s up, dudes.
Selected as Best New Product at the 2014 PGA Merchandise Show and developed in part by surf legend Laird Hamilton, the GolfBoard is experiencing a rise in player acceptance and course visibility a year or so later. Contrasting the ride of a traditional golf cart, the GolfBoard glides like a snowboard across turf as the thumb throttle propels rider and bag up to 10 mph (though faster if modified). At 115 pounds, the GolfBoard is light yet sturdy and, after a recent test ride in the Coachella Valley with sales representative Tim Venturi, I can attest that it’s fun to ride.
Though new to the California market in the past year, Venturi estimates that the Southland has more than a dozen participating courses, including Tahquitz Creek in Palm Springs and the Classic Club in Palm Desert, which is trying the GolfBoard on a trial basis. A recent agreement to approve usage at Troon and ClubCorp courses means the burgeoning wave could crest higher in 2016.
“Superintendents really like them because they don’t rip up the turf and they’re much better to the golf course than a 1,200-pound golf cart,” said Venturi, son of late Hall of Fame golfer and broadcaster Ken Venturi. “And pace of play is absolutely a factor. You take the GolfBoard out with a foursome in the morning – and I know because we do it – and the round is under three hours. And for the pro shop, they’re going to get another couple of foursomes out in the morning. So it’s a win-win.”
On the day of our test I brought my 68-year-old father to get his take, and Venturi’s young granddaughter was along for the ride as well.
“The old school guys are liking these,” Venturi said of his product. “It’s different than getting in and out of a golf cart 70 or 80 times a round. With these, you’re riding straight to your ball and really seeing and observing your next shot.”
After witnessing four riders spanning six decades, the GolfBoard doesn’t appear to be an ageist device and could be a product to engage the Millennial Generation and entice younger players to take up the game. Many, if not most, riders should get the feel of the board after a few holes, and riders with even a modest level of experience on a surfboard, skateboard or snowboard will easily pick up the necessary body lean when on the fairway. The only drawback I see is that riding solo might be a bit antisocial, since riding in a cart, or walking, generally involves quality talk time.
All told, however, I’m sold. Easy to use and cool to ride, the GolfBoard appears to be a legitimate and breezy way to get around the golf course and might eventually scoot past the more traditional ways of navigating a round.
