Speaker 1: This is Rich Stilman from Saint John's, Florida, and I
play golf at the King and the Bear Country Club,
at the World Golf Village, and at the Naval Air
Station in Jacksonville. In Jacksonville Course. This is Golf Smarter
number nine to sixty six.
Speaker 2: The research we've done and seen and been provided it
unequivocally proves that walking is a much higher benefit to
your health than sitting in a golf cart. And it
can come from what caddy where you're just walking, or
are you pushing, or you're carrying your own bag. We've
actually seen some research that has shown that even just
walking with an electric caddy, you're burning as much, if
not more than carrying your bag or pushing a cart
because of the benefits of what goes on with your back.
If you're pushing a cart, you're in a posture that's
not very natural either because depending on the hills or
how the ground, if it's very soft and wet, your
posture can be almost somewhat horizontal to the ground because
where you're pushing the really benefits for austin, especially for
the like acaddies, as you're literally taking a walk, so
you do feel fresher, You do feel different.
Speaker 3: Walking a course just got easier, and the health benefits
are substantial.
Speaker 4: With Billy Holbrook of MGI Golf, this.
Speaker 5: Is Golf Smarter, sharing stories, tips and insights from great
golf minds to help you lower your score and raise
your golf IQ.
Speaker 4: Here's your host, Fred Green. Welcome to the Golf Smarter Podcast.
Speaker 2: Billy, Hey, Fred, nice to see you, Thank you.
Speaker 4: Thank you very much for joining us today.
Speaker 3: This is going to be an interesting one because I've
always talked about how I like to walk a golf course.
That walking a golf course for me is a way
that I can remember the golf course. Because I noticed
that when I'm in when I'm in a cart, when
i'm driving, it's I don't remember things about the golf course, right.
Speaker 2: Shame the same here unless it's like an extremely unique
course or something that's just you know, top of the line,
you know a place that you've seen, you know, or
you've seen on TV. But you're right, if I play
well on the cart, so you know, I could be
on the seventh hole and says remember on number two
when you sit there, and like Jesus, I don't even
remember number two, I'd like, I'll explain that again, and like,
that's so strange that that was only forty minutes ago,
but yet it was hard again, maybe something about our age.
Who knows, I might say something about our age here.
I don't know.
Speaker 4: Well I hope not, I know.
Speaker 3: But the other part of it is like, you know,
when you're in a cart, you're just talking to somebody,
so you hit.
Speaker 4: The ball, drive to the ball, hit the ball, drive
to the ball.
Speaker 3: Correct, and it's just like, you know, and then there's
nowadays people have music in the cart, and it's like
it's not Yeah, I'm out here to be out here, right,
and I want to do this, and I enjoy the walk.
I enjoy the wildlife, you know, if they're lucky enough
to have any other than just bird, you know, things
flying around out there. But so I've advocated for a
long time that people should be walking. And what I've
really noticed lately there's more and more people in carts
driving in carts, and they're young people.
Speaker 4: These are people who can walk. Yeah, but I think
they're drinking too much.
Speaker 2: But I'm sure that has a little bit to do
with it. And I think, you know, unfortunately, the way
the America has, you know, the American golf business has
been run for you know, the last thirty forty years.
Golf courses have been designed for carts, meaning you know,
the green to the next team may not be right
next to it. So I would say, you know, from
forty years past, you'll be able to see a more
walkable golf course. That's something that's a little bit older.
But the modern design of golf courses has really made
it where the green to the next team might not
be and I'm sure you can, you know, testify this.
It could be four hundred yards away to the next
tee and so some a lot of times, you know,
I've gone to so many courses where they would say
the car path, the length of the cart path just
to give to the play eighteen holes is sometimes over
nine miles long just to get around. And that's a
long that's a long that's a long walk if you
if you wanted to do that. But I think if
we were just talking, and I think you hit it
right on the head. Walking really it does bring out
a more rhythmic way to play right where I think,
you know, everyone when I talk to it's like boy,
when I do walk or if I take it, if
I'm lucky to take you know, a caddy with me,
I just do. I do play a lot better because
it's a more It's paced so much easier. You hit
a ball, you're not rushing right to the you know,
not a cart rushing to your next shot. That time
you're taking to get to that shot, you're you're able
to think about things, experience and things, you know, seeing
views right rather than you know, ten seconds later you're
at your shot waiting for the green to clear or
something like that. It is a much it's a much
better paced way to play. Everyone, everyone plays better when
they do walk. Now, you know, we are in the
society that time is you know, time is valuable, and hey,
if I can get around faster with a cart, you know,
they that's the perception you get. But I think we've
been able to really do a lot of research and
do some things where if four of you are walking
and four of you are on a golf cart, it's
literally within a minute or two difference in how how
long it takes to play.
Speaker 4: Is that right? Yeah, the timing. You know, people think
that they're speeding things up, but they're not really.
Speaker 2: No they're not really, and it really does depending on
the pace of how it is in front of you.
If you play in a public course on a Saturday morning,
it's yeah, it's it's gonna be four fifteen, it's gonna
be four to fifteen if you're taking a cart and
rushing to the to your ball, or it's four fifteen
in your walk. But we've done enough research where it
is very, very very close to that because you've got
to remember, Fred, you're taking you're in a cart with
two people, you're going to the other your your apartment
ball as well. So by the time all that is
kind of put together, you're you're literally you know, you
could take a straight line and get there just as effectively.
Speaker 3: And then there's those days where you have the ninety
degree rule or card path only, and probably nothing slows
down around more than card path only.
Speaker 2: Correct, It's it's uh yeah, I mean in my club
here in Orlando, I mean, if if it's if they're
not allowing cards, or if it's cart path only, I mean,
it's just people don't play. I mean, it's just amazing.
It's it's amazing. So you know, luckily for us, we've
been able to really do a uh really helpful with
a lot of that by you know, providing you caddies
to to hey, here's here's another option for you, because
it is, it is there's nothing worse than having to
go back and forth from the car paths, especially you
know on the opposite side of the car path. There's
nothing worse. And then you know, and then you're like, god,
I don't know how far it is. I'll bring my
bag with me just you know, because I don't know
what kind of shot I'm going to have. So it's uh, yeah,
it does bring in a lot of extra work.
Speaker 3: Yeah, there's a course to to of the courses that
I play regularly, one of them it's like the end
of the day is like you took twelve thousand steps today, Yeah,
you know, eleven thousand steps and that's about a I
guess a four and a half to five mile walk.
Speaker 4: Which is great.
Speaker 2: Yes.
Speaker 3: And then the other course has you know, like as
one of my buddies says, like, if there's a fence,
you got to go through it, right, and that's like
a seventeen thousand step where we're almost walking over seven.
Speaker 4: Miles on that and can get pretty warm of there.
That's quite a walk.
Speaker 3: And what I you know, the hardest thing that people
get nervous about walking is the wheels, right yeah, not
not having enough hydration, not having enough nutrition, and by
the end of the round, they're just they're not holding it.
Speaker 2: Together right quite back nine.
Speaker 3: Yeah, then they use that as their excuse is why
they need to be sitting in a golf cart.
Speaker 2: And I mean it's you can add that to anything.
I mean, the more you do of something, you're just
you're just going to get better at it. You know,
with any type of exercise, you you know, the first
first few times you do it, yeah, it might struggle
a little bit, but after a while, it's you're you're
actually benefiting yourself to push push yourself through those eighteen holes.
You will get better at it and healthier obviously.
Speaker 4: And how long have you been playing golf?
Speaker 2: Uh? I was probably a nine, probably nine, so yeah,
well over forty years.
Speaker 4: So did you were you introduced to golf as a walker?
Speaker 5: Oh?
Speaker 2: Yeah, of course you carried your bag. I Uh, I
was a member at a nine hole course in Connecticut
and I was the first junior member they ever had,
And yeah, I just took my I drove my bike
up to the club, played thirty six holes every day.
But yeah, walked it the whole time. I mean I
never took a cart the day. I don't think they'd
allow me to because I was too young. But you know, yeah,
it was that was just you know, what you did
every day. But yeah, absolutely, we all we all, you know,
for the most part, we all were introduced that way,
you know, walking.
Speaker 3: Yeah, and as that kid, were you like, Okay, this
is going to be my life.
Speaker 4: I'm going to be in the golf business.
Speaker 2: I think, you know, not at that age. I think
it took a little while. I've been with it. You know,
I've been in the golf business really since through high
school and I kind of I kind of felt like, hey,
I want to do something I'm I feel like I'm
pretty good at or I have a passion for. So
it always that kind of kept me focused in staying
in the in the business. I think I wanted to
be a player, you know, professionally for a while, made
the play played at Methodist College. It's a Division three school.
They were very you know, very very successful. But I
always thought I was going to be you know, I
wanted to play and then it kind of worked from
being a player into maybe being a professional golfer, you know,
teaching and running a golf shop that then morphed into
becoming a rep for the past twenty five years, and
then let into this opportunity about six years ago. So
so yeah, I've kind of felt like I've you know,
been been part of the business for you know, quite
a while.
Speaker 3: I think there's a lot of people who feel that
if I walk a golf course, I'm gonna I'm going
to invite new pain aches and pains in my back
because you know, I'm just not used to walking, or
you know, it's easier for me to sit. I know
that for me, sitting in a golf cart hurts my
back more than walking it through and you know, being
able to keep it loose.
Speaker 2: Mm hm.
Speaker 3: Are there studies are about the benefits of walking. There's
Have they shown that it's a greater benefit for you
as a golfer to walk.
Speaker 2: It's almost I mean, the the research that we've done
and seen and been provided, it's it's one hundred percent.
I mean, every unequivocally proves that walking is a much
higher benefit to your health than sitting in a golf cart,
no question. And it can come from you know, a caddy.
You know you might have you might be lucky to
have a caddy where you're just walking or or are
you pushing or you're carrying your own bag. I mean,
even when it comes to that, we've we've actually seen
some some you know, some research that has shown that
even just walking with an electric caddy, you're you're burning
as much, if not more than than walking with a
carrying a bag or pushing a car because of the
benefits of what goes on with your back. If you're
pushing a cart, you're you're in a posture that's not
very natural either because you know, depending on the hills
or how how the the ground, if it's very soft
and wet, I mean, your posture can be very almost
almost somewhat horizontal to the ground because of what where
you're pushing. So the the really benefits for us, and
especially for electric caddies, is you're literally taking a walk.
You're not having to put any under pressure on your
back other than just you know how how you're going
to walk. So we just feel that the you know
that you do feel fresher, you do feel different, uh,
and in the good you know, in the right way,
so you're not having to have you know, all that,
you know, because you're putting enough stress on your back
swinging you don't need it, you know, carrying or pushing
anything as well. So it is uh, you know, that's
that's really kind of what we have been trying to provide.
I think the overwhelming success of the electric caddies has
just come from the global for what's happened globally. I mean,
everyone that plays golf walks outside of the United States.
Speaker 4: It is is there right.
Speaker 2: Ninety eight percent of the people that play golf outside
the United States will be walking in some respects. So
the electric caddies or any type of vehicle that's to
help you has really taking a is such a you know,
is really the culture of that outside of the United
States is pretty well baked in everywhere. So it's just
taken a little taken a little quite a while for
it to happen in the United States. But you know what,
since COVID and this influx of new golfers, it is
really the demand for it and just people seeing the
benefits of you know, doing something differently because the tech
and innovations there has really become you know, is really
taken shape and organically has grown our degree, uh you know, twentyfold.
Speaker 3: Amazing, Yeah, and you are there. So there are statistics
that are showing that more and more people in the
US are walking versus the rest of the world, which
has been walking the course all the time.
Speaker 2: So our research was you know, and I think it
really is. It's hard to say, because hard to say,
but we've gotten to a point where I've I've seen
things around thirty five percent or higher do walk exclusively.
And I think a lot of people would you know
what I hear when I go around talking to a
lot of people and a lot of these consumer shows
and wherever, people would rather walk if they had a
better way to do it. So I think I think
innovation has got us to a point where people are
starting to think about, hey, I can actually do this
without you know, so much pain or you know or fatigue. Uh,
there is a there are better ways now to be
able to do it. So, you know, what we've been
able to do the last four or five years is
create a vehicle for someone to take take a walk
and play golf without you know, any of the ancillary
issues that you might have if you were used to
carrying a carrying your bag or pushing in a golf cart.
Speaker 3: Yeah, well it's kind of we've been teasing this the
whole time. So Billie obviously works for a company called
MGI that creates electric carts. Yes, and I've again, I've
always tried to walk. I've never carried my bag for
more than nine holes, and even when I did nine holes,
it like wasn't great. And so I've used push carts
for long for the entire time I've played golf. Yeah,
and I noticed that, you know, living in northern California,
we have a lot of courses that have a tremendous
amount of undulation. And I don't mean on the greens,
I mean the walk itself. We can go through, you know,
four hundred feet of elevation chain throughout. I played Chambers
Bay recently in Oregon. In Washington, great spot, and it's
an over it's what seven point two mile walk with
a tremendous amount of elevation change going on as law,
and it's all walking, it's all walk carts, a lot
of walking, but you have a caddy carry in your bag.
Speaker 4: And so I've had the opportunity to try out.
Speaker 3: One of your mg I cards and now I'm like
intrigued about even going higher tech with it, and I've
really enjoyed it.
Speaker 4: There is a learning curve.
Speaker 2: Sure, yeah, yeah, And I think you know that. I
think that's part of our you know, part of our
your motivation to you know, with with innovation to make
it as user friendly as possible, right, I mean, I
think that's just like in anything, it's uh, the more
you can make it easier to use and make you know,
have it, you know, do the most it can do
is a big is a big part. It's always the
challenge because I think people our age, I think some
of us get very intimidated by new technology sometimes with
if it's a phone, if it's a computer or whatever.
But I you know what I try to instill when
I talk to someone who's going to use it. Well,
one of our caddies for a long time is it.
I was like, you need about two to three minutes
in your driveway, just get used to it in your
driveway with if you're using our remote control caddy, you'll
get it. You'll get it, you know, figured out pretty quickly.
And it's funny when I when I talk to like
a twenty one year old about it, they get it.
They get a hang of it within you know, within
a few seconds. But it's like in or younger. But
for for people our age, we're used to a certain
cadence of how things are and you know, hitting this button,
hitting that button, what it's supposed to do. I think
we just you know, sometimes have to be you know
a little you know, relearn it a little bit. But
I but as I said, we've got videos, we've done
all these things too, just to kind of go, hey,
it's not we're not splitting atoms here, it's there's a
there is a simple method to it. And then within
a couple of minutes, yeah, you've you've got a pretty
well handled.
Speaker 4: I'd call it a couple of rounds.
Speaker 5: Now.
Speaker 3: I'm pretty tech savvy, Yeah, I kind of gravitate towards
new tech all the time, especially on the phones and
computers and things like that.
Speaker 4: So this one has always intrigued me.
Speaker 3: But I kept my arms distance because I think many
years ago I tried one once and it was just
you know, I didn't have a chance to practice with it.
Speaker 4: I just took it.
Speaker 3: Out on a course and it's like, I'm overwhelmed with this.
This is a bit much. Sure, so I really appreciate
the fact that I've been had the ability to test
one out. You guys let me test one for a month.
And I live next to a golf course, so on
a day it was closed, I got to take it
out and walk around with it, like, oh.
Speaker 4: Yeah, I think I can do. This is going to
be that tough.
Speaker 3: And again, it's a little distracting when you first get started.
Speaker 4: It is a learning curve.
Speaker 3: You do have to get used to it. But once
you get used to it, it's like, why have I
not been doing this before? The walk has definitely become easier.
And so the first time I went out, the first
round I did, I tipped it over twice. I'm like, okay, well,
you know, if that's how this thing works, then I'm
going to have to figure this out. Second round only
rolled it one time. Okay, I'm getting better at this.
Rounds three through six didn't turn it over, right. I
started learning how to like, okay, slow it down here, Yeah,
it doesn't really you know, curbs, you got to help
it when you go up and down a curb.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean that's kind of the I've tried to
and there's a there's a nuance to that as well.
I kind of some people, you know, sometimes they take
it almost too slow over a bump. But I'm kind
of like, you know, when you're on a on a car,
and if you go over railroad tracks, the faster you go,
it doesn't it smooth out a little bit more than
if you slow down and go over a track. It
kind of you absorb a lot more of the bumps
that way.
Speaker 4: Right, But you're not worried about your car tipping over.
Speaker 2: No, you're not worried about your car tip it over.
Speaker 3: And you know you don't go over if you go
over a bump and you're not at you know, perpendicular
to it, you're on an angle.
Speaker 4: There's a chance this thing's.
Speaker 2: Going to be right, and then of course you know
there's going to be a certain angle it's like, yeah,
there's some danger there, stay stay away from it. But
the nice thing about our caddies though, is we do
have a gyroscope in there so as the cart if
it's on the side of the hill and depending on
the grade of the hill that we're talking about here,
but it's always gonna it's always going to attrack straight
for you, even if it's kind of been jostled around
over bumps. The the caddy is always going to attrack
straight because of the gyroscope. And that's been a very
unique advantage that we've had out of other caddies, is
because it does it does always, you know, go the
way you wanted to, rather than having to keep you know,
keep turning it left or turning it right to go
in your area. It's always going to track where you
wanted it to go initially anyways, So that's been a
good part. But yeah, I've watched people tip over and
most of the people they just kind of laughing, giggle
and they put it back up and they you know,
but yeah, within a couple I think I think it's
just kind of learning to walk or whatever. Once you
kind of do it once or twice, you learn and
you know, and then it's then you're you're at it
pretty good.
Speaker 3: So I got to imagine that the technology of these,
which you refer to as caddies all the time, and
I'm calling it an electric cart, sure, but it's a
it's a what if you can imagine a push cart
that you don't have to push correct it pushes.
Speaker 2: And I hear that all the time, and it's I've
dealt with it because it's like in an electric push card.
I'm like, if it's electric, it's not a push cart.
Speaker 4: So yeah, right.
Speaker 2: Exactly, So buggies, trolleys, Yeah.
Speaker 3: Yeah, trolley's it's but it's a UK term for it
be a trolley, right.
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, yeah, there's yeah, a few terms that are used.
We use caddies because it is because really what the
role of that unit is is really to be a
caddy for you. So we've always considered.
Speaker 3: Well, wait a minute, can you did I miss something
in the technology that it reads putts for me too?
Speaker 2: Not yet not yeah, hey, but innovations always is always,
uh ever changing, so you never know.
Speaker 3: Well, now you've got some news that have GPS built
into it and a screen. You have a touchscreen on
there that you can hook up Bluetooth for your phone.
So even if your course doesn't allow phones, which I
played one last week.
Speaker 4: It's like you don't allow phones, Yeah, you don't allow shorts.
Wait a minute, where am I here?
Speaker 2: What are you?
Speaker 4: Yeah, I'm in a real old school.
Speaker 3: In eighteen ninety seven, you know established course that keeps
those rules.
Speaker 5: But.
Speaker 3: The fact that you can have your phone if you
get a text message that comes up on the screen
on your caddy. I'm going to use the word caddy
if you can get used to that and other technologies.
So it's it's really advancing quickly and updating quickly what's
going on with the latest technology on your machines.
Speaker 2: So I think we are as innovation is always changing.
I think, you know, electronics is a is a It
was a a a really interesting category to be and
especially in golf because, uh, you know, before I came
on board with m G, I I was with you know,
some uh golf companies and hard good sales where you
changed every year, you know, something new happened, happened every year.
And then I got to this category and we really
for up until about a year ago, things were you
wouldn't change the caddy, and change the caddy for five years.
It did, it did what it was supposed to do.
Then we've kind of started to realize we were able
to get some things integrated with the caddy itself to
allow you know, other you know, other offerings to have
things on you know, on the caddy. So now you're
you're talking about our GPS unit, which is you know,
I try to explain to them, it's to a golfer
is like if if you see what if you're on
a golf cart and you see the GPS screen that
you have that you see on the golf cart, you
literally got a four and a half inch screen packed
into your top box that does the exact same you know,
gives you the exact same benefits and features that you
see on the golf cart.
Speaker 3: So it's which is great because you know, so many
of us now are using apps that we either purchase
or down there to our phone for free that give
us an overview of the hole and this way, and
I don't know why, as much of a geek as
I am, I've always kind of shied away from pulling
out my phone. Now, if I'm wearing a watch and
it gives me that information, that's great, and I'll use
a rangefinder so I can see the distance to the pin.
Speaker 4: But sometimes you just need to.
Speaker 3: See an overview of the hole of where you're standing
to where the flag is, what your hazards are going
to be. So having that just in front of you
as you're walking. Is really a big difference that I
didn't think that I would go, Yeah, I don't need that.
I've got all these other apps and things that I'm doing.
But it's like, oh, wait a minute, I know if
I can eliminate all those things and just have it
in front of me as I'm riding or walking along
the cart the caddy.
Speaker 4: You know, I don't know the car, the caddy, the push.
Speaker 2: Card, and I know what you're talking about.
Speaker 4: So it sounds like a gadget.
Speaker 3: You know the mechanics, and I guess so. So the
new innovations as far as GPS and Bluetooth being incorporated
into this, those are really going to be helpful for
a lot of people. But the holy grail to me,
the holy grail of all tech, whether you're talking phones, tablets,
or caddies, like this is battery, sure, right, and so
these what I've noticed is this it's a rechargeable battery.
Speaker 4: It's not that heavy, but.
Speaker 3: It's not light, yeah, and it adds adds to the
weight of the thing. I could definitely see if I
was a member of a golf course and they could
just keep it there and they'll charge it for me
and have it ready for me and my bag when
I pull up.
Speaker 4: That would be awesome.
Speaker 3: Yea, and I and I've played various private courses around
here and they're like, oh yeah, everybody's starting.
Speaker 4: To use these mg I caddies, you know, and more.
Speaker 3: And I know that you guys probably sell them as
fleets to courses as well, right.
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, that's becoming. That's really, without a doubt, probably
our largest the largest increase in our businesses. You know
the fact that courses are starting to see the revenue
opportunity there, especially with people that like to walk or
have a desire to walk in you know, with their
you know, with their membership, and so some places will
start with just a few and all of a sudden
you've seen them grow and grow and grow. They start
with four and now they got twenty four and in
summer even more than that. So it's uh, yeah, I
think and that's been a great tool for us for
people to even try, because then they might maybe they
just say, hey, I'd rather just get my own personal one,
or you know, they get the and you know, they
get the experience of walking and how much better it is.
You're right, once you start walking again, you just feel
better about playing anyway. So some some courses maybe just
rather have the rental fleet opportunity for them to provide
to the course to the course rather than letting their
members bring their own you know, we kind of work
both ways with those yeah.
Speaker 3: Yeah. And the part about the battery.
Speaker 4: Yes, which interesting.
Speaker 3: Somebody asked me, like, so, how many rounds can you
get out of out of this battery? And I'm like,
I don't know, because I'm kind of nervous about not
charging it every time because I don't want it to
run out. Yeah, while I'm in the middle of a round,
that could be a problem.
Speaker 2: Well for sure, if you yeah, that would be you know,
that would certainly be a problem. I think, you know,
them has been a big you know, the lithium batteries
has been a big increase in in the quality and
the durability of a cart and how far it can
go because it's so much more efficient having having a
lithium battery. So what I try to tell people, because
I get asked that question every day, is you know,
how long can will this go? And and so we
guarantee thirty six holes? I would say, okay, guarantee it
guarantee it and I will, and I would say dependent
on your topography and elevation and where what you play,
how heavy a bag is. You know, I live here
in Florida where it's flat as flat, I mean I
can get fifty four holes, you know, really and still
have some left over in the in the battery to
go even a little bit farther. I mean that's kind
of why if you look on the screen, even with
the at we do have a battery indicator light that's
that's there, so you're never without you know, having a
way to find how much battery life is left. So
you know, you shouldn't get be too surprised. I mean, hey,
maybe you want to try to push it or I
mean push it meaning you're going to push the battery
life and see if I can get to squeeze in
these eighteen holes. More likely you can. Most people ask me, Willy,
what will happen if I if you know, if it
conks out of me on fourteen, what do you do?
And it's just like, look, you're not abandoning, you know.
If it's if the power goes out on it, it's
not like you're abanding it. Because if you notice when
you take the wheels, you know, take the wheels off
the axle. You got those little spokes that kind of
tie into the wheels. If you just take those off,
there's a there's two little rivets close to the end
of the axles. Those wheels can go there, and you're
just it turns into a push cart, you know, on
your way to there. So you're never yeah, you're not
like if you're on twelve, well then you know, just
leave it there and get you know, have.
Speaker 4: Someonell a helicopter.
Speaker 2: Helicopter and fly it in or something. Well, you're just
you know, you take the wheels off, the off the
spokes that we have on the on the axles, and
it's and it's a push car.
Speaker 4: Okay, Well I did notice.
Speaker 3: And that's one of the things that I really like
about it is that being able to take those wheels
off and reverse them, yeah, which I think is what
you're talking about, and then being able to put it
in the back of the car.
Speaker 4: Oh yeah, I mean you, Oh my gosh.
Speaker 3: I am so impressed at how compact it can become
once you know, fold it up, take that xtra couple
of minutes. If you're taking it with you and be
able to fold it up and it just fits snugly
in the back there.
Speaker 4: I was really impressed.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I've And that's another thing a lot of people
do ask when when they're, you know, looking at our
product for the first time, they're like, well, how do
you get it into the trunk or what does it
look like? And you know, when I fold it down
for them, And then when you're talking about taking the
wheels out and then inverting them and putting them in there,
I tell everybody, you can put this in the front
seat of your car and no problem, no problem. So
there's really not many trunks that I've seen, other than
some exotic European car that might not have a trunk
at all. But beyond that, it can really get into
any space that you really need. And that's what part
of the things why some of the courses like what
we're doing as well, is because you know, fully folded down,
it takes up very little space in the car barn
two or the storage area.
Speaker 3: I drive an electric car, okay, and it claims you
can get two hundred and eighty miles to a charge, right,
And the first time that I'm like, I got it.
Speaker 4: It's like, let's take a road trip. Well, it was.
Speaker 3: Ninety degrees out. We ran the air conditioning the whole time.
We had a car full of stuff because we were
going traveling and I got two hundred miles.
Speaker 4: Yeah, like wait, what happened? You know?
Speaker 3: So there's so many factors involved in how but you're
saying I'll get thirty six holes on this.
Speaker 2: That's why we can't say any more than that. I
mean we really sure can say, you know, we can
guarantee you thirty six holes because because of all the factors.
And that's what I try to tell people is like, look,
if you live in a flat area, if your bag's
not as you know, you're not putting forty dozen of
balls in your in your your golf bag and have
you know, twenty five clubs in there, and you put
your wardrobe in there, and you have an extra battery
you know, I mean all those things you consider how
long you're going to get up, you know you're going
to get in that with that battery life, it does
make a It does factor in. So I always tell people, look,
we'll guarantee thirty six holes, but you know, if you're
cognizant of the weight and you know, depending on the
topography of the course that you're playing, you're definitely going
to get more out of it. It's just you know,
we you know, you know, for us, we just want
to you know, we can say certainty you can get
thirty six holes.
Speaker 4: Okay, good? But what about weather condition?
Speaker 3: So I mean, how we're talking about, you know, an
electronic piece here. Yeah, in in areas and even if
it's not raining and you're playing in the morning, the
ground could be very wet. Sure, how does this unit,
with all the technology involved, hold up in wet conditions?
Speaker 2: So I always tell people the simplest way to do
it is like treat the caddy just like your phone.
You know, it can get wet. Don't take a shower
with it, don't jump in the pool, you know, with
the caddy, you know it will be it'll it'll go fine.
You got to remember, our companies companies out of Australia,
so the environment out there is even more extreme than
maybe what you'd find in certain spots here in the
United States. So the Caddies, you know, was designed and
built to deal with Australian weather initially, so the rain
as well as the heat, all that is all that
is encompass seeing to when we put a put a
caddy together. Now granted this is lithium batteries, it's electric.
It doesn't go well with with a lot of water.
Obviously water is it's kryptonite if it's been exposed too
much of it. But the way are the way our
caddies that are signed. If you if you look at
our caddie, it's very sleek. There's no exposed areas with
the with the wires, it's all enclosed in the aluminum
tubing that's there. We do a lot of work to
keep that, you know, to keep that as you know,
as safe as possible. Rain drizzle, we have really not
seen too much of of that, but if it is submerged,
you know, in a large puddle, lake, you know, river,
those things, yeah, you got to you gotta pay attention
to those. But we've you know, we're going, you know,
we're advancing all the time. I mean, I think our
product development teams always looking for you know, other things,
and you know, you know, love to love to stand
here one day and say, hey, you could you know,
push this right into a lake and just pull it
back out and get going again. That would be that
would be an amazing thing to claim. You know, we're
clearly not there yet, but you know, we're doing a
lot of things technology wise that I think, you know,
over the next few years you're going to see some
things that are really even going to make those little
troubled areas really come you know, really, you know, you
don't have to worry about that, you know too much anymore. So,
As I said, innovations always, always, always changing and improving
for this experience, because it's really Freds earlier we were
talking about, is you know, just enhancing the golf experience
that we want to we want on the golf course.
Speaker 3: Well, I'll tell you there are a couple of things
about it that I've just been the more I get
accustomed to having it in my life, that I'm pretty
blown away about. And uh, what I've noticed. First of all,
in the first couple of rounds, I wasn't being as
social as I can be on the golf course because
I was so focused on where the cart is and
how it's doing and where it's going and things like
that that I was not talking to anybody but to
the remote control.
Speaker 2: Right.
Speaker 4: That's getting better. I'm seeing open it's like, okay, there's
a fair way that I.
Speaker 3: Can go down here and just let it, let it go,
and it'll meet me there. I can get a sense
of when it's time for it to stop. Okay, I
can do that, and I'm able to talk. But my
favorite is, you know when you hit at inevitable errant
shot that the ball goes into an area that you're
gonna have to go looking for the ball?
Speaker 4: How many times.
Speaker 3: If you are with a push cart or you know,
I'm not going to say, because people who carry their
bag maybe carry it at all times, but with you're
looking for the ball and you finally find it, but
your cart is now twenty yards behind you right right,
having a remote control in your pocket where you can
just go, oh boy, you know, like come here now, doggie, righty,
and so being able to just like leave the cart
there and go the caddy there and say all right
now I need you come to me now.
Speaker 4: Yep, that's great. Yeah, yeah, it saved a lot of
time for me.
Speaker 3: That That is like, you know, the the ninety degree
rule goodbye forever type of thing, because it's always at
your beck and call yeah.
Speaker 2: And that's the funny thing. You know, it's like how
people use it, there's no you know, perfect way. You know.
Some people they'll they'll get it going and they want
it to kind of be right near them, you know,
the caddy. Other guys, as they walk, they send it
and there they send it to the ball as fast
as they can and stop it as close as they can.
So there's never been a I can't say there's a
perfect ideal way to use it. Some people like it
being very close by and almost as a companion, and others,
you know, they get it out there is as fast
as you as they can and then and they were
just walking with their their friends. But you know, the
way you said, it's like if you're sending it, you know,
you probably need to pay attention a little bit, you know.
I've I've even had the times where someone will you know,
distract me and start talking and all of a sudden,
I've seen its head towards a tree or something and
it's like, oh, hold on, I got a you know.
Speaker 3: Or a puddle or you know, yeah, drain. Yeah, all
of a sudden there's this drain that it rolled over.
It's like, wait, where did that get?
Speaker 2: Right? There's always a hole somewhere that you don't necessarily
see even though you know I've been you know, remember
at this club for so long, and then I went
into a hole. I was like, I'd never seen that before,
think what was going on? But but you're right. I
think there's just, uh, there's a lot of convenience to
you know, to having that with you, because I think
one of the biggest things that I see from people
is that, boy, it's really great. You know, I hit
a shot on the green, I can grab my potter
and I just send that, you know, I just send
it to the next tea without having to worry about
anything where you know, if it's a it's if it's
a push card or something, you're either balancing it or
pushing it as far as way as you can this
you can put it. You send it right to the
next tee really without worrying about anything, and you're just
playing golf.
Speaker 3: Yeah, let's talk about the remote control for a little bit.
Small remote control automatically hooks up to the unit and
just as soon as you unplug it, you get a
little on the screen that I have it shows how
much battery life. So that's never an issue at all,
and it's pretty responsive. I have a lot of fun.
I mean, I've never flown drones before. I've always wanted
to a remote control airplanes. Uh, but you know, like
going down.
Speaker 4: A pathway as the pathway.
Speaker 3: You know, wanders in and out and moves and turns,
and being able to get accustomed to the the remote
control and making those turns is kind of fun.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker 4: Well, it's like a little remote control car, it is.
Speaker 2: That's what I kind of try to tell people. You
just you know, if everyone's given their kids a remote
control car, you know, in their lives, and it really
navigates very similar to that in a lot of ways.
I think, you know, we we we try to make
it as easy as possible because you know, your left
and your right and your backwards is all. When you
release the button, it stops or it stops doing that command,
and then.
Speaker 4: That's left, right and backwards correct and then forward.
Speaker 2: We hit it once and it goes because the fact
is the last one you want you to do is
having the hole down the forward key the whole time,
because you're ninety eight percent of the time that's what
you're going to do anyway, So you hit it once
and it's going to go forward for you. And and
that's why the only time you really need to hit
the stop button is is when you get you get
you know, if the unit gets close to the ball
or when you want it to stop. That's where the
red stop button comes in. But outside of that, the
left and the right and the back where it once
you depress it, it'll it stops on commands, but the
forward key we keep it going forward because that's the
last you know, we don't want you to play eighteen
holes and having the whole your thumb pressed on the
remote the whole time that you're gonna have a sore thumb,
you know, after having to keep that down.
Speaker 4: It's new new set of blisters for you. Right. So Yeah.
Speaker 3: One of the other things that I think is really
thoughtful in the design of this is that back small
stabilizer wheel that if you're if it's going up an
incline at all, it won't tip backwards because it's got
this extra wheel. And then when you're going downhill with
it it.
Speaker 4: It doesn't take off on you, no slows down.
Speaker 2: Yeah. Yeah, well that's been a big, big, uh, you know,
big design feature for us, especially in our remotes, is that. Yeah,
the downhill, downhill and as well as like up if
you needed to park it, it's not gonna even once
it breaks. It doesn't slide down either, so you have
the ability to really on those those hill you know conditions.
It doesn't run away, it doesn't slide back. It stays
in the consistent speed that you're looking for it to do.
Speaker 3: Am I not getting this or is it not developed
yet that maybe there's some sort of I guess a
beacon put in the remote control so that the caddy can.
Speaker 4: Just follow you without you pressing any button.
Speaker 2: Yeah, you're going on the rabbit hole with that one, Fred.
So it's uh, we got this kind of time.
Speaker 4: This is episode nine hundred and sixty six. You want
to talk about rabbit holes, you.
Speaker 2: Need another hour to just talk about that. Now. Look,
I think we've we are you know, we're the number
one manufacturer of electric caddies in the in the world,
that especially in the United States, And we've always felt
and believed that the caddy should be in front of you.
So we've we've always felt that the caddy being in
front of you is the ideal way to play, because
if it's behind you, what happens. Towels fall off, it
could run into other other people, head covers fall off.
You've got to go over bridges. How does that work
to get to make sure it's going over properly? There's
a lot of things that behind you that and you
just don't see, and you know, and your can.
Speaker 4: Pay attention to a lot of pay.
Speaker 3: You get up to your ball and the caddy is
somewhere two hundred yards behind you later.
Speaker 2: What happened here? Now, with that being said, I think
the demand for the following technology is to a point
where it's it's something that I think you will it
has been done. We've the technology. We don't feel perfected yet,
but they're very very close. Uh there's some companies have
done a very good job with it, but I think
they've We see that the price point might be a
little higher than where we are, and so we're trying
to keep our caddies to a price point that are
affordable for everybody and not three four five thousand dollars
or north of that. And so we are, you know,
are constantly evolving and looking at things, and so you know,
I think we're we're pretty you I think it's not
in the not too distant future where yeah, you're going
to see you know, being able to do all three
modes you know, you know, one where you're walking and
the but the caddies being powered and you're just there
to help steer it remotely as well as a follow me.
I think is in the you know, not too distant
future where you can do all three modes very effectively
seamlessly without you know, any you know, any hardship at all.
Speaker 4: Great.
Speaker 3: Great, So let's wrap this up by telling us the
different models that are available and they're us pricing.
Speaker 2: Yeah, so, I mean our top of the line is
our AI you know AI GPS Plus at retails for
eighteen ninety five. That gives you the GPS screen that
we were talking about that you would see it normally
in a you know, golf cart, So that gives you
your GPS yardages for all eighteen holes. Plus it's a
stat tracking features and keeps your score and it really
allows you to really keep all your information in one
uh in one place because that we do have an
m g I app and all that information that you
put on that screen gets sent to the to our
m g I app where it's stored and you can
use as a you know, for future times and you know,
keep keep records of how you play. Yeah, and that's it.
And that's a four wheel construction golf cart. So it
really has kind of got the best of both worlds.
It's very sturdy as well. It gives you all the
tech features of of what you know of a GPS
then if you want to go to step down for
that because you know, some a lot of a lot
of golfers do have a phone that has you know,
eighteen burns or something like that on there. Hey, I
don't need all that you know. Of course, we do
have the navigator at which is retails at a fifteen
ninety five price point, and that also is a four
wheel construction caddy and gives you all the gives you
all the other benefits and features just without the GPS
unit on top of it will give you your speed, battery power,
It will log your miles and how far you actually walk,
so you can really do get a get a sense
of how how far you're walking with the caddy and
you know, throughout the throughout golf.
Speaker 3: So that's it's total miles. It's like an O dometer.
It's not lack, but you know, it just doesn't tell
me what I did on this.
Speaker 2: Well, you do have two other settings, so there's they'll
give you three settings. One's a total and then then
you have like a trip A, a trip B, so
you do where you can kind of say, hey, I'm
just curious how far this you know, how far I'm
walked today, And so you're able to log those exclusively.
But there is a you know, a total dometer as well.
Speaker 4: Oh I gotta figure that one out.
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, you can email me and I'll tell you
how to do it, okay, And then our navigator, which
is our next one down for that also remote control,
that's at fourteen ninety five. But the only the only
difference between that and at is the front end where
it's a three a three wheel construction, not a four wheel.
So if you're not in the golf, if you're not
in an area that has so much uh, you know,
so much incline or anything which is a little more
flat or terrain, you know, the navigators are great, a
great unit for us. So we've so we offer that
at fourteen ninety five, and those are what we call
our remote models, meaning that they are all remote controls,
and we do offer three others that are what we
call non remote. They are walking assists where they are
battery powered, but they you know, for the people that
are a little more a little more hesitant with attack,
and one of yeah, keep some control of the caddies.
We do have it. You know, a ZIP the ZIP
series has an X five and X three in an
X one. Our X five's at ten ninety nine and
that actually has a you know, downhill speed control and
hill breaking capability, and that starts at ten ninety nine.
And then then our X three is at eight ninety nine,
which is our which is our X three that is
very you know, same footprint as the X five, just
without the speed control, speed control, and hill breaking. Again
if you're in one of those flatter areas that just
don't you don't need all that all that uh, you know,
all that help. And then our X one is really
what we call our entry level you know, base model
for someone who's just looking for something to get from
pointing to point B, no frills, no nothing, that's our
six ninety nine option.
Speaker 4: Okay, very good, very good, Thank you for doing that.
Speaker 3: And you know, we've talked so many times about people
getting nervous about spending a lot of money on a putter,
And come on, really, you're gonna spend a lot of
money on a driver and not on a putter.
Speaker 4: I just don't understand it.
Speaker 3: Think about what is more important to your game, what's
going to lower your score? So you're gonna spend more
money on a putter. Now we hear these numbers that
you've just given us, ranging from six ninety nine to
eighteen ninety five.
Speaker 4: Amortize that, folks.
Speaker 3: Yeah, it sounds like a lot of money on the upfront,
no question about it. But think about the life you're
gonna if you use this for easily ten years, yeah,
if not longer, sure right, think about what you're saving
and the health benefits of allowing you to walk. That's
really the bottom line sales point on this is that
if you enjoy walking, you like walking, you need to walk,
You really should be walking. This is gonna help, absolutely,
It's make life a little easier and a little more
fun and give you a conversation piece.
Speaker 2: I think what you do is what I see a
lot of times when we do you know, a golf course,
Might you know get introduced to our products and they
bring it in for the first time. It always seems
to start with one person that hey, hey, I got
mister Jones here, you know, was interested in your mg
I and we bring it in with him. All of
a sudden, his buddies, his buddies are calling and you know,
looking for it as well. And then you know, other
members see it on a golf course and it really
does organically grow, you know, club the club, and so
it's we've just watched this, you know, really spread from Hey,
I'm I'm doing it for myself, but then they're they're
friends doing it, and I'll be honest, and you've, I know,
you've done this, you know. The four you know, four
of you walking together playing golf is a great you know,
it's a great experience because you do, you talk a
lot more. You're getting involved more socially that way, rather
than being in a cart where you're you're really you're
literally you know, you're not saying a word to anybody
until you get to the green and and then you're
off again.
Speaker 3: And so it immediately comes to my mind, is apocalypse
now and those helicopters and you hear this the theme
of flight to the Valcerries. I can just imagine being
on a playing with a force and that all have
the electric carts and the music.
Speaker 2: Surely turns their heads. I mean, especially five years ago
when we first started. I remember, you know, someone seeing
this thing going down the fairway and they just what
is that? You know, just never seen it before.
Speaker 4: But you know, I understand it's a new Olympic sport.
For twenty twenty.
Speaker 2: Years, super right cart race, it's been fun.
Speaker 4: Wise, No, you can have a little you know.
Speaker 2: I know, things like that. I think you're onto some friend.
Speaker 4: I think so.
Speaker 3: I think we got some well and when I was
when I first brought it out, one of my friends realized,
one guy's carrying his bag, one guy's got a push cart,
and I've got the electric one.
Speaker 4: And it's like, okay, no tech, low tech, high tech,
high tech, all right with the high tech.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I'm sure, thank you. Sure they're jealous.
Speaker 4: So mg dot com or in the United States, go.
Speaker 2: To get WWUSTMGI golf dot com.
Speaker 3: And also you can find lots more information about them
on Instagram and Facebook. Just look up MGI Golf. If
you're in the United States, go to MGI Golf North America.
But you can just find things at MGI Golf and
you're going to find everything you need to know. Billy,
this has really been fascinating and I really appreciate the
opportunity to try this out. You got me talking about
a rabbit hole, man, You got me hooked on this thing.
I'm really starting to enjoy it a lot more. Every
round I'm playing and I'm getting better with it, and
it feels like a new skill set on the golf course.
Speaker 2: Awesome, Bet, thank you so much. This is enjoyable. Thank you.
Speaker 4: So here's the deal.
Speaker 3: MGI Golf has generously offered me to try two different
models of their electric caddties over the last few months.
I've now tested the Zip navigator at and more recently
they're navigat AI GPS plus that has built in GPS,
a cell phone sized full color touch screen that shows
a graphic of the entire hole and front, middle back
of the green. It keeps one person's score and is
even Bluetooth enabled so that you can tuck your phone
in your bag and if any calls or messages need attention, it.
Speaker 4: Lets you know.
Speaker 3: Now, being a tech geek, I was pretty excited to
see how well, I could incorporate the touch screen and
data into my round and it's not bad. I still
have to keep running amounts on a scorecard because I
generally keep everyone scored during the round, and because I
still use a shot scope, watch, a rangefinder for exact
distance of the hole, and tags on my clubs to
analyze my data after the round, it's kind of redundant.
There is a learning curve that includes driving the cart
via remote control that's kind of fun too. So I'm
still trying to decide which unit I'm going to purchase
because what I've found to be the three biggest benefits
make it a slam dunk to keep one one. Both
of these caddies fold up pretty small to keep in
the back of my car, might even be a little
smaller than the clickgear pushcart that I've used forever. Second,
it makes the walk much much easier. Do you realize
that approximately thirty four point five percent of all golf
related injuries have to do with the back. That's why
I've never been able to carry a bag during a
round and always relied on a push cart and now
an electric caddy. But for me, the greatest benefit is
when I've hit a ball that goes into the trees
or the tall rough, and it does happen on a
regular every round, and then you find yourself walking twenty
to thirty yards back and forth searching for the ball
inside the tall grass. And then I finally find it,
I can call the caddy back to me with the
remote control, which not only saves unnecessary walking, it saves
a lot of wasted time.
Speaker 4: And let me also say their customer service is fantastic.
I've had some issues with syncing my iPhone with the
GPS Plus and they've been extremely helpful, friendly and attentive
to my issues.
Speaker 3: So I continue to emphasize the importance of walking the course,
and if you can justify amortizing the cost over a
ten to fifteen years of playing more golf, at least
ten to fifteen years, it's well worth your investigation. Now,
I haven't talked about Golf Smarter Mulligans in a while,
but you've probably figured out that it arrives every Friday
on the same feed you get your new weekly episodes.
So for the last five years we provide you with
Golf Smarter Mulligans, which are the best episodes from our
archives that are still just as valid today in helping
you become a better, smarter golfer as they were when
they were first release. Like this Friday Show from October
of twenty twelve, where we talk to instructor Jeff Ritter
on the first of his two episodes talking about his
integrated approach to game improvement.
Speaker 4: Here's a taste.
Speaker 5: I've had clients come in and say, you know why
I should be I practice all the time.
Speaker 2: You know I should be able to repeat this.
Speaker 5: You know I should be able to hit a bunker
shot or a pitch shot, or hit a t shot
like Tyer woods. I mean I had people say that,
and I said, you know what if you told about
the Tyer Woodsey punch in.
Speaker 2: The face right now?
Speaker 5: Why because he's one of the world's greatest athletes and
he spends about five thousand percent more time working on
his game than you, And why in the world would
you deserve to hit it like Ken.
Speaker 2: We talked about this before.
Speaker 5: You know, golf's not about who hits the best, it's
about who misses it the least. People have to understand
that in a coaching environment, if you're open, you are
going to perform at a much highigher level, and you
should do that immediately. But to own it and take
it to the course and stand there with half the
people in your club membership looking at you and rip
it down the fairway just like.
Speaker 2: You coach is there.
Speaker 5: It's not going to happen until you deserve to have
it happen. And that comes through that journey. And that's
why golf is exciting because it takes a lot of
hard work to play at a high level. It doesn't
take a lot of hard work or to experience great
ball flight, but it takes a lot of hard work
to own that ball flight.
Speaker 3: I want to thank this week's Golf Smarter Ambassador, Rich
Toman of Saint John's, Florida. Rich chose to receive Tony
Manzoni's Lost Fundamental video just for sharing with us where
he's from, what his favorite course or in his case,
two favorite courses that he likes to play, and this
episode number. It's that easy to get a free gift
and show your support of Golf Smarter just by leaving
a voicemail on our toll free listener line. I'd like
to invite you to also participate and be a Golf
Smarter Ambassador choose from one of three great gifts. When
you participate, just write to golf Smarter Podcast at gmail
dot com and I'll get back to you with some
simple instructions on how we play this game. If you
have any questions, comments, or suggestions for upcoming episodes, please
write to golf Smarter Podcast at gmail dot com, or
just click on the Heyfred button when you visit golfsmarter
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