A golf addict since age 14, I have always found a way to make time to get out on the courses, wherever I am. I managed to get extended stays for hours, days or even weeks. I worked at a golf course from 16 to 18 during high school. My experimentation began then and kind of slowed upon graduating from College. It involves the use of golf carts for extra-curricular transportation as well as extra curricular activities.Golf carts are everywhere. College campuses, apartment complexes, state parks, city parks, every golf course: suburban, rural and the very private. Movie sets all over Hollywood have them, for example. The Playboy mansion has golf carts. So does the Aaron Spelling property; both being adjacent to the Los Angeles Country Club down in Westwood. The idea is golf carts are not just for golf; just look around and you will see them being used for any purposes in many places. On the remote islands of Belize, Caye Caulker and San Pedro, the only mode of transportation around the islands are golf carts.
Now we have identified the What and the Where, let’s get to the part where we steal them and use them for personal benefit. The term steal is so draconian though, I prefer borrow or extended loan. I do attempt to return the golf cart to where I found it if convenient. Regardless, the tips to follow will ensure any college student or golf driving enthusiast loads of fun when they stumble across an unsupervised golf cart.
Here is the most important tip that I learned while working at my first job on a golf course. Most keys to golf carts are universal across the manufacturer. That’s right, one size fits all, if it’s a Yamaha golf cart you can drive all Yamaha carts if you have one key. With this in mind, we need to get you a collection of key from all the major manufacturers used by golf courses, parks, and most importantly at college where golf carting can be fun. There are 3 major Golf Cart companies: Club Car, EZ-GO, and Yamaha. The first two, Club Car and EZ-GO, take up the majority of the market share in standard electric golf carts. Yamaha brings up the rear as their offering is the gas golf cart which are loud and high maintenance.
The idea is to collect the keys as you go, if you play a course where they use Club Car. At the end of your round, swipe the key. Sometimes courses have kids accepting your carts when you return them, so this makes it a bit tougher. Occasionally golf courses will give you a refund up to $3 if you return the key to the pro shop. In those cases try to take your buddies key and only return one or if there is no return fee, grab the first available key you can find that won’t be attached to your assigned cart. Diligent key swipers will be able to collect keys for all 3 companies.
If you don’t golf, the best thing to do is to drive to a course and bring a putter and just sit on the putting green pretending to practice and get a feel for the layout of the cart return system. When the time is right, go for the snatch of an unsuspected golfer or teenage cart attendant.
Once goal number one is achieved, you can begin to put some plans into action. Take a joy ride by stealing the security cart from your school. Steal the gardener’s golf cart from your apartment complex. Make up some games, and let your imagination run wild. My best effort was an attempt to walk a mile or so off campus to a college party and realized I could just as easily swipe a golf cart and get there in no time. Not only that, you could pick up friends, drinks, and arrive in style. In some places you can even find upgrades and get 4 or even 6 seat golf carts. The golf cart that used to deliver the school newspaper at my college had 4 seats and a flat bed on the back to hold the newspapers. This suited my needs and worked very well for the 4-5 hours I borrowed it for.
Of course this is risky business, so take side roads, stay away from your original location and if you ever get caught make sure to have an excuse and remember where you picked it up. “No officer, I am Assistant Editor of the Daily Guardian and was in transit to the paper drop off on the West Side of campus.” Knowing a name or contact will help you avoid direction prosecution and in some cases allow you to stall the resident officer or cop to run like hell for the forest or nearest fence! Well if you have any questions just fire away. I’ve had some run-ins but nothing serious and hey a parked golf cart is just asking to be used. Remember to return it when you are done and it will be there next time.