Properly Caring for Your Golf Cart by Mike Smith

There’s nothing like putting your troubles on the backburner and hitting the links. Gorgeous weather, clear skies and picturesque greenery combine to form the perfect setting for a fun-filled day of golf. However, if you prefer to play on a larger course, walking from hole to hole is liable to wear you out. Since playing a full 18 holes requires a substantial amount of energy and concentration, it’s important to avoid expending these things unnecessarily. As such, many golfers - and courses - choose to invest in top-of-the-line golf carts. Not only can carts help preserve golfer energy, they can also protect them stray balls and excessive UV exposure.

Unbeknownst to many non-golfers, golf carts – particularly high-end models – can be quite expensive. In many cases, the cost of a brand new golf cart easily rivals the price tags found on many new cars. That being the case, it’s in your best interest to keep these plucky little vehicles up and running for as long as possible. Fortunately, ensuring that your golf cart stays in tip-top condition is hardly a lofty undertaking. When working to keep a golf cart running like new, the following pointers are sure to come in handy.

Battery Maintenance

The batteries essentially functions as both the heart and brain of your golf cart. Ergo, staying on top of battery maintenance can lengthen your cart’s life exponentially. Unlike traditional vehicles, most golf carts run on multiple batteries – sometimes as many as seven. You can keep these batteries in working condition by charging them on a regular basis and frequently checking the electrolyte water levels of their cells. The leaded plates found in golf cart batteries should always be submerged in distilled water. However, this isn’t to say that the cells should be filled up entirely. Rather, they need just enough water to cover the aforementioned plates. Like car batteries, golf cart batteries need to be periodically replaced. Of course, the frequency with which you’ll need to replace them depends on the level of care they receive. Fortunately, you should have problem scoring name-brand batteries for affordable prices at Blockbuster Golf Cars Inc..

Tire Checks

A staggering number of motorists fail to check their tires on anything resembling a regular basis. Such negligence has been known to lead to unexpected flats, blowouts and accidents. When it comes to golf carts, tire checks are every bit as important – if not more so. Golf cart tires tend to be much smaller in size and considerably less durable than the tires found on most commercial vehicles, thus facilitating the need to check them more often. At least once a month, take care to check the air levels in your car’s tires and thoroughly inspect them for signs of wear and tear. Should you happen upon any punctures or signs of tire wall separation, replace the affected tire(s) forthwith.

Servicing Brakes

As a general rule of thumb, many vehicle safety experts recommend having a golf cart’s brakes serviced every six months. In addition to checking the brakes for signs of damage, this entails performing adjustments to cables, pedals, drums and pads as needed. Needless to say, any squeaking or unresponsiveness should be addressed immediately. Since faulty brakes are notorious for causing accidents, you owe it to yourself and your fellow golfers to be vigilant about brake maintenance.

Golf carts are widely used by avid golf enthusiasts and weekend golfers alike – and in light of the many conveniences they offer, it isn’t difficult to see why. However, to ensure a consistently reliable performance out of a golf cart, regular maintenance is an absolute must. If you want to preserve your golf cart for many years to come, the vehicle’s batteries, tires and brakes cannot be overlooked.

About the Author: Mike Smith is a high school physics teacher and lifelong golf enthusiast who reside with his family in Baltimore, Maryland. Whenever he’s in the market for a new cart battery or internal component, he pays a visit to Blockbuster Golf Cars, Inc.

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