Three golf clubs in Surrey, situated just 18 miles apart, have taken delivery of the latest E-Z-GO RXV golf car from their local distributor,
TH White Ltd, based in Reading.

Worpleson Golf Club is an archetypal 18-hole Surrey heathland golf course, constructed over 100 years ago to a design by J F Abercromby with greens and bunkers by Willie Park Jr. Brian Turner is the course manager, supported by head greenkeeper Paul Robinson and a team of six greenkeeping staff.

The club has taken delivery of four electric RXV golf cars to replace their previous petrol buggies. Paul Robinson whose team are responsible for the management of the small fleet, said,

“I like the ease of maintenance of these golf cars and the four year warranty, which means we have a worry-free maintenance plan over the leasing cycle of the buggies. We took deliver in January, but due to the poor weather, were unable to use them until March. However, once they were available to our members and guests, they have proved very popular.

Chobham Golf Club is a traditional private members club with an 18 hole, par 69 mature parkland course featuring six lakes, designed by Peter Alliss and Clive Clark. Mike Harrison is the club’s professional and is impressed with his two RXV Freedom buggies.

“I particularly like the regenerative braking system, which combined with the automatic parking brake, provide excellent downhill control and safety,” he said. “They are very unobtrusive on the course and they go out at least twice a day without the need to recharge.”

Course Manager Mark Bugler and his greenkeeping team also have a new E-Z-GO utility vehicle for course maintenance duties. “We’ve went for the petrol driven MPT, which is an excellent multi-use utility,” he added. “It’s a very competent machine at a good price with enough power and carrying capacity for our needs.”

A short drive away is Hankley Common Golf Club, where PGA Golf Professional Peter Stow is responsible for a fleet of four RXV golf cars. He has been at the club for 20 years, with his assistant Jonathan Didlick now in his 10th year.

“Feedback from our members has been really positive,” Jonathan said, “and they particularly like the styling and the smooth ride. The automatic parking brake is obviously an important safety factor and the way excess power is returned to the battery when the vehicle brakes, is a very cleaver feature. This helps recharge the batteries on the move, which is why we get at least a couple of rounds per charge.”

Hankley Common has been established for over 110 years and today, following various additions and remodelling by such great names as James Braid and Harry Colt, measures 6,782 yards from the back tees. It is an established venue for Open qualifying events