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.
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.
Walking a course just got easier, and the health benefits are substantial.
With Billy Holbrook of MGI Golf, this.
Is Golf Smarter, sharing stories, tips and insights from great golf minds to help you lower your score and raise your golf IQ.
Here's your host, Fred Green. Welcome to the Golf Smarter Podcast.
Billy, Hey, Fred, nice to see you, Thank you.
Thank you very much for joining us today.
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.
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.
Well I hope not, I know.
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.
The ball, drive to the ball, hit the ball, drive to the ball.
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.
These are people who can walk. Yeah, but I think they're drinking too much.
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.
Is that right? Yeah, the timing. You know, people think that they're speeding things up, but they're not really.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Which is great.
Yes.
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.
Miles on that and can get pretty warm of there. That's quite a walk.
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.
Together right quite back nine.
Yeah, then they use that as their excuse is why they need to be sitting in a golf cart.
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.
And how long have you been playing golf?
Uh? I was probably a nine, probably nine, so yeah, well over forty years.
So did you were you introduced to golf as a walker?
Oh?
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.
Yeah, and as that kid, were you like, Okay, this is going to be my life.
I'm going to be in the golf business.
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.
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.
Mm hm.
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.
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.
It is is there right.
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.
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.
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.
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.
And so I've had the opportunity to try out.
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.
There is a learning curve.
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.
I'd call it a couple of rounds.
Now.
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.
So this one has always intrigued me.
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.
I just took it.
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.
Yeah, I think I can do. This is going to be that tough.
And again, it's a little distracting when you first get started.
It is a learning curve.
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.
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.
Right, But you're not worried about your car tipping over.
No, you're not worried about your car tip it over.
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.
There's a chance this thing's.
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.
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.
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.
So yeah, right.
Exactly, So buggies, trolleys, Yeah.
Yeah, trolley's it's but it's a UK term for it be a trolley, right.
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.
Well, wait a minute, can you did I miss something in the technology that it reads putts for me too?
Not yet not yeah, hey, but innovations always is always, uh ever changing, so you never know.
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.
It's like you don't allow phones, Yeah, you don't allow shorts. Wait a minute, where am I here?
What are you?
Yeah, I'm in a real old school.
In eighteen ninety seven, you know established course that keeps those rules.
But.
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.
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.
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.
But sometimes you just need to.
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.
You know, I don't know the car, the caddy, the push.
Card, and I know what you're talking about.
So it sounds like a gadget.
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.
It's not that heavy, but.
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.
That would be awesome.
Yea, and I and I've played various private courses around here and they're like, oh yeah, everybody's starting.
To use these mg I caddies, you know, and more.
And I know that you guys probably sell them as fleets to courses as well, right.
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.
Yeah. And the part about the battery.
Yes, which interesting.
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.
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.
Someonell a helicopter.
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.
Okay, Well I did notice.
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.
Oh yeah, I mean you, Oh my gosh.
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.
I was really impressed.
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.
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.
It's like, let's take a road trip. Well, it was.
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.
Yeah, like wait, what happened? You know?
So there's so many factors involved in how but you're saying I'll get thirty six holes on this.
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.
Okay, good? But what about weather condition?
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?
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.
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.
Right.
That's getting better. I'm seeing open it's like, okay, there's a fair way that I.
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?
How many times.
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.
Yep, that's great. Yeah, yeah, it saved a lot of time for me.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
A pathway as the pathway.
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.
Yeah.
Well, it's like a little remote control car, it is.
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.
That's left, right and backwards correct and then forward.
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.
It's new new set of blisters for you. Right. So Yeah.
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.
It doesn't take off on you, no slows down.
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.
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.
Just follow you without you pressing any button.
Yeah, you're going on the rabbit hole with that one, Fred. So it's uh, we got this kind of time.
This is episode nine hundred and sixty six. You want to talk about rabbit holes, you.
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.
Pay attention to a lot of pay.
You get up to your ball and the caddy is somewhere two hundred yards behind you later.
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.
Great.
Great, So let's wrap this up by telling us the different models that are available and they're us pricing.
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.
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.
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.
Oh I gotta figure that one out.
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.
Okay, very good, very good, Thank you for doing that.
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.
I just don't understand it.
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.
Amortize that, folks.
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.
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.
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.
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.
But you know, I understand it's a new Olympic sport. For twenty twenty.
Years, super right cart race, it's been fun.
Wise, No, you can have a little you know.
I know, things like that. I think you're onto some friend.
I think so.
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.
And it's like, okay, no tech, low tech, high tech, high tech, all right with the high tech.
Yeah, I'm sure, thank you. Sure they're jealous.
So mg dot com or in the United States, go.
To get WWUSTMGI golf dot com.
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.
Awesome, Bet, thank you so much. This is enjoyable. Thank you.
So here's the deal.
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.
Lets you know.
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.
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.
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.
Here's a taste.
I've had clients come in and say, you know why I should be I practice all the time.
You know I should be able to repeat this.
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.
The face right now?
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.
We talked about this before.
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.
You coach is there.
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.
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 dot com