Back

History of Club Car® Golf Carts

Sep. 24 2021 OEM By Richmond Equipment

Share

When Club Car introduced the first-ever golf car featuring a steering wheel in the 1960s, getting across a golf course became easier. The golf car was even a favorite of celebrities, like Jackie Gleason or Sam Snead. Not only did it make traveling easier, but with a welded-on cargo box, Club Car also became the first course-maintenance utility vehicle.

Read on to learn more about how Club Car became an icon in personal-use transportation.

When you're ready to check out our selection of Club Car golf carts for sale, visit Richmond Equipment in Richmond, Texas.

How It Started

Club Car's production began in 1962 when its founder, Bill Stevens, Sr., bought and moved the Texas-based Landreath Machine company to Club Car’s current home in Augusta, GA, to begin production. That same year, both Stevens and son, Bill, Jr., drove a Club Car to the PGA Show in Florida.

Club Car® Golf Carts in the 1980s

A significant step in Club Car’s development occurred in the 1980s when Dom Saporito developed the durable, easy to maintain, and highly popular Club Car DS, which quickly became the flagship vehicle, making Club Car an internationally recognized name.

The 90s

The 1990s were a decade of noteworthy innovations. These developments included:

  • The FE290, the first vehicle to feature an overhead valve engine
  • Customizable on-demand vehicles per customer needs
  • An advanced polymer, ArmorFlex, that conserved color and a vehicle’s resale value
  • Mobile merchandising vehicles through Cafe Express

The 2000s

The 2000s were also a decade of innovation for Club Car:

  • The 1,000,000th Club Car rolled off the line.
  • In 2004, the Precedent® i2, a newly designed fleet golf car, redefined what to expect in terms of comfort and style.
  • Club Car introduced its first 4WD UTV, the Carryall® 295, in the same year.li>Car control and efficiency got a boost with the Excel Drive System in 2008.
  • The popularity of street-legal, low-speed vehicles increased with the Villager™ 2+2 LSV.

Club Car Today

With the advantages of new technologies, the Club Car driving experience got some new enhancements:

  • The company introduced Visage, offering 3D golf course flyovers, fleet management, and more.
  • A zero-emissions LSV, Club Car's 2,000,000th vehicle, rolled off the line on Earth Day 2010.
  • A transformed Carryall vehicle line offered superior ergonomics, increased ground clearance and carrying capacity, and systems with increased efficiency.
  • The new Precedent i3 fleet golf car also added updated enhancements through Visage Fleet Management, including car tracking, on-board GPS and more, winning a series of Golf Digest Best Golf Car awards.
  • In 2017, the Onward® golf cart allowed people to customize seats, colors, wheels, and a host of accessories entirely online and get around in personalized style.
  • GPSi, until then a Visage Fleet Management development partner, became a part of the Club Car company.
  • A partnership with Verizon and the Greg Norman Company resulted in the 2017 Shark Experience and a new fleet golf car, called the Tempo™, that offered an automotive feel and look.

Throughout its more than 60 years of history, Club Car has maintained uncompromising attention to detail, parts fabrication, and assembly, creating dependable personal-use vehicles that perform year after year.

At Richmond Equipment, we have 20 years of experience in providing customers with a variety of high-quality vehicles. We’re based in Richmond, Texas, serving the communities of Houston and Rosenberg. Come into our dealership or give us a call today to know more about our selection of Club Car golf carts. Our team looks forward to serving you!