Surrey National purchase the New E-Z-GO RXV golf car

The Surrey National Golf Club, part of the Altonwood Golf Group owned by former Crystal Palace Football Club Chairman Ron Noades, has purchased a fleet of 17 RXV golf cars, the latest model from E-Z-GO launched earlier this year. Local dealer, Ernest Doe & Sons, has also delivered a further 16 RXVs to Westerham Golf Club.

Simon Hodsdon, Managing Director of The Altonwood Golf Group, was responsible for the procurement of the fleet and says,
"We operate our golf cars 365 days a year on all courses, so reliability is our prime concern. Our previous cars, not E-Z-GOs I hasten to add, suffered from reliability issues at the end of their term.

"We manage and market our golf cars in a very professional manner: they are always clean, fully charged, on display and easily accessible. Our green fees factor in the cost of a golf car and that's why we need reliability."

The course was originally designed by Neil Coles and David Williams and is situated in 200 acres of rolling countryside, where two valleys merge. The course is by nature hilly, but most of the holes run along the valleys or the ridges. The chalk-based subsoil is free-draining and with cart paths running the length of course, the club enjoys all year round play.

"This is a new golf car, and my initial reactions are favourable," Simon added. "I particularly like the regenerative braking that puts energy back into the battery and the way the car automatically applies the brakes, when it stops. This means that golfers can get out of the car on an incline without actually putting on the brake. When the car takes off again, there' no rollback either. We've also got onboard chargers and an automated battery maintenance system so maintaining them in tip-top condition is simple.

"Our philosophy is to give our customers a quality experience; one that they'll tell their friends about and then come back again. To do this we must have a quality offering and I think this golf car fits in well with this.

"It's too early to give an overall judgement on these new cars yet, but we'll certainly be in a position to make a judgement at the end of the season. At the moment it's looking very positive."

www.textron.com.