Category Archives: golf Accessories

Vintage Westinghouse Electric Golf Carts

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The predecessor to Westinghouse is the Marketeer Company. A brief history is in order to properly account the history of Westinghouse and their electric golf cart.

Merle Williams started the Marketeer Company in the midst of WWII, when gas rationing wan in effect. He designed and developed a compact electric vehicle for his wife. As other saw his marvelous creation they called for more and so the company was born. It was not until 1951 that he developed the first electric vehicle designed specifically for playing golf. Peggy and Merle sold Marketeer to Westinghouse in 1965.

Westinghouse continued to build electric golf carts and other electric vehicles till the they sold the business to Nordskog Industries in 1978. The most popular Westinghouse electric golf cart is probably the four wheel 436 series

Today’s current economic situation is not that different that the times of William Merle, we are in the middle of fighting a war, gas may not be rationed but it is getting so expensive that the average man can’t afford it. And the current hot phrase, is to go green. And everyone is singing the praise of going electric. You would think it was a new concept .The truth is that there is nothing really new about electric vehicles at all. They have gone by the wayside with the advent of gas powered machinery, lost like the Stanley Steamer, electric carts where discarded from a very long time, but they are making a come back. And in fact in small, but growing circle, they never really left.

Many vintage Westinghouse golf carts are still available and there are quite a few collectors, enthusiasts and admirers, still today. Following is a comprehensive list of a few supplier of vintage electric golf carts and their parts and service.

Fairway Golf Carts in Palm Harbor, Florida USA.
Jerico Enterprises in Montrose Minnesota.USA
Kenfield Golf Cars Austin Texas USA
Vintage Golf Cart Parts Port Townsend Washington USA
New England Golf Cars Seekonk Massachusetts USA
Fairway Golf Car Corp Medford New York USA
Kenfield Golf Cars Austin Texas USA
Golf Carts Of Texas Kemah Texas USA
Vintage Golf Cart Parts Port Townsend Washington USA
Carts Plus (division of AutoPlace) Kelowna British Columbia Canada

There are also a good many classified available on line and the prices found range $600.00 to $1,200.00 and up depending on year and condition.

There are also a few clubs and newsletters that allow vintage Westinghouse electric golf cart enthusiasts to connect and share stories, ideas, trade parts and more. Most electric batteries contain 8 volts and last about eight hours on a full charge. A great economical way to get around and a wonderful collector’s item as well.

Golf Drivers – Distance, Distance, and More Distance

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The driver is considered the second most important club in the golf bag after the putter. This is because it can normally be used 14 times per round on a typical par 72 golf course, and more importantly because the tee shot sets up each hole. An accurate drive can make the rest of the hole seem easy, while a drive that is off line and in the rough, fairway trap, or behind a tree or in a water hazard can cause enormous problems and make par almost impossible.

Golf Driver Evolution
Golf drivers have changed enormously over the past 10-15 years. If you have been away from golf for some time and suddenly decide to pick up the game again, you’ll be in for a slight shock when you try one of today’s modern drivers. First of all the price will be a slap in the face. It is not the least bit unusual for today’s top brands to cost $500 or even more for a driver. The next thing that will catch your attention is the enormous size of the club head. Today’s top driver models typically have the number 460 in them, because the club head is 460 cubic centimeters (cc). This is now the maximum allowable size for the head of a driver. Shaft technology has changed a great deal, and the combination of today’s flexible graphite shafts, along with the club head technology and that of today’s modern golf balls are what produces the prodigious drives that are typically seen each week on the PGA tour. The ladies have benefited a great deal as well. The top woman golfer, Lorena Ochoa from Mexico, weighs only about 115 pounds, but her drives often fly 270 yards or more. When this author was a boy, the longest hitter of that time was a player named George Bayer. Bayer was a large man, probably 6’4 or more, and he had a powerful swing. He would hit the ball about 275 yards off the tee at that time, and of course that was considered very long. A good drive for male PGA tour players was 250-260 yards in those days, and drivers and other woods actually were made of out wood, typically a hard wood such as persimmon. Today it is not unusual to watch a PGA tour tournament on TV and see drives by the longest hitters in the 320-340 yard range using titanium club heads. Distances like that would have been unthinkable in Bayer’s day.

Driver Club Head Evolution
A 460 cc club head is rather enormous. Why have driver club heads evolved to this state, and what advantages do they provide to the golfer? First of all, the reason that driver heads can be so large is because they are made of light weight titanium material. Titanium is strong and flexible, and today’s top lines of clubs offer a spring or trampoline effect. That is, when the club hits the ball, the face of the drive actually bends inward similar to what happens when a person jumps on a trampoline. When the club face recoils it thrusts the ball out faster than it would otherwise travel, and thus greater distance is obtained. The rules of golf now limit the amount of spring that can be provided by a driver’s club head. If this were not the case then each year new models made of different materials would come out and drives would get ever and ever longer. Before long all the golf courses would be out dated. That has already been the case for many courses, and oftentimes golf holes have needed to be lengthened to keep up with the greater distances provided by today’s drivers and golf balls. Another major benefit of today’s large driver clubs heads is a larger MOI, which stands for moment of inertia. To make a long story short, a larger MOI means that the club head will not twist as much on off-center hits. The result is a better shot even on swings that miss the sweet spot by a certain amount. A miss-hit with one of today’s 460 titanium drivers will mean losing a bit of distance, but the same amount of miss-hit with an old wooden persimmon driver would result in a shot that would be comparatively much worse.

Of course most golfers love the extra distance that the new high-tech drivers provide. There is a downside to all this, however. That is, the longer the drive, the more difficult it is to keep the ball in the fairway.

Focus on the Gleneagles’ director of golf

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Jan 20 2012 by Gordon Bannerman, Perthshire Advertiser Friday

AS a youngster growing up in Inverness, Stuart McEwen day dreamed of golfing at Gleneagles.

Now, with the 2014 Ryder Cup fast approaching, the Perthshire resort’s director of golf finds himself at the centre of preparations for one of the biggest sporting events on the planet.

And despite the burden of responsibility on management at the five-star Big County resort, McEwen is determined to savour every moment of the build-up.

“The Ryder Cup was a lure in accepting the job, absolutely. This is a huge event for Gleneagles, Perthshire and Scotland.

“It’s a challenge for everyone here and one we are all excited about. But I would still have leapt at the chance to join the team here even if the Ryder Cup wasn’t on the horizon,” said hotel and hospitality management graduate McEwen, six months into the specially created post.

“Our aim is to put on the best ever Ryder Cup here at Gleneagles so there is a huge responsibility on everyone.

“With this being a Ryder Cup year – Medinah near Chicago hosts it in the autumn – everything will start to pick-up pace. No stone will be left unturned between now and 2014 and we are completely confident we will present a great show.”

McEwen, who has already scouted out Medinah, lapped-up the Ryder Cup atmosphere at Celtic Manor and the K-Club as a spectator, little knowing what lay ahead for him in career terms.

“I have attended various Open Championships as a golf fan and the Ryder Cups were very special.

“They gave me a real sense of scale and an idea of just how big the match has become.

“But I didn’t know then that I would be part of the preparations for the first match in Scotland since Muirfield in 1973.”

He revealed that Gleneagles had always cast an irresistible spell and that swayed his decision to uproot himself from Kingsbarns.

“Gleneagles has such a strong image and tradition in terms of golf in Scotland and beyond.

“I remember my dad planning a father and son bonding weekend when I was 13 and keen on my golf. That was 30 years ago but I still remember the thrill of playing the King’s and Queen’s courses.

“I wanted so much to play at Gleneagles.

“It was a real ambition of mine as a youngster. Fast forward all these years and I’m here with the Ryder Cup looming. In many ways it’s a dream job.

“I have been too busy to actually get out and about onto the golf courses so far but I will be doing that as I continue to absorb the resort in it entirety.”

Perth-based McEwen (44) was lured to Strathearn after a successful decade as general manager spearheading the development of the acclaimed Kingsbarns set-up in Fife.

He amassed a wealth of experience growing the celebrated coastal project from its early days, handling 10 Dunhill Links tournaments along the way.

McEwen’s diary is hectic and can only get busier as the months go by, liasing with organisations diverse as Ryder Cup Europe and America, the Scottish government, Tayside Police, the business sector and the local community.

“As you would expect, there is an enormous amount of planning required to prepare for an event on the scale of the Ryder Cup but the team here has experience of the G8, which also enjoyed a global profile.

“Patrick Elsmie, the managing director, has been involved right from the outset and I am here to assist him and the team in any way I can.

“There’s no reason why we can’t accommodate 40,000 or even up to 45,000 spectators each day and we are delighted with the co-operation we are receiving from our neighbours at Auchterarder Golf Club and G-West.

“The Ryder Cup is massive. That goes without saying really. We won’t see the likes of this again in our generation. You see financial figures being bandied about in the region of £100 million for the Scottish economy.

“It is a huge deal in terms of promoting the country and golf in Scotland, Gleneagles included. That is a key part of my responsibility here with stiff competition for traditional courses coming from the likes of Kingsbarn, Castle Stuart, the Trump project and the adjacent G-West.

“But we are very much aware we have an edge on others, boasting three top courses here with members, visitors and hotel guests all expecting and getting the full Gleneagles experience. It’s vital we strike the right balance. We won’t forget our bread and butter and those who enjoy coming here, or the many who will be enticed by the lure of playing a Ryder Cup venue.

“It has to be a special experience and with the opening of the new Dormy House and final changes taking place to the PGA Centenary Course there’s plenty to look forward to – and the pace will pick-up even more after Medinah and the baton is passed to us here at Gleneagles.

“I suspect the next couple of years will pass by in a flash and reach a crescendo in September 2014. We are confident Gleneagles will be ready to lay on the best ever Ryder Cup and we intend to make sure we enjoy the occasion along with everyone else.”

KSFY News – Sioux Falls, SD News, Weather, SportsAberdeen sets record high temperature

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On a typical January day, we're usually bundling up in hats and gloves, but not Thursday.

People have been soaking up the sun in sandals and bare legs.

Aberdeen saw a record high temperature of 60 degrees.

For dozens of people at the Lee Park Golf Course in Aberdeen it's been a day to get out and shake some dust off their game.

“Anytime you can be out in Aberdeen in the mid 50's, it's a moral imperative to take advantage of the golf course, no snow, warm temperatures, it was just kinda a no brainer,” Local golfer Bruce Nystrom said.

While many golfers are enjoying their time on the fairways, those in the downtown area are taking care of some chores that normally wouldn't be done this time of year

We saw a man outside who was cleaning the windows of a store on Main Street.

And also saw another man who was pretending to shovel snow.

But just year ago this same ground was filled with inches of snow and the temperatures were below freezing.

Thursday the thermometer at the Dacotah Bank in downtown Aberdeen read 63 degrees, crushing the previous record of 46 degrees, set in 1935.

Joel Hornaman lives in Aberdeen and was running an errand for his daughter; a favor he would normally do in his car with the heat blasted.

But with the beautiful weather Hornaman says he is taking advantage of what Mother Nature is delivering.

“We're intending to leave in about 3 weeks to go down to Texas, we just hope that the weather down there can compete with ours,” Hornaman said.

“It's a great time, it's just great to take a little time off and take advantage of what Mother Nature has given us here today,” Nystrom said.

The Lee Park Golf Course isn't officially open, but the public is welcome to get in some swings for the New Year; they say just as long as you don't go on the greens.

Irish Women’s Golf Turns In Record-Setting Fall In The Classroom – UND.COM – University of Notre Dame Official Athletic Site

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Jan. 16, 2012

Notre Dame, Ind. – The Notre Dame women’s golf program continues to have success both on the golf course and in the classroom as the team returns to start the spring semester this week.

After setting a Notre Dame-best mark of 3.638 during the spring semester of 2010, the women’s golfers went a step further in the fall of 2011, recording an even better 3.655 grade-point average as a team, the best team grade-point average for a semester by any squad since the University began keeping those records.

Over the past few seasons, the women’s golf program has seen its grade-point average improve in each season under head coach Susan Holt.

“Since my arrival in 2006, our coaching staff has made it a priority to recruit the best student-athletes in the country,” says Holt.

“We set academic and athletic goals each semester. Our number one academic goal is to have the highest team grade-point average. The team has done so in three of the last four semesters and has finished in the top three each semester since 2007. We have developed a culture of academic and athletic excellence and it is great to see the team rewarded for its hard work once again.

Since 2006, the women’s golf team has a 3.408 team grade-point average. In 11 previous semesters, the team has recorded just one semester below a 3.00 and since the spring of 2009, the semester grade point has gone from 3.406 to 3.655.

The fall portion of the 2011-12 season was highlighted by a second-place finish (in a field of 13) at the Hoosier Invitational held at Crooked Stick Golf Club in Carmel, Ind., on Oct. 17-18.

The Irish will open the spring portion of the schedule on March 2-4, when they participate in the Darius Rucker Invitational at the Long Cove Golf Club in Hilton Head, S.C. The University of South Carolina will serve as the tournament host.   

Five Minutes with Ulrich Hackenberg, VW Board Member for Product Development

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We joined a roundtable with Ulrich Hackenberg, member of the board of management for Volkswagen AG, responsible for product development during the Detroit auto show this week. Hackenberg says that localization is the most important thing to VW’s continued growth in the U.S. That means the volume engines we get here, including the new 1.4-liter turbo that will debut in the Jetta Hybrid, will be built in North America. A surprise admission is that the next-generation Golf, which uses the new MQB platform, will be built in Mexico — and that the new Chattanooga plant can also build MQB cars. That means there is potential for the next Scirocco and even things like the Bulli to come stateside.

The Future of the VR6

Right now, the VR6 engine’s future is in limbo. It is not as simple of whether or not it will continue on naturally aspirated or gain turbocharging, as it depends on the tax limit on displacement. According to Hackenberg, VW has places in which there is a need for more power than can be provided by a four-cylinder, but have yet to decide if the VR6 will carry on or will get replaced by a turbocharged five-cylinder to fill that slot. Currently, the only remaining place that the VR6 resides in our market is under the hood of the CC. If Volkswagen can manage to build the VR6 or its replacement within the U.S. or the North American Free Trade Agreement zone (U.S., Canada, Mexico), the U.S. market will get it. Otherwise, the fate of the VR6 lies only with the possibility of a low-volume, premium application with a high enough price tag to allow the VR6 to be built in Germany and shipped here.

A Midengine VW?

Hackenberg says that Volkswagen will have a mid-engine prototype car this year. The U.S. market would be important for the car, since its main competition is the Mazda MX-5 and most of that car’s volume is in the U.S. However, despite being liked by the media, these cars would need bigger sales numbers to make it happen. No word on whether or not the new concept will be an evolution of the BlueSport roadster from a few years ago.

One of the largest issues for a mid-engine car is that VW sales people wanted a more American car. Hackenberg says they were pushed to do it, the result of which was the Jetta. “We made it different than it was. And it was successful. We have to less it; we can’t just make cars from the hearts of the engineers.” Before venturing into niche segments, Volkswagen has to do its homework and get the bread-and-butter cars selling in big numbers.

Does that mean we can expect more hybrids from VW?

Volkswagen has the diesel market cornered in the U.S. — according to Hackenberg, 75 percent of all diesel passenger cars sold are VWs. He goes on, “but there are still customers who prefer a hybrid, depending on the area. We have to offer the technologies which are asked for by customers. They’re asking for a hybrid. That’s why we do it.”

First up is the turbocharged 1.4-liter gasoline I-4 in the Jetta Hybrid with the electric motor doing what the supercharge did on the twincharger engine. The 1.4T is not related to the EA888 (2.0T) engine, but from a smaller family of engines that tops out at 1.4 liters and a turbocharger.

Expect to see more electrics, too

Up! production and e-Golf will both be on the market next year, and driveability is really good, according to Hackenberg. Even with a limited capacity and range of the batteries limited to 120 to 150 miles, he can see it as a second car for people or a car for the city. The next step is a plug-in hybrid, which VW is developing on the Golf chassis. That car will have an 85 kW electric motor and will be similar to the EV but with the combustion engine from the Jetta Hybrid and have an all-electric range of about 30-35 miles. However, the Golf isn’t the right car for this powertrain; it’s more likely that we’ll see a Jetta plug-in hybrid here.

No Polo for the U.S.

The Polo is being brought to market in China, but VW has held off on doing so in the U.S. While they are prepared to build those cars in the U.S., all of the parts need to be localized and the sales business case still needs to be made. Right now, the first priority is to get the new Jetta and Passat fully ramped up. The subcompact market will catch up, but it has a lot to do with gas prices at this point. To Hackenberg, everything below the Jetta and the Golf is cheap, and VW isn’t going to give the Polo away; instead, they will wait for the right moment to introduce the model in the U.S. He says that Volkswagen is “well prepared with the product” and can act very quickly.

The importance in getting the Polo right and to continue profitability is localization. (Hackenberg explained that the profitability was thanks to the Passat and the fact that it’s all made locally.) To help with that, VW’s next modular platform — the MQB — will be built in Mexico. It’s completely flexible and can fit under vehicles from Polo to Passat, though the upcoming 2013 Audi A3 will be the first car in production to ride on MQB. The Passat’s plant in Chattanooga, Tennesse has the potential to produce MQB cars, despite the fact that the current car rides on PQ35, thanks to how the tooling has been set up. It’s thanks to this that we could see the next-generation Scirocco on U.S. shores — Hackenberg says that car will ride on MQB, and could, therefore, be easier to certify for the North American market.

Boswellsgolf.com – Boswellsgolf, Boswell's Golf Cars, Boswells, golf cars, golf, golf car parts

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Yamaha Golf Cars and Tomberlin Golf Cars in Nashville TN at Boswell’s Golf Cars

Boswell's Golf Car's has been serving the Nashville and Middle TN area since 1963. We have a large inventory of new and used golf cars, utility trucks, and low speed vehicles. We also carry a large rental fleet for any event size!!

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Travel Golf Bags

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Do you travel frequently with your golf clubs? What is your budget for a golf travel bag? Do your golf trips mostly include air travel or auto travel? While looking to find the best golf travel bag for yourself, you should be asking yourself these types of questions before you go on your next golf trip or golf vacation.

A soft golf travel bag is typically made of a canvas type material and padded on the inside and they have a hard bottom to protect your golf bag. These type of bags have wheels to help golfers transport their gear from location to location.

Advantages to these bags include that you can also carry other golf gear. Many bags, such as the Izzo golf travel bags, have pockets within the bag that you can pack shoes, clothes or other golf accessories. In addition, an Izzo or a similar golf travel bag will break down for easy storage in your hotel room or at home while you are waiting to go on your next golf trip. Some people do not think that these bags give you as much protection for the club heads as a hard case. In my experience, I have not found this to be true. I take my golf towel an weave it throughout the shafts to give some extra protection along with the padding. Again, I have never had a problem with a golf shaft breaking while on a golf trip. If you are not comfortable with this, then you can purchase a “stiff arm” accessory.

A golf hard case is as it sounds. It is a case that you place your golf bag and golf clubs into for their security and provides the highest amount of protection. Typically, with a hard case, you will not have extra space to pack clothes or golf accessories.

Since a hard golf travel case provides the most protection for your golf clubs, hard cases are a smart choice for the golfer who flies to the majority of your golf vacation spots. Often, airlines will cover any damage incurred when your clubs are in a hard golf case.

When it comes to storage at home or on the road, hard cases take up more room than other styles. The bulk of a hard golf case also makes it difficult to fit into the trunk of many rental cars. Hard golf cases might not make as much sense as hybrids or soft-covers if you do not fly to many of your golf vacations.

Frequently Asked Questions

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Tiger Woods Golf, Tigers Golf Bag

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Today let’s talk about something about Tiger Woods Golf, Tigers Golf Bag .

It’s hard to believe that so much attention can be paid to a single piece of sports gear. Tiger’s new/old driver has gotten more press recently than Ben and J-Lo. Not since Johnny Unitas’ high-top cleats has an athlete’s equipment selection been so thoroughly discussed and analyzed.

Prior to the July 28th made-for-television “Battle of the Bridges” match-play event, Tiger Woods decided to pull his $ 20 million Nike driver out of his golf bag in favor of his six-year old Titleist 975D. 

Callaway Golf Bag B001OK, the driver doesn’t retail for anything close to $ 20 million. But it’s been reported that Tiger is raking in that much each year to endorse Nike golf equipment and apparel.

So it doesn’t bode well for team Swoosh that he used the Titleist again this past week at the Buick Open where he finished second.

Something tells me Nike executives are on their knees thanking the golf gods that Tiger wasn’t able to complete a weekend rally to overtake Buick Champion Jim Furyk. As it is, the driver change was big news in the golf world, and bad news for the shoe company’s relatively new golf division.

Nothing says “your equipment stinks” louder and more convincingly than the world’s greatest golfer taking it out of his bag because he can’t hit it. Contrary to what the Nike spin-doctors are saying, this has got to be the company’s worst nightmare. 

Callaway X-22 Iron Set

What golfer in his or her right mind is going to rush down to the sporting goods store and spend a couple of hundred bucks on a driver that even Tiger Woods has trouble hitting? Not me. Not you. And with the world-wide publicity “the switch” has produced, nobody from Japan to Scotland either.

But don’t take my word for it. Golfdigest.com is running a poll that asks “Do you think Nike will see a significant decrease in driver sales after Tiger Wood’s decision to go back to his Titleist driver?” Over 73% of respondents voted ‘Yes’. 

discount golf clubsWhen Phil Mickelson suggested that Tiger’s “slump” may be due, in part, to his use of inferior equipment, the media went berserk on the Major-less lefty. Now the idea doesn’t seem so absurd.

A Nike executive recently pointed out that Tiger has won many tournaments using their equipment. Well, Tiger is probably capable of winning tournaments using a garden hoe and a pool cue. I, on the other hand, need all the technological help I can get just to break 90. When I’m shopping around for the next “latest and greatest”, I’ll probably stay away from the Nike rack. I’ll go with – oh, I don’t know, there are so many brands to choose from – Titleist perhaps.

Titleist Scotty Cameron Studio Select Newport 2 Putter

Callaway FT-IQ Driver

Discount golf shop provides discount golf clubs

2012 Volkswagen Golf R: Power-packed Golf skips fluff to lower price

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When it comes to constructing the “hot-hatch” Golf R, Volkswagen certainly knows a thing “R” two. The automaker is able to call up the requisite firepower and performance content from its parts bins to build the kind of machine that will attract new fans that might otherwise end up at a Mitsubishi, Subaru or BMW/Mini store.

Volkswagen has been down the high-output road with the Golf before, specifically for the 2008 model year with the short-lived R32 that featured a 250-horsepower V6 and all-wheel-drive. Now, the automaker returns in early 2012 with yet another pumped-up, Golf-based model designed to delight those who appreciate a tightly proportioned vehicle that can haul like the dickens.

The R comes in two- and four-door models with a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that generates 256 horsepower and 243 pound-feet of torque.

The R also comes with VW’s 4Motion all-wheel-drive system. During ideal road/weather conditions, all of the R’s power is directed to the front tires, however, when they begin to slip, up to 100 percent of the torque shifts to the rear wheels.

The R’s sole transmission is a six-speed manual, which is somewhat surprising given that the German automaker already builds a faster-shifting state-of-the-art paddle-operated manual gearbox for use in other Golf models. Still, VW claims that the stick-shift R will hit 60 mph in 5.6 seconds, which is quick enough for most folks. Be advised, however, that the R takes premium fuel. Economy is rated at 19 mpg city and 27 highway, but it’s doubtful that many buyers will be inclined to pussyfoot through the gears in an attempt to match those “official” numbers.

Obviously the R is a true driver’s car and that means a firm-riding, body-roll-reducing suspension, added braking power and a businesslike interior with well-bolstered leather-covered front seats, aluminum pedals and a squared off leather-wrapped steering wheel. The R’s styling clues include a gloss-black grille, large air intakes below the bumper, a large rear roof spoiler and twin exhaust pipes. As a finishing touch there’s a set of unique 18-inch wheels.

For $34,800, including destination charges, the two-door model provides climate control, high-intensity xenon headlamps and an eight-speaker sound system with the requisite audio and communications connectivity. For $1,500 extra, a power sunroof, up-level 300-watt audio package, remote keyless entry (and start) and touch-screen navigation are added. These items are standard when the four-door R is selected.

Not to be undervalued is the R’s highly practical shape that, with the rear seat upright or folded flat, offers considerable stowage space.

Other cars might make more content available, but the Golf R is having none of it. It concentrates on enriching the driving experience through generous helpings of power without ballooning the price through indiscriminate applications of luxury fluff and superfluous safety gadgetry.

On that basis alone, the R is tough to beat.