Golfing green: Bend course goes electric

One Bend golf course has made some new improvements to make golfing more enjoyable.

Recently, River’s Edge Golf Course unveiled their new fleet of electric golf carts.

The purpose? Efficiency. The feedback? So far, positive.

Sixty new golf carts, enough to replace the old gas-powered ones and allow golfers to enjoy their experience in a new way.

“Oh I like them great,” golfer Robert Coffey said Thursday.

“I’m enjoying them,” Bob Deane said. “They’re nice and quiet, and pretty smooth riding.”

“They don’t accelerate as fast going downhill,” Coffey said. “They’re easier to control.”

River’s Edge Director of Golf Operations Troy Eckberg said the gas-powered golf carts worked for them in the past, but because of the new technology, they had to make the change.

“The other carts were really fine, they worked fantastically,” said Eckberg. “They got golfers around like you wouldn’t believe. But I think it’s time for the business to make that switch.”

It’s a switch that includes amenities like a removable cooler, sweater basket, club washers and a ball washer.

The new carts will help River’s Edge reduce their carbon footprint and pollution, and also keep golfers safer, with a new automatic brake system.

“It really showed their commitment to being green,” Eckberg said.

Not only do the electric golf carts help curb pollution, they also help duffers concentrate.

“It’s definitely something that’s a worthwhile change,” Deane said. “It’s much quieter than the gas carts, and makes a much more enjoyable round of golf.”

Overall, golfers believe the carts will help make the experience more enjoyable.

“It feels a little bit better,” Coffey said. “What makes my experience best is if I hit the ball good,” he added with a laugh.

The overall cost of the electric carts is about $195,000, and the battery on the carts should last three to five years. So far, Eckberg said they’ve received nothing but positive feedback from golfers.