From Feb. 6 to Feb. 12, 2012, players will be competing in the Allianz Championship. At this PGA Champions tournament, players’ performances will not be the only thing to watch.
The Allianz Championship will be the first PGA event to us solar-powered golf carts.
Allianz Championship Partners with Golf Cart Solar
The Allianz Championship, which is held in Boca Raton, Fla., has partnered with a Florida-based company. Golf Cart Solar will be supplying a few of the golf carts at the tournament. While only a minority of the golf carts used during the Allianz Championship will be solar-powered, these select models will significantly impact the role of green technology in future PGA Tour events.
Allianz Championship is a Pilot
These solar golf carts were unveiled less than two before the Allianz Championship. At the PGA Show in Orlando, where companies showcase new products, Golf Cart Solar featured its solar golf carts. In Orlando, PGA Tour event officials and golf clubs were able to inspect Golf Cart Solar’s products.
However, many officials want to see these carts in action, before they agree to use them. They will be watching the solar golf carts perform at the Allianz Championship. This will be their field testing.
Golf Cart Solar is Green
If these carts perform well, they promise significant savings for golf courses. Charging an electric golf cart’s batteries is one of the largest expenses associated with running a golf cart. Golf Cart Solar claims to reduce the need for batteries by 20 percent. This would reduce PGA events’ charging costs by 20 percent, and it would lower the environmental impact of running a golf cart.
Can Golf Cart Solar Perform at the Allianz Championship?
Players and officials want to know if these solar golf carts can perform as well as traditional ones. If they perform well at the Allianz Championship, then future PGA events might go green and use them as well. If they do not meet expectations, then it could be another year before we see solar golf carts at PGA events.
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Sources: Golf Cart Solar’s Debut, Golf Cart Solar, Allianz Championship