Do you know that electric golf carts were actually invented before the gas golf carts? However, they weren’t popular among peers because they required 6 batteries to operate, which made them difficult and expensive to maintain at that point of time.
The very first three-wheeler cart (1932)
In 1932, Lyman Beecher, a golf cart player who struggled with poor health, built a custom three-wheeled rickshaw-style cart pulled by two caddies.
Afterwards, he turned it into a four-wheel cart, making it more suitable and practical for golf course use. This planted the seed for what eventually became an essential part of golf culture.
JK WADLEY’S IDEA
Around the same time, JK Wadley, a businessman from Texarkana, while shopping in a grocery store, noticed that the three-wheeled electric carts were being used by elderly and disabled individuals to get around.
Wadley brought these carts to the golf course, which made him one of the early users of mobility carts for recreational purposes.
COMMERCIAL ELECTRIC GOLF CARTS
During World War 2, the US government restricted how much gasoline civilians could buy because fuel was needed for the military.
Merle Williams, from Long Beach, California, built a small electric vehicle for his wife to go to market. This eventually led to the manufacturing of the first electric golf cart in 1951, and the company was called “Marketeer” cars.
After this, several companies entered the golf cart manufacturing space.
By the mid-1950s, golf carts were widely used across American golf courses. However, they were generally used by golfers with disabilities. A standard cart could comfortably carry two golfers along with their bags.
GAS POWERED GOLF CARTS (1957)
In 1957, Max Walker introduced the first gasoline-powered golf cart called “The Walker Executive”. However, gas carts came with their own set of problems. Due to their noise and the gas they emit, they eventually get banned from many golf courses in the USA.
A Quick history of the electric battery
Gaston Plante (1834-1899), a French physicist and electrochemistry pioneer. In 1859, Plante invented the world’s first rechargeable electric battery, the lead accumulator. His groundbreaking work laid the very foundation for modern electrical storage technology, making electric vehicles, including golf carts, possible.
Conclusion
The golf cart has come a long way from a three-wheeled cart pulled by caddies to an electric-powered golf cart cruising across the golf course. In 2026, golf carts are being used in hotels, resorts, tourist places, gated communities and more. What started as a solution for accessibility evolved into a billion-dollar industry.