The Complete Handbook of Golf Carts

The chapter on understanding the difference between electric and gas is solid, and I did learn a lot about why my old gas cart was running so hot. My main gripe is that the business chapters felt like an overview—they listed opportunities rather than giving me a step-by-step on how to, say, start a rental fleet. I was hoping for a bit more depth there.

I run the cart fleet at a mid-sized resort and I've been doing it for years on pure tribal knowledge. This book finally gave me the vocabulary to talk to my techs and the manufacturer reps with confidence. The maintenance schedules in chapter 5 alone are worth the price, and I've already implemented the checklist for our monthly inspections. It's not exactly a page-turner, but it's a damn useful manual.

As a serious hobbyist who builds custom carts, I was a little disappointed that the specs section didn't have more on high-performance upgrades like motor and controller swaps. Most of the info here is geared towards stock, standard use. That said, the chapter on troubleshooting electrical issues is the best I've read—it helped me solve a wiring gremlin I'd been chasing for months.

I bought this thinking it would help me decide between buying a new cart or a used one, and it definitely did give me a good framework for that decision. It's thorough, maybe too thorough. Some sections, like the detailed chapter on the history and evolution of the cart, felt like dry filler that I didn't need. But the practical advice on reading spec sheets and understanding battery amp-hours is exactly what I was looking for.

This is the definitive reference on the subject, period. I'm a golf course superintendent, and I only wish I'd had this handbook five years ago. The chapter on managing a fleet, the explanation of total cost of ownership, and the troubleshooting guide for our fleet of electric carts are invaluable. It has paid for itself a hundred times over by helping me negotiate a better deal with a battery supplier and avoiding a complete controller replacement that I would have fumbled through. A must-buy for anyone who owns carts professionally.

It's a great reference, but it's very dense. I appreciated the clear breakdown of LSV laws versus standard golf cart rules because the legal stuff can be a headache for my customers. I dock a star because I think the chapter on future trends was a bit too speculative; I was hoping for concrete advice on when to make the switch to lithium, and the author was a bit too even-handed on it. That being said, the maintenance section is a gem.

I bought this for the business chapters to see if there was real money in a cart rental and service operation. I found the breakdown of different business models pretty clear and practical, not hype-y. The comparison of warranty structures was also more detailed than I've seen on any dealer site. It's a practical read, though a little dry. I'm happy to give it four stars; I just don't think the photos and diagrams were numerous enough for a 'complete' handbook.

It's a comprehensive book, and the chapters on maintenance are exactly what you need if you're a tinkerer like me. The step-by-step approach to diagnosing a solenoid click with no movement was spot on. I only gave it three stars because, for a book titled 'complete,' I thought it glossed over the customization and tricked-out cart aftermarket scene, which is a huge part of the culture. It's very focused on the fleet/professional side, and less on the enthusiast build scene.