Golf carts aren’t just for golfers anymore. A company called SC Carts in Vernon, B.C., is designing custom golf carts for off-road applications, such as hunting and backcountry recreation.
According to the owner, Jeff Holomis, off-road and custom golf carts are already popular in the U.S. and the trend is starting to spread into Canada.
Holomis started SC Carts two and a half years ago and at the moment he has more orders for custom carts than he can fill. SC Carts are essentially stock Club Car golf carts that are stripped down and completely refurbished. Customers can place their order with Holomis and he will design a cart to suit specific applications. From custom wheels and storage racks to lift kits and all-aluminum roll bars, customers can choose a variety of special features for their cart.
On a stock, 3.3-horsepower, 48-volt electric engine, the carts have a top speed of about 40 kilometres per hour and a range of about 30 to 40 kilometres on a single charge; however, Holomis is designing a gas-electric engine for the carts so that if the carts run out of juice, users can switch to gas power with the flick of a switch and keep on cruising for as long as they want. The gas engine recharges the electric pack so the driver will be able to go back and forth between the two.
If the stock electric engine is not powerful enough, users can upgrade to a nine-horsepower cart and reach top speeds of 64 to 72 kilometres per hour. Another neat feature is that the carts are equipped with regenerative braking, which means the battery charges when the carts are moving downhill. Holomis can even install four-wheel drive kits on the carts.
“At that point, it just depends on how much people want to spend,” said Holomis. “The whole idea behind this for the off-road user is to be able to give them a side-by-side type of machine that is not hitting that $15,000 to $18,000 mark that a new (side-by-side) can sometimes reach."
He said that farmers, hunters, campground owners and others who want a quiet vehicle for work and play are choosing SC Carts.
A high-end toy shop
In addition to SC Carts, Holomis owns Simolo Customs—a custom fabrication and machining shop for motorcycles. Over the years, Holomis has built several custom choppers as well as high-end performance boats and turbos for snowmobiles. Because of that, he is turning Simolo Customs into more of an all-around custom fabrication shop for boats, snowmobiles and motorcycles. His projects, when complete, will be available for purchase.
To learn more about SC Carts, visit the company’s website or contact CL Trailer Sales in Cranbrook, B.C. For more information on Simolo Customs, visit the website.
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