Club Car of Hilton Head owners Becky, Mac, Ben and Annie Andrew
When you look around you, the signs are everywhere. In the Old Town Bluffton Promenade, where one end of the wide green space previously served as a somewhat thinning patch of parking for golf carts once stood, there are now actual spaces reserved for our battery-powered rides. When Oscar Frazier Park’s famed Field of Dreams was given a recent facelift, it included brand-new spots right on Pin Oak Street for carts. These signs all point to one thing: Golf carts (and their more upscale cousins, golf cars) have taken over Old Town Bluffton.
Of course, they’ve always been the vehicle of choice for residents of Old Town, not to mention Sun City, Palmetto Bluff and essentially every gated community in town. It’s just that, a few years ago, a lot of us found ourselves with disposable stimulus money and a sudden lack of vacation plans. When that perfect storm happened, we snapped up every golf car we could get our hands on.
In fact, if you visited the Club Car of Hilton Head showroom at the height of the pandemic, you might have been surprised by a noticeable lack of … well, almost everything. We, as a town, literally bought everything in stock.
Club Car of Hilton Head offers a variety of golf cars, including the luxurious LSV’s by Garia.
“Coming out of COVID, it was super hard to get anything,” said Annie Andrews, who owns Club Car of Hilton Head along with her husband Ben. “Now we’re fully stocked up on new cars, plus parts are easier to get. So, we’re returning to normal.”
She’s only partially right. Walk into Club Car today, and you’ll see the same glittering array of high-end, family-friendly and tricked-out cars that once lined the sales floor in the days before COVID. But you’ll also find that Club Car has left “normal” behind, adding some new models that will turn heads no matter where you park.
Craig Morrison works on a gas-powered Club Car
Among them is a fleet of slick new vehicles that are redefining what a golf cart can be, literally and figuratively. Literally, in the sense that many of them are classified as Low Speed Vehicles (LSVs), offering greater speed and safety features than traditional golf cars. But figuratively, in the way they change the entire experience.
Part of the Garia line of golf cars, a brand purchased by Club Car just a few years ago, these stunning LSVs speak to a growing trend that drives luxury ever forward. “It’s like the next level of luxury golf cart,” Annie said. “They have refrigerators, backup cameras, heated windshields with wipers … it’s pretty much a luxury car.”
Not only do these Garia carts elevate the experience of traversing Bluffton at 25 mph with high-end sophistication and comfort, but they pack a high-tech new advancement under the hood. Having moved past traditional acid batteries to longer lasting lithium batteries, these cars are pushing the technological envelope even as they redefine the experience.
Andy Santiago aligns an Onward
“Lithium is the future of golf cart batteries,” Annie said. “They have a much longer range, don’t require monthly maintenance, and are warrantied for up to six years. And the technology is just getting better and better.”
The Club Car of Hilton Head Team
Between Club Car’s gorgeous and reliable golf cars including the ultra-luxurious Garia lineup of golf cars and LSVs, we’re watching the evolution of the golf car happen in real time at the Bluffton showroom. As a way of getting around, it’s evolved from a cheap and easy alternative to driving our cars everywhere to a true statement of class, elegance and style. As a technology, it has advanced alongside the growing adoption of electric vehicles.
But at the Bluffton-based Club Car of Hilton Head, one thing hasn’t changed. “This is the brand you know and the family you know and trust,” Annie said. “We want everyone’s experience here to be positive. We’re with you not just the day you buy your golf car, but as long as you have it in your garage.”
That positive experience starts with a no-pressure sales environment in the showroom then continues with an open-door policy that never expires. If you get a flat, if you—let’s say hypothetically—run your golf car into a mailbox, they’re right there to take care of you.
Parts and Rental Manager Clif Rogers
Because ultimately, everyone at Club Car is experiencing the same Bluffton State of Mind as you are. And they understand that living that state of mind means enjoying peace of mind that your golf car will be there for your next trip down Calhoun Street.
“We want to be the official transportation of the Bluffton State of Mind,” Annie said. “We have the inventory now. We have a greater selection of amazing golf cars than we’ve ever had, and we’re ready when you are.”
To learn more, visit clubcarhhi.com.
