Push v electric trolleys

We examine the pros and cons of push v electric trolleys to help you make the best decision for your game and bank balance

The benefits of the modern golf trolley are well known, with the majority of club golfers, be it male or female, young or old, choosing to employ one instead of carrying their bag on their shoulders.

Technology and innovation has been on fast forward mode in recent years, with developments in design, materials and navigation making models in both the push and electric trolley world fold down smaller and quicker and easier to manoeuvre out on the course.

So how do you go about choosing between a push and an electric trolley? It can be hard, because there are many factors to consider.

The first is price. If you’re not willing to invest heavily in your trolley, a push trolley might be the better option for you. They start at around £100 whereas electric trolleys usually start at around double that.

Push trolleys are powered manually, and therefore tend to work best on flatter courses. That said, the wheel bearings are so sophisticated these days they tend to glide seamlessly along the fairway and with your arm out in front of you, the strain on your body is limited.

But it is a strain nonetheless and one could argue this energy would be better conserved for the back nine of your round. If you had an electric trolley, this would certainly be the case. Electric trolleys are also more fun to use and come with many useful features like a automatic distance function, which you can set off to go to the next tee while you putt out, a USB charging port for your GPS device, a lost ball timer and many others.

Opt for a push trolley, and you’ll likely get a trolley that folds down much smaller than an electric trolley, fitting in some of the smallest car boots around. They’re often quicker to put together and don’t come with the added stress of having to charge a battery.

Hopefully our video above has helped you in making this important decision. Whichever route you go down, your enjoyment level is sure to go up and you’ll find the added features that come on the handle units – like ball, drinks and scorecard holders – especially useful.

Pros of a push trolley

• Push trolleys tend to be cheaper
• Ideal for flatter courses
• Most come with a foot break, electric trolleys don’t and have to be positioned carefully on slopes
• Many push trolleys fold down much smaller, ideal if you have a tiny boot
• Don’t have to worry about charging the battery
• Easy to set up on arrival to the course

Pros of an electric trolley

• Battery powered - you still get the exercise but not the strain on your body
• Come with additional features like automatic distance and shot measurement
• Electric trolleys are more receptive to larger golf bags that offer more storage
• Excellent for hilly courses
• Save valuable energy for the last few holes of a round
• Fun to use!