Maneuvering a bulky, oversized golf cart can quickly derail a relaxing day on the greens. But what exactly constitutes a properly-sized cart built for the course?
The ideal width for a standard golf cart falls between 47 and 52 inches wide in order to comfortably seat passengers and navigate cart paths, terrain, tunnels, and bridges throughout a golf course.
Let’s dive into the specifics behind common golf cart widths and why this dimension range has become the golfing industry standard.
How Wide Is A Golf Cart?
The average width of a standard four-passenger golf cart is between 47 and 52 inches.
More specifically, popular electric golf cart models like the Club Car Precedent, EZGO TXT, and Yamaha Drive typically measure 48 inches wide from the outer edges on each side without any modifications or accessories installed.
Six-passenger golf carts may be slightly wider at approximately 52 inches wide.
Customizations like larger tires/wheels, mesh nets, steps, and accessories can add a few additional inches, but most standard golf carts conform to under 60 inch width limitations that allow maneuvering on cart paths and course infrastructure.
So in summary, a standard golf cart’s width is generally about 4 feet (48 inches) from side to side.
What is A Golf Cart?
A golf cart is a small low-speed vehicle that is often used to travel short distances, most commonly on a golf course. Golf carts typically have three or four wheels and seat two to six people, including the driver.
They are powered by batteries which provide an emission-free and quiet way to travel around golf courses when playing a round of golf. The first electric golf cart was created back in 1932 by the Victor Adding Machine company.
Since then, golf carts have become ubiquitous on most golf courses around the world. They allow golfers to easily and efficiently travel between holes without expending significant energy walking the entire course.
There are a few different types of golf carts. Traditional four-wheeled golf carts have two passenger seats in the front and two rear-facing seats in the back. There are also now six-seater options available with stadium-style or bench seating to fit additional passengers.
Smaller golf carts may only have two seats. Some newer models also come as four-wheeled golf cars that resemble more of a small electric car than a traditional golf cart.
When people typically imagine a golf cart, they picture the standard four-wheeled cart with open sides that has become commonplace on courses.
Standard Golf Cart Width
A standard electric golf cart that seats four passengers is generally between 47 and 52 inches wide from the outer edges on each side.
More specifically, popular models like the Club Car Precedent and EZGO TXT and RXV average about 48 inches wide without any accessories or customizations.
Yamaha and Polaris golf carts are typically around 47 inches wide, while some larger six-seater Club Car models measure closer to 52 inches at their widest point. Width can fluctuate slightly depending on the golf cart manufacturer, model, and seating capacity.
The width of a golf cart is an important factor to consider because the vehicle needs to be able to safely and efficiently navigate golf cart paths, which have standardized widths, as well as drive through areas like tunnels, gates and bridges throughout a golf course.
If a golf cart is excessively wide, it may not be able to pass through some narrower areas of a golf course without difficulty. Most courses design their cart paths and obstacles to accommodate a standard 47 to 52 inch electric golf cart.
Some of the key factors that influence golf cart width include the overall size based on number of seats, whether there are panels along the sides or mesh nets for safety.
If larger aftermarket tires or wheels have been installed, and additional accessories or customizations like ball cleaners, club holders or bags that extend outwards and add overall width. All of these can impact just how wide a specific golf cart ends up being.
Reasons for Golf Cart Width
There are a few important reasons why standard golf carts have settled into that typical 47 to 52 inch width range. First and foremost, that width allows golf carts to safely navigate most golf cart paths and terrain throughout a course without being too large.
Cart paths are generally standardized at 60 inches wide on full-size golf courses to allow two carts to pass each other if needed. With an average cart width of 48 inches, this leaves a reasonable buffer on both sides for carts to drive.
Some older or smaller executive-style courses may have more narrow 50 inch cart paths, in which case smaller sub-compact golf carts are sometimes used.
Another reason why golf carts adhere to a typical size is to ensure enough room for passengers to sit comfortably side-by-side in multiple rows of seats. The average width of an adult’s shoulders can be over 20 inches.
With two passengers in the front row alone, that accounts for over 40 inches before factoring the buffer space in between passengers.
A wider bench style seat may accommodate more viewers. But standard individual bucket seats require a few inches of space in between to comfortably fit two larger individuals.
There are also practical considerations around transporting and storing golf carts that make it beneficial for them to fall under a standard size. Most golf carts need to be driven on and off a trailer to be shuttled from a storage facility to the course and back on a daily basis.
They also may need to be stored in a cart barn or other storage areas during inclement weather or overnight. If golf carts were excessively wide, it would limit transport and storage options and require much more expensive, specialized trailers and facilities.
Measuring Your Golf Cart’s Width
If you need to measure the width of your own golf cart for any reason, there are a couple key things to keep in mind. First, make sure to measure from the absolute widest outer points on each side, typically from the outside edge of the rear tires or wheels.
This will give you the overall maximum width that you would need to account for to fit through a space. Make sure any accessories or steps extenders that may protrude outwards over the wheels are included in the measurement if installed.
The most precise way to measure golf cart width will be by using a measuring tape. Start on one outer side of the cart at the wheel or body panel if it sticks out further.
Stretch the tape straight horizontally across the very center of the cart to the outermost point on the opposite side. Somewhere in the 47 to 52 inch range would be expected depending on your specific model, seating capacity and any customizations that have been added.
If you do not have an exact measuring tape available, you can also use a yardstick, piece of string that you then measure, or any other household object that has length demarcations on it. A standard 16 inch 2×4 stud or 12 inch ruler could work as a substitute measuring stick as well.
Just make sure whatever substitute method you use gives you an accurate horizontal measurement from the absolute widest points across the entire width of the golf cart for maximum accuracy.
Width Regulations for Golf Carts
Most golf courses do not have explicitly stated width limitations or regulations for golf carts in terms of inches. Instead, they are designed with standardized cart paths wide enough to easily accommodate 47-52 inch carts.
However, some courses or homeowner associations may have guidelines, rules or laws surrounding modified oversized golf carts. This would most commonly impact custom lifted carts with large mud tires that can push overall width well beyond a normal range.
In some municipalities, golf cart width regulations match those allowed on public roads without special permitting. For instance, Wisconsin limits golf cart width to no more than 60 inches without approval.
Georgia also adheres to a 60 inch maximum outside width. Courses in these states therefore technically could prohibit carts exceeding five feet wide.
However, enforcement is generally rare unless a vehicle is excessively oversized and causing issues driving on paths or trailing through narrow gates and entrances.
Owners should check their specific state or city statues to understand width limitations on modified golf carts to avoid citations or course rules violations.
Golf carts that have been customized to be excessively wide can cause problems on the course beyond just rule violations.
First, they may have difficulty actually driving down golf cart paths without hanging over the edges, causing damage from turf wear or hindering other players passing by.
Oversized width will also make navigating tunnels, bridges and other infrastructure quite difficult on most courses.
And if an extremely wide golf cart cannot fit through the course gates or entrance, it likely will not be allowed beyond the parking lot anyway due to playability issues.
So while a typical four or six seated golf cart almost always falls well within normal restrictions, owners looking to dramatically modify width should check with both state vehicle codes and their home courses.
There are always limits, especially when two carts need to be able to conveniently pass each other on paths throughout an entire 18 hole course and surrounding infrastructure. Excess width leads to traffic jams and frustration for all players.
Courses have the right to prohibit non-standard vehicles that can not navigate easily throughout the terrain. Rules help ensure all golfers can enjoy their round.
Conclusion
In most cases, standard electric golf carts have settled into an average width range of about 47 to 52 inches wide.
This allows them to comfortably seat two to six passengers side-by-side, drive down 60 inch golf cart paths with room to spare, and maneuver through the infrastructure present on a course.
Golf cart widths are generally not regulated explicitly by inches, but excessive width can cause playability and convenience issues for both the oversized vehicle and other players.
So when measuring your own golf cart or considering modifications, understanding normal width limitations and reasons for those standards can help ensure your vehicle fits well within course guidelines and gets you around the course smoothly all 18 holes.
