1080 miles, 780 hours, 180 rounds, 5 years and still going strong!!! Bag Boy Navigator Quad Gyro

[jnagel]

Based on MyGolfSpy Recommendations, I plunked down $1500 (sale price with coupon) on the Bag Boy Navigator Quad Gyro in July of 2018 and have never looked back.  I will comment on this specific model and features (it has been replaced by a newer version, but maybe you are looking at used one), and will additionally provide a short survival guide on using these carts and some of the considerations (and annoyances) of golfing with these in general.

Let's get this out of the way first though:  golfing with an electric push cart is how God intended this game to be played.  It is a joy to be able to walk the golf course unhindered by carrying a bag or pushing a cart.  Personally, I have always struggled to carry as I have a knee injury from childhood that can't take lugging around the additional weight.  Push carts sound great, but did you know they are actually worse for your shoulders than carrying a bag?  When you extend your arms forward and basically slouch to push those bad boys up a hill, you are impinging your rotator cuff tendons and potentially aggravating those (well, maybe you have perfect posture doing this, but I don't).  So already having shoulder issues makes pushing a bad option for me.  Enter the remote controlled cart.

In July 2018 I had just joined a private club that actually allows you to use your own push cart.  Yes, you read that correctly.  Most of the private courses in this area won't let you bring your own push cart (regular or electric)...they provide a number of regular push carts to use (some rent, some are no charge).  I was previously at a club like that, so joining this club I was looking forward to walking as much as possible and using an electric cart.  It turns out a fair amount of members have their own electric push carts (I would say 75ish), so in the past 5 years I've played with golfers who have used them for years and those who recently got one. 

Every golfer who just got one says the same 2 things, but mind you, these are people who like to walk and who play regularly:

1. Best money on golf equipment I have ever spent
2. I wish I had done this sooner

Every golfer I've asked who has been using one for years says those same two things as well.  That's quite an endorsement and I totally agree.

 

Comparing the Bag Boy to many other models (older and newer), would have me call out the following positives:

1. Super quiet ... wonderfully quiet.  Did I mention it's quiet?  Many other models you can hear from 15 yards away.  Their gears make a soft grinding/blender like sound.  Not obnoxiously loud, but let me tell you, when somebody is rolling one of those up on you when you are over the ball, it's annoying.  And then if you duff the shot, well of course it was the noise lol.  You get the point.
2. Amazing battery life ... this started with 45 holes of battery life, and I still have that 5 years later (charging it roughly once a week during the season, so 120ish charges).  That's pretty awesome.  

 

Negatives of this model compared to others:

1. The bag holding design, ahem, sucks.  The cradle for holding the top of the bag lands short of the top of the bag on most cart bags (I currently have a taller bag but it's the same with say a Sun Mountain C130).  It lands under the bag collar, on a soft part of the body, and crushes into the bag, making pulling those clubs in the back out difficult (I believe the newer version is better).  You can see in the photos I made a custom setup using PVC to support the bag.  Probably a little excessive, but hey, I'm picky.
2. The gyro feature that keeps this tracking straight has one major flaw.  It applies power to the "low" wheel to level the cart, which works smooth and fine on regular hilly terrain.  Where it becomes a problem are on tree roots and deep ruts, where the cart tips unevenly and the low wheel gets hung up and can't overcome the obstacle.  The wheel goes faster and faster, where it will start to spin, and it keeps going faster and when it finally catches purchase...wham!  Over it goes on its side.  All of these carts are prone to tipping over on bumpy terrain and severely sloping areas, but this feature makes this version harder to handle in those circumstances (your only option is to hit the panic stop button and manually help the cart out of the situation).  Users of newer versions of this cart report this behavior has changed and the power is now reduced on the high wheel, slowing it down along with the cart as a whole which should be so much better.  Thinking of it, I'll reach out to Bag Boy to see if maybe there is a firmware update for my model.

Remote Cart Survival Guide:

1. There are a few helpful tips, but there is one, simple, essential thing to know:  HIT THE STOP BUTTON!!!  Train yourself to do this.  The down arrow on the controller makes it go slower, all the way to it's slowest forward setting.  It will never make it stop.  So when this cart is moving, crawling, ever so slowly at the bumper of your new car (or a pond), and you are pushing the down arrow again and again screaming stop, it's not gonna happen.  Practice hitting the stop button, and make it second nature.  Practice it more than anything else, like you practice driver at the range.  Yeah, we know, you go to the range saying I'm gonna dial in the short game today, but lets keep it real.
2. A helpful tip is don't take your eyes off your cart when it's moving...as much as possible.  If you do, or should I say anticipate that you will, hit the stop button.  It's easy to forget about your cart and the next thing you know it's in a ditch, or a pond, or running up the base of a tree (there are endless options).  Make sure you actually see it stop, too.
3. These things tip over quite easily, so pay attention to what you are running them through.  Some of the steeper areas will cause them to spill over, so try and keep them on manageable areas.  A good rule of thumb is to use it like a riding cart.  Keep it on steady slopes and out of extreme undulations.

Lastly, some considerations.  

Biggest Annoyances:

• Your bag will have much more exposure to the elements.  It will fade out much more quickly.  It will also be much wetter in the rain if you don't use a full cover.
• They are heavy.  Hoisting them in and out of the car is not trivial.  More than worth it in my opinion, but if you struggle with 40 or so pounds, this isn't a great option.
• As mentioned before, they are prone to tipping over, and thus require additional care and attention while playing a round of golf.  Your day would be quickly ruined if you damaged one of your golf clubs.
• It can be a distraction when playing at first...not quite as bad as bringing an in-law to play with your buddies and it turns out they are not aware of basic etiquette, but close.
• They will get beat up over time, so don't obsess over scratches etc.  Sandy dirt will definitely get in the small spots, between hinges etc, and the plastic will scratch up.   

 

Biggest Advantages:

• Complete freedom when you play.  Truly how golf was meant to be played.
• You can lug all of the stuff you want around the course.  Not just by stuffing your bag full, but you can rig up various things on the cart itself.  For example, I had a way to attach a 40 oz Hydroflask during the pandemic as they weren't putting water out on the course.  Ball retriever...why not?
• You can bring it to play pretty much anywhere.  We go downstate to play Bethpage at least once a year and the Black course is walking only.

 

So there you have it!  I was trying to just hit the critical points here, so I'm sure there is plenty to add as that can be pretty subjective.  For those on the fence about moving to a remote cart, hopefully this will give you the nudge to move forward.  Truthfully the biggest reservation most people have is the cost, but look at it like this:  5 years in for a $1500 purchase price is $300 a year.  That's the same as riding 15 times a year at $20 for a cart rental.  If you're already exclusively walking, there are other ways to justify the investment, but the point is the cost annualized is not that bad (and I intend to get another 5 years out of this thing).

Were I to buy a new cart, I would definitely look to the newest version of this: MGI Zip Navigator AT (the original Bag Boy Navigator Quad is actually sourced from MGI).  I've seen pretty much all of them out there and there isn't a compelling reason I see to switch.  When one of these manufacturers realizes that the form factor doesn't have to look like a traditional push cart, and they could focus on stability, I would switch to that model.

 

[cksurfdude]

Good info; good review.

I was gifted an MGI Zip Navigator by my wife and am really happy with it! We were manual push cart users before that; and having the Bag Boy Quad XLs I got her the Alphard eWheels and she's really happy with that (especially going uphill!).

The one big feature mine is missing is a "follow me" function - that's becoming more popular.

[jnagel]

10 hours ago, cksurfdude said:

Good info; good review.

I was gifted an MGI Zip Navigator by my wife and am really happy with it! We were manual push cart users before that; and having the Bag Boy Quad XLs I got her the Alphard eWheels and she's really happy with that (especially going uphill!).

The one big feature mine is missing is a "follow me" function - that's becoming more popular.

Thanks!  Both of those carts are on my short list as well.  I realize I said quite definitively I would move to the newer model of my existing cart, but I would certainly be open to changing for more stability. The Alphard on a sprawling push cart is insanely stable. And definitely, "follow me" (done correctly of course) would be an amazing feature and would take some of the distraction out of using one of these.  And what I mean by done correctly is that you have to be within a few feet of it or something like that.  There are these carts with a follow me feature and you can page them by clicking a button on the remote.  The problem is if there is something between you and the cart (say, ahem, a pond), in it will go.  There were quite a few guys at my club who have that one that wound up just disabling that function (it also would beep quite loudly...super annoying).  I only bring that up as a word of caution to anyone looking ... I think historically you had to go with the pricier options for follow me...but it looks like the Alphard could be the answer!  I was eyeing the Alphard hard based on their "follow me" add on, so we will see what the future holds   Thanks again!