Table of Content
- Are Golf Carts Easy to Steal?
- How Do You Secure a Golf Cart from Theft?
- What is the Best Way to Lock a Golf Cart?
- Can You Put an Alarm on A Golf Cart?
- Do Golf Carts Have Unique Keys?
- Do Golf Carts Have Trackers?
- Do Golf Carts Have GPS?
- Does Golf Cart Insurance Cover Theft?
- Time to Increase My Golf Cart Security?
After spending your hard-earned dollars on a brand-new golf cart, the last thing you want is for it to be stolen by a callous thief.
But unfortunately, golf cart manufacturers don’t invest a great deal of energy into ensuring their carts are difficult to steal.
So, how do you make your golf cart more secure? What’s the best way to lock a golf cart? And what’s the deal with golf cart keys?
We explain everything you need to know about securing your golf cart below, so you can deter those pesky thieves!
Are Golf Carts Easy to Steal?
The fact that most golf carts have the same keys makes them relatively easy to steal if you don’t take the necessary precautions. For instance, if you own an EZ-GO golf cart, another EZ-GO cart owner could potentially use their key to take your cart.
What’s more, most golf carts don’t come with a great deal of anti-theft mechanisms installed, so you will need to add things like alarms and steering wheel locks yourself.
The best way to keep your golf cart safe is by keeping it inside (ideally in the garage), with a pedal or steering wheel lock attached. If you leave your golf cart outside, you make things easier for potential thieves, who only really need a matching key to drive away in your prized asset.
How Do You Secure a Golf Cart from Theft?
The best ways to secure a golf cart from theft are beefing up storage security, using steering locks, using a unique ignition key, kill switch installation, and having an alarm fitted with visible stickers to deter would-be thieves.
Securing your golf cart from theft requires a combination of common sense and some anti-theft techniques.
Here’s what we recommend:
- When not in use, store your golf cart in a locked garage and remove the key.
- Invest in a pedal or steering wheel lock and keep the key separate from your cart keys. Make sure you attach the additional locks every evening.
- Given that you can use your golf cart key to drive practically any other golf cart of the same make and model, it’s a good idea to invest in a unique key. You can ask a golf cart dealer to produce a unique key for your cart, which will cost a little extra.
- You can also install a hidden kill switch on your golf cart. Therefore, when not in use, you can activate the kill switch, causing a would-be thief to think there’s a mechanical issue with the cart.
- Another option is to install an alarm on your golf cart. There are so many different types of alarms you can buy, and a quick search on Amazon will highlight the best options for your cart.
Although golf carts are relatively easy to steal, employing the above tips and practicing common sense will protect your cart from would-be thieves.
What is the Best Way to Lock a Golf Cart?
The best way to lock a golf cart is to invest in a pedal lock or steering wheel lock. Pedal locks attach to the accelerator of your cart and can only be opened by a master key. If a thief doesn’t have the pedal key, they can’t remove the lock, and they’re unable to operate the golf cart.
A steering wheel lock prevents thieves from moving the steering wheel, as the name suggests.
Depending on the lock you invest in, you can slip it over the steering wheel at night before attaching and locking it with a master key.
For the best level of protection, it’s a smart move to invest in a steering wheel and pedal lock for your golf cart. Just make sure you keep the keys separate from your golf cart key, as you don’t want to make life easy for thieves!
You should also keep your golf cart behind a locked door each and every night, as opposed to covered in the yard. Parking your cart in a locked garage is best from a safety perspective and will make it much more difficult for thieves to access it.
Can You Put an Alarm on A Golf Cart?
Yes, attaching an alarm to your golf cart is a smart anti-theft move. Thankfully, there are lots of different alarms you can attach to your golf cart, so you can select an option that matches your budget and safety preferences.
You can install light alarms, audio alarms, or tracker alarms, depending on what you’re looking for when it comes to securing your golf cart. You can order golf cart alarms online, and most of them come with easy-to-install instructions.
Just be mindful of the fact that thieves can disable alarms or remove them from your golf cart, particularly when they’re not built-in by the manufacturer.
As such, you shouldn’t rely solely on an alarm to protect your golf cart, and you should use them in conjunction with some of the other anti-theft tips we’ve already introduced.
Do Golf Carts Have Unique Keys?
No, most golf carts come with standard-issue keys that can operate any other golf cart of the same make and model. If you’ve ever hired a cart from a fleet at a golf club, you will probably be aware that the key you’re issued with can power any of the carts sitting in front of you.
In some respects, this is a good thing. After all, if you lose your golf cart key, you can easily and cheaply order a replacement from your dealer. It also enables you to keep several replacement keys on hand at home, so you can attach them to your various sets of keys.
However, from an anti-theft standpoint, the fact that all golf cart keys are the same is problematic.
If a thief gets hold of a master key for a particular make and model of a golf cart, there’s nothing stopping them from stealing as many carts as they like that can be operated with that key.
The good news is that you can ask your dealer to create a unique key for your golf cart. While this is more expensive, it’s undoubtedly worth the investment and will protect your cart from theft.
Do Golf Carts Have Trackers?
Most golf carts do not come with trackers installed as standard. However, there’s no reason why you can’t invest in a golf cart tracker and install it yourself. Companies like Cart Trac offer a range of tracking options that allow you to monitor your golf cart.
You can hardwire the tracking unit into your golf cart, and it connects to GPS to enable you to follow the movements of your golf cart. When you log in to the associated app on your smartphone or tablet, you can then track your golf cart and identify its current location.
One of the best things about installing a tracker on your golf cart is that it’s hard to spot and difficult to disable, particularly if a thief doesn’t know it’s there.
While it requires additional investment, opting for a golf cart tracker is one of the best anti-theft devices you can install, and it leaves you with a chance of recovering your cart if it is stolen.
Do Golf Carts Have GPS?
Golf carts don’t typically come with GPS as standard. Installing a GPS unit in your golf cart can be costly, and although it can help you with distances out on the course and directions if you use your golf cart in your community, it isn’t really necessary.
It’s better to buy a phone holder for your cart windscreen so you can use your smartphone as your golf cart’s GPS system.
This way, you can utilize technology that you already have and don’t need to splash out on an expensive GPS system.
The only time that a GPS system is particularly useful in a golf cart is when it’s used in conjunction with a tracker, as already introduced. A tracker helps to keep tabs on your cart and will help you recover your cart if it’s stolen, so it’s undoubtedly a worthwhile investment.
Does Golf Cart Insurance Cover Theft?
If you want to be covered for theft and damage to your own cart, you will need to opt for comprehensive insurance coverage. If you opt for collision coverage, you’re only covered if you damage someone else’s golf cart.
Before taking out additional golf cart coverage, you should check if your home or vehicle insurance covers your golf cart or whether you can amend your policy to ensure your cart is protected from theft.
Some states require golf cart coverage by law, so you will need to check the requirements, particularly if you plan on driving your golf cart anywhere but the golf course.
So, to answer the question directly, you can opt for comprehensive golf cart insurance if you want it to cover theft. But as is the case with any type of insurance, make sure you read the terms and conditions carefully, as well as the policy information to ensure you know what you’ve signed up for.
Time to Increase My Golf Cart Security?
As impressive as they are, golf carts fall short when it comes to theft protection. If you don’t take the necessary steps to secure your golf cart with anti theft devices, you run the risk of losing out to a thief.
Hopefully, you’re now in a position to bolster the security of your golf cart and keep your prized asset safe and secure at your home.