Two new Motocaddy electric trolleys – electric push carts, if you will – are making the rounds in the North American marketplace. On the surface, you might think there’s nothing new or unusual with the new M1 DHC or the M5 GPS DHC.
You would, however, be wrong.
Since Day One, Motocaddy electric trolleys have dominated MyGolfSpy’s electric push-cart testing. If we’ve learned anything about Motocaddy over that time, it’s this:
There’s always something a little more going on than meets the eye.
“For the first time, we’ve gone out of our way to listen to U.S. customers,” Motocaddy VP of Sales Andy Warren tells MyGolfSpy. “The tweaks we’ve made on the new series make them best-in-class in the U.S.”
The new M1 and M5 electric trolleys (that’s what they call them in the UK) are fully manual, meaning they’re not remotely controlled. However, the new Motocaddy electric trolleys have a handful of new features that customers on this side of the pond have asked for to make them more applicable to how Americans play golf.
What are these new Motocaddy electric trolleys?
The Motocaddy M1 DHC and M5 GPS DHC are, on one hand, simply motorized push carts. Think of them like a self-propelled lawn mower. The battery turns the wheels but you still need to physically hold on to it and steer it as you would a regular push cart.
In the U.S., the burgeoning electric trolley market is heavily tilted to remote control. Americans love wandering down the fairway with our clubs toted by an R2D2-like caddie that we control with a little hand-held unit. In the UK, however, remote-control units make up less than 10 percent of the overall market. Over there, golfers are used to pushing an electric trolley on, for the most part, flatter courses. To make the M1 and M5 units more palatable, they needed to be Americanized.
Again, the upgrades aren’t what you’d call sexy but they are functional.
Take DHC, Down (Hill) Control.
“That’s not a standard feature in every market for Motocaddy,” says Warren. “It controls the speed when you go downhill so you won’t lose control.”
Sounds simple enough. However, if you normally play very flat courses it would never occur to you to control the trolley’s speed downhill. Over here, we have expectations, like not having to hold on to your self-propelled electric trolley for dear life any time you go downhill.
Brakes and tips
An electronic parking brake is another new standard U.S. feature on Motocaddy electric trolleys.
“If you’re on a side hill or near the green, you don’t want your trolley rolling away on you,” explains Warren. “Now it’s as simple as turning the speed dial all the way to the left to engage the parking brake.”
The electronic parking brake is standard for the Motocaddy M1 and M5 models. It’s not needed on the remote-controlled M7 models, as they have a dual motor. That cart won’t go anywhere until you engage the remote.
U.S. consumer demand has also prompted another change: a now-standard anti-tip rear wheel.
“This wasn’t something that was offered in prior M1 or M5 generations,” Warren says. “But U.S. customers asked for it. They don’t want their units falling over backward when going up a hill, so we took it to heart.”
Both the M1 DHC and M5 DHC GPS models have a retractable anti-tip wheel. It tucks into the caddy when it’s folded up after use.
Tower of power
The new M1 DHC and M5 GPS DHC also feature Motocaddy’s new lithium battery system, “CLICK ‘N’ CONNECT.” On previous models (as well as the current M7 remote-control trolleys), the lithium battery needs to be connected to a plug-in port on the trolley itself. The new battery is integrated into the trolley’s design and literally clicks into place.
Additionally, the battery automatically disconnects once you fold up the M1 or M5.
“The battery will shut off,” Warren explains. “You won’t run into a situation where you fold the unit up, stick it in your trunk and drain the battery because you forgot to unplug it.”
The new battery system will be standard in all future U.S. Motocaddy electric trolleys.
Warren says the Motocaddy lithium battery is designed to last as long as any battery on the market and carries a five-year warranty.
“That doesn’t mean the battery will be unusable in five years,” he adds. “It will have plenty of life if you take care of it. We have a customer in Minnesota with a 10-year-old battery that’s still chugging along.”
As for day-to-day use, a full charge should have no trouble going 36 holes, although Warren does warn that remote-control units and GPS will draw the battery down. A lot of left-right “military” golf on hilly courses will also draw the battery down. From personal experience on hilly courses in New Hampshire, I’ve never seen my battery fall below the 50 percent power level in three years of use.
Price and concessions
If you’re looking for a bargain-basement electric trolley, it won’t be a Motocaddy. It’s not the most expensive brand but it does trend toward premium.
That said, the Motocaddy M1 DHC is the company’s lowest-priced model in the U.S. market.
“At $899, we think it’s really competitive, especially when you compare our quality and features,” says Warren. “We have a two-year warranty on the unit and five on the battery. We have U.S.-based customer service in-house and can handle most issues over the phone.”
The Motocaddy M5 GPS DHC sells for $1,449. The big attraction, of course, is the on-board fully functional GPS. It features a 3.5-inch touchscreen with 40,000 courses. It provides full-hole mapping, dynamic green views, front-middle-back distances, score and stat-tracking and performance analysis. Additionally, you can connect to your phone via Bluetooth to receive call or text notifications and automatically update the unit’s software.
You used to have to pay a $69.99 annual subscription to get the full functionality out of the GPS. Motocaddy is getting rid of the subscription as another adjustment for the U.S. market.
“You do have to register the product, download our free app and pair it to the M5 unit,” Warren says. “But you’ll no longer have to pay an annual subscription fee.”
Evolving markets
It’s been an interesting four years for Motocaddy electric trolleys here in the U.S. Ever since setting up shop in California in 2021, the company has seen the market expand rapidly. It has established a strong retail and consumer base and has developed a thriving fleet business with country clubs and resorts.
Motocaddy has also learned that what plays in London, Liverpool and Leicester doesn’t necessarily play in San Diego, Cincinnati or Sarasota.
“A perfect example is our drink holder,” says Warren. “We started hearing from U.S. customers that our drink holder wasn’t big enough to hold the bigger water bottles we have here so we developed a new one that’s now our standard. We also developed an optional cooler bag for the U.S. for even more storage.”
As mentioned, the U.S. tends to be a remote-control unit market. Europeans prefer keeping their hands on their electric trolleys. The new Motocaddy M1 DHC and M5 GPS DHC units do have a unique function called Adjustable Distance Control, which splits the middle. It allows the unit to roll forward without you holding on to it for up to 45 yards. The unit knows how far it has gone based on the number of tire rotations. Once it’s covered a certain distance, it stops automatically.
“If you’ve got your hands on it, there’s no reason to use Adjustable Distance Control,” says Warren. “But if you want it to roll ahead of you without holding on, it’s a nice feature.”
Motocaddy electric trolleys: A good walk unspoiled
Nothing this side of jacked lofts gets a good, heated debate going among golfers than walking versus riding. Age, injury and relative health make carts a virtual necessity for many golfers. Additionally, we have plenty of courses in North America that aren’t what you’d call “walkable.” There are resort courses with a quarter mile between holes and hilly tracks like Wolf Creek in Nevada where even the mountain goats are saying “Screw this.”
That said, there’s an undeniable benefit to walking.
According to a 2024 survey of 2,700 golfers in the U.S. and Canada by Sporting Insights, 78 percent of the golfers who bought an electric caddie said they feel fitter, 74 percent said improving health was the No. 1 benefit of an electric caddie and 53 percent said they had more energy at the end of a round.
A 2022 study by the Colorado Center for Health and Sport Science reported players who use an electric caddie averaged 1.3 fewer shots per nine holes compared to golfers who ride.
It’s hard to deny that electric trolleys are a good idea. Over the past three years, I’ve yet to encounter anyone who’s said, “That thing’s stupid.” They want to know how long the battery lasts, whether it’s easy to use and what it costs.
Sometimes the conversation stops there, sometimes it doesn’t.
If you have a perfectly functional and relatively new push cart, an add-on like Alphard or the Caddie Wheel makes sense. However, for those who aren’t into the whole assembly-disassembly process or who want something simple and easy, there are choices.
I miss, I miss, I make
7 days ago
On a complete side note. I wonder what golf courses think of this? I play most of my golf at a muni where walking is certainly allowed but many opt for carts. Oddly they seem to be younger and maybe more casual. However the number of rentals might be anywhere from 30-50% of play. (my unscientific guess) I am all for walking. I use an old Sun Mountain push cart that has about a “million” rounds on it and love not needing to carry at my age (especially my back). So far these electric trolleys are still a small percentage but I wonder what courses might think if say regular cart rentals drop significantly? Would they raise green fees? Just a thought. Signed 100% walker