Because he’d bought one of the flashiest golf buggies in the country, David Judson thought it was about time he manufactured a golf game to match.
Both events – the purchase of his Ford California Roadster, and his membership of Windaroo Lakes Golf Club – came just on 12 months ago but already David concedes the class of his conveyance has outstripped the quality of his golf.
“But I’m improving,” says the 36-year-old carpenter from Cornubia.
“I was just an occasional weekend hacker, but when I bought the cart I thought I had better join a club and play to a standard that matched the quality of my cart. And while that hasn’t quite happened as yet, my handicap has come down from 36 to 28 in the past six months and a few weeks ago I had 44 stableford points in my best round to date.
“I’m playing fairly regularly but, I must admit, the cart sometimes draws unwanted attention to me and my golf.”
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David’s cart once had a more salubrious life. It was used by a confectionary company as a promotional tool at Sanctuary Cove. And when the owner had to dispose of some assets, David was in the right place at the right time.
“I think he paid $12,000 for the cart. I bought it for a little better than that,” he revealed.
The cart is not only unusual in its shape, but has two options for carrying two sets of golf clubs.
It has a boot, which means that instead of the golf clubs being stored upright on the back – as is commonplace – they are lying down rather than standing. But the boot lid is removable, and the clubs can then be housed on the back, standing.
Either way, according to Dave, the clubs are still easily accessible
A normal golf cart is 2.4 metres long, whereas David’s California Roadster is three metres in length. And while the cart isn’t difficult to manoeuvre around the golf course, it does attract unsolicited stares.
“Just recently a wedding group at the club noticed me driving by and wanted a photo with it,” he said.
“That isn’t a big deal, but sometimes I get the feeling that this kind of attention annoys other people. While I may be the envy of some members, others probably think I’m a mug lair.”
And as such, David is open to offers for the sale of his cart. It is – he believes – one of only four in Australia and is valued at $15,000.