Vail Valley’s Sonnenalp Golf Club adopts a new way to get around the golf course.
RICK REIMERS’ passion for improving the golf experience has resulted in the invention of golf bags that are lighter, have spring-loaded legs and straps across both shoulders. Now the Sun Mountain Sports founder is taking on slow play with the Finn Cycle. A single-rider electric-motor cycle that travels at the same speed and with the same stability as a golf car, the Finn Cycle allows each player to go directly to their ball.
“They got a great response,” says Pete Roach, the PGA Professional at Vail Valley’s Sonnenalp Golf Club, which last year was the only Colorado course on the list of more than 70 across the U.S. to feature them. “They’re fun, super-easy to operate and maneuver, the bag goes in the center-line downtube, they have hand-brakes and there’s no shifting gears.”
Sun Mountain Motor Sports’ unique revenue-sharing model enabled the private club/resort course to put eight Finn Cycles into use last May, and players logged hundreds of rounds. This year, the golf shop will feature a kiosk where users can rent and unlock one simply by using an app on their phones.
“They definitely get around a bit quicker,” Roach says, comparing the Finn Cyclists to other players. “But we have never had a problem with pace of play. That’s really determined by the group ahead of you.”
The real appeal? “They’re fun to ride and just look cool.” finnscooters.com
This article was also featured in the April 2020 issue of Colorado AvidGolfer.
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