If you’re thinking about running to Hy-Vee in your golf cart to pick up a gallon of milk, you may want to hold up on that thought.

As of July 1, South Dakota cities now have the option of allowing people to drive golf carts on city streets.

However, Brookings isn’t one of them.

Despite the fact that several area cities have given the green light to golf carts, City Attorney Steve Britzman said there is no ordinance on the local books, and no one in Brookings has approached him about the subject.

One possible reason for that, the attorney said, maybe due to the fact that “Brookings streets are busier, and it might come down to safety issues with speed.”

Nevertheless, Britzman said he and members of the city council would entertain dialogue about the possibility of drafting such an ordinance, if needed.

Police Chief Jeff Miller says Brookings has no ordinance in place that he is aware of that allows the use of golf carts on city streets, and he and his officers “have not had much for inquiries on this particular issue.”

For towns passing such an ordinance, golf carts generally have to be “street legal” with headlights and taillights. They must be insured, the driver must have a driver’s license and he (or she) must get a permit from their city.

Cities could also require golf carts to carry a sign or light warning that they are slow-moving vehicles.



Not on highways!

Golf carts cannot operate on state or county highways, except to cross from one side to the other.

Volga is one of a few area cities that recently gave golf carts the OK for cruising around town.

Nicole Rawden of the Volga finance office says it took readings on May 3 and June 7 to get the ordinance approved.

She said the city has issued four permits (with an annual fee of $25) since the law went into effect. Currently, there is no specific dollar amount assigned for a possible fine if someone is pulled over and doesn’t have the proper permit.

Quick, easy travel

Rawden says she thinks golf carts usage is gaining in popularity because it “allows residents in smaller towns the convenience to go a short distance if they just need to make a quick trip somewhere.”

She said it’s also more convenient for them to drive straight to their local golf course.

In Arlington a few years back, one resident used a golf car for years on the city streets – law or no law. One of the town’s leading citizens was well known for his customized, Rolls-Royce golf cart, and he zipped around town in it until the snow and ice made travel difficult.

Chester Frank, parts and service manager at NB Golf Cars and Sales in Hendricks, Minn., says he’s hasn’t seen a huge spike in the number of carts being sold, but he has noticed a few other things.

“In the last month, we’ve had a lot more people come in and want their carts modified to meet the requirements of this new ordinance,” he said. “More people have had us put on headlights, tail lights and do work on their brakes,” he said.

He said he’s also seen more people “upgrade” their carts by converting them from either a single or two-passenger to a four-passenger setup, using them like they would a small car.

“If the law makes this easier for people, it may be that they are using the carts in place of a car, especially for families – because it may just be easier to pick someone up if you need to go a short distance.”



Maybe here, too

Even though Brookings hasn’t joined the party, the cost of gasoline, environmental concerns and the affordability of a golf carts vs. cars and trucks make it likely some of the all-electric vehicles will pop up on city roadways, even if only for neighborhood use.

Another smaller, alternative vehicle more likely to be seen around town – along with three- and four-wheel ATVs, scooters and motorcycles – is the utility vehicle with side-by-side seating, already at use on many area farms and by local hunters.

Street legal, machines like the John Deere Gator and Polaris Ranger are like golf carts on steroids.

With gas engines, these small, 4x4 vehicles are pricey, but they can travel 40 miles an hour and haul a load of feed or a deer carcass.

Or pick up a couple of bags of groceries at Hy-Vee.



Contact Vicki Schuster at vschuster@brookingsregister.org.