8/10/2009
By TIM UNRUH/Salina Journal

COURTLAND -- Gaynell Delay's morning routine includes visiting the post office and meeting friends for coffee -- driving a golf cart.

Some mornings, she reports to her part-time job at the Courtland Journal newspaper office in her electric buggy. From her home on the west edge of the town, which is about a square mile in size, Delay's major mode of transportation is the golf cart. Her husband, Charlie, rides along occasionally.

"In the evenings, we go for a ride after supper. I like to see what's going on in town," said Gaynell, 73.

Neither plays golf. There isn't a links at Courtland, but the golf cart gets more use than their car.

"It's easy to get around with them," Gaynell said.

She's not alone in Courtland, population 300, where at least 20 of the carts are commonly used to move around in the city, and the trend is catching on in other small Kansas towns.

Smaller and quieter than a car, the golf carts are seen daily around Courtland, where they are allowed on any street, provided they have a slow-moving-vehicle sign on the back and an orange flag on a 6-foot Fiberglas pole.

"That was so we could see them in parking stalls," said Janet Weir, Courtland city clerk.

"We have a lot of elderly people. Golf carts are their means of transportation," she said.

After knee and hip replacement surgeries, Delay said she can't walk the three blocks from her home to downtown Courtland.

"It saves on the car, gas and everything. It comes in real handy," she said of her golf cart, the third the couple have owned. Charlie charges up the battery about three times a week.

"I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have it," Gaynell Delay said.

That includes most winter months.

"I wrap up and away I'll go," she said.

Kensington, population 500 or thereabouts, has up to 10 golf cart owners, including City Councilman George Powell.

"But there are two or three more talking about getting them," and quite a few have all-terrain vehicles, Powell said.

"I've got a house on the south end of town that I'm working on, and we go out for a ride about every night," Powell said, referring to his wife, Sandy, and their dog, Sheba.

"We enjoy it. It's something to do. We don't put up with kids horsing around with them. They've gotta be licensed drivers," George Powell said.

The economy has a lot to do with the popularity of golf carts, he said.

"I filled up my golf cart in April. In two weeks, I might have to fill it up again," Powell said. His cart holds up to eight gallons of fuel.

Driving his pickup truck around Kensington, Powell, 73, said he will use a tank a week "doing what I do with the golf cart. It saves me a lot of fuel."

Folks in Kensington can drive golf carts anywhere but on U.S. Highway 36 or Main Street, which is Kansas Highway 248. You can, however, cross Main Street, Powell said.

Golf carts and work-site utility vehicles have been illegal on city streets until this year, said Sandy Jacquot, general counsel with the League of Kansas Municipalities, Topeka. Only ATVs were allowed.

The Kansas Legislature this past spring allowed towns to pass ordinances permitting golf carts on streets with speed limits of 30 mph or less, she said. Also allowed, pending a local ordinance, are utility vehicles such as Gators or Mules and micro-utility trucks -- tiny pickups.

The change was for a couple of reasons, Jacquot said.

"Gas prices are up astronomically and in small cities it would be an economical way to get around," she said. Conveniences include less crowding on streets and parking lots.

Courtland passed its ordinance July 1, city clerk Weir said. The state requires golf cart drivers to have a valid license. They have to stay off of streets with a higher speed limit and can't be used between sunrise and sunset.

Golf carts have been used at Courtland and other towns for years. Jacquot said, because traffic laws were not enforced.

"Small towns have always kind of looked the other way. At least they're legal now," Weir said.

With some rules to live by, she said, "It makes it safer for everyone."

Courtland added the orange flag requirement. The total cost for the safety equipment is $12.50, Weir said, and the city staff will install them.

"It's sold at cost. We're not making any money on it," she said.

Golf carts are so popular that the parade at Courtland Fun Days -- July 24-25 this year -- has included a category for best decorated golf cart.

"They just line up," Weir said. "They're just all over during the parade."

Golf carts have created a small business in Courtland. Dennis Wallin, who works at C&W Farm Supply, sells and services them from his home.

"Over the years, I've probably moved 40," he said. "I counted up. I think we've got like 22 or 23 here in town."

The closest golf course is in Scandia, seven miles east, Wallin said, but most of his business comes from older folks in Courtland, or from visitors.

"I've sold them to people from Wyoming to Texas. They drive through, see them, and I give 'em the price," he said. Wallin buys used golf carts and sells them for $500 to $3,000.

They're a popular item in Courtland.

"The older people can see better. They feel better instead of a big vehicle," Wallin said. "Some days you'll see six or seven on Main Street."

n Reporter Tim Unruh can be reached at 822-1419 or by e-mail at tunruh@salina.com.