Supplemental Review
Back on February 8th, 2009 I posted my review of the Upright Caddy RACR. The Upright Caddy RACR is a four wheeled golf push cart or trolley (UK) which holds the golf bag in an upright position. I also sat down and talked with Andy De Carlo about the unit and gave him a face to face honest assessment of the product and what I would change if I could.
Since then Andy has come up with a newer and better model. The new unit for 2011 is called the RASR and not the RACR. Honestly I don’t get either name as neither is actually a word. In this review I’ll discuss what the strengths of the new RASR are, and also highlight the features which have been improved over the RACR. I’m fairly sure that I’ll get my RACR’s and RASR’s mixed up at some point, so I apologize in advance for that.
Strengths
Just like the RACR, the RASR holds the golf bag and clubs in a vertical position. This is MUCH better than any other golf push cart on the market, no matter if they’re two, three, four or 84 wheels. Club access and bag access are all far better than carts which hold the bag at an angle. Even using a club towel is easier.
The RASR is light. The frame is made from aluminum tubes, not steel. The RASR’s wheels are a very light plastic.
The cart is easy to push because of the light frame and wheels, and the solid wheelbase.
The RASR easily folds into a compact shape, easy to store and carry. It unfolds and assembles just as easily.
There are many cool accessories for the RASR like the umbrella holder, extra cup holder, GPS mount and the now famous “bag lady” shopping cart basket attachment. The neat folding basket attaches to the back of the cart and provides a large storage space for hats, club heads, boxes of balls, laser units etc. I call it the bag lady because that’s what my buddies call me on the course when I bust out the basket.
Improvements
In my RACR review I mentioned a few things which I felt needed some work. The first being the fact that the ball holders were too small to hold golf balls. That issue is fixed in the RASR.
Handle damage from the shipping/packaging of the RACR didn’t happen with the new RASR.
The RACR pencil holder was too big, and the RASR pencil holder is the correct size.
I didn’t mention the drink holder in the review, but told Andy that the drink holder could be improved as thin bottles or cans could slip through and fall to the ground. The RASR not only fixes the issue, but provides an insulated material to keep the drink cool. Big improvement.
RASR folded. Also notice the wheels. Click to zoom.
The wheels of the RASR are much better than the old RACR. First, there’s no rubber tire and inner tube hassle to deal with. No more getting to the course only to find that the wheels are out of air and need to be pumped up. The new wheels are also lighter and wider. The width of the wheels improves the cart’s stability while the reduced weight makes pushing the cart easier.
Critiques
Now for the critic’s corner. What improvements do I recommend for the next model, presumably another oddly spelled incarnation of the word “racer?”
My main critique at this point is with the scorecard holder. First, the footprint of the holder is in a sort of half half circle shape. No score cards I’ve ever use are that shape and 99.3% of the scorecards I’ve used don’t fit. The corners of the card fall outside of the holder. A Black Mesa scorecard folded in half sticks way outside of the half circle (below).
There needs to be something implemented to more solidly clasp the score card and keep it in place. The score card holder does not have a spring loaded snap, magnet, clip or anything that can clamp the scorecard down. In high wind or during use the cards can become loose or fall out. It is difficult to write scores under areas where the bean shape has no support.
As mentioned in my first review, the brake action is counter intuitive or backwards to what seems natural. And also as mentioned, this small issue is not a deal breaker.
Conclusion
The new RASR is quite an improvement over an already excellent golf push cart, the RACR. The vertical mounting of the bag and clubs is a huge bonus and makes using the unit far easier than carts which mount the bag at an angle. The RASR is light, easy to push and well made. Despite my critiques, I still think it is one of the best options for a push cart or trolley available today. And knowing Andy, he’ll only make it better.
HOGWire – Golf Industry News
