You're about to spend $1,400 on a caddie that drives itself. Then the thought hits you. What if the club says no?
Fair question. Here's the straight answer.
The Rules of Golf are not the problem
People assume there's a rule against it. There isn't.
The rule that comes up is Model Local Rule G-6, and it says a player or caddie must not ride on any form of motorized transportation during a round unless the committee allows it. Read that again. Ride on.
You're not riding on a caddie. You're walking next to it while it carries your bag. That's the whole point of buying one.
Two more things about G-6. It's a model local rule, meaning a committee has to adopt it for a specific competition. It isn't in force by default at your Saturday game. And even where it is in force, it's aimed at players hitching a ride in a cart, not at what's hauling your clubs.
So for the rules question: you're fine. A powered trolley is equipment.
Your course is a different story
The course doesn't answer to the Rules of Golf on this. It answers to its own turf.
Most restrictions on caddies have nothing to do with fairness and everything to do with wheels on wet grass. The USGA's own agronomy people are blunt about it. Traffic concentrated in the same places tears up turf, and when the ground is soft the damage lasts.
That's where the real limits come from. A few you'll actually run into:
Cart path only days. When the course restricts carts to the path, a caddie usually goes with them. Some courses exempt walking trolleys because they're lighter. Some don't. It varies by superintendent, not by rule.
Frost delays. Walking on frosted turf damages the leaf, which is why the whole course sits there waiting. A caddie on frost is the same problem with wheels on it.
Greens and bunker surrounds. Standard everywhere. Keep it off the collar, same as a push cart.
Private clubs with a caddie program. This is the one that catches people. If the club employs caddies and loopers, a robot that does the same job is a touchy subject. Nothing to do with turf. Ask anyway.
Follow mode specifically. Some courses that are fine with a remote trolley get nervous about a caddie tracking you on its own near other groups. If you're buying for one course, ask about follow mode by name.
Just call the pro shop
Sixty seconds on the phone beats a $1,400 guess.
Ask it plainly: "Do you allow motorized push carts or remote caddies for walking play?" Then the follow-up that actually matters: "Any restrictions on wet days or cart path only?"
Write down who told you. Pro shops turn over, and having a name saves an argument later.
If you play four or five courses in rotation, call the two you play most. That'll tell you what you need to know.
Anyway, most public courses say yes. The ones that say no usually say it for a reason they'll explain in the same breath.
If the answer is no
You have options, and none of them is eating $1,400.
A remote caddie is easier to get approved than a follow caddie at most places, so if follow mode is the sticking point, a remote unit like the Nova solves it. You steer, it walks.
If the course is a hard no on anything powered, a manual cart still saves your back. The Terra is $349 and folds.
And if you already bought one, check the trial window before you panic. Every Green Eagle caddie we sell comes with a 30-day trial. They cover the return label. There's a $100 restocking fee on your end, which isn't nothing, but it beats owning something you can't use.
What we'd actually tell you to buy
Depends on where you play.
One home course that allows everything: get the Follow M8. It does both follow and remote, so you've got the fallback built in.
Several courses with different rules: go remote. Simpler conversation at every pro shop, and you never get caught out.
Not sure yet: call your course first. Then call us.
Ask us before you order
Tell us where you play and what you're trying to do. If we don't know the answer, we'll say so instead of guessing you into a $1,700 mistake.
Email support@fairwayandember.com or call (843) 310-1415.
Browse the electric caddies and push carts when you're ready.