Kelab Rahman Putra Malaysia (KRPM) has bulked up its buggy fleet with the recent purchase of 20 brand new GoBugs GT-N2 units.
KRPM captain KH Wan noted that the club intends to gradually upgrade its entire fleet, which currently stands at around 110 including the new buggies. It was also an opportune time to make the purchase due to the standard operating procedure (SOP) of single-buggy usage during the ongoing Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO).
“It’s been at least five years since we bought our last buggies, so it’s time to move the older ones out and get new buggies in. In the interim period, we have also rented 30 buggies as we had to write off quite a few of the older buggies which were between 15 and 18 years old,” said Wan.
“We are also refurbishing some of the current buggies with new paintwork to make them look good, and getting new honeycomb covers for the seats so they’ll be much more comfortable and to protect the leather,” he added.
Even with no walk-in golfers during the CMCO, KRPM is currently hitting about 10,000 rounds per month on its two 18s, the highly-rated Lakes Course and the Hills Course. The club’s F&B outlets remain open to non-members.
“Due to the single-rider SOP, we have had to cut down the number of flights per day because we don’t have enough buggies. Now with the 20 new GoBugs buggies, we’ll be able to open up more flights from this Saturday especially for the Lakes which is a full buggy course,” noted Wan, adding that they plan to purchase 20 more new buggies next year.
Willy Lim, director of GoBugs brandowner and distributor Bugs World, revealed that this was their first big sale to a golf club. GoBugs buggies are OEM-manufactured in China exclusively for Bugs World, using top-quality components from well-established companies such as ADC for the AC electric motor, Toyota for the controller and Powerbloc for the batteries.
“Over the last five years, we have sold more than 500 units in the country but did not venture into the golf market. We have been selling to companies in other sectors such as resorts, shopping malls, developers, factories and theme parks,” said Lim.
For after-sales service, Lim noted that they have six technicians and a large inventory of spare parts. “We are very confident about our after-sales team as we have been servicing our non-golf clients efficiently for many years now.”
The Rahman Putra deal, Lim added, is a big step for Bugs World as they look to gain a foothold in the golf industry. “Our buggies have proven to be reliable among our non-golf clients but we did not manage to penetrate the golf market before. In most cases, golf clubs would ask where our buggies were found, were they in any other golf courses, etc. Now that we have one golf customer in Rahman Putra, it’s a huge step in the right direction.”
Painted in Rahman Putra colours with the club’s logo on the bonnet, the GoBugs buggies look good while providing comfy and safe rides. “The GT-N2 buggies come with cutting-edge features including an auto-magnetic brake system. We have also added value to this model with a single watering system for the batteries, where there is just one nozzle to fill up all six batteries at one go,” shared Lim.
