The old question was whether cart screens were a luxury. The better question now is whether a course can afford to make the riding experience feel less modern than the rest of the golfer's life.
The research does not say every golfer demands a screen on every ride. It says something more useful for operators: golfers are riding often, they are interested in on-course technology, and they already expect golf to give them usable information while they play.
Cart riders are the audience
USGA golfer experience research found that 75% of surveyed golfers usually or always use a cart. That makes the cart one of the most important physical interfaces on the property.
A course can redesign a website, modernize a tee sheet, and improve mobile booking, but if the cart still feels disconnected from the round, the most-used on-course touchpoint is behind the rest of the experience.
USGA golfer experience research reported 46% usually use a cart and 29% always use a cart.
USGAUSGA's annual-spend table reported average annual cart-fee spend among survey respondents.
USGAAGIC reported 551 million U.S. rounds in 2024, which means cart touchpoints repeat at national scale.
AGICGolfers are asking for technology that helps the round
KemperSports surveyed nearly 16,000 golfers and reported that 75% of surveyed players were interested in golf cart GPS. That is the clearest public survey signal we found for cart-screen demand.
The same survey said golfers are interested in tech-forward options across the game, including tee-time search and booking, driving range tracking, and simulator technology. The cart screen fits that pattern: it is not technology for its own sake, it is technology that helps players navigate, decide, and enjoy the round.
KemperSports reported this result from its 2023 Golfer Insights Survey.
KemperSportsKemperSports reported responses from current, lapsed, and new U.S. golfers.
KemperSportsKemperSports also reported demand for new ways to search and book tee times online.
KemperSportsDistance and performance data are already normal
USGA's golfer experience work also found that just under half of surveyed golfers had collected data related to their performance. That matters because a cart screen is not introducing an alien behavior. It is bringing useful, round-specific information into a place golfers already spend time.
The rules environment has also normalized distance information. USGA's distance-measuring device guidance explains that distance measuring devices are allowed by default unless a committee adopts a Local Rule prohibiting them.
USGA summarized that just under half of golfers overall had collected performance data.
USGAUSGA rules guidance says distance-measuring devices are allowed unless prohibited by Local Rule.
USGAA cart screen can carry hole maps, routing, pace prompts, sponsor placements, and course messaging.
Golf One makes the screen easier to justify
The demand signal is real, but the business model has been the problem. Courses want the modern riding experience, but they do not always want another fixed screen contract sitting on top of the cart fleet.
Golf One changes the decision. Watchdog starts with the paid unlock and makes the screen part of a usage-based cart workflow. The course does not need to bet the budget on a fixed annual screen line item before knowing how players use it.
- Players get the modern in-cart interface they increasingly expect.
- Operators get cart access, payment, and screen engagement tied to the same flow.
- The course pays as riders unlock instead of signing a fixed legacy screen contract first.
- Golf One earns a small fee only when the cart unlock creates usage.
Data behind this article
Used for the 75% golf cart GPS interest figure, 15,925 responses, and tech-forward golfer demand.
USGAGolfer Experience ResearchUsed for cart-use behavior, performance-data behavior, and annual spend categories.
USGAUse of Distance-Measuring DevicesUsed for the rules context that distance-measuring devices are allowed unless prohibited by Local Rule.
American Golf Industry CoalitionGolf industry snapshotUsed for 2024 U.S. rounds and industry-scale context.
