When Chris Ivess-Mash and Matthew Patton identified a gap in the UK golf buggy market over a decade ago, expansion and growth was the dream – like all business entrepreneurs. Heading into the summer of 2022 that dream is alive and well, and the Golf Car UK business is about to celebrate another huge step in its evolution.

As this issue goes to print the paint is still drying on a new purpose-built GCUK headquarters, nestled in the heart of Andover in southern England. Green-fingered staff are putting the finishing touches to its lush herbaceous borders. The business is about to, in video games parlance, level up.

Managing director Chris Ivess-Mash explains: “As we have grown, our ever-increasing and loyal customer base has necessitated a rethink of our operating conditions. It’s a good problem to have. Our current crop of talented and highly dedicated staff holds our current, extremely modest offices in Amesbury in high affection, but the reality is that we have outgrown them.”

Workshops, logistics, storage space and communication have all been tested to breaking point with the current multi-site operation which GCUK currently employs. Something had to give.
Sales director Matthew Patton describes the previous conditions: “The need to centralise our daily operations was becoming glaringly apparent.

“We were renting several large buildings across Wiltshire to house the buggy fleets, but this was proving to be costly and unwieldy as the demand for our products continued to grow.

“Chris and I were also becoming sensitive as regards our carbon footprint, and we became determined to find ways to streamline our day-to-day activities.”

With greener, more efficient practices in mind, the new GCUK headquarters were commissioned in late 2021 and are due to be fully operational this summer.

“Among many operational improvements we will now have a water recycling plant to wash our vehicles, and numerous electric charge points will encourage our staff to adopt electric transportation,” said Ivess-Mash.

“We will also have a new in-house graphics and marketing department along with a vehicle photo booth, but most importantly our new bespoke workshop facility will streamline our vehicle output whilst at the same time reducing our power consumption.

“Centralising everything under one roof, including the creation of highly efficient office spaces, has many benefits for the business, and we will be passing these benefits directly onto our customers.”

With the efficiency bit firmly between their teeth, Ivess-Mash and Patton also looked at the company’s all-important after-sales service department. GCUK employs an in-house team of mobile engineers to service customer breakdowns and repairs. All vehicle warranty and spares claims are handled by a highly skilled team of staff which aims to satisfy customer queries and issues within a single site visit.

GCUK service manager Karen Braund explains: “We will have an improved parts and service department within the new building, and we will continue to invest in bespoke computer systems and a blend of the latest technologies. Our upgraded IT system will improve planning for our mobile engineer site visits using the most cost-effective and environmentally friendly routes throughout the UK.”

With the company’s imminent arrival in a new community 13 miles away from its old headquarters, Golf Car UK has made attracting people in the Andover area who would like to work in the golf and leisure industry, one of its major priorities.

“People from the surrounding towns and villages will find the new GCUK building to be a terrific environment in which to work,” said Ivess-Mash. “We are offering a highly attractive employment option for local people who want to learn new skills and develop long-term careers.”

Every business needs inspiring personalities in its management team, and new arrivals at GCUK will find that the company’s two talented regional sales managers, Rob Purvey and Marc McCracken, both fit the bill.

Purvey, a former PGA professional who has been involved in golf since he was a teenager, and McCracken, a former director of golf and USPGA professional, have established themselves as formidable promoters of all that is good about the game.

“I feel that I have a wide skill set on how the industry operates, and this has helped me to assist golf club operators get the most from their buggy and utility vehicle fleets,” said McCracken.

“Understanding the day-to-day running of a golf club helps us empathise, understand and care about what we do. Rob and I are in daily contact to ensure that we discuss the best advice and potential deals for managers, professionals and all of our customers.”

Purvey, with years of account management experience, has a passionate desire to see golf clubs thrive. “I have seen first-hand what it takes to run a successful golf club,” he says. “As well as helping to create the optimum fleet of buggies and other vehicles at any given venue, Marc and I are all about sharing ideas and passing industry knowledge and advice on to our colleagues at golf clubs across the UK.”

Purvey and McCracken help a huge number of UK golf clubs generate more revenue from their buggy rentals and promote a ‘share the knowledge’ ethos. GCUK has built its enviable reputation on the back of becoming the biggest importer of E-Z-GO golf buggies into the UK, and more recently in Europe, whilst enjoying the benefits that an Authorised UK Dealership brings.

Purvey adds: “E-Z-GO golf buggies are a class above anything else. They are safe to drive, have a high-quality finish and are easy to maintain whilst being cheaper to operate. Less headaches for general managers!

“The game-changer was the E-Z-GO Elite RXV, which incorporates the Samsung Lithium battery. It has a proven track record in the region of over 50 million rounds worldwide, but most importantly golfers love to drive them.”

Golf Car UK supplies vehicles to many of the premier golf clubs throughout the UK and is working closely with more and more local municipal golf courses to see the benefit from fleet buggy rentals, club growth, and golfer retention.

The company is also now deepening its portfolio and expanding its sales team to better promote and sell its range of Cushman Utility Vehicles throughout the UK.

Patten explained: “Rob and Marc have helped to establish our market share in the utility vehicle market, but ultimately, we want the Cushman brand to stand on its own and we aim to appoint a dedicated team of utility vehicle regional sales managers soon.

“We will also launching the new Cushman Utility Vehicle brand online shortly. It will operate with the same model which has driven golf buggy sales so successfully.

“Having the new building enables us to focus on expanding our utility vehicle business while we also strengthen our share in the golf buggy purchase and rental market.”

Ivess-Mash summarises: “Getting our infrastructure right is vital for us to best service existing and new customers and it is something we are committed to.

“Our business needs to be agile enough to react to the many different market and global forces that all businesses face, coupled with the ever-shifting challenges of the economic situation.

“With Golf Car UK firmly established in the golf and leisure industries, our new premises will galvanise our team and enable us to offer a more relaxed, more efficient service to our important customers in a modern and forward-thinking environment.”