PowaKaddy Electric Trolley Reader Test: 5 and 16 Handicap Readers

Two readers who had not yet entered the world of the power trolley make their PowaKaddy electric trolley debuts with the C2i and FW7s GPS models

Two readers who had not yet entered the world of the power trolley make their PowaKaddy electric trolley debuts with the C2i and FW7s GPS models

PowaKaddy Electric Trolley Reader Test: 5 and 16 Handicap Readers

Not so long ago there was a perception that serious golfers carry, with motorised trolleys the preserve of golf’s older generation. Power trolleys were simple, cumbersome affairs that were awkward to manhandle and might not always go the distance on hillier terrain.

In recent years, leading power trolley brand, PowaKaddy, has been spearheading a revolution to introduce the benefits of powered golf club transportation to a wider demographic, cramming a host of ever more sophisticated features into its latest models

PowaKaddy's new FW7s GPS model is GPS-enabled bringing distance measuring to the display screen

For this reader test, we took two non-power trolley users along to the London Golf Club in Kent where David Howse, sales manager at PowaKaddy, presented them with two of the brand’s latest models and talked them through their key features before setting them loose to make their PowaKaddy electric trolley debuts.

Readers Kavit Patel and Martin Chivers make their PowaKaddy electric trolley debuts

Kavit Patel, who plays off 5, tried out the Compact C2i, which boasts a plethora of features from a USB charging port to an Automatic Distance Function and a thin, powerful lithium battery, while also folding down to an incredibly compact size. Martin Chivers, who plays off 16, tested the top-of-the-range FW7s GPS, the world’s first electric trolley to feature integrated GPS, with subscription-free access to over 37,000 courses worldwide.

PowaKaddy's Compact C2i folds down to a incredibly compact size extremely easily

Here’s how both fared on the day and in subsequent testing at their home clubs

Kavit Patel Handicap: 5 Club: Sandy Lodge GC Model tested: PowaKaddy Compact C2i

Kavit’s power trolley thoughts I’ve always preferred to carry. When I was younger it didn’t feel as though I’d played golf unless I’d carried my bag, which always had a 1.5 litre water bottle and all my waterproofs in. I needed to feel that burn in my legs!

Kavit Patel loved the simplicity of his PowaKaddy Compact C2i

The cost is a bit prohibitive too, and £300 plus could be better spent on lessons, in my opinion. Now, however, protecting my back has to be a consideration, but I’m not totally convinced… yet!

Kavit’s on-course feedback I’ve loved using my PowaKaddy Compact C2i since the moment I first tried it at the London Club. It’s so easy to fold away and incredibly straightforward to use. These days after a round of golf I feel like I’ve barely played.

The Compact C2i's display screen on the handle

My back is never sore and I look forward to my next round even more! I’m the envy of all of my friends and I believe quite a few have put the same PowaKaddy model on their Christmas wish lists! There are truly no negatives I can think of regarding my Compact C2i.

It’s a joy to use and I really think it will let me play golf pain-free for many, many years to come. I am a convert.

Martin Chivers Handicap: 16 Club: Bedlingtonshire GC Model tested: PowaKaddy FW7s GPS

Martin’s power trolley thoughts I don't currently own an electric trolley although I do have quite a decent three-wheel push trolley.

Martin Chivers getting used to the controls of his new PowaKaddy FW7s GPS

However, as I’m getting older, the course I play most often does feel like it’s getting hillier – particularly one of the hills towards the end - so I am now looking into an electric trolley, but the choice out there is more than a little bewildering.

Martin’s on-course feedback As a first-time electric trolley user I was sceptical as to how much benefit it would bring to my game, but after using it for a month I'm not sure I could ever go back to a push trolley.

The top-of-the-range PowaKaddy FW7s GPS model that Martin trialled

The PowaKaddy FW7s GPS is extremely easy to set up and use, and with each passing round I’m using more and more of its features. Having the GPS on the handle is such a good addition, and I’m using the scorecard and Automatic Distance Function features more as I get used to it.

Charging the battery is foolproof – it easily lasts 18 holes too and would probably stretch to 36. Everyone I've played with is very impressed by its looks, and it's proved a great addition to my golf gear that keeps me fresher for longer during a round.

Jeremy Ellwood
Contributing Editor

Jeremy Ellwood has worked in the golf industry since 1993 and for Golf Monthly since 2002 when he started out as equipment editor. He is now a freelance journalist writing mainly for Golf Monthly. He is an expert on the Rules of Golf having qualified through an R&A course to become a golf referee. He is a senior panelist for Golf Monthly's Top 100 UK & Ireland Course Rankings and has played all of the Top 100 plus 91 of the Next 100, making him well-qualified when it comes to assessing and comparing our premier golf courses. He has now played 1,000 golf courses worldwide in 35 countries, from the humblest of nine-holers in the Scottish Highlands to the very grandest of international golf resorts. He reached the 1,000 mark on his 60th birthday in October 2023 on Vale do Lobo's Ocean course. Put him on a links course anywhere and he will be blissfully content.

Jezz can be contacted via Twitter - @JezzEllwoodGolf


Jeremy is currently playing...

Driver: Ping G425 LST 10.5˚ (draw setting), Mitsubishi Tensei AV Orange 55 S shaft

3 wood: Ping G425 Max 15˚ (set to flat +1), Mitsubishi Tensei AV Orange 65 S shaft

Hybrid: Ping G425 17˚, Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro Orange 80 S shaft

Irons 3-PW: Ping i525, True Temper Dynamic Gold 105 R300 shafts

Wedges: Ping Glide 4.0 50˚ and 54˚, 12˚ bounce, True Temper Dynamic Gold 105 R300 shafts

Putter: Ping Fetch 2021 model, 33in shaft (set flat 2)

Ball: Varies but mostly now TaylorMade Tour Response