Can Golf Carts Drive On Sand? 5 Important Facts (With Examples)

Golf carts are fun to drive on both paved and dirt roads as well as on the golf course.  However, most golf courses have a rule that you can’t drive them through the sand.

Can a golf cart drive on sand?

Most golf carts can be driven through the sand. They can be used on the beach as well as on the sand areas of the golf course. Some golf carts, however, do not have the proper types of wheels to drive on the sand.

This being said, not all golf carts are capable of driving through the sand.  The reason for this is that they do not have the right tires.  Also, even if your golf cart can drive through the sand, it doesn’t mean that it’s a good idea to do so.

In the rest of this post, we’ll talk about what you need to do to ensure that your golf cart can drive through the sand. 

We’ll also talk about why you might not want to drive your golf cart through the sand.

What It Takes To Drive A Golf Cart On Sand

Driving a golf cart through the sand requires two things.

The first is a strong motor and the second is a good set of tires.

Golf Cart Engines for Driving Through Sand

The reason a golf cart needs a strong motor for driving through sand is that sand does not allow the golf cart to take advantage of the momentum.  Because of this, the golf cart’s engine must always work to push the golf cart through the sand.

Most people driving through normal sand will find that they need at least a 48-volt golf cart.

In fact, many people are better off getting a gas golf cart.  This is especially true if they plan on using the golf cart to drive through sand dunes.

This being said, a golf cart with an underpowered engine can go through short patches of sand or flat sand like the kind you’d find closer to the ocean without too much trouble.

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The problem is, after a prolonged period of time of driving in these conditions, the golf cart would find itself quickly running out of power or perhaps even getting stuck.

Golf Cart Tires for Driving Through Sand

A golf cart doesn’t necessarily need special tires to drive through small areas of sand.  If you won’t be doing a lot of driving on sand, you may be better off just lowering the tire pressure on your current tires.

Lowering the tire pressure on your golf cart tires, or even your automobile’s tires for that matter increases your traction.  The reason for this is that you increase the amount of surface area of the tire that is in contact with the ground.

More rubber on the road, or sand, in this case, causes an increase in traction.

The major problem with this technique, however, is that once you leave the sand, you’ll have deflated tires which isn’t very good for driving on normal roads.

In fact, it can be dangerous as your handling won’t be as good and your tires are more likely to suffer a blowout.

An alternative to lowering your tire pressure is to simply get tires that are better suited for driving on sand. 

A nice set of all-terrain tires will make it a lot easier for you to drive through the sand with fully-inflated tires.

Golf cart tires aren’t all that large so even an expensive set of four all-terrain tires will still probably cost you less than $250.00.

Even a set of 12” all-terrain golf cart tires is probably going to cost you less than $400.00.

For people driving through the sand on a regular basis, this really is a small price to pay to do so.

Additional Issues of Driving Through Sand With a Golf Cart

Sand can quickly clog up air and fuel filters on your golf cart’s engine.  If you find yourself regularly driving through sand, you may want to check these filters on a regular basis.

A clogged air or fuel filter will have a dramatic effect on your golf cart’s performance.

Also, if you’re driving through the sand at the beach, you should be aware of the destructive powers of saltwater.  Saltwater will ensure that your golf cart rusts and corrodes much quicker than normal.

To get around this, you may want to give your golf cart a thorough washing after each beach excursion.

Additional Accessories for Driving Through The Sand

Another thought to keep in mind is that golf cart accessories can make driving on the beach easier and safer.

For instance, when driving through the sand, you may find that a lot of sand gets blown up and into the golf cart.

Of course, you could wear a set of goggles to keep this sand out of your eyes, but it might be more practical just to get a golf cart windshield instead.

In fact, people who find themselves driving along the beach in their golf cart on colder days might opt to get a full enclosure for their golf cart.  This can be done through the use of zip-on plastic doors or actual doors could be created and added to the sides of the golf cart.

If you’re not going to enclose your golf cart, you may just want to get a glove box to keep your important items out of the sand.

In fact, you may want to get a lockable glove box so that you can lock up your belongings while you spend time in the water at the beach.

Getting in and out of your golf cart in the sand can be difficult as well.

Some people like to make it easier to get in and out by adding nerf bars to their golf cart.

3 Golf Carts That Do (Very) Well On Sand

1) The EZ Go Gas Inferno L6 Express

This golf cart can carry up to six people and the rear seat can convert into a cargo deck.  The seating arrangements make it perfect for bringing people to and from the beach.

On top of this, the golf cart has a lifted suspension.  This helps keep the frame out of the sand and helps the cart to go over larger patches of sand with ease.

This golf cart also has a large set of all-terrain tires on it.

These tires can be used on the sand without having to deflate them first.

Standard accessories include a top and a windshield.  The windshield will help keep the sand out of your eyes as you drive and the top will help to keep you out of the sun.

The Inferno also comes with all of the accessories you would need to make this golf cart street-legal.

It has brake lights, a horn, a windshield, headlights, and tail lights already installed on it.  This makes this the perfect golf cart for getting to, from, off, and on the beach in a golf cart friendly town.

This golf cart will cost you around $10,500.00.

3) The EZ Go Gas S4 Express

The S4 Express can carry four people in total.  One passenger can sit facing forward with the driver and the other two can sit facing rearward from the back of the cart.

The rearward facing seat can flip up into a cargo area so you can haul your fishing gear down the beach or your cooler down to the sand dunes.

There is also a cargo area on the front of the cart as well.  This is nice because it allows the driver to easily see whether or not their gear is still on the cart after rolling over a particularly large patch of sand.

The cart is lifted with a 4” factory lift kit and the all-terrain tires sit on 14” mag rims.  Combine this with a 13.5 HP Kawasaki gas engine and you can see why this golf cart does well in the sand.

Accessories include a windshield, a top, windshield wipers, lights, a safety bar, and a horn.  It wouldn’t take much to make this cart street-legal in a golf cart friendly area.

You can get this cart for less than $9,000.00.

3) The Cushman 2+2 Electric Golf Cart

This golf cart also carries two people facing forward and two people facing rearward.  The rear seat converts so that it can be used as a cargo-carrying area.

The 2+2 does not come with a factory lift kit, but it does come with 14” wheels, which is more than enough to get you through the sand.  Also, the 48-volt engine is strong enough to power through light sand or to get you down to the beach.  This being said, I would not recommend using this golf cart to travel through sand dunes.

One nice aspect of this golf cart is that it could potentially be used as a LSV.  LSVs can often be used in areas where gas golf carts are not capable of being street legal.

This means you have the potential to take this golf cart down the street and to the beach even in areas that aren’t exactly golf cart friendly.

Expect to pay around $7,400.00 for this golf cart.

Final Thoughts

Driving a golf cart through the sand isn’t that difficult.

Just make sure you properly equip your golf cart and you shouldn’t have any problems.

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