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Review MotoCaddy M7 Electric Caddy Review

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Snickerdog said:
I know you guys are using the Motocaddy bags also, but is anyone using a regular cart bag and have any issues with it? Do they sit and ride good?
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Aside from the Dry-Series bag I've used a Nike Slingshot stand bag, a Jones Classic stand bag, and a Stone Hill (I think that's the name?) cart bag. The only bag I had a little problem getting situated on there correctly was the Jones bag because the legs kept getting in the way. Eventually got it how I liked it though. Once I put the straps on I didn't have a problem with any of the bags I've tried.

So yes, the Stone Hill bag I have is a cart bag and it sits and rides nicely.
 
To answer if I'd spoil myself with one of these if I had the excess funds... I mean, maybe? I thought I was spoiled by using just a regular push cart, because walking with a bag on your shoulders is technically free. The push cart alone was nice. This was a very nice fancy upgrade!
 
MWard said:
To answer if I'd spoil myself with one of these if I had the excess funds... I mean, maybe? I thought I was spoiled by using just a regular push cart, because walking with a bag on your shoulders is technically free. The push cart alone was nice. This was a very nice fancy upgrade!
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I walk some and ride some depending on the course we play. So right now I am tracking my cart costs to see how much I spend this year on cart fees.
It is something I think would make playing more enjoyable and would last long term for sure.
 
Snickerdog said:
I walk some and ride some depending on the course we play. So right now I am tracking my cart costs to see how much I spend this year on cart fees.
It is something I think would make playing more enjoyable and would last long term for sure.
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I save about 18-22 bucks per time I use it at my course. It's 5 to walk before 2, free after 2. Playing on Friday, I'd say there's a 75% I walk it cause I'm pretty sure the course is gonna be CPO from a bunch of steady rain. Nothin like just going for a stroll while everyone else just goes concrete to concrete.
 
Snickerdog said:
I know you guys are using the Motocaddy bags also, but is anyone using a regular cart bag and have any issues with it? Do they sit and ride good?
Click to expand...

My first week I used my normal sun mountain three5 stand bag and it was pretty decent.
 
Snickerdog said:
I walk some and ride some depending on the course we play. So right now I am tracking my cart costs to see how much I spend this year on cart fees.
It is something I think would make playing more enjoyable and would last long term for sure.
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I only ride like five to six times a year and every other time is walking. So I wouldn't really be saving money, but I'm still strongly considering this for next season because of all the rave reviews here
 
Muchmore18 said:
I only ride like five to six times a year and every other time is walking. So I wouldn't really be saving money, but I'm still strongly considering this for next season because of all the rave reviews here
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Do you push a cart or carry?
 
billyh said:
Do you push a cart or carry?
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Both. Nine holes after work is always carry. Whenever I play 18 is a 75/25 mix of push to carry
 
billyh said:
It it an investment, but I will say being able to just walk without exerting any extra energy pushing or caring really pays off.
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The walking without having to push a cart is something I really would look forward to! The investment part is why I would probably wait until next season. Put some money away here and there and be ready to roll next year!
 
Ok, I wanted to give this thing a FULL run through before I opened my mouth too much on the M7. I struggled a lot at first with how to steer the darn thing, but after I got that down, it was pretty easy. I've got a pretty good write up in word that I was working on for a "front page" style review, but I'll just put how I've been using it here.

After getting used to the controls I decided to take it out on the course. In Eastern North Carolina we don’t get a significant amount of elevation change, but my home course does have hills of varying steepness along with a ton of water. Over a month of having the M7 I’ve been able to put it through its paces on the course playing six rounds of nine, and two full rounds of eighteen holes. Coming from a traditional push cart mind set was a bit of an obstacle to overcome, something about teaching old dogs new tricks comes to mind, but I got used to it fairly quickly. For starters, I keep my push cart directly off to the side opposite of me while standing for a shot (think right hand golfer with the push card on the right side of the ball) and kept this approach using the M7. What I found difficult was getting comfortable with where to keep the remote when I take a swing, and how I return the club to the bag after a shot. The remote does have a lock function on it along with a clip to keep it attached to a belt or in a pocket, but to be honest, forgetting to hit the lock button can cause one to accidently push a button sending the M7 off on its own (or run you over if you’re not careful @MWard). So, my method was to keep the M7 in the same location I would put my regular push cart off tee and fairway/rough shots with the remote clipped on the M7. The whole process was; stop the cart, hand the remote, get my distance, get the club, hit the shot, return the club, grab the remote, and we’re off. For the simple-minded people as myself, this seemed to work quite well. Around the green it was a little different. Before I get to the green, I would grab the putter and wedge (if needed) then use the remote to position the cart between the green and next tee box. For most shots around the green you’re not taking a full swing shot unless you’re having to blast a 60’ high flop shot and none of us are Phil, so in the event of forgetting to lock the remote, it shouldn’t become too much of a problem. After directing my cart where to go and stopping it, I would lock the remote, clip it onto my pocket (remote dangling on the outside), finish out the hole, return to the cart, put clubs away, and grab the driver. From there I can unlock the remote and continue on to the next tee box. Everyone will have their own process on this, but for me, this makes the most sense, and is the easiest way to not “screw it up.”

Guiding the M7 along the course became fairly simple after getting used to the steering. I try to avoid sharp turns at simply tap the left and right buttons for turning it. This works very well making quick taps with walking speeds to make more of a long sweeping turn rather than an abrupt stop, sharp turn, and getting back to the normal speed. Tackling hills can be a little difficult if you handle them wrong, and I did just that (for testing of course). The automatic hill decent feature works about as flawless as you can get on a “flat” course with at most 20’ hills. The biggest thing to remember with the M7 is take the hills as straight as you can and DO NOT TURN ON THEM! If you don’t you can, and will, be able to flip the cart just as you would with a normal push cart.

My home course also has a lot of water with two cart bridges. I play the majority of my rounds solo, and from time to time I walk the water line looking for what I call Easter Eggs. Keeping the M7 away from the water is extremely easy, but if I want it close, I switch it to manual mode and steer it that way. I also switch it to manual mode crossing both cart bridges, not because it needs to, but just for peace of mind. When doing this, I will stop the caddy with the remote, rotate the center button on the M7 to select the speed I want it to go, press that same button, and hold on. Switching back to remote is as simple as letting go and just using the remote to operate it. I did try and simulate a dead battery and unlock the wheels to see how bad it would be to push it, and surprisingly it was no harder than using my regular push cart. To be honest, this only lasted for one hole (it was at least a par 5 so don’t hate too much), as the remote function is just so nice to use.
 
Seriously, if you guys have any questions or want me to test something for you, I’m game. Also, if any forum member wants to give this thing a run around I’m game to loan it for a round. We just have to play together.
 
Took Sprocket out for 9 holes this evening. The guys I played with loved the electric caddy. The remote function worked great. Steering took some getting used to on the hills of our course. The cart had a tendency to turn towards the low parts of hills, similar to a putt going across a slope. I really tested its capabilities, as the ground was very wet after all of the rain we've been having. Going up a hill, I managed to tip the cart over. I think it tipped back, going on the wheelie wheel, and when it came back down on the front wheel, it slipped hard and kicked to the side, tipping over in the process.

Lessons learned today:
Going up big hills, it was better to go into manual mode and just steer manually. It kept things more under control. Same going over cart bridges.
My stand bag just doesn't get along with the straps. It just wants to turn to the side, throwing all of the clubs down into the ends of the slots. The weight seemed off and was drifting the cart to the left when on flat areas. I will try to mess with it again over the weekend to see if I can come up with a more secure solution before I move onto trying the motocaddy pro series bag. My bag is the sun mountain 2.5+ which is very lightweight, but also doesn't have a lot of structure to it at the top and bottom.
It was very cool to walk without pushing the cart. Really effortless even in manual mode.
It was really neat to send the cart down the fairway and have it wait near my ball. And feeling much less fatigue from not carrying.
 
captaincaution said:
Took Sprocket out for 9 holes this evening. The guys I played with loved the electric caddy. The remote function worked great. Steering took some getting used to on the hills of our course. The cart had a tendency to turn towards the low parts of hills, similar to a putt going across a slope. I really tested its capabilities, as the ground was very wet after all of the rain we've been having. Going up a hill, I managed to tip the cart over. I think it tipped back, going on the wheelie wheel, and when it came back down on the front wheel, it slipped hard and kicked to the side, tipping over in the process.

Lessons learned today:
Going up big hills, it was better to go into manual mode and just steer manually. It kept things more under control. Same going over cart bridges.
My stand bag just doesn't get along with the straps. It just wants to turn to the side, throwing all of the clubs down into the ends of the slots. The weight seemed off and was drifting the cart to the left when on flat areas. I will try to mess with it again over the weekend to see if I can come up with a more secure solution before I move onto trying the motocaddy pro series bag. My bag is the sun mountain 2.5+ which is very lightweight, but also doesn't have a lot of structure to it at the top and bottom.
It was very cool to walk without pushing the cart. Really effortless even in manual mode.
It was really neat to send the cart down the fairway and have it wait near my ball. And feeling much less fatigue from not carrying.
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First off, Sprocket is a good name.

Bummer that it tipped over. Do you think it was due to the wet ground, the hill, or combo of them both? I have yet to experience a tip over.

The bag I had to work with the most was my small Jones stand bag. While the bag is structured it's quite skinny and the legs kept getting in the way at the bottom. I had to adjust/tighten the M7 straps quite a bit when putting the Jones on there while with the other bags the straps are as big as they go and I still get a secure fit. Hopefully you can find a good fit this weekend!
 
rumstove said:
First off, Sprocket is a good name.

Bummer that it tipped over. Do you think it was due to the wet ground, the hill, or combo of them both? I have yet to experience a tip over.

The bag I had to work with the most was my small Jones stand bag. While the bag is structured it's quite skinny and the legs kept getting in the way at the bottom. I had to adjust/tighten the M7 straps quite a bit when putting the Jones on there while with the other bags the straps are as big as they go and I still get a secure fit. Hopefully you can find a good fit this weekend!
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The tipping was because of all of the above. And I was admittedly trying to really push the caddy to see what it was capable of. Our course has a number of pretty steep hills, so once those wheels slip, it can be trouble.

Yeah I am going to keep experimenting with the bag. The legs of the Sun Mountain 2.5+ go all the way to the top of the bag, so the hinge structure really seems to get in the way. I am going to try to get the strap a little higher on the front to allow for a tighter fit. If the straps are lower, the bag just scrunches up because of the lack of structure, and getting clubs out starts to be difficult. Another disadvantage to that bag is there is no mechanism to keep the legs from unfolding when using a cart, but honestly, the legs haven't really been trying to unfold, so I don't think that is the issue. I'm thinking of how to engineer a solution, maybe use a pool noodle or some rubber to help at the top.

I did forget to mention that after 9 holes and the trek back to the car (our course doesn't return to the clubhouse after 9) I still had full battery power showing on the screen.
 
captaincaution said:
Took Sprocket out for 9 holes this evening. The guys I played with loved the electric caddy. The remote function worked great. Steering took some getting used to on the hills of our course. The cart had a tendency to turn towards the low parts of hills, similar to a putt going across a slope. I really tested its capabilities, as the ground was very wet after all of the rain we've been having. Going up a hill, I managed to tip the cart over. I think it tipped back, going on the wheelie wheel, and when it came back down on the front wheel, it slipped hard and kicked to the side, tipping over in the process.

Lessons learned today:
Going up big hills, it was better to go into manual mode and just steer manually. It kept things more under control. Same going over cart bridges.
My stand bag just doesn't get along with the straps. It just wants to turn to the side, throwing all of the clubs down into the ends of the slots. The weight seemed off and was drifting the cart to the left when on flat areas. I will try to mess with it again over the weekend to see if I can come up with a more secure solution before I move onto trying the motocaddy pro series bag. My bag is the sun mountain 2.5+ which is very lightweight, but also doesn't have a lot of structure to it at the top and bottom.
It was very cool to walk without pushing the cart. Really effortless even in manual mode.
It was really neat to send the cart down the fairway and have it wait near my ball. And feeling much less fatigue from not carrying.
Click to expand...
I can't say this for all stand bags, but the two I've had never had good success with any push cart and a regular cart bag will work the best. Once you switch bags, you're going to be kicking yourself for trying to make the Sun Mountain work ;). We don't have nearly the amount of hills here, but try and keep the cart as straight as possible, and don't feel bad about tipping it over, I've done it too.
 
Playing with @Canadan yesterday he got his first taste of the electric caddy and was using my MotoCaddy M5. I was using the MGI Navigator. Going over the same hill, I tipped and he did not, which was weird, but it happens. My bag was kind of heavy.

I also really like the hooks and the way it buckles into the cart a little better. He can give his thoughts on the M5 in that specific thread, but I am pretty addicted to the cart life.
 
billyh said:
I can't say this for all stand bags, but the two I've had never had good success with any push cart and a regular cart bag will work the best. Once you switch bags, you're going to be kicking yourself for trying to make the Sun Mountain work ;). We don't have nearly the amount of hills here, but try and keep the cart as straight as possible, and don't feel bad about tipping it over, I've done it too.
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It's really an issue of planning and convenience for me. Weekend mornings is caddy or riding cart, so I keep the carry bag very lean to help out the caddy carrying a double. Also need it for Bandon. Just annoying to have to swap bags. #firstworldgolfproblems
 
JB said:
Playing with @Canadan yesterday he got his first taste of the electric caddy and was using my MotoCaddy M5. I was using the MGI Navigator. Going over the same hill, I tipped and he did not, which was weird, but it happens. My bag was kind of heavy.

I also really like the hooks and the way it buckles into the cart a little better. He can give his thoughts on the M5 in that specific thread, but I am pretty addicted to the cart life.
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YES YES YES! I will say without ANY bad feelings about it. This would have NEVER been on my radar strictly from a price prospective, but after the golf I have played with it, the energy I still have after a round, and the pure enjoyment I have walking a course, I don't want to go back to a traditional push cart ever again.
 
JB said:
Playing with @Canadan yesterday he got his first taste of the electric caddy and was using my MotoCaddy M5. I was using the MGI Navigator. Going over the same hill, I tipped and he did not, which was weird, but it happens. My bag was kind of heavy.

I also really like the hooks and the way it buckles into the cart a little better. He can give his thoughts on the M5 in that specific thread, but I am pretty addicted to the cart life.
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It's so funny to me seeing you adapter to "push" cart life. But that's what this kind of thing can do for people. I truly believe that.
 
ddec said:
It's so funny to me seeing you adapter to "push" cart life. But that's what this kind of thing can do for people. I truly believe that.
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It really has and being that my country club is very walkable it makes sense. With that said, with the amount of hills, if I was pushing, I would have zero interest.
 
JB said:
It really has and being that my country club is very walkable it makes sense. With that said, with the amount of hills, if I was pushing, I would have zero interest.
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It's kind of funny. For years we've talked about equipment found inside the bag that we classify as game-changing. After my month+ with the m7, I easily throw it in that game-changing category and it goes to what you just mentioned. You play a course that is walkable, but with the hills, and having to push, might not be the most enjoyable. This makes it much less of an issue.
 
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