5 Of The Craziest Golf Carts Ever Designed

If you even casually follow the world of car customization, you know that customizers can do some pretty crazy things to their vehicles. You might even know that they don't always focus on transforming run-of-the-mill automobiles. But you may not know that a certain sect of customizers work largely in much smaller-scaled vehicles like golf carts. Yes, there is, in fact, an entire subset of customizers whose art is undertaken in the golf cart medium. And yes, some of the work they've done in that medium is absolutely stunning. 

There is, of course, another side of the golf cart customization world, as some of those who indulge in the practice sometimes take their creative vision well above and beyond what many average citizens might deem reasonable. But one could easily argue that pushing their vision beyond the realm of reason is sort of the point for many of the more passionate purveyors of golf cart customization. 

Showing off their skill is, after all, one of the biggest reasons folks start customizing vehicles to begin with. For the record, the golf carts we've assembled for this list are well worth showing off, and we are more than happy to put them on display for all to see. Here are five of the craziest golf carts we've ever laid eyes on.

A case could be made that, at a certain point, a vehicle can be customized so much that it isn't really the vehicle it was before the work was undertaken. And one look at this golf cart turned miniature semi truck would seem to confirm that argument as fact. But man, oh man is this transitioned golf cart a full-on stunner from its front grill to its rear bumper. 

Unfortunately, little is actually known about this particular golf cart mod, other than it was spotted in a parking lot somewhere in The Villages, Florida. In lieu of actual facts concerning the cart's owner, we'd lay even odds that they were a trucker who made their way to FLA when retirement age hit. It would seem they also may not have been prepared to fully leave the long-haul life in the rearview, as they spared no expense in converting their get-around-town golf cart into a miniature version of a Peterbilt semi truck.

The detail that went into this transition is legitimately jaw-dropping, with the owner outfitting their former golf cart with a full semi truck body complete with smoke stacks, a dual rear wheel conversion, a full exterior lighting package, and even a latch-down hood that lifts up and forward to open just like a real semi. The interior, which includes cushy, trucker-styled seats and a semi-inspired gear shifter, is every bit as impressive, though the coup-de-grace has to be the adorable little piggy hood ornament resting over the iconic Peterbilt nameplate. We'd wager this custom cart even gets better mileage than your average semi truck.

In the realm of superhero fiction, the line between fandom and unflinching fanaticism is often pretty thin. It should be abundantly clear to one and all which side of that line the owner of this "The Dark Knight" inspired golf cart resides on. We offer that statement without even a hint of judgment because, well, we would've given just about anything to get behind the wheel of the tumbler ourselves when it first appeared in Christopher Nolan's 2009 sequel to "Batman Begins."

As it is, most of us mere mortals will just have to envy the few who could pony up to transform a golf cart into a scaled-down version of the "Dark Knight" Tumbler. And yes, this golf cart version of the vehicle — commissioned by one super Batman fan and built by RPM Productions in San Dimas, California – could not be more worthy of envy.

According to a promo video for the cart, the modifications took roughly six months of work, with RPM fabricating individual panels of real metal to craft the exterior. They also outfit the vehicle — which weighs in at about 1,200 pounds — with an electric motor that pushes six horsepower and delvers a top speed of about 40 mph, custom-made disc brakes, movie vehicle-specific rear swamper tires with a dually setup, Fox racing shocks, and even racing style bucket seats in the cabin. It even comes with movie-inspired engine sound effects, though it, sadly, does not appear capable of transitioning into a motorcycle if you crash it.

Those who live the life of luxury tend to have a thing for high-priced automobiles that are designed to match their lavish lifestyles. Among that set, Rolls-Royce is, perhaps, been the most consistently name-dropped, with the brand's classic R/R emblem and iconic "Spirit of Ecstasy" hood ornament long serving as a statement to the world that this vehicle's owner has officially arrived.

So endemic of luxury is the Rolls-Royce name that some drivers refuse to drive a vehicle from any other brand under any circumstances. That, apparently, includes those occasions in which they set off to play a friendly round of golf. If you count yourself in that luxury-minded lot, there are actually quite a few customizers out there who will give your golf cart a Rolls-Royce makeover, and there are varying levels of customization available depending on what your needs are on the links. 

It is, however, hard to build legit Rolls-Royce luxury into a golf cart, and the one we're featuring is, admittedly, not as flashy as say even a snazzy Luxuryride build in terms of interior posh or on-road performance. But when we think about the Rolls-Royce brand, we always imagine the iconic Pantheon Grille that adorned many of the brand's older builds. This beauty does that classic front end feature better than most, topping it off with a winged hood ornament that screams "Rolls-Royce!" even if the logo does say "Royal Ride." More importantly, perhaps more than any other vehicle listed here, this one would not look absurd on an actual golf course.

As we've already touched on the sometimes over-the-top nature of superhero fans, we should go ahead and note that Disney fandom is often even more fervid. If you're a Disney die hard these days, it's no doubt partly due to your love for the animated films produced by The Mouse House's longtime partner, Pixar Animation Studios who, in 2006, delighted cinema goers with "Cars." 

Customizer Jerry Patrick took his love for the "Cars" movies to the extreme by transforming a golf cart into a fully-functional version of the animated franchise's lovably dilapidated tow truck character, Tow Mater. Patrick's creation was featured in a 2016 episode of Ridiculous Rides, and could not be more worthy of the exposure, as the customizer went all out and then some in making the vehicle as movie-accurate as he could. The results of that effort are absolutely dazzling, as Patrick — who hand cast and molded individual pieces of fiberglass to form the vehicle's body — managed to produce a near spot-on replica of the character.

That fact is all the more impressive because, of all the characters in the greater "Cars" universe, Mater was likely the most difficult to replicate. Nonetheless, Patrick undertook the painstaking transformation with an admirable level of sincerity, deftly matching everything from Mater's rusted exterior to his balding tires, buck teeth, exposed engine, and big bright eyes with the detailed eye of a true artist. And, at least in 2016, he was making money doing it, producing Mater carts for anyone who could pony up $7,900 to get behind the wheel.

As previously stated, when it comes to customizing cars, trucks, or even golf carts, there comes a point where you either hold back and keep the core of the vehicle intact, or push on and transform it into something else entirely. But some custom jobs do land, objectively, somewhere in the middle, like this almost comically jacked-up golf cart. Yes, it would be beyond absurd for anyone to pilot this monstrosity around a golf course, if only because its 18-inch Big Bad Carts lift kit and 33-inch Baja Boss Mickey Thompson tires make it wholly impractical for jumping in and out of every time you make a shot.

Still, it's impossible to ignore that said lift kit is propping up a standard golf cart frame, with the vehicle's builders using a 2022 Navitis cart frame as their starting point. However, you classify this monster cart, it no doubt turned its share of heads when it made an appearance at the SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) show in 2022.

Perhaps even more impressive than the vehicle's stature is the sheer level of detail that went into its various upgrades and adornments. Indeed, this vehicle's customization team threw a kitchen sink of chrome into the mix, shining up everything from its wheels and shocks, to its steering column, luggs, and roof uprights. It's also equipped with an iPad ready audio system with a pair of 32-inch sound bars and 8-inch subwoofer, custom-made seats, and a tinted front window — which actually seems kinda silly since the vehicle doesn't have doors.