Aircraft

Golf Cart Jetpack gives new meaning to a "birdie"

Golf Cart Jetpack gives new meaning to a "birdie"
Pro Golfer Bubba Watson, Oakley and Martin Aircraft have teamed up to create the Golf Cart Jetpack
Pro Golfer Bubba Watson, Oakley and Martin Aircraft have teamed up to create the Golf Cart Jetpack
View 4 Images
The Golf Cart Jetpack joins the Golf Cart Hovercraft, which Bubba Watson and Oakley designed in 2013
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The Golf Cart Jetpack joins the Golf Cart Hovercraft, which Bubba Watson and Oakley designed in 2013
Pro Golfer Bubba Watson, Oakley and Martin Aircraft have teamed up to create the Golf Cart Jetpack
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Pro Golfer Bubba Watson, Oakley and Martin Aircraft have teamed up to create the Golf Cart Jetpack
Bubba himself is not yet allowed to fly the craft, but he's currently third in line for pilot training
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Bubba himself is not yet allowed to fly the craft, but he's currently third in line for pilot training
Like the Martin Jetpack it's based on, the Golf Cart Jetpack is powered by a 210 horsepower engine running two ducted fans for lift, and can manage altitudes of up to 3,000 ft and speeds of 46 mph
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Like the Martin Jetpack it's based on, the Golf Cart Jetpack is powered by a 210 horsepower engine running two ducted fans for lift, and can manage altitudes of up to 3,000 ft and speeds of 46 mph
View gallery - 4 images

The humble golf cart is not very slick, but it gets the job done. So is there a better way to get from tee to green? In 2013, pro golfer Bubba Watson, along with Oakley and Neoteric Hovercraft, posed this question with a Golf Cart Hovercraft. Now, with the help of Martin Aircraft, the team has taken to the skies with the Golf Cart Jetpack.

Based on Martin's current pre-production prototypes, the Golf Cart Jetpack can fly as high as 3,000 feet (914 m) and as fast as 46 mph (74 km/h), thanks to a 210 horsepower engine powering two ducted fans. So basically, it's a standard Martin Jetpack with some extra space for clubs and sand bottles.

As fun as it would be to get a bird's eye view of the course and watch your golf buddies' shots from on high, practical considerations might keep this concept on the ground. Bubba insists the Jetpack will speed up play, but in the time it takes to strap in, fly down the fairway, land and take your shot, your friends – who can't join you in your single-pilot craft – could well be a few holes ahead. And if you're the kind of golfer who spends a chunk of their game time hunting for balls among the trees, well, the Jetpack will be no help there.

Add to this the 95 dB din, plus the fact that those fans will likely play havoc with any balls the contraption passes over, and suddenly the humble electric cart, or dare we say it –walking, doesn't seem so bad after all.

The Golf Cart Jetpack joins the Golf Cart Hovercraft, which Bubba Watson and Oakley designed in 2013
The Golf Cart Jetpack joins the Golf Cart Hovercraft, which Bubba Watson and Oakley designed in 2013

But as far as a publicity stunt goes, Bubba's Jetpack does look impressive, even if Bubba himself isn't yet allowed to fly it. That's Martin Aircraft's VP of Flight Operations, Mike Read, in the video below – Bubba himself is third on the waiting list for pilot training, once the certifications and market release goes ahead.

That goal is another step closer, with the Martin Jetpack announcing in June that prototypes have received Experimental Airworthiness certificates from the New Zealand Civil Aviation Authority. The company says that First Responder Jetpacks will begin shipping later this year, with personal versions to follow in December 2017. Both require proper training and certification – and carry a US$200,000 price tag.

Source: Martin Aircraft

Bubba's Jetpack

View gallery - 4 images
9 comments
9 comments
Buellrider
Only 200 grand, I'll most definitely buy one for my penthouse and one for the country home, quite. MMMM, top drawer.
zevulon
this gives new meaning to the golf term "hole in one".
bobflint
Game changer.....Hole in one try to drop the ball from up in the air as you travel towards the hole from 450 yards out & 450 yards up taking into account wind speed, direction, downwash velocity, and earth's rotation...etc....
unklmurray
You can tell Bubba is not an American He needs permission if they were building it for me I'd be flying it with-or-without their permission,just because I don't have a pilots lisc. does not mean I can't fly an airplane!! Of course it is nice that people believe that way.....a few decades ago I took a Sesna 180 out for a spin and got caught getting out of it, when I forgot to ask permission to land, The cops arrested me but since I didn't have a pilots lisc. all they could charge me with was ''Joy-Riding'' a class 3 misdemeanor,I paid a small fine and was released the same day and I flew the 180 home!!.........LOL :-)
dsiple
This is anything but what you'd want on a golf course. Golf carts are electric for a reason - they're quiet. And the prop wash on the ground, as seen in the video would muck up the game for others. At $200 grand US, frankly vulgar. And you'd need a trailer to bring it to the course…… Bad for the game.
Wolf0579
People keep trying to tell us that golfers are athletes... this really puts the lie to that little story. Golfers never seem to haul their own clubs around, are always riding to the next hole, how can anyone seriously call them athletes and keep a straight face???
Vanilla Cat
With the advent of a real jet pack, the JB-9, these flying trash cans have become obsolete before they took off. The FAA would never allow these flying anvils to be used in populated areas. An errant golf ball could very well cause one of these to auger into the gallery making mince meat of the spectators.
Lardo
First of all: it isn't a "jet". (though it's nearly as loud as one.)
Second point: it's big, heavy, and terrible unstable. Can you say, "crash & burn"?
Lastly: Only an idiot, with WAAAAAAY too much money, would waste a dime on this thing. So, for all you idiots, with WAAAAAAY too much money & actually considering it, here's the deal I'm willing to make; Gimme me a hundred grand and I'll let you keep the other half.
'kay?
ChgoSTrider
I can see a market for this thing. NOT as a golf cart tho. Maybe as a recon machine for law enforcement. Although even that is hard to see as a remote controlled drone would cheaper to buy, operate and insure. Or disaster response.
But have a feeling once they start selling them and have to set up dealer support networks and buy product liability insurance, the price will go north of $200K. I think $250K-$275K is more realistic.
And this thing cannot autorotate like a rotary wing aircraft can, I assume it has a ballistic parachute.