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COVERSTORY


or white and with three quick-release wheels, also available in either black or white. All the wheels have dual bearings for the smoothest possible ride across the ground and maintenance-free airless tyres.


In just two steps it folds down smaller than any other push trolley, is fully adjustable to the height the user is most comfortable with, and has room for glasses, phones, tees, pencils, scorecards etc in a console which has both a magnetic ball marker and accessory points for everything from a universal GPS holder to food and cooler bags.


Very importantly, a drinks holder, ball holders, and an umbrella holder are all standard - with the umbrella holder designed to give maximum strength.


The R1 Push in Black


The R1 Push is also the first trolley ever to use a rack-and-pinion mechanism to make folding it easier and more reliable and keeping the folding mechanism free from dirt and muck forever. The company had been building its X and F Series remote-controlled powered trolleys by hand in Gloucestershire for more than a decade but decided that the latest iteration of its volume product, a three-wheeled push trolley, would be manufactured by hand there too. What that means is: delivery to retailers direct from the manufacturer’s own workshops; industry-leading Quality Assurance levels; ability to react instantly to market demand; and off-the-shelf access to spare parts and accessories.


It also means that Stewart has been able to totally redesign its push trolley offering, and raise the bar even further over its already- successful Z1 and Z3 models.


Crucially, the R1 Push is the first ever to fold up and down using rack and pinion technology most commonly used in car manufacture for steering systems. This means the folding mechanism, on which Stewart Golf has a patent pending, is completely hidden: there’s no need for external tensioning wires and there are no sliding tubes to trap dirt or grit - that means a fantastically clean design and nothing to get in the way of folding it up or down quickly and easily. Completely redesigning every part has also enabled the company to make sure the R1 Push folds down even more compactly than the company’s previous Z3 model - making it 33% smaller, in fact - while still offering a comprehensive range of accessory points and accepting all cart, tour and even carry bags in their correct position without having to be twisted to accommodate the stand mechanism. The core of the RRP £199 R1 Push is a bespoke aluminium alloy frame, powder coated in black


The foot brake is on an easy-to-use and reliable rocker mechanism so there are no cables to lose tension, and another innovation is the silicone bag straps that hold any size bag firmly in place, but without leaving any marks. Stewart Golf CEO Mark Stewart said, "We have a reputation for stepping outside the traditional confines of the trolley market and the R1 Push is another important step in that direction. It's truly an innovative product that both simplifies and improves what there is on the market.”


"Although the genesis of the R1 Push was the rack & pinion folding system, the focus on the user experience on the golf course was paramount throughout the design process. We have been able to cram a plethora of features into the handle whilst keeping the aesthetic uncluttered."


Stewart Golf is a company run by engineers, which means that every new product they produce is just part of an evolution towards the next


new product, and so on. Ever since the launch of the Z Series work had been going on to improve its design.


Company Chairman Ross Stewart went back to basics and drew on his successful career as an engineer utilising rack & pinion systems to automate industrial valves in applications as diverse as air conditioning systems to chemical plants and even NASA launch pads. The challenge he set the company was: “Why can't a golf trolley fold using a rack & pinion system?”


Immediately design work started and, within a few weeks, the first prototype was constructed from a mixture of 3D-printed SLS prototype parts and some items borrowed from the Z3 Push: the world's first rack & pinion golf trolley was born. Stewart Golf launched the first version of its


powered trolleys in 2003 and improvements to the X Series have been based both on customer feedback and advances in technology, with the current X9 version (RRP £999, introduced in 2014) able to boast Bluetooth connectivity. Powered by the latest lightweight Lithium battery, it is available in a range of colours, including white. 2008 saw the introduction of


a flagship F1 Lithium model (RRP £1,499), featuring a base unit small


enough to fit into the boot of a Porsche 911


and a bag incorporating the trolley’s spine to cut down on weight. April 2014 saw the introduction of the


revolutionary X9Follow, using Bluetooth proximity technology to allow golfers to walk totally hands-free with their trolley following them wherever they choose to go.


SGBGOLF 23


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