FIELDREPORT Stewart Golf
Made in Britain
Alex Fordham paid a visit to Stewart Golf to take a closer look at the manufacturing process of their R1 Push trolley, the only push trolley made entirely by hand in Great Britain
T
here is undoubtedly a British revival taking place in manufacturing. Recent research from the EEF suggests that one in six companies have brought back manufacturing to Britain in the
last three years. This is largely due to the reduced advantages of Chinese production and a new wave of patriotic consumers who have become increasingly disillusioned with the globalised world in which we live. Leading this rebirth in the golf trade is Stewart Golf, the golf trolley
company situated in the quintessentially British Cotswolds in southwest England. 2014 saw the launch of their new R1 Push trolley, the only push trolley to be hand-built entirely in the UK. With the brand growing 50% year on year, CEO Mark Stewart believes his company are flying the flag for British manufacturing but crucially, offering retailers something different from anything else currently available in the trolley sector. “As an enthusiastic Formula One fan I’ve always been inspired by the
likes of McLaren and Ron Dennis (CEO McLaren) and his motto ‘don’t do anything unless you can realistically expect to be the best in the world’, commented Stewart. “It’s an ethos that has always resonated with me and we like to think that here at Stewart Golf we’re stretching out of the traditional confines of the trolley market.
“From the development of our X1 Remote which was the first trolley developed specifically for remote control, to the X9 Follow which allows your trolley to follow you down the fairway automatically, we are always pushing the boundaries of traditional trolley design. Our latest offering, the R1 Push offers the user a unique experience with a patented rack and pinion mechanism which ensures a clean design.
22 SGBGOLF “With the added bonus of
being entirely hand-built in the UK, it means we can deliver to retailers directly and react to demand as and when required. “We currently have the
capacity to build 30 trolleys per day but we do have scope to develop if and when we need to increase production”. It is almost an oxymoron
to call the product ‘simplistic’ when considering the innovate design, but the R1 oozes simplicity. Loosely based on the rack & pinion system you find in most car steering wheels, the R1 has four of these that work together and this is folded forward. At the base is the large pinion which works together with the rear rack and moves it backwards with the horizontal tube. This in turn moves the gears and the rear and front rack are together so it
moves both at the same time. A further pinion is on the top of the front rack so as the rack moves forward the wheels fold underneath the horizontal tube. The handle can be folded and adjusted by loosening the knob, and re-tightening when positioned. The rear wheels fold down due to the two angle racks attached to a flat
rack at the top. These angles are then imitated in the main upright tube to fit the angled racks. In order to maintain aesthetic symmetry, the ball marker uses the same profile as the chassis which ensures the logo is always in the correct orientation. Clever, but so wonderfully simple at the same time.
This has all been achieved despite the fact that the product has been
reduced by 33% in size on their previous Z3 model. As with most golf trolleys, accessorising is key and the R1 really set the benchmark. The
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