Windy Knoll "Hover Bash" debuts Neoteric Hovercraft Golf Carts

Windy Knoll Golf Club in Springfield, Ohio holds the honor of being the first of the world’s more than 35,000 golf courses to use the Neoteric Hovercraft Cart, the official limited edition replica of Bubba Watson’s BW1, also manufactured by Neoteric.

The club’s two Neoteric HoverGolf™ Carts were unveiled July 27 at their star-studded Hover Bash, with LPGA Hall of Famer Nancy Lopez, golfer Paige Mackenzie and Tim Rosaforte of the Golf Channel. The day featured golf clinics, a shotgun scramble, a huge dinner party, a massive fireworks display – and hovercraft golf cart rides with Neoteric's president Chris Fitzgerald and flight instructor Steve Stafford …

Reporting live from the Hover Bash, the Golf Channel’s Matt Ginella got behind the controls of a HoverGolf™ Cart and quickly grasped its unique nature. “You’re piloting, you’re flying the hovercraft … it’s a lot easier than you might think, and it’s just an absolute blast! I’m impressed – going from the land to water is seamless,”  he said.

Watch the Golf Channel’s coverage of the Hover Bash on Morning Drive …

Just like their hovercraft golf carts fly on a cushion of air, Windy Knoll is floating on a cushion of national and international publicity, attracting attention from ABC News, NPR, the Huffington Post and more.

“They’ve already paid for themselves with the notoriety,” says Dave Duffey, Windy Knoll’s General Manager.

Managing Director Pete Duffey agrees, “We see this as a fun opportunity to promote our town and, of course, Windy Knoll Golf Club, and we’ve already started to reap the benefits.”

And there’s no doubt the benefits will continue for the long term: hovercraft always arouse more interest and curiosity than just about any other vehicle in existence!

Hover like Bubba at Windy Knoll Golf Club

Maybe you can’t drive a golf ball like Bubba Watson, but now you can fly a hovercraft golf cart just like he did in Bubba’s Hover, the viral video that took over the Internet a couple of months ago - which now has 9 million views.

Bubba’s one-of-a-kind BW1 is no longer one-of-a-kind: this month Windy Knoll Golf Club in Springfield, Ohio will become the first of the world’s more than 35,000 golf courses to use the Neoteric HoverGolf™ cart, the official limited edition replica of the BW1.

                    The first Windy Knoll HoverGolf™ cart undergoing Neoteric’s final performance testing.

Each craft has a 65-hp engine capable of 50 mph, seating for up to four passengers,

a lift-up roof, space for two golf bags, and sand bottles.

Windy Knoll was built on the former site of a thoroughbred horse farm. After Managing Director Pete Duffey watched Bubba cruising the fairways in a hovercraft, he decided to make golf history with a different kind of horsepower.

“We wanted to be able to offer something no other golf course could – a way to further put Windy Knoll on the map … It was an easy decision. When we saw them on YouTube, we said, ‘We gotta have one of those!’”, Duffey told ABC News. “We’re always looking for a way to set ourselves apart from the competition. We’ll be able to offer something that no one in the area, in the state and at this point in the country can offer … it’s going to turn heads.”

Duffey called shortly after the video went viral and ordered Neoteric’s first two HoverGolf™ carts. The craft will make their debut on July 27 at a day-long star-studded HoverBash at Windy Knoll, featuring HoverGolf™ rides, a clinic with Tim Rosaforte of the Golf Channel, appearances by LPGA Hall of fame member Nancy Lopez and LPGA golfer Paige Mackenzie, an afternoon shotgun scramble, and a huge party with dinner, entertainment and fireworks.

Next week, Windy Knoll representatives will come to Neoteric to pick up their hovercraft golf carts and undergo pilot and maintenance training at HovercraftTraining Centers headquarters.

The Windy Knoll craft will be in general service at the course in August. “We rely on golf scramble events throughout the season and the hovers offer yet another incentive for entities scheduling and organizing the events to have them at Windy Knoll. We also plan to come up with a VIP golf package for foursomes wishing to use them,” Duffey explains, adding that the carts will not be “for the average everyday group of golfers.”

Word of Windy Knoll’s hovercraft golf carts hit the news this week, launching a media tsunami second only to the original Bubba’s Hover storm. Golfers and media personnel alike are wild about the idea of flying around a golf course on a cushion of air. As CBS Sports’ Kyle Porter wrote, “I asked my boss if I could move to Ohio!”

For more information, check out Windy Knoll’s web site and Facebook page, the
Hover Bash events page, and follow on Twitter @windyknollgolf.