For most of my playing career, I’ve sort of chuckled at people that used push carts. I mean, if you have to put so much stuff in your bag that you can’t handle it, should you really be playing golf? Now that I’m a few year’s wiser and more than a few years older, I have come to realize that it’s not about the weight of the bag, it’s the strain that said bag puts on you during the round that these genius people were avoiding. To make a long story short, I began looking at the price of a quality cart, you know the ones that are priced upwards of $200+ and started looking for alternatives that would work just as well as the higher priced models. I settled on the Rovic RV2L by ClicGear. This cart is considered an ultralight model, but for my smaller bag, I knew I didn’t need much more.
The Rovic RV2L features a three wheeled design with two full size wheels in the back and one “half” size wheel in front. The front wheel is a fixed wheel, so it does not swivel to help you change directions, but honestly, the Rovic RV2L is so light and easy to maneuver that I think a swivel wheel would be a bit overkill. Before I get too far into the details of the Rovic RV2L, let me get back to the day I unboxed it, becuase there is something worth noting here. Upon arrival, the box for the Rovic RV2L looked pretty large for a compact cart to come in. I figured it would be a nightmare of part A and tab B and missing screws, but it was anything but. I opened the box, removed on plastic wrapped bag from the box, opened it and pulled on the gray unlock handle to see my cart unfold in front of me. It was literally the easiest thing in the universe to get setup.
Now, once again, before we go too in-depth, I want to remind everyone that the Rovic RV2L is a lightweight model, not something designed to carry a tour bag or a ton of extra accessories. It’s a very simple cart system that is perfect for those on a budget that don’t need to carry too much in the way of accessories with them. The cart does have a few frills attached to it, even if they are the most basic ones. The Rovic RV2L comes standard with a umbrella holder and a water bottle holder built in. It also features one additional ClicGear accessory port on the handle to attach an add-on for just about anything you can imagine. I’ve outfitted mine with the GPS/Phone holder that will allow me quick access to my GolfPad GPS app. There is also a well placed scorecard holder with an accessory bag located right below it. The mesh pocket doesn’t seem like it is built for the long haul, so I only used it to hold my photo phone and an extra ball during my round. It seemed like a great solution for smaller items, but it’s definitely not build for any substantial use.
Having all the extras on a cart in this price range is great, but what it really comes down to is how the Rovic RV2L performed on course. All of those magical gadgets and gizmos are great, but if it doesn’t hold a bag or if it doesn’t have a decent brake, it’s not going to perform well and isn’t worth the investment. Fortunately, the Rovic RV2L performed better than I expected based off the online reviews I read. The cart was setup in seconds after I arrived at the course. Just a pull of the quick release lever and it was unfolded and ready to roll. I did notice that the bag straps require a bit of work to get setup (should have checked this out before the round) but I quickly found a way to make it work. On the course itself, I pushed the Rovic RV2L through almost everything imaginable and the three wheels handled it with ease. What I was concerned the most about was thicker rough with the smaller front wheel. Now, I do have a lighter “carry style” bag, so possibly this has something to do with the fact that the cart handled just fine for me, or perhaps that I know that when you get to crazy bad terrain, you need to lift the front wheel slightly (I grew up in the era of 2 wheeled PULL cars, so this was a no-brainier for me) but the Rovic RV2L performed absolutely solid the entire round for me. I will say that it took me a few holes to understand completely how the brake worked, which led to a few freak out moments – for the record, you press the brake down, let the cart stop moving, then let go of it = but that was it as far as negative feedback goes. For me and my money, I’d say this was a complete and total win on the course.
The next positive was the after the round breakdown. While the size at first was amazing to me, these new super-fold-up carts really aren’t that much smaller than their olden day two-wheeled counterparts. They are just more, trunk sized, than the old ones. Still, when I arrived back at the car, un-clip the bag, pulled on the same quick release lever and the Rovic RV2L was folded up perfectly and ready to head home. It was beyond easy and the rubberized compound on the wheels wasn’t even dirty. I did notice that if you set the adjustment strut to the wide open position the cart can have some issues folding completely, but again, with my smaller bag, this wasn’t an issue I had to deal with. It could present a problem for some larger bags though, so I feel it’s worth mentioning. Other than that, my first round with the Rovic RV2L was a complete and total success and that was with plenty of time to critique the cart during a horrendously long three and a half hour 9 hole round.
That brings me to my final thoughts on the Rovic RV2L and if it’s a good investment for the average golfer or not. This is always hard, because you may be relying on my opinion about this as a justification for spending your hard earned money on a golf cart. With that being the case, I have to honestly say that the Rovic RV2L is a great cart for the money, but depending on your budget, there may be others that fit better. While that may sound bad, if you are like me and carry a smaller bag and like the quality of Clicgear products, than the Rovic RV2L may be the perfect fit for you. I figure with the $140 cost of the cart, I have invested about a $1 a round in it by the time I will need to look at repairs or replacement of it. For me, that means more walking again without the sore back, fatigue or wear and tear on the bag straps that come with carrying it. When I factor everything in, the Rovic RV2L seems like one of the best deals around for me, and it could be for you too. If you are an Amazon shopper, you can pick up the Rovic RV2L with Free Shipping and you can also find it at many retailers as well. Keep in mind that the Rovic RV2L is about $40-50 cheaper than many of the other models and that is the primary reason I chose to highlight it for this blog. It’s a name brand that will be around to cover the warranty, it’s built with solid components, and most of all, for many, it can make golf more enjoyable and less expensive than renting a ride on cart or pull cart every time you hit the course. If you’re ready to save your bag, your back and some cash, check out the Rovic RV2L and see what you think of it. I know I’m impressed with mine and I’m pretty sure you will be as well.
Update: 11/11/19 - The Black Version is the only one currently left in stock and the links in the article were update to go to this version.
Free Shipping - Rovic RV2L by ClicGear
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