Maderas Golf Club near San Diego the latest to 'surf the earth' with GolfBoards

Already one of the most popular daily-fee golf courses in California, Maderas Golf Club in Poway is giving adventurous golfers another reason to play the scenic course just outside of San Diego.

Maderas just added a fleet of four GolfBoards for golfers who would rather "surf the earth" than take a traditional golf cart.

Inspired by surfing legend Laird Hamilton, GolfBoards resemble a combination of surfboard and scooter while carrying a golf bag and rider throughout the course. Much like a riding surfboard, but far easier, the golfer leans one way or another to steer around the course, and controls a throttle on the handle for speed. For golfers choosing the GolfBoard at Maderas, it's just a $20 upcharge.

Hale Kelly, PGA director of golf at Maderas, says GolfBoards -- which were among the hottest trends in golf in 2015 -- are already a hit at his club, and believes they're growing in popularity because they add a new element to enjoying the game.

"Also, you can play exponentially faster on a Golfboard because you can take the board anywhere you would normal take a pull cart," Kelly said. "Due to the improved speed of play we believe this will help attract the millennial generation to reconsider the game."

Congrats to @jasondayofficial for back-to-back wins! #GolfBoard #SurfTheEarth

A video posted by GolfBoard (@golfboard) on

Maderas' acquisition of the GolfBoards reflects the growing popularity of GolfBoards, which have only been in service for a couple years or so. More than 100 golf courses around the world (most of them are in the United States) offer GolfBoards as an alternative to a golf cart, including the Westin Kierland in Scottsdale, Ariz.; Desert Pines Golf Club in Las Vegas; Crystal Springs Resort in Hamburg, N.J.; and in Hamilton's backyard, the Makai Course at Princeville Resort on the Hawaiian island of Maui.

Maderas Golf Club: One of SoCal's best

Johnny Miller and Robert Muir Graves designed the par-72 golf course at Maderas, which is set among the rolling hills just outside San Diego. The pair took advantage of the dramatic natural topography, routing holes in and around cliffs, creeks and verdant forests. Opened in 2000 and ranked as one of the area's best daily-fee courses, Maderas has many dramatic features, including five waterfalls, three lakes and more than 40 acres of wildflowers.

Mike Bailey is a former Golf Advisor senior staff writer based in Houston. Focusing primarily on golf in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean and Latin America with an occasional trip to Europe and beyond, he contributes course reviews, travel stories and features as well as the occasional equipment review. An award-winning writer and past president of Texas Golf Writers Association, he has more than 25 years in the golf industry. He has also been on staff at PGA Magazine, The Golfweek Group and AvidGolfer Magazine. Follow Mike on Twitter at @MikeBaileyGA and Instagram at @MikeStefanBailey.
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Maderas Golf Club near San Diego the latest to 'surf the earth' with GolfBoards