Golf carts are a fun part of the active Kissing Tree lifestyle

About half of Kissing Tree residents own golf carts, often using them to replace a second car. Saving time and money is great, but the main benefit is social. “Golf carts are a lifestyle at Kissing Tree,” says the leader of our very active Golf Cart Group.

In some places, Beemers, Benzes and Caddies are the ultimate four-wheel status symbols. At Kissing Tree, you’re more likely to see neighbors “oohing” and “aahing” over a friend’s shiny new golf cart, whether it’s parked at The Mix and rolling in one of our many golf cart parades.

“Our residents get all revved up when they start talking about their golf carts,” says Kevin Wilson, Director of Community Engagement at Kissing Tree.

Golf carts are a way of life at Kissing Tree, and we’re not just talking about traffic at the 18-hole Kissing Tree Golf Club.

With its gated entrance and private streets, Kissing Tree is a community where golf carts are a common way to get everywhere, whether it’s heading over to The Mix for a class or event, meeting for lunch or dinner at Tarbox & Brown, or zipping over to a neighbor’s house for a party.

We’ve never taken a survey, but Jon Fiese, leader of the very active Golf Cart Group, estimates that about half of households at Kissing Tree have at least one golf cart.

The golf cart lifestyle

“Golf carts are a lifestyle at Kissing Tree,” says Jon.

Jon and Charlotte Fiese were among the first 100 residents at Kissing Tree, and Jon has led the Golf Cart Group since it started in 2018.

Like a growing number of Kissing Tree residents, they got rid of their second car when they bought a golf cart. They appreciate the cost savings, but mostly they love the effortless socializing that comes with breezing around in an open-air vehicle.

“In a golf cart, it’s so easy to stop and introduce yourself to people and get to know them. If you were in a car, you wouldn’t do that,” says Jon.

There’s only one potential drawback to the golf cart lifestyle – kind of.

“You can jump in your golf cart and be at one of the social buildings or the fitness center in a matter of minutes,” says Charlotte. “But you might not get there for 20 minutes because you stop and talk to so many people along the way.”

“We laugh that it takes you an hour to check the mail because there are so many people to talk to,” echoes resident Traci Davlin.

One cart or two?

A two-cart couple, Traci and Dave Davlin are big fans of their electric carts, which can go up to 100 miles on a single charge.

“We were originally going to get one four-seater, but our friends told us that as active as we are, we had better get two carts, or we were going to fight over who was going to use the one,” Traci says.

The Davlins took that advice, with Dave getting a blue cart, and Traci getting a yellow one emblazoned with her name and a bumble bee.

Double carts turned out to be a perfect fit for the Davlins, who are avid golfers and pickleball players.

“The carts save a lot of time, because I don’t have to load up the car,” Traci says. “We have the garage set up with golf shoes, clubs, and extra balls, so it’s easy to get out and go.”

“We still have two cars, but we never use them inside the gates,” adds Dave.

Parades and parties

Some of Kissing Tree’s most popular events (and we have a lot of them) are the golf cart parades organized by the Golf Cart Group.

On major holidays throughout the year – with July 4 and Halloween being two of the biggest – residents deck out their golf carts in seasonal splendor. Most also wear matching clothing and costumes.

Driveway golf cart parties, both impromptu and organized, are also common at Kissing Tree.

The Golf Cart Group does much more than parades, producing the annual KT’s Got Talent extravaganza and decades-themed dance parties.

“At one point, we decided there were only so many parades we could do through the year, so we added other events,” says group leader Jon. “We now do so many different things, our name is kind of a misnomer. On the other hand, golf carts are such a big thing at Kissing Tree, the name is perfect.”

Golf cart garages

Responding to buyer interest, our homebuilders are offering an increasing number of floor plans with space for golf carts, making it easier to come and go.

In our Model Home Village, the Champlain by Brookfield Residential pictured below has a one-car garage separate from the main garage, making it the perfect golf cart space. The Copperchase model by David Weekley Homes offers an optional golf cart garage.

Come tour Kissing Tree and see the golf cart lifestyle for yourself. Start at the Guest House welcome center, where the staff might tell you their favorite golf cart stories.