Sunscreen , fire pits , Yeti coolers , superyachts , RVs , e-bikes . Name a thing that people use for leisure or recreation and it’s a safe bet that sales boomed during the pandemic. Golf carts are no exception. “The pandemic exploded our business,” said John Evans, who has been running Mission Golf Cars in San Antonio for 40 years. Sales are up 30% since the pandemic began, he said. Now his big problem is getting enough product from manufacturers. Total retail sales for personal transportation vehicles—or PTVs, as golf cart-type vehicles are known—were more than $1.5 billion in 2020, a 12% gain over the previous year, according to Stephen Metzger, who runs the research shop Small Vehicle Resource. Metzger estimates sales could hit $1.8 billion this year, despite continued problems meeting demand. The buyers driving this surge aren’t traditional golf cart customers—retirees looking for a way to […]