The MGI Zip Navigator is So Good, I Bought One Myself

By now, you’ve likely seen an electric golf caddie in action. You may have even noticed more and more of them in use at your local course.

And they look pretty sweet, right?

I mean, what’s not to love about hands-free walking on the golf course? It’s like playing with a lot of the benefits of a human caddie, except you don’t have to tip anybody when the round is over.

If you love to walk, you’ve probably at least considered or are already using a golf push cart.

And if you’ve reached that stage in your golf evolution, you’ve certainly at the very least dreamed about an electric golf caddie, those carts that move themselves that you can start, steer, and stop via remote control.

The questions are: Is it worth it? Should you bite the bullet and buy one?

I know because I’ve been asking myself those exact questions for a while now.

Well, over the past couple of weeks I’ve been playing with the MGI Zip Navigator All Terrain 2024 Model.

And let me tell you, it is un-freaking-believable! All the benefit and enjoyment of walking but without the strain of shouldering a bag or pushing a cart up hills. The Zip Navigator AT is a total game changer.

But it’s also $1,595. So, yeah, it better be nice.

Which gets us right back to where we started: Is it worth it? Should you bite the bullet and buy one?

I’m going to share my experiences, findings, and opinions. While I’m not going to try to hide the fact that I love the luxury of hands-free walking, I’m also not going to claim that this MGI electric cart is perfect.

Read on as I give you my honest take on whether or not you should consider buying the Zip Navigator AT.

First Impressions of the MGI Zip Navigator AT

One of my biggest fears of an electric golf caddie was assembly and maintenance; that sort of thing. I’m not super handy, and I don’t love long installation processes. And I’m definitely not interested in products that are going to require continuous fuss every time I want to use it. I’m the type of golfer who’s likely to under-use certain gadgets and tech for reasons of them being too high maintenance. I just want to get to the tee box.

I gotta say, putting together the MGI Zip Navigator AT is stupid-simple. It’s crazy how easily this thing goes together. I finally opened the instructions just to make sure I wasn’t missing anything. But, honestly, I could have assembled this with no guidance. It’s super intuitive.

Basically, all you’ve got to do is slide the wheels on (two on front; two on back) and find a couple of levers to unfold the cart. It’s obvious where the battery goes, and it’s likewise pretty obvious how to attach the included accessories.

Am I over-simplifying my explanation of this setup process? Maybe a tiny bit. But honestly, not by much. I’d say you could have this cart fully assembled and functioning within 15 minutes of opening the box. Easily.

I finally had to consult the instructions because I couldn’t find the remote control – ha! Seriously, I thought they had forgotten to include it. I searched through all the packaging and couldn’t find anything. I was just starting to be seriously bummed out.

But, sure enough, there it was, tucked discreetly under the handle of the cart. It’s easy to miss, but once you know it’s there, you appreciate how stealthy the design is. There’s a little clip where you just slide the remote in. It’s the perfect spot for storing and charging, totally out of the way and not at any risk of getting damaged when you fold the cart down.

The Zip Navigator AT 2024 also comes with some accessories, including:

• A drink holder
• An umbrella holder
• A multi-purpose clip
• A scorecard holder

Each accessory is simple to attach to the cart’s main console area.

The drink holder and umbrella holder are fairly standard to what you might find with other golf push carts. They both work really well.

The clip is very strong. You could use it to hold a towel, I suppose, but I haven’t really found a lot of other uses for it. Still, it’s nice to have it available.

To me, the scorecard holder is kind of worthless. I guess some people may like it. I just find it to be clunky and in the way. I actually prefer the cart without this accessory.

Charging the MGI Zip Navigator AT Electric Golf Caddie

The MGI Zip Navigator AT comes with a 24v battery that’s estimated to allow for 36 holes of golf before needing a recharge.

I’ll be honest: I’m terrified of the idea of running out of juice while I’m out on the course. Not necessarily because I wouldn’t be able to complete the round.

The way the MGI works is that the quick-release rear wheels have two positions. When you push them all the way into their axles, they are in gear and ready to be powered by the battery. But you can pull each wheel slightly back on its axle to get to a second free-spinning position. It’s like putting the cart in neutral. You won’t be able to drive the cart using the battery in this position. Instead, you’ll be able to push it just the same as you would a regular golf push cart.

It’s not the fear of pushing that has me scared so much as it is the ridicule I’m likely to face from my golfing buddies. Using an electric golf caddie does call attention to yourself. And if you play with partners as excited to give you grief as I do, using something this fancy opens a whole avenue of ribbing. I’d never hear the end of it if I ran out of battery power on the course.

This was a similar fear we had with the Stewart Golf Q-Follow – and is basically a universal concern with electric caddies.

All that to say that I did not fully test the 36-hole battery life limit. Instead, I just charged the thing after each time I used it. The biggest reason for that is that it’s really easy to do.

Because the battery is removable, you just pull it off the cart, bring it in the house and plug it into the charger that’s included with the cart. When you’re ready to play next, grab the battery from the charger, connect it to the cart, and you’re ready for more golf. It’s that easy.

I could see a nightmare scenario where you keep your MGI in the back of your car and your battery charger in your house and then realize when you get to the golf course that you left the battery at home on the charger.

That hasn’t happened to me (yet), but it would suck. And it’s probably only a matter of time.

You also need to charge the remote control. But that’very easy as well. You don’t even have to remove the remote from its clip. Using the included USB cord, you simply connect one end of the cord to the remote’s port and the other end into a USB port that’s located underneath the Zip Navigator AT handle.

On the cart’s display screen, which I’ll talk about below, you can see a battery life indicator for both the main battery when it’s connected and the remote control when it’s turned on. So, if you’re paying attention, you should be able to avoid any power outages.

Related: MGI Ai Navigator GPS+ Review – The more expensive sibling to the Zip.

The Important Fifth Wheel on the MGI Zip Navigator AT

How’s this for my first round of golf with the MGI Zip Navigator?

I was running a bit late for a tee time with my buddy, Michael. I had assembled the MGI Zip Navigator AT the night before, and I had planned to take it for something of a test drive before I took it out on the course.

But life happens, and here I was, running behind. There would be no test run.

Instead, I hastily unpacked the cart from my trunk, unfolded it and put my clubs on. So far, so good. From the time I hit the parking lot to the time I was headed for the first tee box was only a couple minutes.

The trouble came when I pulled out the remote control and, excited to show off this new toy, started racing the cart towards my friend on the first tee box.

Barrelling across the parking lot it went, a little fast for my comfort. Apparently, I had gotten a bit aggressive in pushing the accelerator button on the remote, which I had now placed in my pocket.

Next thing I know, the MGI crashes into a high curb on the cart path at top speed, flips over and comes to rest upside down with the wheels still spinning. Meanwhile, I’m still fishing around in my pocket trying to find the brake button.

What an idiot!

Suffice it to say, I’m still catching crap for that one and expect to be for a long time to come.

My point in sharing that embarrassing moment is that you should definitely take a few minutes to familiarize yourself with your MGI and the remote control BEFORE you head to the golf course.

This is probably obvious to you. Then again, maybe you’re dumb like me.

The problem in my case is that I had not properly engaged the fifth wheel. The Zip Navigator includes a fifth stabilization wheel that is tucked under the cart when not in use. I knew about it, and I thought I had pulled it out and into position correctly. What I didn’t realize is that you have to not just unfold the wheel but also extend it until it clicks into place in a second position.

I have to say that MGI doesn’t do a great job of making this obvious in the instructions. I think this is an important point that should be very clear. But it’s not expressly clear in the owner’s manual, and I’ll bet there are many other people who learn about the importance of extending the fifth wheel only after they first flip the cart.

The good news here is that if I had properly engaged the fifth wheel, I think the MGI would have survived my high-speed curb crash without even flipping over. Once you have this wheel in place, it’s amazing the terrain this thing can handle.

Seriously, it’s incredible.

I’ve gotten super aggressive in taking it up steep hills, across side hills, over bumps, you name it. And, other than my initial snafu, I’ve yet to get the thing to tip over. It’ll pop a wheelie, which at first makes you think it’s going to tumble over backwards, but it just rides along on the back two wheels and the fifth wheel with no issue at all.

Another reason for this version of the Zip Navigator’s incredible stability and the reason it’s the “All Terrain” model is that it includes patented Gyroscope Straight Tracker Technology that keeps the caddie on track across any terrain.

That means that when you drive it on sidehills, instead of the caddie pulling to one side, it will self-correct. The Zip Navigator AT has two 230w calibrated motors so that the rear wheels operate independently. So on side hills, one of the rear wheels automatically slows or stops while the other speeds up, keeping the cart moving in a straight line. It’s quite impressive.

Those independent-operating rear wheels and the swivel front wheels also allow the cart to turn on a dime, which is awesome. Navigating the cart, even through tight spaces, is easier than you might think.

There’s also built-in downhill speed control so that your cart won’t recklessly race away even going down a steep hill.

And the rear wheels also include all-terrain tread to help handle all conditions.

Playing Golf With the Zip Navigator AT

This is where it gets really good. And I mean really good.

If you’ve ever had the pleasure of playing golf with a caddie, you know how much different that experience is than carrying your own bag or even pushing your bag on a cart.

I love to walk when I play. But, like everyone, I’m not always super psyched about having to carry my bag. For that reason, I made the switch to a push cart a few years ago. And I thought that solution was awesome.

Until now.

Being completely unencumbered when I play is just, well, amazing. It’s like everything that makes walking a golf course great without any of the drawbacks. Every single scenario is improved.

Here’s an example: Between the fifth green and sixth tee at my home course, you’ve got to walk about 100 yards in the opposite direction of how the sixth hole plays. Every walking golfer comes off the fifth green and sets their bag down or parks their pushcart near the left side of the sixth fairway, then grabs their driver and hikes back to the tee box.

But sometimes (or maybe a lot of times), I hit a shot wayward to the right. So, instead of being able to walk in a direct line to the far right side of the hole to find my ball, I have to trudge back to my clubs 100 yards ahead on the left side of the fairway and then walk all the way across the hole.

But not with the Zip Navigator AT. Instead, I just pull out the remote and drive that baby over to where I want it. It’s a beautiful thing.

The same thing around the greens. Proper golf and pace of play etiquette dictates that you set your bag or cart at the back of the green or in the direction of the next tee box so that you can exit the green after putting and not have to backtrack.

But sometimes you’ve got a shot on the opposite side of the green, meaning you’ll need to hit the shot and then walk either through the green or around the green all the way to the other side to park your clubs and then return to the green to putt.

With an electric golf caddie, you don’t have to worry about those extra steps and extra time. Instead, you hit your shot, grab your putter, pull out your remote control and drive the cart to wherever you want to park it. It’s pretty damn sweet.

All of these little scenarios actually add up to the point that, while I haven’t gotten out the stopwatch, I think playing with an electric golf push cart really can speed up your pace of play.

MGI Zip Navigator AT Remote Control Functionality

The range on the remote control is incredible. Maybe a little too incredible. I was successfully guiding my cart from a distance that I measured with a rangefinder as more than 250 yards! Once you’re out of range of the remote, the cart will automatically stop.

The reason I think the range might be a little excessive is that if you get into a runaway cart situation it can roam a long way and into a lot of trouble (think water hazards) before it stops on its own. You might be tending to your golf shot and not even realize that you accidentally hit the up arrow on the remote that moves the cart forward.

The remote control does include a lock button that prevents this scenario. But in my experience, once you get in the flow of a round, it’s easy to forget or to choose not to take the extra step of locking and unlocking the remote each time you use it.

So, believe it or not, I actually wish the remote control were a little less powerful.

I also wish it were just a bit smaller. The remote, while light, is just a tad clunky for my taste. Again, it’s really light, which means you don’t even notice it in your pocket. You’ve also got the option to clip it to your belt if you prefer, but I like the pocket method. It’s not a big deal, but I’d prefer a remote that was just a little smaller.

As for the buttons, you’ve got lock and unlock and then an arrow for each of four directions. It’s like driving a remote-controlled car. Then there’s a red stop button below the four directional buttons. I’d probably prefer the stop button to be positioned in the middle of the four arrows. That, to me, would make finding it quickly a little more intuitive. That design might have even saved me my initial runaway cart embarrassment when I couldn’t find the brake button fast enough.

When you want to move the cart forward, you simply press the up (or forward) arrow. The longer you press the button, the faster the Zip Navigator AT will move. And let me tell you, it can motor! I didn’t clock it with a radar gun, but it definitely can move much faster than I can run, for whatever that’s worth.

You’ve got a full range of incremental speeds that you can operate in, which is great. So you can slowly inch it ahead just a couple feet, or send it at top speed cruising down the fairway.

When you want to stop the cart, you simply press the stop button and it stops immediately. It works great.

To reverse, you need to hold down the bottom arrow button. And you use that same button to slow the cart down when you have it driving forward. Again, it works perfectly.

The digital display box on the cart’s handle shows you battery status, which speed setting you’re in and how far the cart has moved in that round as well as how many miles (or kilometers depending on your setting preference) you have on the cart overall.

You can also control starting and stopping with a push button just below the digital display, though I really never found a use for that feature. I just prefer to operate it with the remote control.

Which Type of Golf Bag Works Best on the MGI Zip Navigator AT?

I tested this electric caddie using both a standard-sized carry bag and a full-size cart bag. It was designed to use with a cart bag, and definitely works much better with that larger-style bag. It just fits much more securely.

Initially, I was concerned that a regular carry bag wouldn’t even be an option with this cart. When I first tried to install mine, I couldn’t get the bottom of the bag to rest on the bottom of the cart without it being too low for the top of the cart’s straps. But I realized that you can adjust the top straps bracket to raise or lower it to fit different-sized bags.

Still, even with that adjustment, a carry bag just doesn’t quite fit perfectly. Can you use the MGI Zip Navigator AT with a carry bag? Yes, I think you’ll be OK with a carry bag that’s on the larger side. But it’s not going to work with really small bags, and it’s definitely not an option to use something like a Sunday bag.

If you’ve got a cart bag, an electric caddie is perfect. You can have the luxury of all that extra golf bag space without having to worry at all about the extra bulk or weight.

We specifically love this high end cart bag, or this one if you’re on more of a budget.

What Does the MGI Zip Navigator Weigh and How Bulky Is It?

With the battery, the Zip Navigator AT weighs 37 pounds, but the battery itself weighs 6 pounds. So, by removing the battery and lifting it separately, you reduce the weight of this thing that you’ll have to load in and out of your vehicle to 31 pounds.

I can’t speak for someone with a bad back or who has restrictions on how much weight they can lift. But in my experience, loading and unloading this cart in and out of a vehicle really isn’t a problem.

One cool thing about this caddie’s design is that you can remove the rear wheels, invert them and then slide them back onto the axles to significantly reduce the width. It takes a couple of minutes, but if you’ve got a tight trunk or storage area, this little hack is a lifesaver.

With the rear wheels inverted, the folded dimensions of the Zip Navigator AT are 28” x 19” x 17”.

When the cart is fully unfolded, it’s 46” x 23” x 41”. Not that size is of any real concern once you’re out on the course with the caddie in use.

Should You Buy the MGI Zip Navigator AT?

Look, $1,595 for a piece of golf equipment that’s not even going to help you put the ball in the hole might be pushing it for a lot of people.

There’s no denying that an electric golf caddie is a luxury.

But, damn, is it a sweet luxury. And if you play a lot of golf and have the budget available, shouldn’t your comfort and enjoyment be worth some investment?

I’ll tell you this much: Once you play this way, it ain’t easy to go back to carrying or pushing. Trust me on that one.

How much do I like the MGI Zip Navigator AT?

Let me put it this way: When the MGI rep emailed me asking when I was going to send this cart back, I replied with, “Are you the person I need to talk to about buying one?”

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Recent Updates

October 14, 2024: Added link to new review of MGI Ai Navigator GPS+ – the higher-end version of the Zip Navigator. 

It may not be perfect, but it's just about perfect for me.

9.3 Fantastic.

Despite being significantly more than a traditional pushcart, I found the MGI Zip Navigator to also elevate my golfing experience in a way I wasn't expecting. It's a fantastic device, that for the right person, can make your rounds of golf even more enjoyable.

The Good

1. Extremely stable regardless of terrain
2. A reasonable price considering what you get
3. Range is excellent

The Bad

1. Like most electric caddies, it's heavy. For some people getting in and out of your car may be a challenge.
2. The remote is a little clunky
3. Doesn't work great for smaller stand bags.

• Presentation 8
• Performance 10
• Price 9
• Personal Affinity 10