Stewart Golf Q Follow Electric Caddie Review - Plugged In Golf (2024)

50 Words or Less

The Stewart Golf Q Follow electric caddie is the absolute class of the category. Follow feature works brilliantly. Excellent stability and battery life. Allows you to save all your energy for the game.

Introduction

Whether you call them electric caddies, electric carts, or electric trolleys, self-powered carts are becoming an increasingly common sight on courses around the world. And they’re not just for those that can’t carry a bag anymore. Competitive players are recognizing the massive advantage of not having to carry or even push your own clubs.

As this category grows, we’re taking a look at one of the leaders in the space and their flagship product, the Stewart Golf Q Follow.

Listen to my conversation with Mark Stewart, founder of Stewart Golf, HERE.

Size & Set-Up

When you unbox the Stewart Golf Q Follow, you’ll find the completely assembled cart, battery charger, remote, and instruction manual. This gives you your first chance to explore the folding/unfolding procedure. Stewart Golf puts a huge premium on the sleek, streamlined look of the Q Follow, so you’re not going to find bold colored buttons or latches to help you through this process. Such is the price of beauty. Thankfully, there are only two “buttons” needed to unfold the Q Follow. The instruction manual is helpful the first time or two, but it’s intuitive after that. Even if you’re using the manual, the process takes well under a minute.

Size and weight are a major concern in this category, so Stewart Golf designed the Q Follow to be as compact as possible. Folded up, it measures roughly 21.5″ X 23.5″ X 12.5″. You can see it above in the back of my small SUV, and there’s loads of room behind it. Per Mark Stewart, the Q Follow is small enough to fit in the trunk of a Porsche. The Q Series weighs forty pounds when the battery is installed. There is a handle that allows for easy one-handed carrying when the Q Follow is fully folded (above).

Storage & Accessories

The Stewart Golf Q Follow maintains its sleek design by offering very little storage. At the handle, there’s a compartment that will hold a scorecard, pencil, and not much more. The idea is that you can use a larger golf bag because you’re not pushing or carrying it, and that bag will offer the storage you need.

I tested the Q Follow with the Stewart Staff Pro Cart Bag, and it’s a perfect match. The Staff Pro Cart Bag has a 9.5″ top with 14 full-length dividers and an external putter tube. It also has more storage than any bag I’ve ever tested including a cooler pocket and waterproof valuables pocket. You can bring an extra two dozen balls, full rain suit, lunch, dinner, a six-pack, and you probably still won’t reach its capacity.

If you do want to have more items at hand, Stewart offers an array of accessories for the Q Follow. I tested the golf ball holder which snaps conveniently to the side of the handle. I also tried the drinks holder and umbrella holder, both of which performed well. Additionally, Stewart Golf offers a phone holder and cooler bag for the Q Follow.

Finally, for those that want to keep their car neat, Stewart makes a travel bag for the Q Follow. Once it’s folded up, the Q Follow fits nicely inside the bag, keeping the grass and dirt out of your trunk.

On-Course Performance

When you reach the course, getting the Stewart Golf Q Follow rolling is quick and easy. Unfold it, set your bag on it, flip the battery switch on, and turn on the remote. In under a minute, you’ll have your cart powering itself to the club house.

There are three ways to move your Q Follow around the course. You can use the remote to control speed while steering it yourself – “manual” mode. This is best in tight areas or around lots of people. The second option is to use the remote to power and steer the cart. I like this for sending the cart to the next tee when I’m walking to the green with my putter in hand.The remote for the Q Follow is laid out well, works perfectly, and has excellent range. After a couple holes, you’ll be controlling it without a thought. The remote also comes with a silicone cover to keep it dry and clean.

The final mode is the trolley’s namesake, follow. This activates with one push of the green button and allows the Q Follow to automatically trail behind you. It is the title feature for a reason – it is the single best part of this cart. This mode works best in open spaces where the cart doesn’t need to follow a prescribed path. I view follow mode as a reward for hitting a big drive: put your club away, push follow, and walk down the fairway with your chest out.

Invariably, you will use all three modes during your round, and switching is seamless. Everything about this cart works exactly as promised. The Q Follow has a wide range of speeds so it can walk comfortably with any player. Importantly, it’s also very stable. You don’t need to treat this with kid gloves. Drive it up hill, park it down hill, walk on a side hill. Short of driving it into a bunker or lake, it’s going to be just fine.

The only issue is that you will need to adapt to handling/carrying the remote. It took a few holes before I found a system that worked for me, but after that it was stress-free. During the shot, I left the remote clipped to the cart (above). It could stay there for manual mode, or switch to my pocket for follow mode. When I wanted to send the cart ahead, I used remote mode, then put the controller in my pocket to putt.

Finally, a feature that deserves mention is the Stewart Golf app. It has one function: checking on battery life. That may seem silly – it did to me at first – but then you realize it’s really useful and valuable. You can get the Q Follow with an 18 hole battery or upgrade to a 36 hole battery for $200 more. Either way, knowing the battery’s status A) gives you peace of mind and B) enhances battery life. Especially with the 36 hole model, you can save yourself the trouble of charging it and promote better battery health by getting that second round out of it without worrying that it will die on the course.

Benefits of an Electric Caddie

I’m probably the last person you’d expect to use an electric push cart. I carry a half set in a Sunday bag, and I’m in excellent physical condition. If anyone was going to poo-poo electric trolleys as unnecessary, it should be me. However, I’m a convert. The amount of energy that I saved using the Q Follow was literally unbelievable. My focus on each shot was better, and I came off the course feeling completely fresh. I can’t wait to use this in the summer heat when it will make an even bigger difference.

For other people, the biggest benefit is simply getting them walking again. Carrying or pushing is not feasible for some golfers. An electric caddie makes it possible to get out of a riding cart.

Using the Q Follow also enhances my enjoyment of the game. I walk taller, taking in more sights. Traditional push carts are great, but there’s no way to avoid being slightly hunched or leaned forward. With an electric cart, my head is up, allowing me to talk to my playing partners and look them in the eye.

Electric trolleys also enhance pace of play. I’m sure riding cart devotees will argue that they’re the fastest, but the giant caveat there is “when used correctly.” Good luck finding correct cart usage on your average American golf course. With electric caddies, everyone is walking unimpeded to their ball, never taking extra steps or extra time.

Finally, and this is specific to the Q Follow, the follow feature is a big deal. I’ve tested other motorized push carts [MotoCaddy M7 Remote review HERE and Kam Kaddie review HERE] and they’re good, but follow is the icing on the cake. I smiled every time I turned on follow mode. This is the mode that really earns the name “electric caddie” because it adheres to the caddie’s creed – keep up and shut up.

Conclusion

Engineers are great at cutting a situation down to its most critical parts, often in ways that are unintentionally hilarious. This was certainly the case when Mark Stewart said to me (I’m paraphrasing), “If you were designing the best way to play golf, there’s no way it would include picking up and carrying a thirty pound bag between shots.” Point well made.

Whether you’re looking to gain an advantage on your opponents or simply enjoy walking the course again, the Stewart Golf Q Follow is the best electric cart available. It’s easy to use and delivers on the promise of making golf less stressful on your body.

Visit Stewart Golf HERE