Every golf cart owner absolutely loves to customize their cart, whether it be with new paint, a lift kit, street legal components, or custom seats and canopy covers.
Every year, a special type of customization imposes itself: adding Christmas lights to the frame of your golf cart, for the sake of Holiday cheer. However, you may wonder: How do you install Christmas lights on a golf cart?
In this article, we will tell you exactly how to install Christmas lights on a golf cart with the easiest methods possible.
How To Install Christmas Lights On A Golf Cart?
You can install Christmas lights on a golf cart by fixing them to the cart frame with fixtures such as zip ties, tape, etc. You can power the Christmas lights either with an external battery pack, or by drawing power from the cart power unit through an electrical installation.
Before installing Christmas lights on a golf cart, you need to have Christmas lights. When you buy Christmas lights, make sure you favor LED lights, which have plastic bulbs. These lights are safer and consume less electricity.
You will also need ways to attach the Christmas lights to the frame of your golf cart. These fixtures include, but are not limited to, tape, adhesives, Velcro, zip ties, and more.
Keep in mind that you probably will not want to keep the Christmas lights on longer than a few weeks after Christmas, so avoid permanent fixtures. We personally like zip ties, as you can easily cut them off when no longer needed.
To install Christmas lights on a golf cart, 2 different setups quickly come to mind: Christmas lights connected to an external battery pack, and Christmas lights directly connected to the cart’s power unit.
Connecting Christmas lights to an external battery pack will result in a much beginner-friendly installation that is bound to suit most people.
On the other hand, connecting Christmas lights directly to the golf cart’s power unit will be a cleaner setup, but challenging for people that are not handy.
Overall, you should be able to install Christmas lights on your golf cart for around 100$, giving it a completely different, merrier Holiday look.
Easiest Methods to Install Christmas Lights On A Golf Cart
Down below are two of the easiest methods imaginable for installing Christmas lights onto your golf cart. Note that method #1 is easier to do and more beginner friendly than method #2, which may require professional help.
Method #1: Lights powered by external battery pack
The first method to install Christmas lights onto a golf cart consists in connecting the lights to external batteries. This means the lights + external battery system is completely independent from the golf cart. You will then attach everything to the golf cart with fixtures.
The great thing about his method is that it is extremely easy to perform, on top of being quick to install and remove before and after Christmas time.
Down below is a list of the things you will need for the installation:
Materials Needed:
-Golf cart
–Christmas LED lights (with battery connectors)
-Batteries (likely AA, depending on your battery connectors)
-Fixtures (zip ties, tape, Velcro, adhesives, etc)
Make sure the Christmas LED lights you buy for this method have battery connectors in which you can directly place batteries. Christmas lights with a wall plug will not work for this method.
Down below, you can see the Dazzle Bright LED Christmas Lights, which have a battery connector pack:
When purchasing LED lights, try to get some that are usable outdoors and waterproof.
When it comes to batteries, look on the product page of the batteries you are purchasing to see the type you need. More than likely, you will need AA batteries, but do double check.
You can also use rechargeable batteries if you are afraid the electricity will run out before Christmas ends.
The fixtures mentioned in the materials needed list are for holding your Christmas lights against the different parts of your golf cart. The easiest place to install lights is on your golf cart’s frame, which has rods around which fixtures can attach.
Follow the steps down below for method #1:
Step 1: Set up your golf cart in a dry, covered area
In this Christmas light installation, you will be working with electrical components, so you need to exercise caution.
Park your golf cart in a dry, covered area before starting the installation. If your golf cart is wet at all, wipe it down with a dry cloth.
Step 2: Test the lights
Unbox your Christmas LED lights and insert your batteries into the battery pack connector to test functionality.
If the lights do not turn on, make sure you inserted the batteries in the correct orientation. If the lights still do not turn on, you saved yourself the frustration of installing them for no reason. Get a refund, new lights, and come back to this step.
If the lights turn on, you are ready to go to the next step.
Step 3: Attach the Christmas lights to the cart
In this step, you will need to line up the Christmas lights with the frame of the golf cart in an aesthetic way. However, make sure the battery pack connector at the end of the lights ends up in a place where it can be securely attached with tape, zip ties, or whichever fixture you choose.
After planning out where you want your lights on the cart, you can use your fixtures (zip ties, tape, etc) to secure them to the cart.
Add some zip ties or tape regularly all along the length of the Christmas lights to ensure a secure fit.
In the case of zip ties or tape, cut off any excess material after securing the lights in order to get a cleaner look.
Step 4: Attach the battery pack to the cart
With the lights securely attached, the battery pack should be dangling down a bit due to gravity. You now need to secure it to the golf cart.
Using the previously mentioned fixtures, you can attach the battery pack to the golf cart. Good places to consider include the underside of the canopy, the dashboard, and anywhere else inside the cart that has a large surface and does not get wet.
It is crucial that you do not attach the battery pack to a place that can get wet or rained on.
Step 5: Admire your creation and check for flaws
With the installation finally complete, you can step back from the golf cart, and turn everything on. Admire your new creation, but also check for flaws!
If you notice anything dangling that could get stuck in the wheels, make sure to fix the issue.
Try tugging gently on the lights and the battery pack to make sure they are all secure. You do not want them falling off while driving.
After everything seems fine, get on your golf cart and drive very slowly to see if anything moves, before going a bit faster on a test drive.
If everything works fine and nothing falls off, congratulations! You can come back to base and turn everything off, knowing you will surprise many people next time you take your cart out.
Method #2: Lights powered by golf cart power unit
The second method to install Christmas lights onto a golf cart consists in connecting the lights directly to the golf cart’s power source. This means the lighting system is completely dependent on the golf cart, and it will turn on with the cart if correctly done.
Golf cart batteries typically use DC current (direct current electricity), but your consumer Christmas LED lights likely require AC current (alternative current electricity). Therefore, you will need a power converter.
However, if your golf cart has an AC power outlet, you can skip the use of a power converter.
You will then attach everything to the golf cart with fixtures.
The good thing about this method is that it is very clean and feels professional. However, it make require professional installation if you are not handy enough with electrical installations.
Down below is a list of the things you will need for the installation:
Materials Needed:
-Golf cart
-Christmas LED lights (with wall plug and the same voltage as your cart battery)
–DC-to-AC Power inverter (if your golf cart has a cigarette lighter and no power outlet)
-Fixtures (zip ties, tape, Velcro, adhesives, etc)
When purchasing your Christmas LED lights, make sure they are not so electricity hungry that the cart battery cannot handle them. Try to get a voltage for your lights that is similar to the voltage of your cart battery.
Many golf cart batteries are 12 volts, so there is a good chance you should get lights that require 12 volts.
Follow the steps down below for method #2:
Step 1: Set up your golf cart in a dry, covered area
In this Christmas light installation, you will be working with electrical components, so you need to exercise caution.
Park your golf cart in a dry, covered area before starting the installation. If your golf cart is wet at all, wipe it down with a dry cloth.
Step 2: Insert the power converter into the cigarette lighter
If your golf cart does not have an AC power outlet, but it has a cigarette lighter, you can simply plug the power converter into the cigarette lighter. This will provide you with an AC power outlet in which you can plug in your lights.
If your golf carts does not have an AC power outlet, nor a cigarette lighter, you are not in luck. There is custom electrical wiring required in this case, and it is not safe for inexperienced people. You should contact a professional if you really want Christmas lights on your golf cart.
Step 3: Test the lights
Unbox your Christmas lights and plug them into the power converter’s AC power outlet to test their functionality.
If your lights do not turn on, either the power converter or the lights are broken. Swap the lights with other electric items to figure out which component is dysfunctional. Make sure the golf cart is on if you want current to go to the power converter.
If your lights turn on, you are ready to go to the next step.
Step 4: Attach the Christmas lights to the cart
In this step, you will need to line up the Christmas lights with the frame of the golf cart in an aesthetic way. However, make sure the wall plug at the end of the lights ends up near the power converter outlet so you can power the lights.
After planning out where you want your lights on the cart, you can use your fixtures (zip ties, tape, etc) to secure them to the cart.
Add some zip ties or tape regularly all along the length of the Christmas lights to ensure a secure fit.
In the case of zip ties or tape, cut off any excess material after securing the lights in order to get a cleaner look.
Step 5: Admire your creation and check for flaws
With the installation finally complete, you can step back from the golf cart, and turn everything on. Admire your new creation, but also check for flaws!
Turning on the golf cart should automatically turn on the lights, in most golf cart configurations. If the lights do not turn on, then maybe your cart battery is discharged, or not powerful enough.
Another potential reason is if your lights are not plugged in correctly into the power converter, or if the power converter is not plugged in properly into the cigarette lighter.
If you notice anything dangling that could get stuck in the wheels, make sure to fix the issue.
Try tugging gently on the lights to make sure they are all secure. You do not want them falling off while driving.
After everything seems fine, get on your golf cart and drive very slowly to see if anything moves, before going a bit faster on a test drive.
If everything works fine and nothing falls off, congratulations! You can come back to base and turn everything off, knowing you will surprise many people next time you take your cart out.
Conclusion
There you go! After reading this article, you have learned the two easiest methods for installing Christmas lights onto your golf cart. You can either connect the lights directly to an external battery back, or to your golf cart’s power unit.
Adding Christmas lights is sure to bring some Holiday spirit to everyone you cross in your golf cart! Christmas is simply so fun when many people bring decorations.
If you discover you need to do any wiring that you are unsure of, make sure you contact a professional to let them do it for you! Do all the research required before doing anything risky, as everything you do is at your own risk.
Do you like the look of Christmas lights on a golf cart? Are you going to try installing lights on your golf cart? How cool do they look? Let us know in the comments down below!
