LANARK – When a golf cart breaks down, needs new batteries or is ready for an upgrade, finding reliable service nearby hasn’t always been easy around northwest Illinois.

Now, a new Lanark shop is giving owners a place to turn for repairs, upgrades and custom work close to home.

Enjoy Life Golf Carts and Service opened in September 2025 and sells, repairs and customizes golf carts of all makes and models. Among its services: restorations, lithium battery conversions, parts and accessories and pickup service. It also can custom build carts tailored to a variety of customer preferences — style, performance or just everyday use around the neighborhood. Husband-and-wife owners Nino Novakovic and Jill Luning also own The Crooked Roof bar and grill next door, but at the shop, Novakovic handles the repair work and Luning takes care of the business affairs.

Much of the work at the shop centers on transforming carts into something both personalized and practical, for use both on and off the golf course. Demand has grown for both performance upgrades and visual customization, with customers increasingly looking to make their carts stand out.

Customization often includes accessories and add-ons that reflect the owner’s personality.

“Almost like a car … or motorcycle is a reflection of your style, golf carts are a reflection of your style,” Luning said. “People can make them fun and bling them out however they want to.”

With Lake Carroll just a few miles north of town, the Novakovics have been picking up business from the private lake community that has its own 18-hole golf course, including several battery conversions and light installs for Lake Carroll residents’ carts.

As far as current trends, the couple said people want their carts a little higher off the ground, and they’re also becoming more interested in upgrading wheels, rims and tires.

Carts can also be extended to add more seating — a process called “stretching.” It involves cutting the cart in the middle, and welding and bolting frame additions to attach the two halves.

Mechanical upgrades are also common, including a growing shift toward lithium battery conversions. The shop carries lithium options such as Eco Battery and Lithium Rhino. Lithium batteries offer longer lifespans, lighter weight and extended driving range compared to traditional lead-acid batteries, making them an increasingly popular upgrade for frequent users.

“For the owner, it’s 100 percent maintenance free,” Novakovic said. “All you have to do is plug it in, and that’s it. You leave it in there, and it’s like a triple-charge, when it’s fully charged, it stays charged. It’s not like the old chargers with the lead battery, where when it was full you had to unplug it otherwise you’re overcharging and cook it up. When it’s charged, it shuts off. When the battery voltage drops, it automatically turns it back on.”

The business handles a wide range of repairs, from routine maintenance to complete restorations, with an emphasis on safety and transparency. Whether it’s a small fix like a faulty gauge or a larger mechanical issue, both gas and electric carts of any make or model can be serviced, and carts can either be dropped off or pick-ups can be arranged.

Novakovic often will shoot video of any serious problem with a cart when he sees it, and sends them to customers to help explain what’s wrong.

“Our biggest concern is safety,” he said. “With all of our carts, if it’s just a basic tune-up, I’ll go through the whole cart. I’ll check the wheels, check the wheel alignment and adjust everything. Adjust brakes, replace bearings if we have to. We’ll do videos and pictures as we’re working on them and show the customer what we found. We’re documenting everything that we’re doing. That way there’s no question. You want to be up front when them.”

For both Novakovic and Luning, the business also represents a way to connect one of their passions with their work. Though they aren’t aren’t golfers themselves, they enjoy getting out in the open air on a set of wheels — but two instead of four. The couple loves riding motorcycles

“I can get on my motorcycle and forget about everything in the world,” Novakovic said. “I’m out there having the wind in my face having a good time. On a golf cart, you can cruise around the neighborhood or be out golfing, and you’re enjoying life. You’re doing what you want to do to make you happy.”

Enjoy life: It’s a mindset that helped shape both the name and the mission of the business, Luning said, as they looked to bring something new to the area while building on familiar relationships.

The golf cart business also helps them connect with more customers in a community they’ve already been a part of during the past dozen years at their neighboring restaurant.

“Some people don’t know that we own The Crooked Roof next door as well, so once they understand that it’s next door, they know it’s someone in the community offering something new to try to help the community,” Luning said. “We’re helping out people who we’ve taken care of at the restaurant. You can sense a confidence level of saying, ‘Oh, I know you.’”

The idea to start the business only came after concern about a parking area next door that restaurant customers often use. F/S owned the lot and nearby buildings, and allowed them to have customers park on it, but when F/S was looking to sell the property, there was concern that a new owner might not grant parking permissions. So Novakovic and Luning bought the property, not knowing immediately what to do with the buildings. But then they started thinking. “I’ve always worked on motorcycles, engines, trucks and cars, so I thought I could open a golf cart shop,” Novakovic said. “There are a bunch of motorcycle shops around in this area, and I was like, ‘There’s no one around here who does golf carts.’”

The need in the local market, Novakovic’s mechanical skills, and the couple’s familiarity in the community seemed like a perfect fit. People could get the service they needed from someone they knew, and they wouldn’t have to make a long trip to get it.

“The general area needing that service was an opportunity to have him enjoy working with mechanical stuff,” Luning said. “He’s incredibly good at all of it. He can figure out any problem when it comes to mechanics.”

As far as new carts are concerned, the place carries MadJax carts, manufactured by Nivel, which has been making golf cart parts for nearly 60 years, but only entered the full vehicle market during the coronavirus pandemic a few years ago.

MadJax’s X Series carts, launched in 2022, emphasize upgraded technology and comfort, while the newer Ascent model — introduced during the PGA Show convention in January — builds on that with a more fully loaded, automotive-style design that comes standard with high-end features and integrated systems. Novakovic and Luning promoted the new Ascents almost immediately and even arranged some pre-orders by the end of March. They’ll have their first Ascent on its floor in May.

Novakovic and Luning attended the PGA Show to gauge what brands they wanted to carry, and to learn more about the golf cart business — and even golf itself. The decision to carry Nivel’s MadJaxes followed research and conversations with industry professionals there, and they came away impressed with the company’s near-exclusivity of dealing with golf carts.

“We met with people from different brands and saw a lot of different quality products,” Luning said. “We got a feel for what seemed like a good cart, and we were real impressed by this company and the fact that they have such a backing of the knowledge of their parts. It seemed liked the perfect fit.”

Warranty coverage was also a factor in selecting the brand.

“They offer a 3-year bumper-to-bumper parts and labor warranty for their carts,” Luning said. “Other brands will do parts for a couple of years, but they don’t include the labor. So if something breaks, like a manufacturer defect on your cart, you have to take it in and pay someone to fix it. That didn’t seem right because it wasn’t your fault that it was broken. I really thought that said something about the company, that they are going to take care of the problem, and not just part of the problem.”

With awareness of the business growing and warmer months just around the corner, the couple expects business to continue growing, especially as more people consider golf carts for neighborhood use. In Lanark, for example, golf carts are street legal on city roads (but not on state highways that go through town). The city requires a local registration fee of $25 for use in town, Novakovic said, and it has to have signals, headlights, seat belts and a windshield. A growing number of towns have also adopted similar ordinances in the past decade.

“People are still learning that we’re here,” Luning said. “As we start getting into spring and summer, we’ll anticipate some more activity once people start to know us. I think more people need to know what’s out there for the convenience of having it more local.”

Customer reactions remain a rewarding part of the work for Novakovic, particularly after custom projects are completed.

“After a day or two when I’m done with them, I’ll call them and make sure they’re liking everything,” Novakovic said. “I like when I get to do custom work, and when the customers come to pick them up, when they’re like, ‘Oh my God, it looks amazing!”

Enjoy Life Golf Carts and Service is located at 110 East Carroll St. in Lanark. Find it on Facebook and YouTube, or call 815-551-0123 to arrange for service, a visit or for more information.