The Carlsbad City Council Tuesday night voted to place Global Positioning System devices in the 83 golf carts that will tool around The Crossings at Carlsbad, which is scheduled to open in early August, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported.

The city will lease the system from Uplink Inc. for $4,620 a month for five years, after which the city can buy it for $1. The course can sell advertising on the devices to make money, the newspaper reported.

The system also provides a safety measure.

"If someone is out on the golf course, it has a panic button on the GPS to send a signal to the clubhouse," said Skip Hammann, the city's special projects manager, according to the Union-Tribune.

Each cart's GPS device will be loaded with software that will chart distances and other data at the course. A player can drive the cart up to the ball, and the device will say how far it is from the green, the newspaper reported.

It can also tell distances to other points of interest on the course, such as hazards or trees.

Jeff Perry, the course's general manager, said the system will lay out a hole for players and help them visualize shots from tees where the green is not visible, the Union-Tribune reported.

He said the system also can tell players areas to avoid and guide them away from areas that are off-limits. Of the course's 400 acres, 200 are sensitive habitat, according to the newspaper.

Perry said players will also be able to order food through the system and pick it up at stops on the course, the Union-Tribune reported.