January 2012 – unbiased reviews, ratings and rankings of golf carry bags. Our editors test and compare the best golf carry bags for 2012 head-to-head, including models from Sun Mountain, Ping and Titleist. We lug them around, weigh them, and test all of their features so you don’t have to. Our reviews are from the perspective of golfers who WALK the course. There were a few standouts, but in the end, we found that all of the bags work pretty well, so there’s a bit of a clumping in our ratings. Your purchase decision will most likely be driven by the tradeoffs you’re willing to make between weight, storage capacity, and price.
The Sun Mountain Zero-G is pricey, but delivers excellence. Like a stay at the Ritz-Carlton. Or dinner at Nobu. Includes the nifty invention of a belt strap to distribute weight to the hips and legs and keep your back healthy. Let’s loop another 18!
Retail price: $229.99
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Score
94
Grade
A
The Titleist Premium Stand Bag delivers on all of the features a consumer would expect from a product with “premium” in its name. Those looking for lots of storage space (and not as concerned about weight) will love this bag.
Retail price: $190
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Score
92
Grade
A-
The new Ping 4 Under is a great combination of all the basics at an extremely attractive price. Light on your your back and wallet, this is the bag of choice in the lightweight category.
Retail price: $135
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Score
91
Grade
A-
The Sun Mountain Superlight 3.5 delivers excellence at a reasonable price. Unlike the CEO of GM. Or Barry Zito. Or “Waterworld”.
Retail Price: $169.99
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Score
90
Grade
A-
It’s the Hoofer you’ve known for years with a few new tweaks. Reliable and versatile, this bag straddles the line between lightweights and more full-featured carry bags and will appeal to a variety of players.
Retail Price: $189.99
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Score
88
Grade
B+
If you are anal as some of us, you’ll love being able to put your clubs into 14 individual slots. Otherwise, you might not think the extra cost, in both dollars and weight, is justified.
Retail Price: $199.99
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Score
84
Grade
B
We are currently testing the Callaway Hyper-Lite 4.0 carry bag…stay tuned for our full review!
Retail price: $159
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Stay tuned for our review of the Nike Performance Carry…coming soon.
Until then, just know that the Nike Performance Carry features a 14-way, full-length divider system. Includes 10 pockets (8 zippered) and the “Max Air Curved” revolving double strap system…sounds serious, no?
And dont forget the quick golf ball access sleeve, tee holder, pen sleeve and glove patch.
Retail price: $240.00
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Nike latest golf bag, the Nike Vapor X, is marketed as weighing under four pounds and enters the Nike lineup as the lightest of their fully-featured carry bags.
We are currently testing the Nike Vapor X. Stay tuned for our review…
Retail Price: $230.00
Street Price: $179.00
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We haven’t had a chance to test the Sun Mountain KG:2 carry bag, which was just introduced in November, but until we do, here’s what we know:
The KG:2 comes with a host of Sun Mountain’s premium stand bag features, including it’s light weight, the E-Z Fit Dual Strap System, and a cart-friendly bottom and new leg-lock system. The bag features a 9.5″ 4-way top, three integrated top handles, and 8 pockets (with a mobile phone specific pocket – just make sure you turn it off though, OK?). The bag comes in eight color combinations: Yam(!)/Ink, Black, Black/Purple/Gold (go Tigers!), Black/Charcoal/Red, Gunmetal/Black/Lava, Navy/Lava/Ocean, Blue/Navy/Yellow, and White/Lime/Black.
Retail price: $299
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