Walk/Carry Golf Bags - we can do better

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By Hotsauce

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  • 12 Replies
  1. Hotsauce

    Hotsauce
    Georgetown MA

    It's no secret that Titleist makes the best balls and clubs in the business. I’ve been a Titleist loyalist for almost 3 decades, but in all honesty, I haven't had a Titleist bag I've liked in about 10 years.

    I’m an avid walker who enjoys carrying, so the bag I'd build would be meant for just that. It would be a combination of a Sunday bag, and a ultralight carry bag.

    In a dream world here's the bag I'd design. Start with the club cameron bag... It's good looking, lightweight, has two dividers (all you need), a backpack strap and has just enough structure to be stable in a cart (for the 3 times a year I take a cart).

    Fire a little tripod stand on there. The nubs on the Premium Carry bag don’t really do it, and I don’t think anyone likes setting clubs on early morning damp grass. A stand doesn't need to be over-engineered, it just needs to pop out quickly, retract all the way, and stay retracted until you’re ready for it to pop out again- It should also not break. Lastly it needs to have "feet" that stay on. My Titleist lightweight bag stand always flaps as I walk, and it lost a foot on day 1.

    Get rid of the “proprietary convertible strap system”. Ditch the clip/slider that connects the backpack strap in the back and go back to the older model backpack strap design. The new strap comes out of the clip almost every time I pick it up, and I often have to adjust the straps as I walk (because they slip)- which is annoying. If I decide to go with one shoulder for a short walk, the straps tangle worse than earbud headphones in your pocket. The old backpack design (although tough to get right initially) never slipped and worked as a single or double strap.

    Turn the ball pocket into a beverage pocket. People that want a light walking bag most likely don't carry more than 3-6 balls. Balls come in sleeves, so they don't need an exterior ball pocket. Since I'm walking and carrying, an easy to access beverage pocket is a HUGE amenity. If I throw ice in my water, I don't want my bottle to sweat all over the inside of a pocket. If I enjoy a canned beverage, it's nice to set it in a stable and segregated pocket on the exterior of my bag while I hit my shot. The moral of the story: Balls don't need a pocket as much as a beverage does.

    Take one of the of side pockets and add a valuables pouch to it. I’m a big fan of the felt lined pocket for sunglasses, a phone, or whatever. I don’t think it would add much weight, and would keep my scratch-able stuff out of harms way.

    Companies like Jones, Stitch, Sunmountain, UGIO, and even (gasp) Tmade and Cway make a far superior bag. As a Titleist guy, it pains me to slide my sticks in a bag that's not related to them. As a golfer that won’t sacrifice quality, I can’t, in good faith, game an inferior bag… Quite the conundrum indeed.

    In the mid 90’s and early 2000’s Titleist made industry leading bags. In my humble opinion they’ve gotten gimmicky and gone downhill since then. That said, I would be more than happy to lend my services (free of charge I might add) to the bag design department. Let’s GO Titleist- we can do better.

  2. Dale V

    Dale V
    Surprise AZ

    Did you know that Titleist didn't start making their own bags until recently, with these newer models? They were produced by Sun Mountain for Titleist. That's the way all the major golf manufactures operated.
  3. JAM

    JAM

    Thanks Dale. Do you or anyone else with Titleist happen to know when Titleist began manufacturing their own bags My last two Titleist Sunday bags were of very poor quality.
  4. Thomas K

    Thomas K
    Steamboat Springs, CO

    Military
    I am 74 years old and carry a Sun Mountain Zero G bag. The bag, clubs, balls, tees and whatever starts out at 27 pounds. I find a lot of golf balls in an 18 hole round at the Haymaker course in Steamboat Springs, CO. Almost always I find a friendly golf cart driver to carry those extra balls. Walking Haymaker is 6.5 to 7 miles with some elevation changes. And the overall elevation is 7,000 feet. I try to play five days a week. IMO, the waist strap on the Zero G bag in really important in distributing the load of the bag and stuff. I like the design of the Titleist carry bags but need that waist strap.
  5. Hotsauce

    Hotsauce
    Georgetown MA

    I love Haymaker- What an awesome track! I'm not a ball collector anymore, and I literally have a lifetime worth of golf balls in my basement. If I find a ball on the course that isn't a ProV1 or 1X I just toss it in a easy spot for someone else to pick it up.

    As a quasi-melienial myself, I can tell you the vast majority of my friends walk and carry- many of them have switched to pushcarts simply because these over-engineered straps just don't work. I think the minimalist approach does have some followers. Clearly Titleist makes two Sunday bags and a couple of carry bags so why not combine the Sunday and the lightweight?
  6. Cool fact that's for sharing.
  7. Smokey W

    Smokey W
    Colorado Springs, CO

    I agree. I am completely Titleist except for my shoes, club glove towel, and my Jones carry bag (though I did just pick up a Club 7 cart bag for days I am forced to drive/ride). My Jones player bag doesn’t have any of the features you outlined, but overall build quality and classic styling is much better than the current Titleist Sunday bag I recently looked at in store.

    Maybe the potential market isn’t big enough to invest a lot of time into that type of carry bag... yet... but for the up and coming generation that wants to ride less and walk more due to the cost and health benefits, I think there is a future market on the horizon that a big name like Titleist can capitalize on if they get out ahead of it and design/market better.

    As a borderline Millenial I am strongly on the walking, half set, minimalist golf bandwagon and don’t plan on changing anytime soon. I would love to see a company like Titleist take a chance and design/market products specifically for people like me. My generation is willing to pay for simple, efficient, classic, and quality products... but it is getting harder and harder to find them.
  8. Jeff M

    Jeff M
    North Carolina

    I definitely share your sentiment OP, I've moved away from Titleist bags for about the past decade, I hope to one day be able to confidently buy a Titleist branded bag and expect to use it for at least a few seasons. IMO png currently makes the best bags in the business, obviously that is very subjective, but from my own personal experience and the general consensus among others I've played with competitively going back as far as high school in the early 2000s and through college is that png bags just hold up so much better over time and don't break as easily in the short term.
  9. Dale V

    Dale V
    Surprise AZ

    I guess i'm more concerned about functionality than durability. I seem to move to the newer styles way before i wear them out. Same reason i lease cars instead of buying. Bad habit on my part. I have three older bags that have some moderate wear and color fading but are now just gathering dust in the garage. I do find that some of the current Titleist bag design changes are less functional than before. Moving the drink pocket to the bottom of the side pocket now creates problems with things in the pocket competing for space. You have to re-position things every time you pull out a drink bottle and try to get it back in the pocket. Also, the big side pocket zipper angling across the pocket instead of across the top makes it want to pinch into clothing as you try and zip it up. Some people have complained about the removable straps but i have had no problems with them. Actually find that feature helpful when riding in a golf cart. Leg droop is also more prevalent on these newer bags but seems to be an easy adjustment. Multiple options in styles, sizes, and colors continue to be a big plus. That's it for my personal views on the current bags. Look forward to seeing what changes in the future. Until then, plan to stick with my Players 4 and StaDry 4UP bags.
  10. Frank P

    Frank P
    Port St. Lucie, FL

    Military
    Have to agree with Jeff. png has been making great stand bags for over 25 years.
  11. Joseph M

    Joseph M
    Saint John, New Brunswick

    I have the Titleist Ultra Light (3.9 pounds) and is the best quality bag (for its size) I have had- it was made by Sunmountain as a 2014 model so it would appear Titleist went to another manufacturer after that.
  12. Zangetsu

    Zangetsu
    Netherlands

    Real fan of my Stand Staff bag. Great durabale bag. Only downside the straps sometimes come loose from the X pattern in the bag. Which is a bit of a hassle to get back in place.
    Besides this amazing bag!
  13. Dale V

    Dale V
    Surprise AZ

    Zangetsu said:

    Real fan of my Stand Staff bag. Great durabale bag. Only downside the straps sometimes come loose from the X pattern in the bag. Which is a bit of a hassle to get back in place.
    Besides this amazing bag!

    Reverse the top strap through the cross piece so it helps hold in the other strap. Works really good if you rarely need to switch to the single strap carry.

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