| The golf bag has evolved in recent years to the point | | | | amount of stuff, and always want to keep everything |
| that features such as backpack straps, rain hoods, and | | | | in their bag just in case they might need it. Sunscreen? |
| valuables and beverage pockets are all commonplace. | | | | Check. Band aids? Check. Rain jacket? Check. Spike |
| Golf carry bags (or stand bags, as some | | | | wrench for metal spikes on a pair of shoes you don't |
| manufacturers refer to them), in particular, have seen | | | | even own anymore? Check. Critical Golf reviews the |
| remarkable innovation, as manufacturers introduce | | | | latest carry bags for how easy they make it to store |
| novel ideas such as belt straps to redistribute the | | | | all of your gear. The number of functional pockets |
| weight of the bag from the user's back to the hips and | | | | (ignoring things such as pen sleeves and tee holders) |
| legs, new forms of specialized pockets, and all kinds of | | | | ranged from 11 down to 6. |
| doodads to make the 18-hole stroll a little easier. | | | | RAIN HOOD. When the big fat raindrops start pouring |
| What should you look for in a golf bag? If you typically | | | | from the sky, how easy is it to secure the rain hood |
| walk the course, you probably put a premium on | | | | and protect your precious clubs? We tried to figure |
| lightweight bags with comfortable padding and quality | | | | out how to install each of the rain hoods on the fly, |
| straps. But there is also a natural tension between the | | | | intentionally ignoring the instruction manual - because |
| weight of the bag and the amount of storage space | | | | who's going to have time to find and read an |
| and number of doodads the bag provides. At Critical | | | | instruction manual when it starts raining? |
| Golf, we review bags from a "walker's perspective", | | | | CARRYING IMPRESSIONS. Perhaps the most |
| based on the following characteristics: | | | | important category was our impressions from carrying |
| CLUB STORAGE. Bags were evaluated on the size | | | | the bag through multiple rounds. Weight, balance and |
| of the club storage area, how clubs were sorted, and | | | | padding were all considered as we traipsed across flat |
| the ease of putting clubs in and pulling them out of the | | | | and hilly courses. The weight of the bags tested |
| bag. The number of sectors into which the club | | | | (including rain hoods, since most golfers tend to keep |
| storage area of each bag was divided ranged from 14 | | | | those in the bag at all times) ranged from 4.3 pounds |
| (one per club!) down to 5. | | | | to 9.2 pounds. |
| LEGS. The legs on carry bags have improved | | | | STYLE. Andre Agassi said "Image is everything". Of |
| significantly over the past 10 years. But some have | | | | course, that was when he was young and had a full |
| improved more than others, and thus we reviewed | | | | head of hair. Nonetheless, how the bag looks is a |
| legs for their stability and ease of deployment. | | | | factor, and we give our admittedly extremely |
| STRAPS. A critical part of a carry bag is the comfort | | | | subjective opinion of each bag's aesthetics. |
| of the straps. We evaluated whether there was | | | | INNOVATION. New inventions are cool, particularly if |
| sufficient padding on the straps, whether they tended | | | | they make the carrying experience easier. We rate |
| to tangle, and how easy they were to adjust. One of | | | | the carry bags on whether they are reaching for the |
| the bags tested generated significant bonus points for | | | | stars, or trying to coast by on old technology. |
| a belt strap that transferred weight from the weaker | | | | VALUE. The carry bags we tested range in retail price |
| muscles of the back and shoulders to the hardier hip | | | | from $160 to $260. Price doesn't always correspond |
| and leg muscles. | | | | to value, so we subjectively evaluate the value for |
| POCKETS/STORAGE. Golfers have a tremendous | | | | each bag - are you getting your money's worth? |