Best Golf Bags

EDITORS’ CHOICE: GEAR & GADGETSApril 3, 2018

Golf bags used to be so easy to understand—it was a cart or carry bag, and that was pretty much it. Today, there are a number of sub-categories designed to address the needs of pretty much any golfer. One thing our 13 Editors’ Choice bags (spread over six categories) have in common, however, is practicality for the segment of golfer they were intended for.

Callaway’s 2018 version of its Hyper-Lite Zero and Sun Mountain’s new 2.5+ shared the top spot in Lightweight/Ultra-lightweight, each weighing less than three pounds. Lightweight yet durable fabrics and a carbon-fiber stand system lighten the load on the Callaway bag. The 2.5+ borrows from its 2Five predecessor and adds updates such as shoulder straps with high-density, contoured foam; a full-size, zippered ball pocket; a beverage pouch; and higher-grade fabric.

Our top choices in Carry bags are updated versions of Ping’s Hoofer and Ogio’s Cirrus. Each is similar in weight or lighter than Sun Mountain’s 4.5LS Supercharged, but the extra weight in the Sun Mountain bag is understandable because it’s outfitted to charge up to two electronic devices such as a phone, the first carry bag to have this feature.

For those preferring to ride, Sun Mountain’s updated C-130 Supercharged cart bag has the same phone-charging feature. Hybrid bags, as the name suggests, have attributes appealing to more than one audience. Callaway’s Fusion 14 weighs just 5.7 pounds—an accomplishment in a bag with 14-way dividers and 12 well-positioned pockets, including a magnetic valuables pocket. The Datrek bag has the company’s Top-Lok Technology, a patented bag-to-cart attachment system designed to securely lock the bag onto most pushcarts.

Of course, some golfers want a throwback bag—a small, single-strap bag without a stand that’s perfect when hoofing it for a few holes while not taking up too much room in the trunk of the car, which is why Jones’ Golf Utility Rover bag caught our eye.

One of golfers’ pet peeves are bags that soak in moisture, so we added a sub-category, Waterproof. Keeping the wetness away best was this foursome of bags: Callaway’s Hyper Dry cart bag, Ping’s Hoofer Monsoon carry bag, Sun Mountain’s H2NO Lite carry bag and Titleist’s 4UP StaDry bag. Like we said, not so easy to understand anymore.