All the Ways to Evaluate Golf Bags for Sale

Are you here because you’re looking for golf bags for sale? You’re in luck, we have them, and the best brands, including Sun Mountain, Mizuno, Titleist, Callaway, and TaylorMade, are well represented.

But different golf bags offer different specifications, features, and unique selling points to appeal to different golfers. They are not all the same, and you shouldn’t expect them to be.

This brief but helpful guide should help you parse the details.

Hold Up - What Type of Golf Bag Are We Talking About?

First, you need to determine what sort of golf bag you’re shopping for, whether it’s for you, or a gift for a friend or loved one.

As a general rule, we have three basic types of golf bags for sale:

• Travel bags: Golf travel bags are designed to protect your golf clubs and other equipment while in travel. These are not designed to be brought on the course and only secure your clubs when in transit, either in the trunk or when you’re flying.
• Cart bags: Cart bags are designed to be strapped to the back of the golf cart so you can easily transport them around the course, but still have easy access to all your clubs and gear.

• Stand bags: Stand bags are designed to be carried, and they also feature legs so they can stand on their own on the course, since walkers don’t have the convenience of a cart.

In addition, you might come across a small subset of bags that are sometimes referred to as hybrid bags, which will combine some number of features from stand bags and cart bags into one design, so that they can easily be used both by golfers that walk the course and others that play from the comfort of a cart.

Regardless, here are some of the things you should be looking for in each design, based on intended use.

So, What to Look for?

Now that you know the high-level differences between the major categories of different golf bags for sale, here are the things to look for in each category that will improve their user-friendliness and overall functionality.

For Travel Bags…

If you’re in the market for a travel bag, you’ll be looking for something very different from the other two major types of bags.

For one, travel bags are not meant to go on the course with you. They are only designed to protect your clubs while in transit.

As a result, one of the main things you’ll want to look for is a design that completely encloses your main bag. That way, you can just put one whole bag inside of the other - not take all your gear out and rearrange the whole system.

Another thing to look for is a system of internal straps that secures the bag the travel bag encloses. Internal straps will prevent your clubs from rattling around and getting damaged.

There are both hard-sided and soft sided travel bags; both can be good, but as a general rule, hard-sided bags offer a higher degree of protection.

You’ll want some sort of wheels on the bottom of the bag so it can be rolled, rather than carried. These can be heavy, remember. High-end travel bags may even have tow handles that make it easier to roll the bag through the airport terminal, through other public spaces, or just down the driveway and to the trunk.

For Cart Bags…

Now let’s shift gears and talk about cart bags. You’ll want to look for completely different specifications when shopping for cart bags.

Remember that cart bags are designed to be strapped to the back of a golf cart so you can easily transport your clubs and other gear when you’re on the cart.

One thing you’ll want to look for is a cart strap-pass through system of some sort, so that the strap on the cart doesn’t interfere with your access to your gear.

Another thing you’ll want in a cart bag is a design that features all forward-facing pockets. These can be large and heavy, and you won’t have to unstrap the thing and twist it around for access to your gear when you’re on the course.

Cart bags are also designed to be light, but what’s more important is that they offer adequate capacity for all of your clubs and gear. They are usually much larger than stand bags and so offer much greater storage room (as a general rule).

Another thing to look for is a design that incorporates easy lift handles around the top of the bag. While you won’t have to carry these bags across the course, easy-lift straps still make it a lot easier to load them into a cart.

For Stand Bags…

Lastly, we need to consider stand bags, which are designed to be carried around the course by players who walk it, rather than ride in a cart.

As a result, the single most important attribute in a golf stand bag is a lightweight design. The lighter the bag, the longer players can carry them with less fatigue. There are some modern golf stand bags that are less than 3 lbs empty.

On the same note, you will want a design with comfortable, padded carry straps, even hip straps, that assist with weight distribution, making it easier for you to carry the bag for longer, and helping to ease if not eliminate pressure points.

Of similar importance is the design of the bag’s legs. Most stand bags are made with lightweight, folding or collapsible legs that are sturdy but which add very little weight. That way you can stand the bag up on its own when you’re ready to tee off.

One last thing to look for in stand bags are specialized pockets, such as those for valuables or refreshments. These are more common on cart bags (as they can spare the extra room) but they may also be found on some stand bags.

Shop Golf Bags for Sale Here

From a high-level standpoint, this is most of what you need to know about golf bags for sale, and armed with this information you should be able to make a well-informed decision about a purchase.

But, with that said, if you still have questions or want recommendations, feel free to get in touch with us at 800-955-9550 and we will be glad to help.