Category: Bag Drop

New Sun Mountain Speed Cart V1 Rolls Out

There’s more than one way to walk the course. You can be caddied, you can carry, you can drag. But when push comes to shove, this may be your solution.

Bag DropMy memories of using a hand cart are not good ones. Invariably they were rentals at public courses weighing a good 15 pounds with wobbly little wheels and a propensity to tip over on anything but dead flat ground. Dragging one of those behind me up and down hills wasn’t any fun.

That’s why I always carried when I walked. It was simpler and definitely more fashionable. Somehow here in the U.S. using a hand cart just wasn’t the cool thing to do. But times change and so did I. I got older, my feet gave out (plantar faciitis), and I started riding instead of walking.

About the same time, while I wasn’t looking, a new breed of hand cart emerged. Sun Mountain introduced their first three-wheeled push cart in 1999. It was light, stable, and ergonomically designed. With the latest version introduced this month, they’ve raised the bar again on what a hand cart can be. Here’s the story…

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When Less is More: The Sunday Bag

Legs and double straps are indeed convenient. But it seems to me the current crop of carry bags has become a little bloated. Maybe it’s time to reconsider light.

Bag DropMy grandfather was a farmer and devout Protestant. He would not work his fields on Sunday even if looming weather threatened to wipe out his crop. Back in the day, that same ethic existed at many golf clubs and thus caddies were not permitted to work on the Sabbath.

Hence came the Sunday bag… a small, light bag originally made of canvas that players could use to carry their own clubs on the day of rest. While many believe it went the way of the dodo after Sun Mountain came out with the first stand bag back in the 1980s, it still survives.

And it still makes sense. Half the weight of a stand bag, the couple pounds it saves you (plus the weight of all the detritus it won’t hold) makes a difference. Here’s a look at some current options ranging from cheap to outrageously expensive…

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MacGregor Introduces Bobby Grace DCT Putters

Interchangeable faces and adjustable weights will give players a lot of options in achieving the feel they prefer for different green speeds and conditions.

Bag DropEver since I picked up a Fat Lady Swings putter more than a decade ago, I’ve been something of a Bobby Grace putter fan. His original designs always bear something of a rugged industrial look that just seems to mean business.

His latest line of putters for MacGregor comes with something called “Distance Corrective Technology” (DCT) that allows you to swap between a polymer and a milled titanium face to change the feel and response of the putter.

There are three putters in the line. Two are more traditional Anser-like heads while the third is a high MOI (moment of inertia) mid-mallet that looks a lot more conventional than Grace’s past V-Foil putters.

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Equipment Tricks for Faster Play

We kick off a weeklong chorus at The Sand Trap to speed up the game with some equipment, gadgets, and tricks that’ll help you break the four-hour barrier.

Bag DropSlow play is slowly killing the game I love and I’ve had just about enough. Five-hour rounds are becoming the norm and six-hour rounds are all too frequent. As a result, even avid golfers are playing less often and enjoying it less when they do.

I’m sure my fellow contributors on the site will weigh in this week with more on the reasons why we’re crawling around the course at a snail’s pace and what we can do about it. But for now, it’s my mission to pass along some observations on equipment that can save time wasted on things other than thinking about the shot and hitting it.

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20 Bag Drop Trivia Questions

Over the past year we’ve covered a lot of different equipment topics. How much were you paying attention?

Bag DropI wanted to do something special to commemorate an entire year of authoring The Bag Drop, so I took a peek back at some of those earlier columns for inspiration. As I did, it occurred to me just how much trivial information I’ve blathered on about week after week.

The exercise also made me curious as to whether any of this stuff really sticks with our loyal readers. So here’s a pop quiz… 20 questions to test your equipment and golf industry trivia knowledge based on The Bag Drop columns since last April.

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Golf Ball Fitting: The Next Big Thing?

In the last few years custom club fitting has revolutionized the way players can match their sticks to their game. Now the same seems on the way for balls.

Bag DropIn our Golf Talk Podcast coming up this Wednesday, you’ll get a chance to hear Erik J. Barzeski and I interview George Sine, Titleist’s Vice President of Golf Ball Marketing Worldwide, about the new Pro V1 and Pro V1x.

Without giving too much away (be sure to listen – there’s a lot of interesting stuff), one of the things he touches on is how Titleist is turning its attention to better identifying and matching golf ball performance characteristics to individual players.

While ball comparisons have popped up on some of Titleist’s competitor’s websites, they are very broad and not all that meaningful. For most of us, choosing a ball remains a largely subjective exercise.

Our discussion with George led me to investigate the world of golf ball fitting. I found news of a new software solution that may lead the way to true custom ball fitting.

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What Price Golf Technology?

The last 20 years have witnessed a sea change in golf equipment performance. Today we have more and better choices than ever. But is all that a good thing?

Bag DropFred Ridley, the former USGA president who now heads Augusta National’s Competition Committee, must be pleased with himself and his club for turning the Masters into a U.S. Open venue.

But after watching the train wreck that was this year’s event, it occurred to me that we were seeing more than the result of poor choices by the green jackets. We were seeing a consequence of poor choices by the blue jackets at the USGA who have allowed technological advances to change the game.

Would the hallowed grounds of Augusta been so bastardized had not club and ball technology forced it? I don’t think so. And that’s why I believe that while technology on some levels has helped the average golfer enjoy the game a bit more, on the whole I think we’ve lost more than we’ve gained.

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PowerBilt is Back with Premium Citation Club Lineup

Hillerich and Bradsby, the longest running family owned sports equipment company in the world, resurrects one of the most revered brand names in golf.

Bag DropOne of my fondest memories in golf goes back to the late 60s when I was finally able to afford a top “pro” line of woods. I chose Hillerich and Bradsby PowerBilt Citations.

They were gorgeous. The persimmon heads were beautifully shaped and the signature brass backweight clearly announced these were the real deal. Plus there was that “lucky” horseshoe logo engraved in the soleplate.

Sadly, as persimmon passed away, H&B joined other classic club manufacturers like MacGregor and Wilson in decline as a top brand. But now they’re making a comeback with a new line of premium clubs and have brought back long-time endorser Fuzzy Zoeller to gain presence on the Champions Tour.

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Putter Loft: Why it’s Important

Length, lie and head weight are the putter specifications most think of when it comes time to choose a putter. But loft is more critical than you might imagine.

Bag DropWhile in golf vernacular a putter is known as the “flat stick,” it’s anything but that. Every putter made has some degree of loft built into the face.

That’s because even on the fastest of greens the ball is sitting slightly down in the grass. Loft is necessary to lift the ball out that depression and get it rolling as quickly as possible. And it’s loft, not necessarily grooves, that contributes to the quality of that roll.

A putter’s length and lie can be fitted to you fairly easily. But getting fit for putter loft is a lot trickier. Here are some things to consider when you’re ready to fine-tune your putter to your putting style…

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