Cart bags that look like tour bags?

[Roenie]

I'm trying to find a practical push cart bag that holds its shape better than the ones made from supple nylon. I like the look (not necessarily the size) of a tour bag but they can't be used on a push cart. The only candidate I've been able to find so far is a 2018 Mizuno Pro cart bag which isn't practical. (No full length dividers even though it has a 14-way top - that's the worst combo, flimsy rain hood, cool/beverage pocket is smaller than 1 soda can, almost all its pockets are very small and there's no front top pocket higher up for the range finder.)

Any suggestions for other ones I should be looking at? Note: I practically never ride, only walk (push/pull cart), so preferably no handle bar at the top rear of the bag because my wedges would wedge themselves between it and the bag. But I can always hacksaw it off...

Plan B is a Cobra King 2018, which is made of flexible nylon, so not what I really wanted as it won't hold its shape like a tour bag would, and it's pricey, but at least it's a practical bag. (Perfect range finder pocket at the top, with zippered top lid that I imagine you can leave unzipped while push carting around.)

Thanks for any suggestions.

Edited August 31, 2018 by Roenie

[MarvChamp]

How about a small stand bag? The legs add stability on a pull cart. Best, -Marv

[Roenie]

On 8/31/2018 at 3:35 PM, MarvChamp said:

How about a small stand bag? The legs add stability on a pull cart. Best, -Marv

Hey Marv, thanks for your reply.

I'm getting a Clicgear 3.5 which is somewhat notorious for being bad for stand bags - the legs can cause the bag to rotate on the cart. I wanted a cart bag to go with it for the storage capacity and I might as well go that route since weight is less of an issue with it being supported on a cart.

What I was looking for doesn't seem to exist, so given the choice between practicality or tour bag-esque looks, I've pulled the trigger on the Cobra King 2018 cart bag. A bag needs to be functional, first and foremost.

I'll probably pick up a stand bag later this year. My current one's bottom plastic crumbled into a hundred little pieces. The part it stands on, so now it's just a hollow tube. I'm going to need a new stand bag for when it's too wet for the push cart, or when I only want to bring a few clubs to the range. I'm open to suggestions. It would need to hold 9 or 10 clubs for walking the course.

Edited September 3, 2018 by Roenie

[Roenie]

The most important aspect would be how comfy the shoulder straps are, how well the load is spread between them, and how heavy it is, because I get some neck/shoulder issues every now and then. I'm in the featherweight category, so a stand bag + clubs + accessories + water is a relatively large percentage of body weight to be toting around. That's why I typically prefer to use a push cart, and why I focused on getting a better cart bag first.

Edited September 3, 2018 by Roenie

[MarvChamp]

12 hours ago, Roenie said:

I'm getting a Clicgear 3.5 which is somewhat notorious for being bad for stand bags - the legs can cause the bag to rotate on the cart. 

Good to know...I am getting stronger after a year of injury recovery and I'm thinking of walking a short 9 this fall. Will need to get a 3-wheel push cart. Best, -Marv

[Roenie]

They have a solution for stand bags, called a bag cozy. The legs sink into the gaps. Hope you can get back to playing soon.

Edited September 3, 2018 by Roenie

[w4ik]

Just bought a Clicgear Model 8 and my TopFlite Gamer cart bag works perfectly. Played 27 holes and it’s rock solid in the cart, didn’t move at all.

[weberd27]

I had a similar dilemma when looking at bags and push carts a few years ago.  If you have a nearby golf shop that sells a lot of bags and the cart you want, you can kind of try out the combinations to see how well they secure on the cart.

I really wanted a stand bag and a Clickgear cart, but I found they weren't fitting well together for me.  I went to a local golf store and fit the bags on each of the carts to try it out.  I ended up with a Sun Mountain Hybrid stand bag (like a cross between a cart and a stand bag) that fit well on a Sun Mountain cart.  You could tell the bottom part of their cart was designed with their stand bags in mind as the stand lever has a path to slip into.  I really wanted the Clickgear cart bad at the time, but I felt like I wasn't going to be happy as the bottom of the stand type of bags don't sit well on the bottom of most carts.

If you go the cart bag option, I don't think you will have any issues.

Edited September 21, 2018 by weberd27
Typo

[Roenie]

 

I did, and I did!  The Cobra King 2018 cart bag initially wasn't a great fit on the Clicgear push cart. Cart bags have an indentation underneath. Where said indentation ends, there is a 90 degree angle to the plastic and that's exactly the spot where the bag makes contact with the bottom bag support of the clicgear. I was worried about instability as well as too much pressure on that edge, which could make it crack over time. For some reason the clicgear's bottom bag support is also positioned off to one side. Not sure why it's designed like that - I had to check that it wasn't unique to mine. The bag wanted to turn.

Forgive me for using a picture from a different bag for the illustration:

The arrows are the points of contact, before installing the tour bag kit. The rest of the support beam/rods bend down away from the bag hence doesn't make contact. With the kit installed the bag sits more upright, effectively moving the bottom support (drawn in red) forward under the bag about half an inch. Just enough to clear the edge.

I have a sun mountain 3.5 stand/carry bag here that has a completely flat base. I haven't tried it but I see no reason why that wouldn't fit on the clicgear cart, especially with the "bag cozy" accessory for the top, so the legs have a place to go. So my experience is the opposite to yours. This is what happens when an industry doesn't work together to create standards.

In Florida it's probably easier to find a golf store with lots of bags and carts, than it is over here. I agree it's the way to go if you have the opportunity.

Edited September 21, 2018 by Roenie

[Roenie]

The reason it wanted to turn (prior to tour bag kit installation), is due to the off center design of the support (drawn in red), the part of the support shown in the bottom right of the photo wanted to slip inside the bag base's indentation.

Golf bag and cart manufacturers should create a standards organization, so that every bag will fit every cart. We wouldn't be able to use this website if there weren't standards for how computers communicate.

Edited September 21, 2018 by Roenie

[weberd27]

Interesting information!  That bottom support on the cart was giving me the same trouble with my stand bag.  I feel like these manufacturers design stuff for what they like or think is useful, but you're right, there's no standardization going on.  I'm kind of used to rotating the bag sideways to make them fit to not slide around; so annoying!  You are definitely not alone in having these problems as this problem was similar to mine.  I bet that cut out matches the dimensions of the Sun Mountain cart bottom.

I did all of my research in a Golfsmith (RIP).  But we still have PGA tour superstore and several Edwin Watts stores around that I can try things out down here in FL.

[NM Golf]

My Titleist Players 14 bag fits just fine on my ClicGear cart without any extra accessories. The legs actually make it so it doesn't move at all. Best of both worlds, because cart bags just suck at everything but being on a cart.