What Kind of Golf Bag Should You Buy? These Golf Bag Buying Tips Can Help

This article is intended to provide you with helpful golf bag buying tips. Just when you finally settled on a set of golf clubs, wham! You face an equally daunting task picking out a golf bag. While there are indeed thousands of choices available, answering a few simple questions will help make your decision easier.

Do You Walk, Ride or Use A Pull Cart?

How you most often get around the course is the first, and most important consideration when evaluating golf bags. A golf bag suited for walkers is much different than an ideal bag for people who ride in a cart.

Golf Bag Buying Tips for Carry Walkers

If you primarily carry your clubs, you'll need to find a bag that's lightweight and comfortable. With clubs, balls and a few accessories, even the lightest golf bag can end up weighing 15-20 pounds. Therefore it's important to find a bag that weighs as little as possible so you can reduce the overall weight.

Your golf bag will also need to be extremely comfortable. The shoulder straps should have thick, durable padding. Only consider bags that have dual shoulder straps. Single-shoulder strap bags are a thing of the past. Make sure the shoulder straps are highly adjustable.

Pay close attention to where the golf bag rubs against your back. The shoulder straps need to be adjustable so you can position the bag to nestle in the small of your back (right above your hips). There should also be comfortable padding on the bag where it comes in contact with your back. Finally, pick a bag that has plenty of convenient storage pockets; especially for storing rain and cold weather gear. There's nothing worse than not having a pullover when it gets cold and rainy. A water bottle pocket is also a good thing to have. When shopping, put a full set of clubs in the bags you're looking at and walk around the store. Don't worry about looking weird! This is the only way you'll really know if the bag is going to work for you.

Golf Bag Buying Tips For Riders

There are a few important tips for golfers who typically ride a cart. Your needs are quite a bit different than walkers.

For starters, you should be less interested in finding a lightweight bag than picking one that is sturdy and durable. I'm not saying you need to go out and buy a huge, leather staff bag like the pros use. But you should find a bag that has some substance and offers protection for your clubs.

Most golf bags that are designed for carts have additional vertical supports and dividers integrated into the bag. Supports help provide structure to the bag. In addition to providing some extra support, dividers also keep clubs separated so there's less risk of shaft damage..

Riding golfers should also look for a bag that has one or more felt (or similar soft material) lined pockets. These soft pockets are an absolute necessity to avoid having your watch, rings, cell phone - any valuables - damaged as they get tossed around.

One pet peeve of mine, and something you should pay attention to, is where the common pockets are placed. If the common pockets are located on the side of the bag, they're very hard to get into. If your bag is built for carts, the common pockets should always be easily accessible.

Golf Bag Buying Tips For Push / Pull Cart Walkers

If you typically walk and use a pushcart, there are a few golf bag buying tips to consider. The features in your ideal golf bag should be somewhere in the middle of a carry and cart bag.

For starters, find the lightest bag you can find that also has club dividers. You don't necessarily need a separate slot for each club, but you should have at least 6-8 dividers. Since your bag is lying on its side in the pull cart, having these dividers will help reduce shaft and clubhead damage.

Most bags that work well on pull carts are also fine for carrying. But keep in mind, there should be an easy way to fasten the shoulder straps together so they don't dangle from the pushcart. There's nothing worse than snagging your bag on a branch and dumping the whole cart over!

Most golf bags today also have automatically extending stands. While these leg stands are great when carrying the bag, they can get in the way when fastening your bag to the pull cart or lifting the bag and cart in and out of your car.

If the bag you are looking at has extending legs, make sure they can be temporarily fastened to the bag so they don't "pop" open at the wrong time.

I'm probably picking nits here but one final thing to look for. If you can find your perfect bag and it also has a grab loop at the bottom of the bag, buy it! This little loop will make it so much easier for you to get the bag and cart in and out of your trunk.

Other Golf Bag Buying Tips

Quality and Warranty

The quality of materials and workmanship used in your golf bag are really important. Golf bags take a lot of abuse. A well made bag will gladly take this punishment and provide you with years of worry-free use. A cheap bag will fall apart almost immediately.

Pick a bag that has abrasion resistant materials. If your bag has nylon panels, make sure the nylon is the rip-stop variety. Rip-stop prevents a small tear from becoming a huge rip.

Test out each zipper and make sure the zipper opens and closes easily and doesn't stick. Cheap zippers will break or separate rendering the pocket completely useless.

Look at the bag's warranty. It should be at least a year. Ask the store where you're shopping what their return policy is. Some stores will gladly replace defective bags without making you return them to the manufacturer.

Other Bag Features

The golf bag buying tips above should have you pretty well covered. If you find yourself stuck between two or three bags, here are a couple other bag features you may want to consider:

• Waterproof fabric - a bag with waterproof fabric will help keep your grips dryer in the event you find yourself in a rainstorm.
• Fade resistant fabric - fabric that resists fading will help keep your bag looking newer longer
• Customization - some bag manufacturers allow you to completely customize your bag with colors and features. If you'd like a one-of-a-kind bag, this is a good option for you.

Where these golf bag buying tips helpful ? More equipment tips located here.