2019-06-01_Golf_Digest

Play Your Best Equipment

32 golfdigest.com | june 2019

We reviewed 93 candidates to find

the top 34 choices.

Golf Bags: 2019 Hot List

The best bags

for every type of player

by mike stachura

▶unlike most golf equipment, no launch monitor or wrist-to-

floor measurement will tell you what’s the best golf bag for you.

That’s why this year’s golf-bag Hot List—our first since 2014—is

a great place to start. Ask yourself how you play most often (walk

or ride) and what you like to carry (bare essentials or pack mule).

We reviewed 93 golf bags to find the top 34 choices in our four

categories: Carry, Cart, Hybrid and Lightweight. Our results include

a mix of standard and lightweight carry bags, cart-only bags and

bigger “hybrid” stand bags with 14-way dividers (pictured here are

the gold-medal winners in the carry and hybrid categories).

sun mountain ▶ carry

h2no superlight

$290 ▶ Borrowing from the company’s

top-rated raingear, its DEFCON 1-level

outer layer with sealed seams and YKK

zippers looks ready to take on a downpour

like Jim Cantore in the eye of a bomb

cyclone. This new lighter-weight version’s

top expands the woods section, too.

titleist ▶ carry

players 4 stadry

$255 ▶ Its waterproof material and seam-

sealed zippers keep your gear umbrella-

dry, but it stays a true carry bag. There’s

smart comfort throughout, including an

easy-access range-finder pocket, more

strap padding than the previous version,

plus a lighter overall weight.

ping ▶ carry

hoofer

$220 ▶ This legendary carry bag’s latest

update includes new moisture-wicking

shoulder straps that glide on and off like

your favorite jacket, 12 pockets and a top

that’s spacious and sturdy. For riders, a

channel hides the cart strap so you can

still get to those side pockets.

callaway ▶ carry

hyper-lite 3

$210 ▶ The problem with some carry

bags is fitting all your clubs in the bag—

and being able to pull them out without

tearing a wrist tendon. A top that is nearly

20-percent larger than before helps.

Even easier are the self-balancing straps

and the quick-grab phone pocket.

taylormade ▶ carry

flextech

$215 ▶ There are 11 useful pockets

and a cart-strap pass-through for riders,

but walkers will dig the pillowy shoulder

padding, too. The versatile hinging base

doesn’t scrunch when the legs extend

so there’s more room for clubs, but it

still fits neatly in a cart when you ride.