The perfect golf bag is out there — it just depends on your needs. We asked our staffers to name their favorites they use on the course.
GOLF
Welcome to GOLF’s 2024 holiday edition of Our Picks, where our experts are hand-selecting the items you — and your golf-loving family and friends — need on your radar. Scroll below for our latest batch of recommendations, and visit our Best Golf Stuff of 2024 hub page for more articles.
For golfers, few things are more exciting than buying a new golf bag. Why? Easy. You can never blame it for a bad shot, and you’ll never lose it in the woods (if you do, you have bigger issues).
It’s your trusty sidekick for all your golfy adventures, and a good, loyal one will never let you down. Plus, there are a ton of options out there — so you can always find one that’s perfect for you and your needs.
Let’s quickly breeze through some basics. There are essentially three different styles you are looking at here: the carry bag, stand bag and tour bag. The carry bag is mostly just that — a bag you’ll carry, one that usually doesn’t include a stand and often it’s lightweight and compact. It’s a minimalist approach. The stand bag is your most common option, something with a little more cargo space and often used by walkers and cart riders. Then, finally, there’s the tour bag, which is meant to be exclusively for those riding on carts (unless you are a pro and have a caddie doing the heavy-lifting for you).
Beyond that, there are lots of other key factors you need to consider: model, color, weight, size, storage, price and all those other fun bells and whistles you might not think about: a cooler pocket for drinks, a spot for your rangefinder, a safe pouch for valuables and even a USB charger.
And here at GOLF.com, we play a lot of golf, so I’d consider this group experts. What golf bags do our staffers love? We asked them.
Our 8 favorite golf bags
Keep scrolling for our picks of the best golf bags you should buy.
The Jones Rover Stand may be one of the most perfect golf bags for regular walkers. It has a very comfy strap system, a three-way divider top, a lightweight and sturdy construction and plenty of storage options without weighing it down too much. The new phone pocket might be one of the smartest and best-placed pockets I have seen in a golf bag. If you want more of my thoughts on this particular one, I wrote about it here. — Jack Hirsh
I’ve been an evangelist for the Moonlite for years but I remain blown away by this fella. Takes up no space. Sturdy as could be. Comfy straps. Maybe I’ll become a golf-bag-with-legs guy at some point but for now, this is as good as I’ve found (and the newest model was recently released). Join the movement! — Dylan Dethier
I’ve used a couple of different golf bags over the years but the Ping Hoofer Stand Bag is tough to beat. It’s light, durable, comfortable to carry and has a billion pockets (the newest ones have 16). I also love all of the color options available. The 2025 models just came out — with a few added improvements — and I’m excited to get my hands on one. — Josh Berhow
This bag isn’t for everyone. Only minimalists, who love golf on the go, who want to play golf via train or bus, who store their clubs in a closet rather than a garage. In all that minimalism is a lightness that encourages walking and never becomes a chore to carry. I’ve used it for the last four years and swear by its simplicity. — Sean Zak
The smooth matte finish of this bag looks sharp but my favorite feature is the number of magnetic pockets scattered all over. The straps make carrying it a breeze and the magnetic pockets can store all the essentials you might want to grab quickly during a round. If you would rather use a cart, the sturdy build will keep your bag from bouncing around during your ride. — Adam Christensen
The SL2 from Stitch is a great bag for a golfer on the go. With a proprietary leather-like exterior, this bag is tough. For someone using public transit to get to and from the course, that’s a huge plus. No matter how many subway poles I hit or commuters I bump into, I know this bag won’t be any worse for wear. — Zephyr Melton
I absolutely love this bag for its simplicity and minimalist look. At just over five pounds, it’s streamlined and easy to carry and has plenty of roomy pockets for all my accessories, including a beverage pocket with magnetic closure. Though it’s composed of synthetic leather, it feels premium without being fussy — just elegant and elevated. You can even order it with complimentary personalization, which is a nice touch. — Jessica Marksbury
I finally swapped out my ancient golf bag last offseason for a brand-new, GOLF-branded Ogio Fuse Stand Bag, and I couldn’t be happier. If you’re looking for a small Sunday bag for a few clubs, this isn’t the bag for you. But if you, like me, want a full-size bag with all the modern features — like a fleece-lined valuables pocket and a water-bottle pocket with a drainage pouch featuring rapid-access snap enclosures — that’s still lightweight and easily carryable for 18 holes, the Fuse Stand Bag could be what you need. — Kevin Cunningham
Josh Berhow
Golf.com Editor
As GOLF.com’s managing editor, Berhow handles the day-to-day and long-term planning of one of the sport’s most-read news and service websites. He spends most of his days writing, editing, planning and wondering if he’ll ever break 80. Before joining GOLF.com in 2015, he worked at newspapers in Minnesota and Iowa. A graduate of Minnesota State University in Mankato, Minn., he resides in the Twin Cities with his wife and two kids. You can reach him at joshua_berhow@golf.com.
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