How are Modern Golf Bags Different
The game of golf has been around in one form or another for over 500 years.
With each passing century exceptional changes have been made, especially when it comes to the improvement of golf equipment and accessories.
While new innovations in golf were rather slow to progress in the early years, the turn of the Twentieth Century brought with it several technological advances in golf clubs, shoes, equipment – and yes, golf bags.
If it were possible to go back in time and play golf in the early Twentieth Century, odds are you would either be carrying your clubs in a simplistic carrier made from one or two basic materials, or you would be forsaking a bag altogether.
Fortunately, you get to play golf in modern times.
Golf bags have improved by leaps and bounds over the course of the last hundred years, making access to equipment easier; carrying clubs less cumbersome; and protecting players’ equipment from the harsh elements and brutal weather more effective.
So how exactly have golf bags improved over the years?
Let’s take a look at the sport’s history to see just how golf bag have evolved from rudimentary models to the elite designs from Sun Mountain, Titleist and more.
History Of Golf Bags
When it comes to the sport, the introduction of the specialized bag to carry one’s clubs and equipment in is a rather recent footnote in golfing history.
Before the early Twentieth Century, golfers all over the world were accustomed to carrying their clubs around either by hand or by tying them together with a rope or belt.
This wasn’t much of a problem at the time, considering that most golfers only carried a few clubs with them.
But as soon as advances in golf clubs and golf balls made expanding one’s range of equipment a simple way to lowering scores, golf bags became an integral part of a golfer’s ensemble.
The common golf bags of the early 1900’s consisted of a simple cylindrical construction, with a round metal base at the bottom to act as the foundation of the bag.
The majority of the carrier was made of canvas or leather construction, with a metal frame that helped shape the golf bag and give it rigidity.
When the United States Golf Association (USGA) set a 14-club maximum for use in professional golfing events in 1939, golf bag manufacturers were given a clear guideline for creating products based on the needs of professional golfers and amateurs alike.
Creation Of The Modern Golf Bag
Up until the 1970’s, golf bags consisted of heavy materials that had a tendency to weigh down golfers out on the course – especially those that preferred to carry their own clubs.
That’s when manufacturers decided it was time to make some vast improvements to the heavy, crude golf bags of the day by introducing new lightweight materials to the mix, like plastic and nylon.
The nylon outer construction – along with plastic framing for interior rigidity – provided golfers with golf bags that were half the weight of their predecessors, giving players a well-deserved break from lugging around the burdensome bags of the past.
The 1980’s brought with them even more advances in golf bag technology with the introduction of the first golf bags equipped with built-in stands to prop the bags upright.
This kept players’ bags out of the dirt and vertical, allowing them easier access to their clubs and equipment without the risk of their bag taking a nasty fall to the ground.
Today’s golf bags are incredible feats of engineering, with modern advances, including comfort straps for easier carrying; multiple equipment pockets for convenient access to balls and tees; and collapsible hoods that cover the top portion of the golf bag, providing golfers with protection from the elements that their quality golf clubs deserve.
It’s certainly safe to say that modern golf bags have come a long way from the belts, straps and heavy canvas satchels of the past.
