A golf bag is an important piece of equipment needed by both casual and professional golfers. The type of golf bag you need depends on whether you play larger courses and enter tournaments. The single largest factor in deciding what kind of golf bag to get is if you carry your own bag.
Function
Golf bags carry all of your clubs, golf balls, tees, markers, towels and anything else you might need for your golf game in convenient, easy-to-carry gear.
Benefits
Golf bags make it easier and more comfortable to carry the varied equipment needed to play the game. While golf bags do not improve your golf game, some golfers feel they play better when using a golf bag because it lessens their overall fatigue level and reduces back strain that can affect proper posture.
Types
The type of golf bag you need will depend on how much equipment you need to carry in it, and whether you will be carrying it yourself or relying on a caddy or golf cart, or some combination thereof.
Staff bags or tour bags have enough room for a complete set of 14 golf clubs; they usually have enough additional storage space in terms of pockets to carry all of the other golf incidentals you'll need. These bags are usually used by professional golfers who have a caddy and/or golf cart to carry this type of oversized bag. Advertisers prefer this type of bag because it creates more room for their logo. These bags tend to be made of high quality materials and are more expensive.
Cart bags also need a caddy or golf cart to carry them because of their bulk. They generally have less storage space and are made of lighter and lower quality materials, so they cannot hold as much weight as a staff bag.
Travel bags are made to hold just the basics needed for a game of golf by a casual or semi-professional player. It is the ideal choice for the golfer who carries his own bag. Some has shoulder straps and others can even be worn like a backpack.
Features
Different manufacturer's bags boast a variety of different features. For most golf bags, the number of pockets and the size of these pockets is considered a very important feature, but you can find a host of other add-ons for most bags. This includes things like detachable drink holders, built in barometers and even matching monogrammed hand towels.
History
Golf bags have been in use since the 1880s and continue to be an essential part of the game today. Early bags were made of leather and were quite bulky by today's standards. As clubs where also heavier then, caddies were essential to the game's success. It is only in recent years that there has been a strong movement towards lighter golf bags.
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