Buyers Guide to cart and trolley bags
'Cart bags are more suited to an upright stance, strapped to the back of a golf buggy, than laying at an angle on a trolley'
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Cart bags on buggy
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The term ‘cart bag’ is one of those ugly descriptions used generically to describe a golf bag that is not, ideally, meant to be carried on our backs during a round.
Though most of our American cousins prefer to ride the concrete paths of manicured country club courses aboard electrically driven buggies (or carts) rather than walk for 18 holes, the term has been expanded to include bags that might also be strapped to the battery-driven push trolley or hand-drawn pull-trolley we’re more used to using in the UK and Ireland.
However, my experience is that cart bags expertly made to US specification in China and the Far East, are more suited to an upright stance, strapped to the back of a golf buggy, than laying at an angle on a trolley – electric or otherwise.
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TaylorMade r7 cart bag
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Golfmagic visitor Steve Hadley from Northamptonshire contacted me to say he’d bought the latest TaylorMade r7 ‘cart bag’ for over £100 for his Motocaddy powered trolley and found it totally unsuitable – with the umbrella holder positioned behind the side pockets.
"So when the bag sits on the trolley it’s at an angle because the brollie, rather than the bag rests on the cradle. I couldn't believe how poor this design was from one of the major manufacturers," he said.
In TaylorMade’s defence, this probably highlights the misinterpretation in terminology. Attached to a cart bag on the back of a buggy, an umbrella is easily extracted as required – strapped on to the cradle of a powered-trolley, it isn’t.
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Graphite-friendly dividers
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However, Steve’s point is well made and it’s something to look out for when considering the purchase of a bag for your trolley.
Make sure you buy a bag that sits squarely on the cradle with nothing to encourage it to tip to one side or the other. This, of course can also be due to poor, uneven packing of balls, drinks, waterproofs in any of the numerous pockets.
The bag should be robust and, ideally, water-repellant within the fabric featuring graphite-friendly dividers that are easily accessible (at least two of which should be full-length to protect shafts of driver and fairway metals.
The best bags also have a separate pouch for your putter, the most-used club in your bag, and a waterproof rain hood.
I would also recommend a separate purchase for under £10 of a see-through rain cover, which can be draped or fitted over your bag to keep its contents dry.
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Reverse cart bag by Cobra
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As it’s only for use on a buggy or trolley, there’s not much need for a dual strap for carrying your bag. A single strap is perfectly adequate to transfer the bag from course to car and a couple of appropriately-positioned grab handles are always useful.
GM reviewer J R Hought was also critical of the
2005 Cobra Reverse cart bag (RRP £99.99).
"Its oval shape means that it is always sliding round despite the retaining straps being made as tight as possible."
One of the best we found was the PowaKaddy Cart Bag Sport (£RRP £79.99), which not only included plenty of front-loading pockets for balls, tees and valuables but also a front-loading umbrella sleeve.
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PowaKaddy cart bag
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Somewhat pointedly, PowaKaddy, the world’s leading powered-trolley manufacturers, claim: "Our models have been designed specifically, though not exclusively, for use on pull trolleys and electric trolleys."
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