Why the OGIO Funday bag might be the best thing I've tested in golf this year

As someone who generally keeps his set-up as minimal as possible, I've never felt the particular need to invest in a Sunday bag. Even when ducking out for a cheeky nine at a local Par 3, the thought out carrying my full set-up, so long as I have a good stand bag to hand, doesn't fill me with dread.

As such, I was a little skeptical when coming in to test the OGIO Funday, a new stand-equipped Sunday bag from the bag specialists. While I've never had any doubts that Sunday bags are a popular go-to for many players, I was less sure I'd leave the course feeling like I needed one of my own.

Over the course of playing nine holes at London's Dukes Meadows Par 3 course—very much the kind place the Funday bag was made to tackle—my mind was changed. In fact, with its laundry list of fun, intuitive features, it might be one of my favourite products I've tested this year so far.

Here's why I came to love it.

Looks

The OGIO Funday fits the classic profile of a Sunday bag, with a relatively thin main cylindrical main compartment and a simple padded strap designed to be carried over one shoulder. A plastic top sits at the entrance to the club compartment to give it a little more sturdiness and protect the shafts of your clubs, and in a fun twist, each of these is hydrodipped at the OGIO factory to make each bag truly unique.

Unlike most Sunday bags, the Funday comes with pop-out stands that need to be extended by hand and come halfway down the bag's length. When extended, the top of the bag sits about a foot off the ground, which makes picking it up a little easier.

We love the overall look of the bag, which carries the classic OGIO air of functionality and technical prowess without being overwhelming on the branding. The Tropical Punch colourway we received ours in, dressed as it was in bright streaks of teal, hot pink and red, is a carry-over from OGIO's more expensive bags. It wouldn't be my first choice on a showroom floor, but I personally don't hate the colour way, and actually came to appreciate how it leans into the Funday's sense of fun. That being said it won't be for everyone—particularly given many Sunday bags look to emulate that retro pencil bag look of decades past.

Thankfully, this isn't really an issue. The Funday comes in a number of colour options ranging from the audacious tropical punch to a Masters-inspired white, green and yellow and a more simple blacked-out version.

Performance

I elected to take the OGIO Funday out on a day when I was testing a few different clubs alongside a couple of rangefinders, thinking that it would be well suited to those kinds of rounds where you want to slot a smaller collection of clubs in your bag and get a quick round in. It performed perfectly.

I equipped the Funday with a couple of irons, a selection of wedges I was also testing (including the new TaylorMade MG5), and a putter, and found its two main club compartments held ample space for everything. Made from recycled 150D Diamond Ripstop Polyester, the bag felt durable and lightweight to carry, while the molded shoulder strap and ergonomic foam moulded hip pad really increase carry comfort. Because the bag is super lightweight and designed to be carried over one arm, clatter and club noise wasn't really an issue either. 

Where the Funday bag is utterly charming, however, is in the features that slowly reveal themselves to you the more you use it. The Funday's main compartment comes equipped with a built-in front pocket capable of holding a couple of sleeves of balls and engineered with a pen/tee holder attached to the front. A mesh pocket above that can easily hold a smartphone and other personal belongings, and it also has both a velcro patch for holding your glove and a plastic ring for clipping on a towel or a rangefinder.

Along the side lies a full length mollie strip on to which can be attached two additional modular pouches—one with three additional pockets for excess storage and one drink bottle pocket that comfortably fit my 1L water cantina. These can be attached and removed at will depending on how minimalist you want the Funday to be on the day, and arranged according to preference. And while they can be a bit temperamental in clicking in and out of place properly an absolutely ingenious way of adding additional functionality to the bag without generating extra heft.

The legs, meanwhile, are another fun addition. Because you need to set the bag down quite low to get it on the ground, they don't pop out automatically. Rather, they're designed to be in easy reach while carrying the bag so you can extend them easily by hand and simply place the bag down on its haunches. 

Stood on these little legs, the bag reminded me a little of the kind of stand bag you see included with a kids package set, but they do make switching clubs in and out of the bag far easier, and could prove a useful feature particularly if you struggle with bending down to pick things up.

Should you buy the OGIO Funday golf bag?

Over the course of nine holes, I found the OGIO Funday utterly endearing to use, and would enthusiastically recommend it to anyone who feels like a Sunday bag would add value to their more casual rounds.

The combination of storage options OGIO have engineered into the bag is utterly inspired and fun to use, while the bag is both well-built and an absolute joy to carry on those breezy rounds around a shorter track.

At £144 retail, the OGIO Funday bag represents a pretty sizeable investment when you can get many pencil bags for under a hundred quid. What you get in return, however, is about as close to perfection as you'll find in a Sunday bag anywhere.