Last year I lost two clubs in one day. My brain was checked out and somehow I left my 6-iron on the 18th tee and my Vokey Oil Can lob wedge somewhere else. Naturally some golfers with terrible karma found them and never turned them in. The 6-iron was a Hogan and the shaft was frequency matched with the rest of the set. That’s an irreplaceable club. Those two clubs alone cost over $300 to replace. I could have used some help keeping track of my clubs.
I’ve reviewed many golf gadgets, electronic devices and even putters with laser beams in them. The technology and concept behind Club Count sets a new bar in the use of high technology in an area previously unexplored, golf bags.
How it works – Technology
At the first of your round, you turn the Club Count controller unit on and internal sensors do an inventory of your clubs in a few seconds while “chirping” and flashing the “side indicator lights.” RF antennas bounce a signal off the clubs to count them, whether graphite, steel, titanium etc.
After the analysis, the brain of the bag always keeps tabs on how many clubs are in the bag. No stickers or devices need be added to the clubs themselves. The bag “chirps” to let you know it has a count and you may continue.
When powering on, the unit also does a battery test. I don’t know about you, but this is the first golf bag I’ve ever had that does it’s own battery test on startup. Club Count is also nice enough to include a set of long life AA batteries with the unit. Nice touch.
When you pull out clubs the bag is keeping track. Upon returning clubs, if the count is different (indicating you may have forgotten a club), the bag chirps and flashes the side indicator lights.
The bag is even smart enough to sense when it is in motion and does not update the status of the bag while moving.
None of my other golf bags came with an owner’s manual
The Club Count holds the distinction of being the first golf bag I’ve used which actually came with an owner’s manual. Not only that, it is eight pages long!
On the course
Ever week my buddies can’t wait to see what the latest cool golf item is. I’m always blowing their minds with laser guided putters, golf balls with no dimples or just the best new clubs out there. This time they were speechless.
Turning on the unit is entertaining. My three buddies were standing next to me on the first tee, watching me do it. The instructions are great. The first line is “press the on button and step away from the bag.” I pushed it and jumped back like I just lit an M80. My three buddies jumped back too, not knowing what the hell I was doing. We then stood there looking at it, watching it flash and listening to it chirp. The guys in the pro shop must have really been wondering what these nuts on the first tee were doing. When the bag made it’s noises and the lights flashed my pals said “what the hell is that?” I explained.
During the course of that first round I was so hypersensitive about my clubs that I never heard an alarm. I didn’t put the bag through a real test. I never forgot a club!
The next round however, was a different story. I left a wedge on the #8 green. Before I got to #9 tee I heard the alarm and saw the flashing lights. I’d left a $200 Bobby Jones sand wedge behind. That bag just saved me $200 and the grief of explaining to my pal Jesse Ortiz that I lost one of his new wedges.
Not a carry bag
The Club Count bag is fairly heavy. It is most definitely not a carry bag. I used the bag with great results on riding carts and also with my three wheeled push cart.
Critiques
The bag itself is a fairly standard cart bag. If I were rating the bag alone without the electronics, I’d call it an average golf bag.
I’d like to have a soft pouch/pocket for sunglasses and watches, delicate items. Also the bag is missing an insulated drink pocket which can come in very handy in the heat. I do realize that’s more of a feature for walkers, but still it would be nice and there’s plenty of room.
Club Count Images
For a few more pictures of the Club Count Technology golf bag, click here.
Conclusion
The Club Count golf bag is surely a breakthrough idea and technology. The Club Count technology could save a forgetful golfer the pain of having to replace clubs he left out on the course which jerks take home and sell on ebay rather than returning them to the pro shop.
It would only take 1-2 instances of the bag catching your missed clubs to pay for itself.
HOGWire – Golf Industry News
I think it is amazing what role technology has played in the game of golf. This bag is just one more example of how the game has evolved.