I’ve had the Sunday Golf El Camino Golf Bag in play for awhile now. I really dig the concept of Sunday golf bags, which typically are very small, light, and hold less clubs than a standard bag.
Are 14 clubs really necessary?
Let me tell you a little story. For 578 long decades I was the president of my local men’s golf association. In human years that’s seven. I was in charge of arranging tournaments, scoring, activities and all that goes along with being the club president. Yeah I fielded calls at 3am from disgruntled players wondering why their birdie on #13 didn’t win a skin. It’s really fun to explain to some bonehead at 3am how an eagle beats a birdie. I digress.
One of the tournaments I put on every year was the “4-club” tournament. In that tournament each competitor could use any 4 clubs they wanted from their bag. I’d usually go 3W, 7i, PW, putter or something close to that. Over the years of putting on the 4-club tourney I noticed something very interesting. The scores didn’t change! What? Yes. The score players turned in with four clubs were the same average scores they shot with 14. It was then that I realized that having 14 clubs, including four wedges might not be as critical to my game as I thought.
Back to Sunday
So I’ve had a few Sunday bags in my years of golfing and blogging about golf. I love to walk and carry and a Sunday bag is the best option by far. Now let’s talk about the El Camino.
El Camino
The El Camino is well designed and thought out. Obviously not just slapped together by someone who doesn’t play golf. I can super-easily fit eight clubs in the bag and I’ve squeezed 12 in there in a pinch. I prefer eight when using the El Camino. Driver, hybrid, a few irons, couple of wedges, putter.
Getting clubs out and putting them in is a breeze. There are four compartments for arranging the clubs.
The pockets on the El Camino are huge, especially considering the small footprint of the bag. I can easily fit in a bunch of extra balls, accessories, rain gear, a towel, some snacks, and even a couple of…. “frosty beverages.”
The stand portion of the bag is solid. It provides a great base and deploys and tucks away without a thought. It’s natural to pick up the bag and just throw it over your shoulder without thinking about the stand.
Looks
Aesthetics are a big deal and the El Camino nails them.
The El Camino is super sharp looking. Clean lines, great color scheme (I dig grays).
Colors
The El Camino is available in eight colors, including a camo style. My color is Heather Grey.
Final Thoughts
Walking is no doubt the best way to experience golf. Walk the course with the El Camino.
While you’re at it, rethink your club strategy. You may be carrying too many clubs and not using your brain and creativity to create shots with the clubs you do have.
Great Gift Idea
Father’s Day, Christmas, Holidays, tournament prizes… All great reasons to pick up an El Camino! They’re around $200 on the Sunday Golf website.
I’m happy to help support new golf brands and entrepreneurs. Here’s your chance to do the same with Father’s Day just around the corner. Check out some Player2 apparel.
On the left side of the photo above is the Player2 “3-Putt” polo. I must admit that I would normally shy away from any golf product whose name implies something bad, but we’re going to let it slide… this time. The 3-Putt is a performance polo with a classic fit and 4-way stretch. The polo employs active wicking to pull moisture away from the player and help it quickly evaporate. The polo keeps the player cool (physically) with “brrr Triple Effect Cooling. It was 96 degrees here today, so I need a bunch of that brrr Triple Effect NOW!
On the right is a classic T for apres golf. The fabric is mega-soft due to a tri-blend of fabrics. I dig chilling out in this one. Sizes run from small to XXL and there are four available colors.
Finally in the center is the Trucker Mesh Hat… er, a “lid.” I dig trucker lids. Sizes available for adults and kids.
Best of luck to Player2. May your birdies, and your sales be plentiful.
FORE!
Cool golf gear alert! I’ve been testing out the new Bushnell Phantom 2 Golf GPS for a few weeks. Thrilled to have it, as my original Bushnell Phantom was lost/stolen. I’ll cover that more in a minute. First. let’s take a look at the Phantom 2.
Features
The Phantom 2 provides GPS data for over 38,000 golf courses around the globe. I haven’t visited a course yet with either my original Phantom or the Phantom 2 that didn’t pop right up on the courses list (below).
The data includes front, center and back yardages. Knowing something other than center is strategically beneficial so one can choose the appropriate shot in terms of risk, carry, and optimal distance.
The yardages (pictured below) are shown in very large, easy-to-read numbers. Even if the unit is on your bag or golf cart several feet away the yardages are easy to read.
The unit automatically detects when the golfer moves to the next hole and advances the data to that hole. Of course, the user can manually control which hole he is on in the event of some…. “errant” shots.
The unit is pocket sized, small and light. It’s easy to carry in a pocket, but also comes with a clip for clipping it onto a bag or a belt. The clip features a loop so the unit can be attached to a golf bag with a carabiner. The back features a strong magnet to stick it to the supports of a golf cart. Pay close attention to where you put it.*
Each golf hole can have up to six hazard/layup distances per hole. This is extremely useful information, especially for that first time on a course when the player is unsure what to hit and how far the hazards and carries are.
The green-view screen is very informative and useful. It shows the shape of the green and allows the user to cycle through the different pin placements, showing the yardage for each pin placement. This is vital information which will help the player choose the right club and avoid missing greens and/or three-putts.
The player can track each shot, including putts. Below I’ve 2-putted the 17th.
The unit doesn’t just count up shots, it also tracks shot direction and distance so the user can analyze the round later and use that recon for improvement. Knowing what to work on is fantastic. Missing a bunch of fairways to the left? AIM RIGHT! LOL.
The internal battery lasts up to 18 hours, perfect for those summer solstice day-long marathons! The battery is charged via USB-C. Nice that it isn’t an odd and hard to find proprietary cable.
Lastly, the unit features a cool gray camo look.
Final Thoughts
The features packed into an affordable $129.00 retail price for the Phantom 2 are many. Yardages are quick and convenient, as is shot tracking. Play with confidence in your choices, knowing the proper distances, hazards, and pin placements.
*Beware of attaching the unit to a golf cart! I used my original Phantom this way until the day I forgot to take it off the cart. Despite the fact that I’d played the fanciest private club in town, by the time I realized I’d left the unit on the card and ran back to the clubhouse, the Phantom was gone.
HOGWire – Golf Industry News
