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.
How many golf clubs do we really need to use in a round of golf? When I was president of my local men’s association for seven long years, we did a 4-club tournament every season. The player scores in the 4-club tournament were practically identical to the events in which they could play the full 14 clubs. I’m going to experiment with lightening the load and walking the course with fewer clubs. The new Sunday Bag from Sunday Golf is the perfect solution. Compared to this bag my “medium-small” stand bag seems gigantic!
About
The new Sunday Bag is a super small bag designed to hold up to eight clubs. Eight is plenty to get the job done, but I managed to cram 12 into the bag with minimal hassle this afternoon. Must be because it is Sunday! I may settle in on 10 clubs with this setup eventually.
The bag I chose is the sharp looking “Loma” gray bag. It features an amazing number of pockets for such a small footprint, and tons of space. No, it isn’t as much as a full sized bag but there is way more space than most bags I’ve used in this genre. The zippers are waterproof and there is a lined pocket called the “Frosty Pocket” for keeping beverages cool.
Did I mention this is a stand bag? Most bags of this type that I’ve checked out do not have a stand.
Review Pending
I just put this bag in play today. Switched out my whole bag. That damn hybrid I can’t hit didn’t make the cut and neither did my 50 degree wedge. Hoping just 3 wedges is enough. I may also can one long iron and maybe leave the 3-wood and/or driver in the trunk depending on the course or the tees I’m playing that day.
When I’ve had ample testing time for a bunch of golf rounds I’ll post my full review and findings.
Stay tuned.
The week between Christmas and New Years I post the Hooked on Golf Blog Product of the Year awards. We’re about halfway so far. Today’s award is in the “golf equipment” category. The golf equipment category can be anything from golf clubs to golf balls to…. golf bags. I typically choose a product that stands out the most and/or the product I’ve used the most in my gamer setup during the calendar year. Without further ado, the envelope please…
OUUL Super Light Python Series Golf Stand Bag
I’m still gaming my Super Light Python Series Stand Bag by OUUL. OUUL is a new company that launched this past year.
OUUL makes golf bags and accessories which are a little more high end or boutique style, and don’t have obnoxious branding or logos all over them.
My OUUL stand bag is solid, easy to carry, light, and durable. I’ve been using it all of 2017 and it still looks brand new. I posted my original review on January 10th and I’m still using it.
Some stand bags wear quickly in the legs and get more and more unstable over time. Not with my OUUL. The stand still springs out and provides a solid base.
I’m able to easily put in clubs and take them out, and the pockets are all easy to zip and access.
The large carry bar/skeleton on the top (above) makes grabbing, loading, lifting, moving my bag easy.
Hats off to OUUL for winning the 2017 Hooked on Golf Blog Golf Equipment Product of the Year!
Related
OUUL Super Light Python Series Golf Stand Bag Review
OUUL Super Light Python Cart Bag Review
A new golf bag and golf accessory company you will be hearing more and more about is OUUL. They are out to bring to the market golf bags that are high quality, classy, well made, and not plastered with logos and branding like most bags from the big manufacturers these days. I’ve been quite impressed with my new cart bag, the OUUL Super Light Python Cart Bag. Let’s take a look.
OUUL Python Super Light Cart Bag Overview
First, with the phrase “super light” in the name, you’d expect this bag to be light. It weighs only five pounds. This is great, even for a carry bag, but this is a cart bag!
The top of the bag is 10 inches wide and has a 15-way design. This design helps keeps clubs safe and separated, even your USGA rule-breaking 15th club. Around the top are three great handles which come in very handy. Sure they’re great for carrying, moving and loading the bag. They also help protect the clubs. But I also use the handles to hang stuff on, like golf towels or carabiners for accessories like GPS’s or club brushes.
There are eight massive pockets in the OUUL Python Cart Bag. Massive. The side pockets could carry several outfits, including jackets. The ball pocket is gigantic. I’ll tell you this. If you start a round with the ball pocket full and run out of golf balls? Quit. Seriously. Maybe try bowling.
The bag features a very large accessory loop for towels, brushes, GPS’s, or whatever other golf accessories you have to hang. Plenty of room.
The umbrella clip, which I’ve used extensively in the fall rains, is spring loaded. Nice.
Looks/Design
As mentioned, this bag is not a billboard for some big name-brand golf company. Instead, the Python design looks like the skin of a python. It’s subtle and attractive. The lines are sharp and clean.
The design is perfectly functional, making access to all pockets and clubs easy. The handle design is very, ahem, handy. The 15-way club opening with putter well makes taking out and putting back clubs super easy.
Materials
I have to mention the materials in this bag. If you get a chance to do this, reach inside the pockets of one of these bags. The material is smooth as silk. It’s unbelievable.
They really spared no expense on the inner-lining.
On The Course
I’ve used my OUUL Python in conditions ranging from 90+F to rain and practically hail. No issues.
Accessing all the pockets and the clubs is super convenient and there is an absolute ton of room on all fronts.
Conclusion
This isn’t the cheapest cart bag a golfer can find, at between $230-$280. If you’re a cheapo and are satisfied with crap quality, this bag isn’t for you.
If you love quality products with great materials, design, functionality and a classy look, the OUUL Python Cart Bag is the ticket.
Welcome to the golf business OUUL! Glad to have you.
The 2017 PGA Merchandise Show is coming up in a couple of weeks. One new company which will be showing there for the first time is OUUL. OUUL is a maker of “fashion forward, technically superior bags & accessories.” I have been testing out a couple of great bags from OUUL this summer and fall. Today’s review is the extremely light and easy to carry Super Light Stand Bag, part of the Python Series. Let’s take a test drive.
OUUL Super Light Stand Bag Overview
The goal of this bag is to provide the golfer with a light, easy to carry, convenient, and stylish stand bag. Goal achieved. The Super Light clocks in at only 2.7 pounds. Of course that is a starting weight. Many more pounds may be necessary depending on how many golf balls one must carry to “have enough” to finish a round.
The opening (photo below) of the bag is 9.5 inches, not huge, but the engineering and design of the 5-way top makes club removal and insertion super-easy. The 5-way top also helps with club organization. I have my long clubs like driver and fairway in the top, long irons middle left, mid-irons middle right, wedges and putter on the bottom.
One of the best features of the bag is on top of the bag’s opening. There’s a plastic handle which goes around 3/4 of the bag, with some pretty good clearance to the top. That clearance allows for easy grabbing, carrying, controlling the bag. It also helps protect the clubs inside as well as giving the golfer a good place to hang a towel.
The Super Light features three pockets. First is a large, bag-height pocket for clothes and larger items. Then there’s a smaller bag toward the bottom, about 1/4-1/3 the height of the bag, and then there’s the ball pocket. The ball pocket could hold several dozen balls. I never carry that many but it could. Inside the ball pocket is a 4th “pocket” they don’t mention which can hold some small items like maybe a GPS watch. One critique, the missing soft and fuzzy valuables pocket for a camera or phone. There’s also an insulated beverage sleeve.
I like the large ring on the side. It has plenty of space for hanging various golf accessories like towels, GPS units, golf lasers, and club brushes. Just below the handle is a place for a sharpie type pen. Nice touch.
The dual shoulder strap attaches to the bag in four places and adjusts well. It should result in a comfortable and balanced carry when set correctly.
The base of the bag is flexible and adjusts when the bag is on the ground. Hard to explain this, but it’s a popular design of late in carry/stand bags. The legs are very solid and the base of the bag when set down is very broad and sturdy.
The rain cover is nice and big, with easy velcro straps and four buttons to attach it. See the “snow” photo below.
On The Course
I’ve traveled extensively with this bag in play, even all the way to Morocco. The bag is easy to carry, light, and provides a sharp and classy look. The pockets have plenty of space for all my rain gear and accessories. I really like the top section’s fantastic design and especially the protective handle.
Conclusion
This bag has been a joy to use in many different conditions and environments, even the Christmas Classic (photo below).
The OUUL Super Light Python Series delivers solid quality, very sharp looks, and super smart design.
One last thing to mention is the lack of branding. Notice how the big brand names these days are plastering their logos all over the place on their golf bags? No obnoxious branding on OUUL bags. I dig that.
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