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User Reviews (1)

Pros:

Quality; Looks; Surprisingly light

Cons:

Expensive; Narrow side pockets

Rating:

First of all, I hate non-informative reviews, so this one will be a bit on the longer side. Sorry, but this is the type of information that I like to see when reading these things. And before I go into details about the bag, I must mention that I am an adidas loyalist, but believe me, I am a harsh critic them just the same. adidas does not get the pass from me simply because they are adidas. I hold them to a higher standard (shoes, apparel, accessories, etc.) and I expect more from their products than I do the other athletic brands, so do not think that this has clouded my judgement.

Anyhow, like many serious golfers, in the last several years, I've used or tested essentially every type of bag available (genuine Staff bags, mini-Staff bags, cart bags, stand bags, ultra-lightweight stand bags, hybrid bags, etc.) from all of the manufacturers, big and small, in hopes of finding that "perfect" bag. There was always something missing. Issues included quality, aesthetics, weight, versatility, club tangle (my bane), etc. I know that having two bags can be an option (one for riding, one for walking), but I can be a little hard-headed. With all that said, I'm not certain "perfect" is a realistic idea -- BUT, the adidas AG Tour Stand Bag comes pretty damn close. In fact, the closest thus far.

My most recent bag was a 14-way divider top stand bag, that I thought would be the one I'd keep for a long time. Soon, I realized the very reason that I bought it, was the reason that I had to let it go -- the 14-way divider. Although, the 14-way did a much better job w/clubs not getting tangled as much as open formats (4-7-way tops), it really limited you to 14 clubs. When I go to the range, I sometimes like to bring a training tool or extra clubs for practice, testing, reviewing, comparing/contrasting, etc., and my last bag really limited that. Also, I've always favored a more open top layout as opposed to the sometimes hokey look of 14 individual slots, but all the club entanglement of my past 5 or 6-way tops really bothered me.

I decided to give this new adidas bag a look. Checked the specs and after seeing the price (yikes!), immediately noticed that this porker needed to go on a diet. 6.5 lbs seemed a little too heavy, but I took into consideration that it is a "tour" stand bag and therefore, is a little bigger and is made w/a decent amount of polyurethane. I luckily found a pretty good deal online (bag retails for $260 US and I got it new for $100 less) so I decided to pull the trigger. When I rec'd the bag, I liked the look of it on one hand -- a quiet, understated, confident look, but on the other hand it was a little too understated. Almost boring. But overall, it is a very sharp bag and the faux carbon fiber weave on some of the polyurethane looks cool and high-end. Checked it out some more and noticed it had very nice touches like thick gunmetal zipper pulls and a gunmetal clip, good quality neoprene lining on the top, a staff bag-like umbrella well (pleasantly surprised about that bit), an inconspicuous built-in handle at the base of the bag for easy lifting out of the trunk, and the adidas logo and stripes were made of a thick, embossed, rubberized material that is very grippy. I also noticed that the straps are made of a nice Fit-Foam-like material that was very soft and luxurious feeling. Finally, the larger side pockets have small holes to allow air to pass. A smart feature to have when storing your glove(s), apparel, etc.

I grabbed my old bag and proceeded to empty it out and outfit the new one. Noticed that the pockets are a little on the narrow side, which was a little disappointing. They open enough, but I think they should have been wider considering this is a larger tour stand bag. On the other hand, the velour-lined valuables pocket is reactively generous. The insulated bottle sleeve is made of a bladder-like rubber material that appeared to be great for insulation and grip, but the grip seemed too good. I anticipated that this would cause a bit of hassle getting the bottle in and out while walking. I then situated the clubs in a fashion that I like (I'm a bit anal about this) and noticed that there was a good amount of space left for extra clubs, training tools, etc. This was a welcomed feature. For me, I like a 6-way top best as my preferred layout of clubs are based on the different parts of the game. Long game (driver, fairway metals/hybrid); long irons (3,4); long-mid irons (5,6); short-mid irons (7,8); short irons (9, PW); and finally short game (2 wedges, putter).

Then, the moment of truth came when I hit the course and strapped on the bag. Immediately, I could feel the difference in these straps versus others I had in the past. The padding of the straps were very nice indeed. Also, I was surprised by how light the bag felt. My old bag was 1.5 lbs less in weight, but this one felt lighter by a small, but discernible difference; even w/the full transfer of items from the old bag to this one. At first I was a bit skeptical and thought it was just the idea of having a new bag that made it seem lighter then it really was and that this feeling would wear off after a few holes -- it didn't. 18 holes later, the bag still felt lighter. Not sure if the strap system had something to do with this (aside from the material, there really isn't anything special about the strap system itself -- I've seen better) or if the layout of the bag causes a different weight distribution (I'm leaning towards the latter), but either way, after several rounds with it, this bag is much lighter feeling then the specs would otherwise lead you to believe. Very pleased and impressed by this aspect! But the main thing I was worried about was the club tangle problems so common w/stand bags. Well, it still exists on this bag, but pleased to say to a MUCH lesser degree. A couple of small jiggles, pulls, or pushes and you're in like Errol Flynn. Clearly, the added size of the top and base allows for more room, hence, less of a tangle issue. Yes, I definitely would have liked it to have been better, but I can live with this (and that says a lot coming from me). The bottle sleeve is only good for a 20 oz bottle or smaller. Anything more and it is a chore. I've realized that the flaw isn't w/the sleeve itself, but a combination of the sleeve and the narrowness of side pocket it's built in to that causes a tight fit. Bright side, your bottle will stay put, though. Oh, and those grippy rubber adidas stripes I mentioned earlier act like a grip on your lower back that essentially eliminates sliding. Not sure if this was by design or a happy accident, but I never realized how much I like this (accidental?) feature. It makes the bag feel very stable and almost at one w/you. Impressive. Like most stand bags nowadays, the legs perform well. Same here, nothing necessarily exceptional. When set down, the legs perform very well w/slightly thicker rubber stops. Another nice touch is the base of the bag has grips that resemble SoftSpikes cleats.

Overall, a great bag that does many things right. Yes, it has some flaws, but in the grand scheme of things they become pale. The quality, fit and finish, seriousness of style, and small, but surprisingly supportive features, make this bag a stand out. A solid 4 1/2 stars from me.

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