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adidas Golf SAMBA Stand Bag Review

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Looks:
The new SAMBA stand bag looks very clean and basic.  There are four color choices: Black/White, Blue/White, Green/White and White/Black.  There’s no third accent color like in many bags today. While TaylorMade tends to employ more bold, multi-color, technical designs, Adidas tends to simplify. The SAMBA is reminiscent of the shoe of the same name, so the design makes PERFECT sense. I would have welcomed a gold ‘SAMBA’ moniker somewhere to really finish off the shoe-like graphics.

Organization:
At only 4.4 pounds, this SAMBA carry bag falls into the lightweight category.  In some cases, this means fewer pockets and function, but not so with the SAMBA. There are six total pockets to stash the gear you need on the course.  There are also separate, easy to reach pockets for both balls and tees, which have become industry standard. The long side pocket has plenty of room for larger items like a rain suit, wind shirt and even your shoes. Additional pockets allow room for sunscreen, gloves, a hat, etc., so if you’re a “pack rat,” you should find ample space for your items. Two pockets which are “must haves” for me are a valuables pocket and drink holder. Despite its light weight, the SAMBA has both. Two thumbs up there. Overall, the storage is very impressive for a lightweight.

Full bag

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Storage of items is one thing, but we buy bags to hold our sticks. Is that $400 driver safe? Adidas incorporates seven-way top with full length dividers to help separate your clubs. It reminded me of the old OGIO WOODE system and separated clubs very well.  My only beef is that it’s a “reverse design,” kind of a mirror image of what you’d expect. When you place your bag down woods sit closer to you, and you must reach over to access irons. While this may be nitpicking, it does take a little getting used to. There’s no arguing your clubs are very well organized, but this ‘flipped’ design is a little more awkward. It’s far from a dealbreaker, but should be noted as a potential problem.

Top dividers

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The divider system does an excellent job in separating clubs and protecting from “chatter.”  There is a separate putter well, plus three individual spots for a driver and two other woods, hybrids or driving irons.  The remaining larger three-tiered iron sections allow for ample room from the scoring sticks. Overall, it’s a solid design for organization and protection

Function:
The legs of the SAMBA deploy and retract with ease. This might seem like a given, but too many times I’ve had a bag with either deployment or retracting issues.  Thankfully, no worries with the SAMBA. It’s smooth as can be.

This could be my favorite part of the bag.  The straps are wide, well-padded and excellent overall.  It’s easy to pick up and remove the bag from your shoulders.  There is no pinching or digging into your shoulders. It’s as comfortable a strap system as I have tried.

Two nice extras include a towel ring and insulated drink pocket, which remains accessible while carrying the bag.  These are “nice to haves,” but earn bonus points for being included by Adidas. Other extras include an umbrella cord, pen slot, bottom trunk handle and rainhood.

Overall:
Adidas Golf has created a solid carry bag for 2013 in the SAMBA.  Staying true to SAMBA roots, it has everything you’d want in a solid carry bag:  Comfort, functionality and storage. Retail is $139 and it comes in four color combinations.  The removable ball pocket will even allow customization.  See more at Adidas Golf.

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10 Comments

10 Comments

  1. Jason Fu

    Aug 4, 2016 at 9:38 am

    I know it is strange to comment on a three year old review, but I purchases a 2013 model on clearance for $107. My bag has the same Ogio “woode” style divider system, but it is not “reversed” as on the bag in this review; the woods sit on the left side when carrying the bag, exactly like the Ogio bag. So far it has been a great bag, extremely well designed, light weight, durable, awesome back pack style straps, and has nice looks.

  2. Pingback: Top Golf Bags for the 2014 Season | Personalized Golf Balls Official Blog

  3. Adam

    Mar 5, 2013 at 7:26 pm

    Bag is sweet. Played a couple rounds with it already. Very lightweight and the club setup is different , but all woods will fit in top slot. Like to put my putter on the side with vokiies for limited touching. I use about 15 clubs can be tight at times but overall great bag and stylish.

  4. Brent

    Mar 1, 2013 at 4:10 pm

    Received mine a week ago and looking forward to having this sweet bag on the course this year! Great review.

  5. Dan

    Feb 22, 2013 at 2:26 am

    question: there are posts on the top ring of the golf bag, probably for mounting accessories. I can’t find any accessories. Can you help?

  6. Rich

    Feb 6, 2013 at 5:00 pm

    Does Troy have large wedges????

  7. kevin

    Feb 3, 2013 at 3:05 am

    that logo is overbearing. i’m sure the logo would be ok if you were being paid to glorify the brand but as a consumer, the logo looks ugly being that big. subtle and understated is more in my book.

    • SanDiegoSteve

      Apr 13, 2013 at 12:04 am

      Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I happen to be an adidas freak, and think the 3 stripes logo looks good on everything. I love the looks of this bag. I have an adidas Tour AG, and I couldn’t be happier. The more adidas bags the better, IMO.

  8. Blopar

    Jan 28, 2013 at 7:46 pm

    Looks like a complete ripoff of the already excellent Sun Mtn/ Titleist 3.5, only ugly!. They could have reduced the wt if they used fewer full length dividers. you are a real cart guy– all the carry bags have the woods and putter (longest) up top and irons further away down below– that’s what makes the bag balance– obviously you don’t carry!

  9. Troy Vayanos

    Jan 28, 2013 at 2:28 pm

    Thanks for the review Rob,

    It’s a great looking bag and no doubt suitable for the golfer with fewer clubs and equipment. It looks like Adidas have thought of everything when putting this together.

    I haven’t used one of these bags in years as these days I prefer a larger bag that can accommodate my 4 wedges.

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Accessory Reviews

Insider photos from Tiger Woods’ launch event for his new “Sun Day Red” apparel line

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On Monday evening, inside the swanky, second-story “Coach House” event center in the Palisades Village, just minutes down the road from the 2024 Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club, Tiger Woods and TaylorMade officially announced their new apparel/footwear/accessory line, called “Sun Day Red.”

The Sun Day Red website officially launched on Monday night during the event, and the products are set to go on sale starting May 1.

The “Sun Day Red,” or “SDR” name will be self-explanatory for most golf fans, since he’s been wearing a victory-red shirt on Sunday’s for his entire professional career, but Woods explained the meaning of Sun Day Red at the launch event:

“It started with mom. Mom thought – being a Capricorn – that my power color was red, so I wore red as a junior golfer and I won some tournaments. Lo and behold, I go to a university that is red; Stanford is red. We wore red on the final day of every single tournament, and then every single tournament I’ve played as a professional I’ve worn red. It’s just become synonymous with me.”

The Sunday Red outfit has worked to perfection for his 82 PGA Tour victories, including 15 majors, so why not make an entire apparel line based on the career-long superstition?

As I learned at Monday’s launch event, the new Sun Day Red line includes much more than just clothing. To go along with a slew of different golf shirt designs and colorways, there were also windbreakers, hoodies, shoes, hats, headcovers, ball markers and gloves on display.

The upscale event was hosted by sports media personality Erin Andrews, with special guests David Abeles (CEO of TaylorMade) and Tiger Woods himself.

As explained by Abeles, the Sun Day Red brand is an independently-run business under the TaylorMade umbrella, and is based in San Clemente, California (rather than Carlsbad, where TaylorMade headquarters is located), and it’s run by a newly-formed, independent group. Brad Blackinship, formerly of Quiksilver and RVCA, is the appointed president of the new brand.

As for the logo itself, obviously, it’s made to look like a Tiger (the animal), and is comprised of 15 tiger stripes, which correspond with Woods’ 15 major championships. While the logo may need a 16th stripe if Woods adds a major trophy to his collection, it makes perfect sense for the time being.

The golf/lifestyle line is meant to combine premium precision and athletic comfort, while still having plenty of wearability and style off the course. Like Woods said on stage at the event, he wants to be able to go right from the course to dinner wearing Sun Day Red, and that was exactly the aesthetic on display at the event on Monday.

Following the official announcement from Woods and Abeles, they revealed multiple pieces of clothing, accessories and footwear for the event-goers to ogle (and photograph). Check out a selection of product/event photos below, or head over to our @GolfWRX Instagram page for video coverage…OR, head into our GolfWRX Forums for even more photos and member discussion.

Enjoy this exclusive look at Tiger Woods’ new Sun Day Red apparel lineup below.

See more photos from the Sun Day Red launch event here

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Accessory Reviews

GolfWRX Spotlight: Motocaddy M7 Remote and M5 GPS DHC electric cart review

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I have been thinking about electric golf push carts, or trollies, ever since I started playing in my league seven years ago.

Motocaddy has been making high-quality electric, and non-electric, carts since 2004 and has a couple of great options for the golfer who loves to walk. Motocaddy was nice enough to get their M7 Remote and M5 GPS DHC in my hands to try out on the course for a few weeks.

I have had a lot of people stop me to ask about the carts, and the one thing I keep telling them is that these carts are just flat out fun to use on the course.

Motocaddy M7 Remote

The M7 Remote was very easy to get set up right out of the box. All you have to do is charge the battery, install the wheels, and you are pretty much ready to go. The M7 folds up pretty small, just a little larger than the 3-wheel pushcart that I had been using for years. Getting it to the course should be no problem with just about any trunk space. Now, the one downside to an electric cart is the weight when moving it around, and both carts come in at around 35 pounds each. Even with that extra weight, I didn’t have much trouble lifting them in and out of the back of a pickup.

The M7 unfolds quickly with the flick of two levers and extends the front wheels automatically. Once unfolded, you drop in the battery, plug it in, and secure your bag. If you own a Motocaddy bag, they have developed a really nice system called EasiLock that involves two metal studs that fit into the bottom of the cart. This system also includes a molded base that prevents the bag from rotating at all, even on the roughest terrain. You can still use the M7 with almost any other golf bag as it includes elastic straps that wrap around the top and bottom of the bag.

As soon as you plug in the battery the LCD screen comes to life and you are ready to go. You can use the M7 without the remote by using the dial on the handle to control the starting, stopping, and speed. But the M7 has a remote that is activated by a simple press of the power button to get going. The remote is very simple with just five buttons to control where the M7 goes.

Getting a feel for the M7 takes no time at all and by the time you drive it from your car to the 1st tee you will be in complete, and confident, control of the cart. You simply press the “+” button to start moving forward and the cart takes off gently without any rattling of your clubs, and you can press that same button again to increase the speed. The cart will go from a slow crawl, for bumpy or tight areas, too, as fast as I could run with just a few presses of the button. The big red “stop” button in the center stops the cart immediately, and when stopped it is locked in place, even on steep hills. You don’t have to worry about remembering to set the brakes or anything because it is done automatically.

Steering is just as easy: simply press the right or left button to turn the cart. Small, quick presses will just slightly adjust the cart as it moves down the fairway while a long hold of the button can make it turn on a dime to the right or left.

Almost everyone asked me how stable the cart was and if it would tip over. I can proudly say that it has stayed upright even on some unseen bumps at maximum speed. Side hills, ruts, and even curbs are handled with ease with the help of the small rear wheel.

I really enjoy strolling down the fairway with nothing but the M7’s remote in my hand — it just makes golfing more fun!

Motocaddy M5 GPS DHC

After using the M7 and its fancy remote, I was a little nervous that I wouldn’t like not having it. But to be honest the M5 was just as fun to use, but for a different reason.

As the name suggests, the M5 has a built-in GPS with 40,000 courses preloaded into it. The screen is a good size, pretty responsive to the touch, and easy to read in direct sunlight. Having the GPS directly on the cart is great, you drive up to your ball and immediately have yardage to the front, back, and center of the green as well as bunkers and hazards. You can easily toggle between screens on the GPS and it offers a couple of different views to help navigate the hole. The M5 can also keep score and let you know shot distances right on the screen. Motocaddy even includes nice little touches like a screen protecter kit to ensure durability.

Driving the M5 is just as easy as the M7 with using the dial on the handle. And speaking of the handle, the grips have a great tacky rubber that grips well even in hot and humid conditions. To start the M5 you just press the dial down and the cart will gently start down the fairway. You can turn the dial to increase or decrease the speed — I found between 5-6 to be the most comfortable for me. But the speed can go up to a very fast pace if you are looking to set a record for fastest round of the day.

As you walk down the fairway, or rough, stopping the cart is as simple as pressing he dial again. When stopped the M5 engages a parking brake automatically so you don’t have to worry about it running down a hill without your approval. The M5 has tons of power to go up just about any hill and the Down Hill Control (DHC) keeps the speed consistent even when going down a steep decent.

Since the M5 has so much power, and it is a little heavy, I thought steering would be a little bit of a challenge. It wasn’t, at all. Guiding the M5 took very little effort and slight adjustments going down the fairway were very easy. Really tight turns took a slight bit more effort as the torque can want to go forward a little more than turn. Again, once you get the M5 from the car to the first tee, you will be a master at driving it.

Overall, Motocaddy has created two great carts that provide additional enjoyment to walking your favorite 9 or 18. Having the ability to walk without carrying or pushing your bag, clubs, and whatever else goes with you. I like them so much that it is going to be hard to get the M7’s remote out of my hands when I go play!

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Accessory Reviews

GolfWRX Spotlight: Crossrope weighted jump rope & app

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An 18-hole round of golf averages out to just under five miles of walking, which on its own is a good workout. Once you throw in some potential uphill trekking you get some serious cardio too, but if you all looking for a quick workout between rounds of golf look no further than Crossrope.

Crossrope – The details

Crossrope is a system of the weighted jump rope that allows you to quickly switch the weight of the ropes you are using to boost your workout—they range from 1/4 lbs all the way up to 2 lbs depending on the kit you start out with. There is an accompanying app that helps you go through multiple workout routines and is available free, or you can upgrade to the entire library of workout routines along with more workout tracking options.

This is NOT your middle school jump rope

The handles are heavy duty and feature precision bearings to allow the rope to move smoothly around as you go through a routine. They are also ergonomic and fit into your hand naturally, which making gripping easy, something that is really nice when you’re swinging a 2 lbs coated steel cable around. The handles also come with a fast clip system to make changing cables depending on your selected workout easier too.

The ropes themselves are made from braided steel and are almost impossible to tangle, allowing them to be easily transported and stored when not in use. All in you are getting a premium piece of workout equipment that is effective and easy to store—hard to same the same thing about a treadmill.

When it comes to a workout, skipping rope is one of the most effective cardio workouts you can do, and with Crossrope, you can get both cardio and low impact weight training when using the heaviest ropes, and follow along with the guided workouts.

As someone that hadn’t used a jump rope in over a decade, starting out lighter was a nice way to ease in before moving up, and I was pleasantly surprised how easy and fun some of the workouts in the app were. If you are looking for a fun way to add something to your workouts, or you just want to try something new to get you into golf course walking shape, this could be right up your alley. To learn more check out crossrope.com

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