I am looking for a stand bag that is not too heavy and has a good amount of pockets to hold stuff like balls, apparel etc.. water pocket like a Ping Hoofer. Unfortunately, our high school does not provide us with golf bags like other schools do. Any suggestions of any good stand bags?

I just went thru searching and buying a couple of new walking bas -- I spend a third of my time however, riding and need something that avails itself to both. I tried a Titleist for awhile and liked it for walking -- one of the hinges on the a leg broke after 6 months though and it wasn't from misuse. That was dissapointing.

I liked Mizuno's look on its top of the line walking bag -- the one that allows you to pull about half the pockets off the bag to further lighten the load. It offered a really good look, a great idea for transforming the bag to a really light carry and yet, it offered unbelievably poor execution.
The bag was not centered in that when you carried it, you had to keep one hand on the club heads to keep them from falling out. I tried all sorts of changes with the straps and could not get the bag to hold clubs while walking.

I went to one of our pros -- he is a Mizuno rep, and told him my problem. He brought out his Mizuno supplied carry bag with his name and staff emblem on i. He showed me that his carry bag offered exactly the same problem. Its almost like the bags were built for smaller, junior clubs.

Additionally, the compartments for clubs and bottle carrier started showing wear in just a few months.

So, I bought a new Ping Vantage bag -- the one with the strap that slides back into the bag and I could not be happier. It offers all the pockets I need....its light and I regret going away from Ping's carry bags several years ago. They have a reputation for building the best bags and I can only agree.

I just bought a Datrek Vibe which is turning out to be a great bag. Tons of pockets and one of the only bags I could find that had full length separate dividers. I have also used and like the Ogio bags.

Ogio Edge... loaded with "features". But it is a bit expensive...

I got a Walter Hagen stand bag at Dicks and it is suprisingly nice for the price, $79.

Since I've been looking at Stand bags and as a high school player, you must walk all the time, try these suggestions in no particular order:

1. Titleist X76 Bag
2. Sun Mountain SL 3.5 with or without the new HUG system -- order it custom with the Lightning Straps (order it through your retailer) if you want a thicker strap
3. Sun Mountain Lightning
4. Ogio Vaporlite (legs are not good in wind)

All of the above are 4.5 lbs or less and have a water bottle pocket.

My preference is the Titleist X76 or the SM 3.5 with HUG


Ping also has a Hoofer Vantage Team Bag -- look on the website -- if all of your players on your team want the same bag and you name on the pocket, have your coach contact PING and just have the players chip in for their bags. The Vantage Team Bag is a lighter version of the Vantage -- and they probably have your team colors.

My preference is titleist. The titleist bags tend to be a bit expensive, but you may want to search for last years model. An x66 can be had for under $100. I just bought an x68 (a little mroe storage room but slightly heavier) for $110.

I just went with the Titleist x76. Its my 5th Titleist stand bag. I used to use the IZZO stand bags but IMO they have gone downhill the last couple of years. The Sun Mountain bags are basically the same as the Titleists and cost less. I just like the Titleist logo on the bag since I play Titleist irons.

My biggest gripes with the Titleist bags are the colors are not very UV-resistant and the cheap material in the top opening. One good season in the sun and the colors fade away. My bag from last season started out cobalt blue and when I just replaced it, it looked teal. As far as the opening goes, the material they use to cover the shaft dividers is not very durable and wears out very quickly.