Equipment
The great divider debate: What’s your perfect number?
Golf is full of endlessly interesting and debatable topics. From course design to golf grips, everyone has a preference and a reason behind it.
One of the most polarizing debates among golfers revolves around golf bags and their top divider systems—especially when it comes to stand and carry bag.
Carry bags can range from simple stand-less Sunday bags with only two slots, to elaborate geometric shapes to prevent chatter, all the way to the full 14-way top—ne for each club in the bag.
The most common number of dividers found in the market is four, and we see that in bags from Ping, Mizuno, Ogio, TaylorMade, and many more.
The purpose of any golf bag divider system is to keep your clubs organized and easy to access, they are also designed to hopefully prevent your clubs from banging against each other and reduce chatter. Years ago Mizuno even went as far as creating what they called the kabuki top to help irons gather and not click and ding—because nobody wants to ding up their new forged irons!
Ogio, took it a step further with the original Woodé System to keep longer clubs with covers to one side, so it’s easy to see what iron or wedge you are reaching for in your bag. This was a big selling feature for those that carried multiple clubs with covers.
In my opinion, as a walker 90 percent of the time, I will only use a bag with 4 or fewer dividers. I believe a putter doesn’t need its own personal slot, and with larger openings, it’s easier to get clubs in and out and move them around a bit to find the club you are looking for—it’s seriously not that difficult.
To take it a step further to say when carrying less than 14 clubs, the unstructuredness of a Sunday bag keeps clubs sitting together because they don’t really have another option. It’s the moving van principle; if everything is all packed tightly together, it means less rattling and less risk for damage.
Whatever happens, to be your favorite we all have our reasons. So when you’re shopping for your next bag, worry about the top just as much as the pocket designs, because it’s just as important.
GolfWRXers: This was hotly debated on my Twitter, and we want to bring that discussion here. Let us know where you stand in the poll below.
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We always get some great photos of some phenomenal putters at tour events and love to share them. Here are a few from the 2024 Zurich Classic that caught our eye and seemed interesting. (And as a reminder, you can check out all our photos from New Orleans here)
MJ Daffue’s Scotty Cameron T-11 Prototype
MJ is going with the new Scotty Cameron T-11 Prototype this week. The putter is a multi-piece mallet that puts an emphasis on stability with the wings on the back. Daffue’s putter does have a design that differs from retail with a monotone finish, which eliminates the black paint on the aluminum parts that we see at retail. He also has a half siteline milled into the top and an L-neck welded on for some additional toe hang. The face features a deeper milling that should offer a softer feel and slightly quieter sound.
Scotty Cameron T-7.5 Prototype
We spotted a few different Scotty Cameron Phantom models with modified rear flanges. It looks like the straight black flange was cut into a half circle for a little softer look at address. On this T-7.5, you can still see the raw aluminum from the back view, so this might have been a last-minute job to get them out on tour. The semi-circle also has a white line on it, maybe to frame the ball differently.
Alex Fitzpatrick’s Bettinardi SS16 DASS
Alex’s SS16 is made from Bettinardi’s famous D.A.S.S., or double-aged stainless steel, for a softer and more responsive feel. The face has a unique diamond pattern milling and features a logo that I feel like I have seen before, but can’t put a name to. The putter is a classic mid-mallet style with a simple, single white siteline on the top. The sole is clean with just the SS16, DASS, and a green triangle logo on it.
Steve Stricker’s Odyssey White Hot No. 2
This putter has made some amazing putts in its long career! Stricker’s White Hot No. 2 might be in the top 10 of most famous putters in golf. When you see all the dents and lead tape, you know the heel will be up and it will be sinking putts! The soft White Hot insert looks to be in good shape and has less wear on it than the rest of the putter. We don’t know how much lead tape is on the sole, but it has to be multiple layers compacted down over the years.
Doug Ghim’s Scotty Cameron T-7 Prototype
This T-7 should win the award for “best color finish” in this list with its deep chromatic bronze. It looks like Scotty added a cherry bomb dot to the heel of the deep-milled face and filled it with a very dark blue paint. The rest of the putter looks pretty stock with its single site line on the topline and twin site lines down the “fangs” of the putter. Twin 5-gram weights are installed in the sole and the putter is finished off with a gloss black double bend shaft with a fill shaft offset.
- Check out the rest of our photos from the 2024 Zurich Classic
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Project X’s Denali wood shafts have been seen in more and more golf bags this year as we start off the season. As a refresher, Denali Blue is the mid-launch and mid-spin model while Denali Black is for players seeking lower launch and spin.
Denali combines great feel with stability and increased ball speed. Currently, Project X only offers Denali Blue and Black in wood shafts, but we spotted a hybrid shaft in Daniel Berger’s bag at the 2024 Zurich Classic.
The shaft looks to be a Denali Blue 105G – HY in TX flex. No word on details from Project X yet but we can assume that this is a mid-launching shaft that weighs around 105 grams in Tour X-Stiff flex.
Berger has this shaft in his TaylorMade P770 3-iron, likely for some added launch and spin to hold the green from longer distances.
Hopefully, this means we will see some more shafts coming under the Denali name in the future, as I think many of us would like to try one in a hybrid or utility iron!
- Check out the rest of our photos from the 2024 Zurich Classic
- Check out in-hand photos of Daniel Berger’s full WITB here.
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- Daniel Berger what’s in the bag accurate as of the Farmers Insurance Open. More photos from the event here.
Driver: Ping G430 LST (10.5 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X
3-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 7 X
6-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 Tour (21 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 8 X
Irons: TaylorMade P770 (3), TaylorMade Tour Preferred MC 2011 (4-PW)
Shafts: Project X Denali Blue 105 TX (3), Project X 6.5 (4-PW)
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM9 (50-12F), Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (56-14F), Callaway Jaws Raw (60-08C)
Shafts: Project X 6.5 (50), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 (56, 60)
Putter: Odyssey Ai-One Jailbird Mini DB
Grip: SuperStroke Zenergy PistolLock 1.0
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Wrap
Ball: Titleist Pro V1
Check out more in-hand photos of Daniel Berger’s clubs in the forums.
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Dave Portnoy places monstrous outright bet for the 2024 Masters
John Daly stuns fans into silence with brutal opening tee shot on PGA Tour Champions
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Justin Thomas on the equipment choice of Scottie Scheffler that he thinks is ‘weird’
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‘Absolutely crazy’ – Major champ lays into Patrick Cantlay over his decision on final hole of RBC Heritage
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Daniel Berger WITB 2024 (April)
Daniel Berger what’s in the bag accurate as of the Farmers Insurance Open. More photos from the event here. Driver:...
Rasmus Højgaard WITB 2024 (April)
Rasmus Højgaard what’s in the bag accurate as of the Zurich Classic. Driver: Callaway Ai Smoke Triple Diamond (10.5 degrees)...
Rory McIlroy WITB 2024 (April)
Rory McIlroy what’s in the bag accurate as of the Zurich Classic. Driver: TaylorMade Qi10 (9 degrees) Shaft: Fujikura Ventus...
Sam Burns WITB 2024 (April)
Sam Burns’ what’s in the bag accurate as of the RBC Heritage. Driver: Callaway Paradym Triple Diamond S (9 degrees...
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19th Hole2 weeks agoDave Portnoy places monstrous outright bet for the 2024 Masters
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19th Hole3 days agoJustin Thomas on the equipment choice of Scottie Scheffler that he thinks is ‘weird’
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19th Hole2 weeks agoTiger Woods arrives at 2024 Masters equipped with a putter that may surprise you
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19th Hole3 days ago‘Absolutely crazy’ – Major champ lays into Patrick Cantlay over his decision on final hole of RBC Heritage
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19th Hole2 weeks agoTwo star names reportedly blanked Jon Rahm all week at the Masters
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19th Hole1 week agoReport: LIV Golf identifies latest star name they hope to sign to breakaway tour
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19th Hole1 week agoNeal Shipley presser ends in awkward fashion after reporter claims Tiger handed him note on 8th fairway
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19th Hole1 week agoBrandel Chamblee has ‘no doubt’ who started the McIlroy/LIV rumor and why
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Matt
Jul 27, 2020 at 11:13 am
What is an actual argument *against* a 14-way bag? As long as they are full length dividers I can’t see any benefit to not having them.
Now if we’re talking some ultra light bag or a Sunday bag for a less than full set, ok. But if you’re carrying 14…why would you not want 14?
JD
Apr 29, 2020 at 2:12 am
Hmm..14 dividers means 15 compartments, right? Never mind.
I have 4 bags and depending on how many clubs I want to play with that, I chose the bag (I didn’t buy 4 bags so i could do that, it kind of just happened). I hate having to search for the club, must be quick to see and grab, so never use the covers:
1. pencil bag (1 compartment, 0 dividers..): 3 clubs and putter.
2. 4 compartment bag, not used yet, good for 5 or 6 clubs max.
3. 6 compartment bag, got 8 clubs in it at the moment, never more.
4. 14 compartment bag: for my “full” set of 12 clubs. Woods on the left so they cover the irons.
Curb
Apr 27, 2020 at 12:07 pm
Not 14! I like my clubs a easy to get out and put back in. That said I do like a putter hull as that’s my one club that gets most respect.
MikeB
Apr 27, 2020 at 11:07 am
14 works best for me, have Gripmaster grips on all clubs, grips are very sticky, need to keep them separated. Now that I use the Sun Mountain C-130s, light enough to carry if needed, although I wouldn’t say it’s lightweight, just tolerable, cart bag with legs… perfect!
Pelling
Apr 27, 2020 at 10:01 am
I prefer 16 slots, but then, just to be safe, I put tubes into those! Once I get my iron covers, I’m good to go! 14 clubs, ball retriever, Orange Whip, with giant animal headcovers. The caddies don’t seem to mind, but I make sure to give them an extra $1 for the effort, especially if there’s a chance of rain and I take an umbrella and extra pair of shoes just in case.
Steve
Apr 27, 2020 at 9:43 am
I have a woodie. If I were to replace it a minimum of 4 dividers. More important are that they full length dividers and second would be weight.
Night putter
Apr 27, 2020 at 8:51 am
Regarding pull cart / walking around greens… when in NZ a local muni rented a pull cart with big wide wheels that was
ok to cross greens (not stop) .
MT
Apr 27, 2020 at 2:47 am
15 or 16 dividers so you can have a place for a warm up device like orange whip and extra large opening for putter with oversized grips.
ThisMan
Apr 27, 2020 at 9:37 am
This!
Jbone
Apr 26, 2020 at 2:30 pm
5.
Matt A
Apr 26, 2020 at 2:24 am
I liked the Ogio Woode system, it kept the woods and their covers off to the side where they didn’t cover the irons. And I miss putter wells, it’s nice to get the putter with larger grip out of the way.
steve
Apr 26, 2020 at 1:24 am
Semi-related topic … According to another golf website, push/pull cart sales are through the roof during this social distance conundrum. I, myself, feel it is much easier to carry rather than push/pull. I truly despise having to push/pull a cart around greens. If only my local courses would offer some sort of reduced rate for walkers, Many more players would choose that option.
ChipNRun
Apr 25, 2020 at 11:45 pm
A midsize bag with four dividers will do the trick.
Top divider will handle long clubs (4)… Bottom divider will handle wedges + putter (4)
Two middle dividers will handle 3 irons each.
(Two middle dividers will handle fourth club each if you’re testing things at range, and don’t have to worry about “clean drop” back into bag after each shot.
I did in-store tests with the 14-slot stand bag. General impression: it feels like I have a suitcase slung across my back… just doesn’t ride comfortably.
Realist
Apr 26, 2020 at 8:37 pm
Got fitted for your bag huh??? My gosh
[email protected]
Apr 25, 2020 at 11:13 pm
Do interns run this site ?
Ac
Apr 26, 2020 at 11:41 am
You’re free to read elsewhere man… total douché thing to say Jack
Realist
Apr 26, 2020 at 8:38 pm
You could read elsewhere
karsten's ghost
Apr 25, 2020 at 10:36 pm
15. Ball fetcher and alignment rods get their own place.
Haloha
Apr 25, 2020 at 10:08 pm
always prefer 14 but I just bought a new stand bag with 4 because of the color lol. 14 slots is just less stressful if playing a tournament.
Najeh
Apr 25, 2020 at 9:22 pm
Really reaching for content with this one. This topic would never come up in regular conversation.
dookie
Apr 27, 2020 at 5:34 pm
Better than more Tiger Woods non- news ( and I like Tiger )
Shawn Mulhaney
Apr 25, 2020 at 5:17 pm
I often wonder what the big draw is for the Stich bags like the Sl1
Shallowface
Apr 25, 2020 at 4:54 pm
I still prefer the roominess of an old style staff bag.
Not related to what I personally use, but I remember a discussion I had with a club repairman several years ago. The JumboMax grips were just hitting the market, and the SuperStroke had been out for awhile.
I asked him if he thought one could get 13 clubs with JumboMax plus a SuperStroke putter into a modern golf bag, and he said he hadn’t tried it but thought it was a really good question.
I don’t think those large grips would go into the 14 divider style bags. Not the ones I’ve seen at least.
TacklingDummy
Apr 25, 2020 at 4:50 pm
For me, in a carry stand bag, definitely the 4-way divider. Driver, fairway woods or hybrid, putter in top slot. 4,5,6 irons and 7,8,9 irons in middle slots, and PW, 52,56, 60 in the low slot. 4 clubs upper section, 6 clubs middle two sections, 4 clubs in lower section. Works out well.
Donald Duck
Apr 25, 2020 at 4:35 pm
The Woode system is perfect, although it’s a bit of a tight squeeze in my carry bag with midsize grips and irons getting tangled up.
Your mailman
Apr 25, 2020 at 4:56 pm
My woode is also a tight squeeze, according to your wife!
Dan
Apr 25, 2020 at 5:15 pm
I feel like maybe we all have been cooped up a little too long…
Todd Pitt
Apr 25, 2020 at 11:01 pm
Does the woode still exist? I am in the market for a bag and can’t find obe
AC
Apr 26, 2020 at 11:43 am
Just got one from eBay
Fergie
Apr 25, 2020 at 4:01 pm
If anything, I prefer a (cart) bag with an external tube for carrying the putter, especially when I carry a large, mallet-style putter. A large putter head takes up too much real estate in the top of the bag.