The best golf bags you can buy

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The Insider Pick:

• When it comes to a product as simple as a golf bag, finding innovation isn’t easy. But the rotating inner segment of the Bag Boy Revolver FX Cart Golf Bag sets this one apart from the crowd. You can rotate the inner segment to be certain the golf club you need is close to you for easy access, even when the bag is attached to a riding cart with a roof.

As a golfer, you’re usually more worried about what goes inside the golf bag than the bag itself. Golfers love new drivers, new putters, new tees, and new everything else.

But don’t forget about the golf bag. Whether you’re someone who walks the entire course carrying a bag or takes the riding cart everywhere with the bag attached to the back (while telling your friends later that you walked all 18 holes), the golf bag plays a key role in your enjoyment of the game.

The best golf bags will keep your clubs organized and protected, ensuring the 6-iron is in perfect shape and can be grabbed quickly before you change your mind about trying to hook a shot around a tree, go directly over the sand trap, and stick the shot a few feet from the pin, just like your favorite pro did last Sunday.

Golf bags also can carry all of your other gear and keep it organized, using multiple pockets. Some even have an insulated cooler pocket that can keep your favorite beverage cold and at hand for comfort when that crazy 6-iron shot never clears the sand trap because it bounces off the tree and into a water hazard.

Golf bags appear in all shapes, sizes, colors, and price points, so finding a good bag is easy and difficult at the same time. You have a lot of choices, but those choices may overwhelm you after a while. That's why we've done the research to find the best golf bags you can buy.

Read on in the slides below to learn why the Bag Boy Revolver FX Cart Golf Bag is our top pick and why you might also like the Callaway Hyper-Lite 1+ Carry Golf Bag, the Titleist Mid-Size Staff Golf Bag, the Sun Mountain 5.5 LS Stand Golf Bag, and the Tangkula Stand Golf Bag.

SEE ALSO: The best golf balls you can buy

The best golf bag overall

Why you'll love it: The Bag Boy Revolver FX Cart Golf Bag uses a rotating inner segment so you can always have the club you want closest to you when the bag is on a riding cart.

The roof on a riding cart is a great way to keep you dry when playing in rain or to give you shade against the sun. But sometimes, that roof makes it tough to pull out a club that’s in the back of the bag, because you can’t pull the club straight up without hitting the edge of the roof.

The Bag Boy Revolver FX Cart Golf Bag solves this problem with an innovative design that allows you to rotate the top of the bag, spinning the clubs inside the bag until you have the one you want closest to you.

Even if you don’t use the rotating feature all that often, the top of the bag has a 14-way divider with notches that hold the individual clubs in place and keep them from banging around as you carry the bag. Each divider extends through the length of the bag, so the handles of your clubs don’t become twisted up as you rotate the top.

Bag Boy has offered rotating top golf bags for almost a decade, but the FX is the latest model and offers the lightest weight design thus far. It’s also the best overall design, making it a nice option as an upgrade from an older Bag Boy golf bag.

It comes in seven different colors and it has several different pockets and an insulated cooler pocket, ensuring you can carry all of the gear you need, sorted and organized however you want. However, the Bag Boy FX may not have enough external pockets for the needs of some golfers, as one Amazon buyer discusses.

Golf Info Guide says the Revolver FX gives golfers innovative features with a high quality construction that will last a long time.

Amazon customer Wayne Churchill says having an external putter holder would’ve been a nice feature, but the Revolver FX still works very well.

Pros: Interesting design that brings the club you need closest to you, 14-way divider slots extend through the length of the golf bag so club handles don’t tangle, lighter weight than previous Bag Boy bags

Cons: Price point is high, doesn’t have external slots to hold tall clubs

Buy the Bag Boy Revolver FX Cart Golf Bag on Amazon for $219.95

Buy the Bag Boy Revolver FX Cart Golf Bag on Worldwide Golf Shops for $219.95

The best golf bag for walking golfers

Why you'll love it: When you’re actually playing golf to get some exercise, you’ll want to walk with the lightweight Callaway Hyper-Lite 1+ Carry Golf Bag.

Some people say they play golf for the exercise. Then they spend 18 holes driving a golf cart as close to their golf balls as they possibly can. By the time they’re done, they’ve walked farther from the parking lot to the clubhouse than they walked on the actual course.

If you’re ready to walk the course at least occasionally when you play, you’ll want a much lighter bag than you probably use on the riding cart.

The Callaway Hyper-Lite 1+ Carry Golf Bag has the best combination of a heavy-duty bag that’ll keep your clubs protected, while also having a lightweight shell that’s easier to carry for 18 holes. Amazon buyer Rob Not says it’s smart to use this Callaway model as a second golf bag when you choose to walk the course instead of riding.

Worldwide Golf Shops shopper WCC Walker says it’s even easy to carry this bag on a hot summer day because of its lightweight design.

This golf bag only weighs 2.85 pounds, meaning you won’t wear out your shoulder carrying this golf bag, according to Worldwide Golf Shops buyer Sundaygolfer. You can use a single- or double-strap carrying handle that’s padded with this Callaway golf bag.

The Hyper-Lite 1+ golf bag includes a flip stand that’ll keep your bag off the ground. This is an especially good feature if you’re playing early in the morning when the grass still has a lot of dew on it. The material used in the bag resists soaking up water if you choose not to employ the built-in stand.

Unlike many thin, pencil-style golf bags, the Callaway Hyper-Lite 1+ offers three divider sections that extend through the full length of the bag, ensuring your club handles won’t become tangled in the bag.

You can carry a limited number of clubs for an executive course with this Callaway golf bag, or you can carry a nearly full set of clubs when playing a standard course. However, Amazon buyer B.B. McGee says carrying more than eight clubs is a challenge with the Hyper-Lite 1+ Carry Golf Bag because of its small size.

Pros: Weighs less than 3 pounds on its own, lightweight design makes it work well for golfers who are walking the course, will work with a single- or double-strap handle to give you the maximum comfort

Cons: May struggle to carry a full set of clubs because of small size, expensive for a pencil-style golf bag

Buy the Callaway Hyper-Lite 1+ Carry Golf Bag on Worldwide Golf Shops for $119.99

The best staff golf bag

Why you'll love it: The Titleist Mid-Size Staff Golf Bag will help you look like a pro player and keep your clubs in order.

When you want to look like a pro while playing golf, using a staff style golf bag is the way to go. It’s a huge bag that will easily handle your entire set of clubs and look great while doing so.

Staff bags are large, feature huge manufacturer logos, and will make it at least look like you are a low-handicap player. The best staff bag is the Titleist Mid-Size Staff Golf Bag.

A staff bag is considered a top-of-the-line golf bag, as its design is aimed at the professional player. Who, of course, has a caddy to carry his or her staff bag. Amazon buyer Steve says carrying a bag that matches that of your favorite pro player is a pretty cool feeling.

With Titleist being one of the most well-known brand names for all kinds of high-end golf equipment, you know you’ll be receiving one of the best bags available anywhere with the Titleist Mid-Size Staff Golf Bag.

Because of the large size of this Titleist bag, many amateur golfers who don’t have access to a caddy will choose to use it with a riding cart, although you certainly can carry it if you’re planning to walk the course.

We recommend not carrying it fully loaded the first few times you play, just so you can get a feel for its weight before filling it with all of your clubs. The Titleist Mid-Size bag weighs about 10 pounds before you place any clubs or other gear inside it. That weight adds up quickly over 18 holes.

Amazon buyer Alajacket says carrying the bag might be a bit much, but the Titleist staff bag looks great on a riding cart.

The Titleist Mid-Size Staff Golf Bag consists of highly durable materials, including double-zippered pockets, which yield a golf bag that’s a good value because it will last, according to Hitting the Golf Ball. However, with only a six-way club divider, you may not be able to organize your clubs exactly how you want.

Golf Info Guide likes everything about the Titleist Mid-Size Staff bag, saying its durable materials and stylish design result in a “5-star rated staff bag.”

Pros: Outstanding quality of materials, golf bag will last a long time, can be carried or will fit nicely on a riding cart, style and size mimic the golf bags that professionals use, offers numerous pockets

Cons: Very expensive for a golf bag, probably too heavy to carry when walking the course for some golfers

Buy the Titleist Mid-Size Staff Bag on Amazon for $299.99

Buy the Titleist Mid-Size Staff Bag on Worldwide Golf Shops for $299.99