Walkers Rejoice! Sun Mountain Has Your Back
I won’t get into the debate on economics of golf cart rentals and health benefits of walking, but it’s estimated that roughly 70% of golf rounds in the USA are played in golf carts, and that number seems to be growing. Part of the reason is that many courses are forcing people to rent a cart when they play. This is simply a way to generate more revenue and is the unfortunate reality of golf in places like Florida where I live. But walking is not dead!
If you prefer to walk when you play golf, then Sun Mountain is a company you’ll probably be familiar with. The innovators from Missoula, Montana make some of the best stand & carry bags, push carts and related accessories available anywhere. Why wouldn’t they? They only invented the stand bag back in 1986… A great example of this innovation is present in the new 4.5 LS carry bag and the Micro-Cart GT push cart.
The Sun Mountain 4.5 LS stand/carry bag has one of the best combinations of features and light weight I’ve seen in a carry bag. It’s one of the bigger bags in their line and has room for everything you’ll need to walk 18. It has eight pockets (one of which is a full length pocket for clothes or rain gear), several accessory pockets including a water resistant pocket and a velour-lined pocket for valuables. The carry straps are very well cushioned and adjustable for a perfect fit. The 4.5 LS is also golf cart friendly, because they understand that even walkers sometimes ride. For example, the bag has a cart strap pass through to allow for unhindered access to the pockets on a cart, and the bottom is designed to fit on a golf cart without popping the legs out like many carry bags do.
The 4.5 LS has a nine inch opening and an 4-way divider system for easy access to your clubs. You won’t have issues with 3 other clubs coming up when you try to retrieve your 8-iron like on some other bags. There is also a 14-way model available for those who prefer each club to have its own individual slot, and yet another model with an adjustable waist strap to help take the load off your shoulders when walking.
The Sun Mountain 4.5 LS stand/carry bag has all the aforementioned features, yet still comes in at a scant 4.5 pounds.
Designed to work perfectly with Sun Mountain’s stand bags, the Micro-Cart GT is a light weight, easy to deploy and very stable push cart. Coming in at just under 17 pounds and folding up to a compact 27″ x 17″ x 13″ the Micro-Cart GT is easy to fit in the trunk of almost any car. The redesigned upper bag bracket is shaped to accept stand bags, and this model includes plenty of storage space for a scorecard, tees, balls rangefinders and more.
The four wheel design is something new for me, but the lower profile and extra wheel make the cart much more stable than standard 3-wheeled carts. The extendable front axle expands the wheelbase by an extra 2 inches for even more stability and helps accommodate larger golf bags. I upgraded to the Sun Mountain Micro-Cart GT from my first generation Clic Gear cart and love the extra space and stability. I can push around a huge, heavy staff bag on this thing, but paired with the lightweight Sun Mountain 4.5 LS carry bag it’s a breeze to walk the course.
Suggested retail price for the 4.5 LS stand bag is $209.99 and the MSRP for the Micro-Cart GT is $199.99. I love the combination of these two products to deliver a walking setup that is both light weight and has plenty of useful features and storage room when walking the course. Now, if I could only find a course down here that will let me walk…