A company like adidas needs absolutely no introduction in the sports world. Be it golf, basketball, football or soccer everyone knows when something carries the name adidas it immediately stands for quality. When you’re talking about golf, adidas usually stands out in the area of apparel and shoes more so than golf accessories. So when starting the review of the Strike aG Stand Bag I expected a quality product I didn’t have any preconceived thoughts on just how great it would or wouldn’t be until I was able to put I through the paces myself. I will say that the first impressions upon taking delivery of the bag is that adidas seems to have brought their track record of quality products to the table for sure. Let’s find out.
Here’s a quick look at the features from adidas Golf:
A full-featured stand bag that delivers in all possible areas of performance, the Strike aG Stand Bag has a spot for everything you will need on the course, from a pen to an umbrella and everything in between. Sturdy and fully loaded, for the serious player.
Features & Specs:
• Convenient and sturdy top handle
• EVA Foam ergonomically correct shoulder straps with velour lining
• 7 Total Pockets
• Insulated water bottle sleeve
• Velour Lind valuables pouch with internal key clip
• Foam padded hip pad with Air Flow channel for maximum comfort
• Anti-Slip Actuator on base of bag for increased stability
• Umbrella slot
• External pen slot
• Three FAS-TEK receivers
Looks:
The color pattern of the bag sent to me for review was a combination of Black/Charcoal/Blue and I really have to say that I like the looks a lot. It’s not one of those bags that really jumps out at you with bright and/or loud colors but that might be what I like most about it. There are definitely those who prefer those bright and bold bags but with the Strike aG you’re really not going to get that. Instead you get a nice clean look with some well-placed adidas logos in just a couple places, nothing too bold and loud, but a nice clean and understated look for sure. The Strike aG is also available in Black/Charcoal/Red, Black/White/Black and White/Black/White. There should be a Strike aG that fits most anyone’s eye.
Functionality:
When you’re looking for what sets one bag apart from another you really have to look beyond just the looks and really dig deep into the functionality. For me personally part of that functionality includes the stability, weight, straps, and pockets/storage. Because each element may be more/less important to everyone I’ll break each of them down individually.
Stability
I had no problems with the stability of this bag at all. I think the stands performed great, they were easy to use and while standing the bag is very sturdy. Sometimes the knock on stand/carry bags is that they are a little less durable or perhaps a little flimsy but that is not the case with this bag at all.
Weight
4.3 lbs. Very light and quite sturdy is an excellent combination in my opinion.
Straps
This might be the best feature of this bag that really sets it apart from other stand bags on the market. The EVA foam ergonomically correct shoulder straps with velour lining feel absolutely great on the shoulders. This shoulder strap is very easy to strap on and get going and extremely comfortable.
Storage
6 zippered pockets seem to have more than enough space for everything that I stuff inside my golf bag. This is something that I’ve really needed more and more lately as it seems that my on course necessities continue to pile up so there is no such thing as too much storage in my opinion. The Strike aG has room for everything and more.
Another thing that I look closely at when reviewing a golf bag is the club divider and how much problems there may be trying to get clubs in and out of the bag. Nothing irritates me more than trying to put an iron back in the bag only to have it get jammed up with another iron in the same divider. I was starting to think that if I’m going to use a stand bag I’m just going to have to live with the occasional club jam. The Strike aG absolutely shined with its 7.5”x11” 6-way divider. Each individual area has plenty of room for the 3 to 4 clubs that I designated to that location and the 4 full length dividers really do a great job of minimizing that contact and the irritating club jams that seem to be present in almost every stand bag I’ve used. Sure there were times that I’d experience some jams, but I really was happy with how the clubs came out and went back into the bag freely most of the time.
The last thing I’ll touch on in terms of functionality is the versatility of this bag. I mostly used it while walking the course with a push cart. The bag fit wonderfully on the push cart and I had absolutely no issues at all with the stand getting in the way. I also carried it for a couple of rounds and as mentioned the straps and the lightweight really helped make a very enjoyable experience walking the course while carrying my bag. Lastly I rode in a cart a couple of rounds and again the Strike aG just flat out worked great. Many times stand bags really get awkward on the back of a cart but this was not the case in the least. I had no issues with using this bag in any of the 3 different methods that golfers would find themselves on the course.
Overall:
Priced lower than most other stand bags today at right around $140 you’d expect to have to sacrifice a little bit in one area or another. The great thing about this bag is that you simply don’t miss out on anything, in fact when compared side by side with other higher priced bags the Strike aG not only held its own, but outperformed other bags time and again. This was my first close look at anything other than apparel or shoes from adidas Golf and I’m very impressed with what I see. There are 3 FAS-TEK receivers on the bag, for those of you who are like me and completely unaware of what a FAS-TEK receiver does it’s real simple. These receivers are basically buttons or snaps to attach other devices with FAS-TEK equipped cases and adidas sells items like GPS cases, cellphone/smart phone cases and various other devices to easily snap right to your bag. You can find the Strike aG Stand Bag at online retailers such as Blind9Golf. The Strike aG Stand Bag might not be the first one that screams at you as you look for a new golf bag, but do yourself a favor and take a closer look at this one. You’ll be happy you did.
