Bag Boy Mini GT Review

Seems that everyone has a push cart anymore doesn’t it? As far as I can recall the push cart craze started probably about 8 years ago when Sun Mountain put out the first Speed Cart. They were an instant hit across clubs everywhere; I remember working behind the counter part time at one of the local muni courses when these things first started showing up. These push carts were so much cooler than the old two wheeled pull carts of generations past, Saturday mornings at this club looked almost like a biker gang clubhouse with all these hot rods lined up and ready to ride. Sun Mountain seems to have just got the ball rolling in the push cart phenomenon too, now there are multiple companies that have claimed their own niche in the three-wheeled push cart market. Many may try, but only one company stands out as Sun Mountain’s true rival in the push cart business, and that company is Bag Boy.

I have been a push cart user for several years, each year when our Men’s Club finally gets going for the season there are more and more of them that show up. Most of them look pretty similar and for the most part all function pretty much the same as the next one. Of all comments on the topic rarely are there any complaints, there is however one issue that does crop up for a lot of people…size. While these carts make lugging your clubs around the course a breeze they don’t always fold up and stow away real compact and simple, do they? I know from personal experience that packing two sets of clubs and two Sun Mountain Speed Carts in the trunk of a four-door sedan is physically impossible. The folks in the Bag Boy R&D department have come up with the solution to this problem, enter the Bag Boy Mini GT.
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So you need a push cart that folds up nice and compact so that you can fit it in the back of that little two passenger ultra chic sports car of yours? Or maybe for the economically savvy group, you need a small cart to go in the back of your little hybrid car. Or what if you just can’t seem to get the foursome packed up all in the same van when everyone is bringing cart bags, over night bags, and of course push carts on that guy’s weekend? Let’s take a closer look at the Bag Boy Mini GT, shall we? You want compact? How does 22” tall, 18” long, and 14” wide small sound? It sounds to me like you’ll have plenty of room for bag, cart, shoes, balls, umbrella, rain gear….well, you get the picture. It’s real small alright? Bag Boy claims it is the most compact fold in golf, and after using the Sun Mountain cart for so long, I tend to believe it and enjoy this about the Mini GT. You’re probably sitting there wondering “How does it get so small?” I won’t pretend to know all of the technical talk behind this thing so I’ll just give it to you like I see it, first a simple push bottom mechanism is engaged, as the cart begins to fold the wheels retract much like other carts, but instead of a simple fold-in-half kind of motion the Mini GT seems to compress as it folds in, after the simple lever is pulled to fold the front wheel in…presto, you’re folded up and ready to stow away in even the smallest of trunks.

So we know the cart is small, but exactly how small is it? That’s the cool thing behind the Mini GT, when I had it fully extended and locked in ready to roll it is actually larger than the Sun Mountain model I had been accustomed too. Upon opening it up for the first time I was shocked at just how big it seems to be. I was continually impressed with the overall look of the Mini GT, the G-Force Wheels are absolutely gorgeous and they are designed with more than just looks in mind. More technical information regarding the G-Force Wheels from the company:

Bag Boy’s G-Force performance wheels feature a low profile, wide contact, raised center tread technology and a high quality sealed ball bearing system that produce the best rolling cart on the market. The G-Force wheel design ensures you only have contact with the course when you need it along with ultra low rolling resistance on hard surfaces. EVA tires ensure a “Never Flat,” maintenance free experience.
Our new G-Force wheel and tire technology not only offer the lowest push cart resistance possible, but also help you do your part in keeping the course looking good. With the lowest PSI (pounds per square inch) rating of any push or pull cart on the market, this equates to less damage to the course.

So far we’ve covered the fact that it folds down really small, this is a good thing. We’ve also concluded that the Mini GT looks as sweet as any push cart you can buy today, another good thing. So far so good, but how well does the thing work? First and foremost we’ll talk about how the bag fits on the cart. I didn’t find this to be too much different than other push carts I’ve used and this is actually a really good thing. I tried the Bag Boy Mini GT with three different kinds of bags, first was my speed cart bag, and as you can about imagine, it was perfect. The bag was easy to load, unload, and lock in place on the Mini GT and I found absolutely nothing that I would change in this respect. Second I was able to get a hold of a stand bag for my test and it worked fine, equally easy to load and unload, but locking it in place did require me to adjust the attached bungee cords quite a bit in order to get a secure fit that would ensure I wouldn’t lose clubs all over the place right off the first tee box. Lastly I snatched up a full bore cart bag and this thing fit like a dream. Once in place and secured with the bungee this baby was ready! Anymore it seems that more and more people I know are going with cart bags as they are usually sitting atop their push carts or if the push cart didn’t make the trek they’re strapping it on the back of a riding cart. Regardless of the bag you have, rest assured that you are in good hands with the Mini GT and its fully adjustable bungee straps.

Alright, finally we’re locked in with the bag in place and we’re ready to go. We’ve got our scorecard securely held down on the scorecard holder, we’ve got our phone and other valuables safely placed in the padded compartment, and last but not least, we’ve got our refreshment sitting pretty in the detachable swivel liquid holster. If I had one complaint about the push cart model I have been using it would be the drink holder. I found the swivel holster of the Mini GT to be absolutely fabulous; it even holds a 44 oz fountain pop cup! Jackpot baby!

So far I’m sure you’re getting the impression that I am quite enamored by the Mini GT, well so far you would be right with that assumption. Up to this point the Mini GT has delivered far and away more than I could have expected, so far however, I haven’t gotten to the first tee yet. Don’t worry, nothing tragic is going to happen in our story today, but honestly as great as I am feeling about the cart to this point I was a little bit let down on how it ultimately stacked up to the cart I had grown to love. Don’t get me wrong, the Mini GT still performed fine, but it didn’t quite glide down the fairways like I’m used to my cart doing. Another concern was that the stability of the Mini GT just didn’t seem to be quite as rock solid as you’d hope for in a push cart. It had a tendency to feel a bit wobbly; I kept feeling like I was just moments away from tipping my whole rig on its side as I gave it a shove in my intended direction. The thing is, it never once tipped, not that I was ever intentionally trying to tip it, but using it exactly as I would use it every day, I did not have a single wipe out. I did have one thing that kept bothering me each time I used the Mini GT and I’m not 100% certain, but I think it can be easily remedied with a small wrench. See, the handle of the Mini GT is height adjustable completely independent of the wheel retraction mechanism, this is great because there are often times that I like my handle a little bit lower but in the Sun Mountain Speed Cart model I have that requires a pretty significant reduction of my wheel base, most likely leading to more wipe outs. So anyway, because the handle height is independent the locking mechanism on the cart I tested kept on slipping on me as I would go to pop the front wheel up for sharper turns and U-turns. Again, I didn’t go as far as actually putting a wrench to the cart, but if I did, I’m pretty sure that issue could be fixed….at least I hope because it did become a bit of a pain!

Well you know I loved the size, looks, the bag fit, the drink holder, the height adjustable handle, and the sweet G-Force wheels. You also know that I wasn’t completely impressed with the ease of rolling it compared to the Sun Mountain I own, you heard me voice my concerns of the stability (albeit with no crashes to speak of), and I told you about my issue with the height adjustable handle slippage. The question at hand is, would I recommend this cart to a friend, or would I personally purchase this cart if I was in the market for a push cart right now? The answer is it depends. It depends on the needs of the person who will be using the cart. If you need a cart that you can squeeze into a tight trunk and you aren’t currently using something else, then I say yes I would absolutely recommend the Bag Boy Mini GT to you. After all, a couple of the most important things for you are size, and getting your heavy bag off your shoulders. If you’re driving around in a pickup truck, suburban, or a hummer and space really isn’t that big of a deal, then I’d say perhaps you should look around to see if another model might better fit your needs. While I might not point to the Mini GT first, I’d certainly be sure to tell you to see what Bag Boy has to offer because they certainly go well beyond just the Mini GT in their push cart stable!

So there you go, the Bag Boy Mini GT is just the cart that some of you have been waiting for. They are available for $229.95, which is right about what you could expect for a push cart that goes a little bit beyond your typical cart. I am admittedly a bit spoiled because I have been so happy with the cart I currently own. While I’d be hesitant to trade you even up for my Sun Mountain, I surely wouldn’t be going without if I never before owned a cart and the Bag Boy Mini GT was my first experience. Ultimately it really comes down to what you decide are top priorities for you, if it’s compact yet very functional then I think the Mini GT is just the cart you’ve been missing!

If you are shopping for push carts then do yourself a favor and check out all the great push cart options that Bag Boy has to offer at www.bagboycompany.com.

Here is to keeping it in the short grass

Jason K

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Jason Kunze
Jason is a busy husband and father of 2 daughters who are both just starting to take up the game that he has loved for years. Golf is his passion, when Jason is not playing golf and testing equipment he's hanging out with all his friends on the THP forum discussing every aspect of this great game.
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