When the goal is light weight, the stand bag market could be an arms race in losing ounces. Taking a different approach with the HyperLite Zero and instead of focusing on creating the lightest weight possible, Callaway has focused on creating the gold standard in light weight carry bags available.
So what is new? Well, pretty much everything. For those that have heard me rant about golf bag design and innovation, you know where I stand on this. So little headway was made for a number of years and far too many golfers got sucked into choosing their bag strictly based on color, rather than performance. Speaking of functionality, let’s dive into some of the tech.
The Callaway HyperLite Zero features something called SHAFT SHIELD. What is it? Well, pretty much exactly what it sounds like. Callaway has created a rubber overmold to take the place of the mesh commonly found on other stand bags. Testing showed that the typical mesh created wear spots on shafts over time, so Callaway put this proprietary overmold in place to solve this problem. A byproduct of the design is that by eliminating that mesh material, the bag is a bit more open at the top, allowing for less rubbing or snagging.
Two areas that should stand out almost immediately to golfers are about comfort for those that walk. Even if you are not a walker, but merely carry your clubs from car to club, you will notice a difference. The Callaway HyperLite Zero has added Anatomic Shoulder Straps to allow for a better feeling carry through the shoulders and neck. Adding to this, is the Extended Comfort Hip Pad. Most companies speak of padding where the bag hits your hip while carrying, however, the HyperLite Zero has gone a step further. Their padding is larger than most, but also has a closed Cell foam that won’t be worn-in like your favorite seat on the sofa after a few months.
Finally, we want to touch on the legs. After all, this is a stand bag and a light one at that. The Callaway HyperLite Zero uses carbon fiber on the legs to reduce weight and offer durability. In using this bag for the better part of the last month, the leg design hasn’t given us a single issue. No tangle. No stand up and have them not open. And most importantly to us, no what we call, “the give”. When your bag is a bit heavy and the legs start sliding out from under the bag.
With performance and features covered, let’s talk a little about actual use of the Callaway HyperLite Zero. First thing that has to be mentioned here is the perfectly positioned cell phone pocket. No need to use the valuables pouch and have to zip or unzip to grab your phone, the pocket is accessible as you carry. Next, the pockets themselves are larger than expected when you look at the bag. To test this out, we loaded it up for a recent round. Rain gear and two dozen balls on one side, gloves in the other. Keys and wallet in the valuables pouch fit perfectly along with bandaids, medicine, etc. Pretty much everything fit that we would want or need to bring with room to spare, which was surprising considering the overall size of the bag.
So what is missing? With every bag we have tried, there has always been some drawbacks, even if they are filled with positives. In this instance, not sure we have found any as of yet. Over the course of the year, we will update the THP Forum with more usage as we continue to check on durability.
Color options are aplenty with 12 different options and two that stood out immediately for those that don’t want your typical black or navy. First is The Paradym which is sharp in person. The colors are bold enough to pop, but subdued enough to not look out of place. The other is the Black/White/Sage which is a fairly muted look, but very different from what you see normally at the course or range. So which one would you pick?
- Black
- Black Camo
- Red/White/Navy/USA
- Graphite
- Royal / White
- Fire / Black
- Flo Yellow / Navy
- Navy
- Black / White / Sage
- Hunter / White
- White / Navy
- Paradym
The Callaway HyperLite Zero golf bags will hit stores today and have a retail price of $279.00.
