PING Golf Bag Forum Testing Thread

[ddxu]

When you get home, could you take a couple of pictures showing the difference in the old bag and the new one regarding the built in leg retention system ?

Scroll up to the top of this page, they are the top 2 pictures in post #166

 

[omikey]

DDX - Thanks, I'm gonna have to ck out some guys carry bag in person so I get a better grasp on it. I'm sure the guys that carry know exactly what you're talking about ..... me, I'm a cart guy so I'm just a lil lost in this part. Not to worry about it .... thanks for pointing me to those pictures!

 

[Hawk]

That was a good angle for an update ddx. It really does look like the handle was an excellent addition.

 

[JR]

Got a quick update that I neglected to post a the other day.

Played in the cold rain and realised I my have issues with water weight. I did not. The bag repelled water wonderfully and kept all of my items very dry, including my golf grips as they sat in the bag. It absorbed very little if any water, and the bag was completely dry a hour or two after the round.


The stand system really held up well from some tricky lies. I have found that it only really struggles on smooth surfaces, but absolutely kills it anywhere else. I am gonna have to work today, but I will try to get out sometime in the next few days and put some more holes on it.

 

[omikey]

Ping Pioneer Cart Bag --

Due to circumstances, things happen sometimes, delivery of the bag was delayed more than anticipated.

I have a UPS tracking number (Thanks GG!!) and the bag is in transit from CA and is scheduled to be delivered on 12/5/11.

I'm VERY MUCH looking forward to receiving the bag and getting the review underway.

I'm all GIDDY and STUFF WHHHHOOOOOOOOT :twist:

 

[ddxu]

Testing Date - 11/30/11
Item Tested - 2012 Ping 4 Series
Location - Mesa, AZ

So I am out in the Phoenix this week for work and was able to get out of work early enough yesterday to walk 12 holes before dark. The course was great, pretty decent elevation changes, some more distance between holes than I'd like, but still walkable (imo). I played surprisingly well seeing that I haven't played or practiced much lately and was trying to hurry to get in as much golf before dark. Maybe the whole "think less, stupid" idea has something to it. Tons of new thoughts on the 4 Series, so let's get to it.

1. Storage - The temperatures dropped about 10 degrees during my round, so I started in short sleeves but finished in long sleeves. I had an Adidas Climalite pullover in my bag (found it in the Deal of the day thread) and it fit well into the biggest storage pocket. It is a pretty thin and light pullover, but I did not have any problems fitting it into the pocket. With the pullover in the pocket, the pocket was rather full. I highly doubt I can fit my full FJ rain suit in this pocket (I will check when I get home).

2. Straps - The straps are even better than I originally gave them credit for. In previous models, Ping used a retractable strap system. They ditched that idea with this year's models and went to a traditional back pack style. I like the current straps much more. The best addition (imo) is the sliding clip that holds the 2 strap together, but still lets each strap move independently (pic below). This allows the straps to move slightly while walking without you needing to move the straps. The 2nd part of the straps that I love is the snap adjustments on each strap. These come in real handy when needing to move the straps on the go (pic below). This came in handy today because I only brought a few golf balls and I was able to tweak the strap as I walked down the first fairway. Since I was trying to play fast, it was really nice to adjust it on the fly.

3. Dividers - Previously, I THOUGHT the 2 club dividers in the bag were full length dividers. This is not the case. They are more like 3/4 dividers. I attribute some of the tangling issues to these dividers not being full length. See pic below where I put my AW in the bottom pocket and you can see the red VDR grip poking through the bottom into the middle iron sections. All I can think is that Ping couldn't find a good way to attach the full length dividers to a flexible bottom, but I was really surprised (and disappointed) when I saw this. For reference sake, the dividers stop right around where the bag stand enters the inside of the bag.

The water bottle pocket still doesn't work for me, it still too hard to get the bottle out while walking. I even used a traditional 20 oz Dasani bottle today. It was easier to pull out of the pocket (than my small Nalgene bottle), but still not great. At least there is a pocket to hold the bottle though.

JR - you might want to check the Hoofer to see if the dividers are the same on your bag. I was able to put my arm all the way down the top section and feel the divider end.

 

[#Cookie]

Nice review dubbledxu! It is apparent that they put quite a bit of thought into the strap adjustment that you took a photo of and it sounds like it works nicely.

Still confused on the dividers why they would not go full length. My guess is that it has something to do with anchoring that divider at the bottom of the bag and then it flexing when you use the stand upon setting it down? You think maybe it needs that flexibility and a full length divider would prohibit that flex? Just a thought.

Keep up the great work - enjoying your reviews.


Tappin' from my iPad!

 

[ddxu]

Nice review dubbledxu! It is apparent that they put quite a bit of thought into the strap adjustment that you took a photo of and it sounds like it works nicely.

Still confused on the dividers why they would not go full length. My guess is that it has something to do with anchoring that divider at the bottom of the bag and then it flexing when you use the stand upon setting it down? You think maybe it needs that flexibility and a full length divider would prohibit that flex? Just a thought.

Keep up the great work - enjoying your reviews.


Tappin' from my iPad!

Yes, I agree it has to be based on the fact PING couldn't get a good way to anchor it to the bottom without leaving the dividers 'loose' enough to allow it to flex. Only thing I could think of is if they included some "stretch" material in the dividers or even like a retraction system like they used in their previous straps. Not sure how much easy it would be, but I'd think some stretch fabric built into the dividers wouldn't add too much weight or cost.

 

[omikey]

I don't mean to be picky, but could the reviewers please include at the top of their posting/review which bag they are testing/reviewing .. I'm old and CRS so I have to go look it up each time -- Thanks !!


DDX - when you had your wind shirt in that pocket, are there other storage pockets for additional clothing ? If your rain suit doesn't fit that pocket, is there enough pockets that you could store it in more than 1 pocket ?

bummer that the dividers don't go to the bottom. is there a fair amount of snagging of the butt ends of the clubs ? If yes, does it create more of a hassle to put the clubs IN the bag or to get them OUT ?

Thanks

 

[ddxu]

I don't mean to be picky, but could the reviewers please include at the top of their posting/review which bag they are testing/reviewing .. I'm old and CRS so I have to go look it up each time -- Thanks !!


DDX - when you had your wind shirt in that pocket, are there other storage pockets for additional clothing ? If your rain suit doesn't fit that pocket, is there enough pockets that you could store it in more than 1 pocket ?

bummer that the dividers don't go to the bottom. is there a fair amount of snagging of the butt ends of the clubs ? If yes, does it create more of a hassle to put the clubs IN the bag or to get them OUT ?

Thanks

Good question Mikey, with the wind shirt in the main pocket of the 4 Series, there really isn't another pocket where I can put more clothes. The smaller storage pocket holds my gloves, range finder, etc. If the rain suit doesn't fit in the main pocket, there really isn't anywhere to put it. I definitely see where I'd have issues in the rain with this bag since there aren't more pockets for storage of clothes, extra towels, etc.

I did have a bit more snagging this round than my previous rounds, probably because I was hurrying so much. Its just more annoying than it is a real hassle. The lack of storage would be more of a deal breaker for me than the snagging.

 

[Tmex]

Just catching up on this thread and I really am digging all the feedback. Like to see the lack of snagging within the bags and DDX the weather has been warm (feels weird saying that) for AZ winter. Glad to hear you were able to carry the jacket. It's typically all I ever carry.

 

[omikey]

Good question Mikey, with the wind shirt in the main pocket of the 4 Series, there really isn't another pocket where I can put more clothes. The smaller storage pocket holds my gloves, range finder, etc. If the rain suit doesn't fit in the main pocket, there really isn't anywhere to put it. I definitely see where I'd have issues in the rain with this bag since there aren't more pockets for storage of clothes, extra towels, etc.

I see ... sounds like a 'Fair Weather' bag

I did have a bit more snagging this round than my previous rounds, probably because I was hurrying so much. Its just more annoying than it is a real hassle. The lack of storage would be more of a deal breaker for me than the snagging.

yep, understand how that is - yes, only being able to have have a wind shirt would certainly give me cause to question if I would carry that bag. Even when I was young(er) ( ) I wanted to have more with me than that

 

[JR]

I will check the dividers today DDX.

I have access to a high speed connection now, so expect more pictures in the coming days.

 

[omikey]

A question to you guys that carry

I played with a guy yesterday that had a carry bag. I noticed that when it sit in down that it had three points touching the ground. The very edge of the bag and the two legs.

From looking at the pictures it looks like the PING bags bottoms sits flat on the ground and the bag hinges there.

Is that to make the bag more stable when you sit it down ?

What are, or used to be, the largest problem(s) when sitting the bag down ?


Thanks

 

[ddxu]

A question to you guys that carry

I played with a guy yesterday that had a carry bag. I noticed that when it sit in down that it had three points touching the ground. The very edge of the bag and the two legs.

From looking at the pictures it looks like the PING bags bottoms sits flat on the ground and the bag hinges there.

Is that to make the bag more stable when you sit it down ?

What are, or used to be, the largest problem(s) when sitting the bag down ?


Thanks

Speaking to the 4 Series, not the whole bottom rests on the ground (like I saw with my previous Hoofer), but more of the 4 Series bottom rests on the ground than other stand bags I have used. The bottom on the 4 Series does flex (hence why we think the dividers can't be full length), but it does not flex totally flat on the ground.

The largest problem with my previous bag was setting it down on slick surfaces (wet concrete, stone steps, etc). The surface was so slick the legs would slide and the bag would fall. The 4 Series has rubber grippers on the bottom of the legs, so they grab the slick surfaces pretty well. How durable those grippers are, who knows, but so far they are working really well.

In other news, I rode 16 holes yesterday before flying out of PHX. Not too much to say about a stand bag performing on a riding cart, but the bag did sit level in the cart straps. There was little to NO sliding / falling / leaning like I saw with my previous Hoofer. I attribute this to the flat bottom on the 4 Series, where my previous Hoofer had more of an angled bottom.

 

[Butters]

A question to you guys that carry

I played with a guy yesterday that had a carry bag. I noticed that when it sit in down that it had three points touching the ground. The very edge of the bag and the two legs.

From looking at the pictures it looks like the PING bags bottoms sits flat on the ground and the bag hinges there.

Is that to make the bag more stable when you sit it down ?

What are, or used to be, the largest problem(s) when sitting the bag down ?


Thanks

I've never really looked at this. When I take my Latitude bag out this weekend I will check and report back

 

[Mrbrian897]

Great reviews on the bags so far, guys. I am in the market and its good to know what you guys are liking/disliking when I go shopping around.

 

[JR]

I have found my experience as far as stability goes to be very positive. A large portion of the bottom sits on the ground, but not all, and it is very stable on all but slick surfaces.

Gonna have an in-depth write up with pics for you guys this weekend. Playing a round tomorrow ( I hope) and should have some good data for you all. Please suggest things to look for if you would like.

 

[JR]

Okay guys, played a few holes today.

1. Stability-- I had the bag in several precarious positions today. It dealt fine with pine straw and muddy areas, as well as extreme side hill lies. The legs deploy reliably and quickly. No issues with them getting caught up or not closing completely at all.


2. Storage-- I decided to pack a few more things today. I had a scorecard, keys, phone, hat (Full hat, not cap,) a compression shirt, and a towel in various pockets and it never had any issues. All the pockets are intuitively placed for easy access. I feel as if I could pack as much in this bag (or close to it) as I can in my Kingpin.


3. Dividers-- I checked on what DDX was talking about, and mine are full length as far as I can tell. They are not, however, attatched to the sides of the bag, but to the top and bottom. This actually gave me a few issues today, as clubs would get caught up in the space between the wall of the bag and the divider, though this could be due to negligence on my part as far as placing the clubs.


4. Weight distribution-- Still works great, even with the extra stuff I was carrying today. Feels very light on the back.


Will have high-res pictures as soon as my bandwidth meter resets (should be tonight.)

 

[Smallville]

A question to you guys that carry

I played with a guy yesterday that had a carry bag. I noticed that when it sit in down that it had three points touching the ground. The very edge of the bag and the two legs.

From looking at the pictures it looks like the PING bags bottoms sits flat on the ground and the bag hinges there.

Is that to make the bag more stable when you sit it down ?

What are, or used to be, the largest problem(s) when sitting the bag down ?


Thanks

HAve you gotten the bag yet? This is the one I am interested in.

 

[Butters]

Testing Update 12/4
Ping Latitude Bag
Riding Cart

Played a round today and tried something different with the bag. I put the Driver in the putter well. I actually liked it a lot. It helped with the binding of the clubs in that area of the bag. I think this has something to do with the putter grip catching the clubs more. I also tried a 35in putter in the well and was too short to fit good with a head cover on it. I ended up putting the putter in the other side opposite of the putter well.

I am still loving all the pockets the bag has. I can put whatever I want in the bag and still have room. The construction is top notch. I have notice that when you put the stand on the ground with the legs, the bottom hinges slightly and the full bottom looks like it is still contacting the ground which is great for stability.

I am going to try to take some pics of that and some other things this week.

 

[Wicked Cool Bearded Man]

Nice write ups guys. Can't wait to hear what omikey says about the new pioneer.

 

[omikey]

HAve you gotten the bag yet? This is the one I am interested in.

UPS tracking says the bag is supposed to be delivered by the end of the day TODAY :twist: :blob: :joy:

 

[ddxu]

UPS tracking says the bag is supposed to be delivered by the end of the day TODAY :twist: :blob: :joy:

Good to hear, looking forward to your thoughts and first impressions.

 

[JR]

Likewise. Just checked my internet threshold and I should be back online when I get home, so I will have boo-koo pictures for yall. I swear, I hate satellite internet.

Good to hear, looking forward to your thoughts and first impressions.