The complete guide
Why a Sunday bag changes how you play
The weight you carry is a decision you already made
Golfers carry the bag they own without ever asking whether they need it.
Count the clubs you actually hit over a round. For most amateurs it is seven, maybe eight, and two of the ones in the bag have not been used this year.
A Sunday bag makes that count explicit. Six to nine clubs, one kilo of bag, and the back nine feels different.
Choosing the set you carry
There is no correct answer, only a method.
Start with the putter and a wedge. Everything else is negotiable.
Take one club per big distance gap, not one per number. A 7 iron and a 9 iron cover more than a 7, 8 and 9 do in practice.
One long club. A driver if you use it, a fairway wood or hybrid if you are honest with yourself.
One club you enjoy. Golf is meant to be fun and there is always one.
What to look at on any light bag
The stand bracket. Alloy rather than plastic. This is the part that fails, and when it fails the bag falls over every time you put it down.
The base. It gets dragged, dropped and stood on wet grass. A hard base outlasts a soft one.
The strap anchor points. All the weight goes through them, and it goes through them repeatedly.
The number of pockets. Fewer is better on a carry bag. Every pocket is an invitation to add weight.
Looking after it
Dry it open. After every wet round. Standing it in a garage with the pockets unzipped costs nothing and stops the smell that ruins bags.
Clean the stand feet. Grit in the pivot is the reason legs stick, every time.
Empty it occasionally. Sunday bags accumulate exactly like big bags do, just faster relative to their size. A bag that has crept up to two kilos is not doing its job.