Best Golf Cart Bags 2024

Contrary to popular opinion, golf can be a pretty physically demanding sport. Sure, it's not like running a marathon, but a four-mile walk in hot temperatures while lugging a bag and full set of clubs on your back is pretty draining. So you need to find ways of preserving energy as much as possible. A pair of the most comfortable golf shoes helps, but the easiest way to relieve the strain on the body is to invest in a golf cart/trolley, which will help store your clubs and bag safely and securely whilst you tackle the fairways.

With the purchase of a trolley you will also need a cart bag to go with it, as a stand or pencil bag isn't ideally suited to sitting on a cart. Besides, with a cart bag you have tons more storage for useful things like extra drinks and food, waterproofs and maybe a spare pair of shoes. As well as being larger and offering more storage, cart bags are also designed to be more long-lasting than the best golf stand bags and they fit on the trolley more securely.

After testing a lot of different models, and we mean A LOT, we have collated the top performing models into this guide to help you decide which is the cart bag for you. Additionally, if you are after a bag that is more specific to your golf game, then why not also check out our guides on the best lightweight golf bags, the best waterproof golf bags and the best push carts.

The Quick List

Best Golf Cart Bags

Best overall

This is a visually stunning option that provides bags (pardon the pun) of performance around the golf course. The minimalist yet sleek design of the Motocaddy Protekta offers a premium look in a fully waterproof package. While some cart bags can get be a little on the heavy side, this fantastic option weighs only 3.1kg, making it one of the best lightweight golf bags around. 

We really enjoyed testing this bag and felt that it had a lot to offer. We particularly loved the storage options as this bag boasts nine pockets in total, including two valuables pockets and two full-length side pockets. This means that there is ample room for the best golf waterproofs and even space for a couple of bottles of water in the bag's cooler pocket. Motocaddy bags work best with the brand's own trolleys as they are customised to fit. We tested it out on the Motocaddy M7 GPS Electric Trolley and found the Easi-lock base worked perfectly to reduce the faff and strapping often needed to secure a bag to the bottom of a trolley. 

One of the coolest features is the 15-way top that features nine iron slots that help to hold each club securely in place to reduce noise and keep your clubs well protected. We loved the thought process behind this, as it completely reduces that annoying rattling sound you get when going over bumpy terrain.

• Read our full Motocaddy Protekta Cart Bag Review

Best Tour model

Vessel have provided bags for many of the world's best players and have racked up numerous PGA Tour and major championship victories without many people even realizing it. We recently got to try the Vessel Prime 2.0 Staff bag Tiger Woods uses and we could not have been more impressed. 

We think it is the coolest-looking golf bag we've seen and we love the clean, minimalist aesthetic. The uninterrupted black leather panels are complimented beautifully by the subtle embossed Vessel logos on the strap and a couple of pockets.

The feel of the bag is also exceptional and no corners have been cut or expense spared in its creation. The synthetic leather is soft and smooth to the touch and handling the bag gives you the same kind of feel as when you step into a high-end premium car. Pure luxury.

The Vessel Prime 2.0 is packed with an abundance of handy features. The waterproof zippers provide you with confidence in rainy conditions and the leather zipper pulls add a touch of luxury to the pockets. The personals pockets, for things like your wallet, phone etc are lined with a beautifully soft antimicrobial material that not only feels great but keeps things hygienic. 

In total there are 16 pockets, so you will definitely not struggle to find a place for anything you could need on the golf course. There are three useful grab handles to help you manoeuvre the bag into the trunk of your car, situated in various places around the bag to cover every angle.

• Read our full Vessel Prime 2.0 Tour Bag Review

Best functionality

Stewart Golf has been making some of the best remote electric trolleys and best push carts for the best part of a decade now, and while the brand had dabbled before in some mid-market cart bag options, the new Nero represents the first premium cart bag offering from Stewart. 

As Stewart bags are designed to work best with their trolleys, we tested the Nero bag on our Stewart Vertx Remote trolley to get the optimum experience. 

Firstly, we really like the sleek black look. It compliments the trolley nicely and the all-black means it won’t mark up too quickly even in poor weather. The Nero is made from a tour-grade synthetic leather so it's soft to the touch, looks premium and wipes clean really easily too. 

Nine pockets in total include a large insulated front pocket, two plush velour-lined valuables pockets and a magnetic front pocket which is ideal for a rangefinder. The insulated front pocket is huge which was refreshing as far too many of the larger cart bags like this neglect the cooler pocket. The extra large putter well is a nice touch too, which holds putters with any sized grip. 

Another nice added touch is the customisable zipped front panel. This can be zipped on and off in its entirety and allows you to customise this part of the bag with some embroidery if you wish to. 

• Read our full Stewart Golf Nero Cart Bag Review

Best storage

The C-130 from Sun Mountain has been the company's best seller for two decades and is one of the best-selling cart bags of all-time. While it has been developed specifically for golfers who ride when they play, it also fits perfectly on a push cart too.

The bag features 14 individual club dividers, which includes a separate compartment to accommodate oversized putters, which is very handy. The C-130 has tremendous storage capacity and boasts a whopping 13 pockets, two of which have been dedicated for apparel. It also has a ventilated cooler pocket to store your drinks, two velour-lined pockets for valuables (including one that is water-resistant) as well as a pocket with a magnetic closure that was incorporated specifically for rangefinders. Sun Mountain have thought of everything.

In testing we found the ease of use to be especially impressive. The C-130 possesses Sun Mountain’s Smart Strap system, which keeps the bag secure during use while also enabling players to access each pocket with ease. A matching waterproof hood is also included with each C-130 bag and there are 11 different colors for golfers to choose from, making this unquestionably one of the best Sun Mountain golf bags on the market.

• Read our full Sun Mountain C-130 Cart Bag Review

Best waterproof

The Motocaddy Dry Series received a revamp a while ago and now it is undoubtedly at the upper end of the product line-up. You get a stylish design that is fully waterproof and extremely user-friendly. This is one of the best cart bags we've tested and it ticks a lot of boxes. It weighs around six pounds - which is nothing at all when you consider it is fully waterproof - and also comes with a rain hood. 

It's packed with features that golfers can take advantage of, including 14 full-length dividers for clubs which means no more of that horrible jamming that so often occurs with golf bags.

It has great storage capability too, including nine pockets for golf balls, additional layers and all manner of accessories a golfer would wish to carry.

Finally, there is a substantial food and beverage pocket that is insulated, while all the zips are heat sealed, meaning everything is as secure as can be. Motocaddy truly has thought about every little detail here. 

• Read our full Motocaddy 2022 Dry Series Cart Bag Review

Best color choice

Ogio golf bags feature some of the most daring and unusual designs out there. The look of this bag may divide opinion as beauty is in the eye of the beholder as they say, but one thing that certainly won't split opinion is the performance. 

With a whopping 11 pockets this is one of the best bags for storage on the market. It features two large side pockets for waterproofs and other bulkier items, plus there are also plenty of pockets for your valuables, golf balls, drinks (with an insulated cooler pocket) as well as an umbrella holder. 

Along with the excellent storage capability, this bag has 15 dividers with each of them offering ample space for each of your clubs. There’s even space for an extra slot which could be used for alignment sticks for example, making this one of the more user-friendly bags we've tested.

In testing, we were really blown away by the waterproof capabilities of this bag. Even in genuinely awful weather our clubs and valuables were kept nice and dry. What's more, the overall quality is superb, with this bag feeling extremely premium. This is definitely one of the best Ogio golf bags that money can buy and a worthy inclusion on this list.

• Read our full Ogio All Elements Cart Bag Review

Best lightweight

With the 'Aqua' name, you'd rightly expect this bag to be fully waterproof - and indeed it is. The Aqua Sport 360 is one of the best waterproof golf bags and offers terrific all round performance.

The obvious stand out of this bag is that it has pocket space all the way around the bag, hence the 360 name. You may be thinking “What’s the point of that as there are going to be some pockets you can’t access readily on a trolley or buggy?” but the extra space allows you to streamline the number of things you have to carry to the course. So for example, you might put your golf shoes in the big pocket on the side that would often be pocketless, hence no need for a separate shoe bag. 

On the right push cart or electric trolley, where the bag sits away from the support frame, some of these rear pockets are still accessible – certainly on the Big Max trolley we used in testing.

The extra-capacity drinks cooler pocket can comfortably keep two drinks bottles and two bars of chocolate in the pouch with room to spare, while the comfortable double grab handles at the top were very useful when it came to maneuvering the bag out of the car boot onto the trolley. 

Talking of space, there is also an oversized putter well that fits larger grips and the 14-way divider is covered in soft, protective materials to prevent club crowding.

• Read our full Big Max Aqua Sport 360 Cart Bag Review

Best value

While there are certainly more eye-catching cart bags on the market, the MacGregor 15-Series Water Resistant Cart Bag is certainly one of the most practical and best value options.  

The bag is lightweight and easy to manoeuvre thanks to two over-moulded handles on the top of the bag which make it easy to adjust around once in the cupboard or on the trolley. The bag is not fully waterproof but it is showerproof, with the nine excellently placed pockets featuring water resistant zippers to keep your personal items dry in sharp downpours.

Our favorite feature of this bag is the 15 full length dividers that allow for easy club access and remove the problem of jamming. These dividers are lined and cushioned as well, so any graphite shafts are well nurtured as you roll over on the bumpiest of fairways or paths. We especially liked the “putter pit,” which is rubberised and houses the putter brilliantly. With many putters having thicker grips these days, having a specialist compartment for them should be a staple for every bag, but that isn't always the case.

• Read our full MacGregor 15-Series Water Resistant Cart Bag Review

Specifications table

How we test golf bags

Our testing process for all golf gear, including golf bags, is both rigorous and comprehensive. As far as our methodology goes, if we say we have reviewed a product, you can take it as read that we have used it out on the golf course and put it through its paces in different conditions. We also ensure that we will use all of the features on the golf bag, so if the valuables pocket claims to be waterproof then we will pour water on it to find out.

It is important to stress that manufacturers cannot pay for a good review because we tell things how we see it. As far as the testing team goes, the Golf Monthly team is a mixture of ages and handicaps, and most are members at golf clubs so regularly put golf gear to the test in fun rounds as well as competitions.

How to choose a golf bag

There are several key factors to consider when thinking about buying a golf bag and we have gone into those below...

Bag Type - The main question; what kind of bag do you want? Do you carry your bag or use a trolley or buggy? If you are reading this guide then chances are you want a cart model, but you should think about what you think is important to your golf. If you occasionally carry your bag, then a cart bag is not for you. A stand bag isn't perfect for use with a cart but a bigger problem is trying to walk the use while carrying a cart bag.

Stand bags are built for those who want to carry their clubs around the golf course which means factors like comfort and weight are very important. Stand bags also have to offer waterproofing as well as strength and robustness. The two negatives most associated with stand bags are they require more effort to use, and they usually don't offer as much storage as cart bags.

However, that being said there are several stand bags above that can also be used on golf carts as well so maybe that is a way of killing two birds with one stone.

Cart bags are for those who want to use golf carts on the golf course. If this is you, then you'll likely want a stable model that is not only easy to lift and move around, but also one that sits firmly on your cart. One big advantage we have found is that cart bags also tend to offer ample storage for accessories, apparel, valuables and all the other golf paraphernalia you might need during the round.

The main negative is they are just bulkier and have to be taken off the cart before and after the round, whereas stand bags offer a bit more freedom.

Storage - Storage is important in golf these days because a good golf bag has to offer pockets for lots of different things as we mentioned above. Cart bags tend to have larger pockets because they have more room and weight is less of an issue when a golfer is not carrying their bag. Stand bags on the other hand usually have enough to house the essentials.

However there are also golf bags out there that keep the game simple with only a few pockets so have a think about how much gear you want to take onto the golf course, and pick a bag accordingly.

Waterproofing - If you live or golf somewhere that gets a lot of rain then this is a no-brainer really. You simply must have a bag that offers protection from the rain. If you live somewhere with nice weather all year round then then this won't be as important and shower resistant bags will do the job. 

Weight - Across all types of bag, weight is important. Stand bags obviously have to be lightweight because players will be carrying them on their backs and shoulders all day, whilst cart bags should also have a degree of lightness too so they are easy to manoeuvre on the golf course, and from the car to the cart itself.

Thankfully most brands these days make lightweight models across their ranges because not many players want to use a heavy bag.

Looks - How do you want your golf bag to look? Whether it be a stand or cart model, brands try their best to create design aesthetics that stand out, or blend in on the golf course. Therefore have a think about which models you like the look of, or if some bags have different color schemes.

Budget - Our final factor to consider is of course price. There are golf bags at every single price point so if you want to go for a premium cart model you can, or if you want a cheap stand bag you can also do that too.

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