It's easy to underestimate how staying organized on the golf course can impact on your game for the better. Consequently, that's where having the right golf bag for your needs can really help improve your performance and your overall enjoyment of the game.
Whether you are after the best golf stand bag or the best golf cart bag, there is a model for everyone but one important aspect that needs considering is the weight of the bag, which is why we are specifically looking at the best lightweight golf bags available right now.
By purchasing a lightweight bag, you are able to minimize energy loss and maximize comfort. Whether you are carrying your bag over 18 holes, or pushing your bag on a golf cart, it's crucial you preserve as much as possible in the tank, especially when it comes to the important, tail-end of the round.
Currently, there are a number of extremely lightweight bags on the market so, without further ado, here are our top picks of some of the lightest bags on the market. Finally, while you're here, be sure to also check out some of our other golf bag guides, such as the best golf trolley bags, best waterproof golf bags, and the best golf pencil bags.
The Quick List
A very lightweight golf bag that offers an excellent combination of comfort and quality. Although not waterproof, it's a sturdy bag that's perfect for the summer months.
The Mizuno K1-LO Stand Bag is extremely lightweight and comfortable whilst also offering good storage space, although it’s more suited to the summer months.
A thoughtfully designed and practical lightweight stand bag. We were particularly impressed with the magnetic rangefinder pocket and sturdy legs.
A durable stand bag that offers decent storage and great comfort from a double strap. It is well-balanced on the back and easily adjustable and compact.
The multi-functional Callaway Fairway C HD stand bag does everything you need it to do and more, with an eye-catching colour scheme and plenty of great features.
An excellent, genuinely lightweight bag which is comfortable to carry and simple to use. Although it isn't fully waterproof, it can carry a full set of clubs with ease.
Load the next 3 models
A superb, well thought-out and well-made lightweight waterproof stand bag. The attention to detail throughout is outstanding, whilst the class-leading waterproof protection provides peace of mind.
This bag has clearly been designed by golfers and the perfectly proportioned pockets, ultra-lightweight build and trendy look make it a class leader in the Sunday bag category.
A super-lightweight cart bag that will handle all weather conditions with ease. The well-proportioned pockets will leave you plenty of room for storage.
Best Lightweight Golf Bags
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Top pick
We featured the standard Ping Hoofer stand bag in our best golf stand bags list and, unsurprisingly, the Hoofer Lite makes its ways into the list as well. To begin with, it weighs just over 1.5kg and has a well-proportioned 4-way top that felt well made and protective when we walked around the course.
In total, it has seven pockets, one more than the Hoofer Monsoon, despite it being a slightly smaller bag. The water bottle pocket is our favorite feature on the bag as it was so conveniently placed that we were able to access our water bottle as we walked the fairways.
Importantly, Ping has added some great new features to its already comfortable carry strap, which kept our shoulders feeling nice and relaxed on the golf course. It's now also more easily adjustable, with Ping changing the design from a backpack style to a new one-strap system that can be comfortably carried on one shoulder. The strap also uses Ping’s SensorDry technology to wick water away and kept our shoulders dry on a particularly wet day on the golf course, making it one of the best Ping golf bags money can buy.
- Read our full Ping Hoofer Lite Stand Bag Review
Best looking
An excellent looking golf bag that is as light as a feather, the Mizuno K1-LO is designed to help you traverse the course in some of the harshest weather conditions whilst staying bone dry. The bag, while being suited to summer months, can withstand heavy rain and will easily hold all 14 clubs too.
Visually, this bag is excellent. We tested it in the blue and white colorway and it offers up a premium look that many golfers will enjoy. It also comes in five other colors that, we think, will appeal to many different kinds of golfers. We thoroughly enjoyed the experience on offer here, with the high-density foam shoulder straps on this bag making it a joy to carry.
There is plenty of storage space on offer here too, with the bag containing nine pockets, including a full-length apparel pocket and fur-lined valuables' pocket, that are great additions. The bag also boasts a Velcro glove patch and, finally, it comes with a five-way top cuff that can carry all 14 of your golf clubs.
- Read our full Mizuno K1-LO Stand Bag Review
Best value
The Exo Lite Stand Bag is a thoughtfully designed and practical bag that has been crafted to help you improve and enjoy your round more. It is one of the most lightweight stand bags on offer and, as more golfers are loading their bags up with the best golf accessories on the market, we loved the functionality and storage options it delivered.
Striking the right balance between sufficient space and weight, the Exo Lite comes in at just 1.8kg and is super easy to carry. Some golfers like to have their clubs in a neat order when stored inside their bag and, here, we found the 4-way top divider kept our clubs neatly packaged and not over-crowded.
Finally, the bag feels both premium and sturdy, and one important point to note is that we never felt like the legs were not kicking out when we placed the bag on the ground. Admittedly, the straps weren't the most high-tech, but they were comfortable nonetheless and very easy to adjust. It also comes with a magnetic rangefinder pocket which we felt was the highlight of the bag. That pocket adds to the premium feel on offer and makes it very easy to grab your rangefinder whenever you need it.
- Read our full Wilson Exo Lite Stand Bag Review
Most lightweight
Weighing in at just 1.3kg, the new Titleist Players 4 Carbon features an ultra-lightweight frame with carbon fibre legs for style, practicality and stability. It is one of the lightest bags in golf and, when we took it out on the golf course, it delivered a fatigue-free, effortless carry.
It comes with a 4-way player-preferred top cuff that is well padded and, crucially, protected our clubs from clicking together when we walked the course. It was also very easy to access all of our clubs from this divider with no congestion or clubs sticking together when trying to select a club from the bag.
As mentioned, it has carbon fibre legs and, in testing, these provided excellent strength and support and we had no problems using this bag on the golf course. The bag isn't fully waterproof as the pockets are not sealed, but a rip-stop material adds to the durability and style on offer here.
- Read our full Titleist Players 4 Carbon Stand Bag Review
Best color choice
To begin with, the Fairway C HD secured the best color choice in this list due to the extensive offering available, including a number of bold colorways that will make you stand-out on the golf course.
Featuring a four-way divider and multiple pockets, a lot of thought has gone into the Fairway C HD, with Callaway using their ‘shaft-shield’ rubber overmold to protect your clubs and keep them well-organized when in the bag. We see this overmold on the best Callaway golf bags and, what's more, a water-resistant fabric means you don’t need to worry about being caught out when the weather turns
There is also the addition of a fully waterproof valuables' pocket that provides extra peace of mind and protection for your necessities. Along with the nine spacious pockets, Callaway has designed the base very well, as it provides great support, including the legs, which feel stable and sturdy on various terrains. There's also nice, little details, such as a Velcro attachment for your glove and a pocket for your pencil.
- Read our full Callaway Fairway C HD Golf Bag Review
Most comfortable
Weighing in at just 1.4kg, the FlexTech SuperLite Golf Stand Bag provided us with a comfortable carry and excellent ease of use, with the straps quick and easy to loop over the shoulder, as the padded section on the lower back provided great protection.
Along with the comfort, the legs provide a sturdy base when the bag is set down and are a triggered to extend automatically when you put the bag down at an angle. This, combined with a good carry experience, means that you should have no issues, or worries, when trawling round the golf course with what is one of the best TaylorMade golf bags.
Providing users with a four-way divider, the FlexTech SuperLite has six pockets available, which are large enough to house all your necessities, albeit snuggly. One final point to mention is that, although not fully waterproof, the bag is showerproof and would make a great addition to your summer set-up.
- Read our full TaylorMade FlexTech SuperLite Golf Stand Bag Review
Best waterproof stand
Sun Mountain produce some of the best waterproof golf bags on the market, with the H2NO Litespeed Stand Bag carrying on that theme. All bags in the H2NO series utilise the waterproof fabric and, thanks to the protection on both sides and the seamed seals, it's a similar story once again.
In testing, the 2.3kg weight barely made an impression on our back, even when a full set of clubs and all the extras were added. The sensation of ease when carrying was also bolstered by the new bubble design hip pad and the X-strap system, which combine to sit nicely on the shoulders and make sure there is no annoying or uncomfortable knocking around whilst walking.
Finally, the seven pockets on the Litespeed are plentiful and well-proportioned, with one of the standout sections being the hydration sleeve, which is large enough to fit even the biggest water bottle or flask. Along with the sleeve, the valuables' pocket is fleece-lined, whilst the overall design shows that its been designed by golfers, for golfers.
- Read our full Sun Mountain 2024 H2NO Litespeed Stand Bag Review
Best Sunday Bag
Sunday Golf are known for producing some of the best golf pencil bags on the market and, with their Loma XL, it's a similar story once again. To begin with, the looks are gorgeous and, with nine colors to choose from, there should be something for everybody.
Lined with various pockets, our favorite was the ‘Frosty Pocket’, which is perfectly sized for a water bottle or two cans of drink. Along with this pocket, there is a Velcro glove holder, valuables' pocket, a tee/pencil holder, a mesh pocket which we used to store a rangefinder, a side pocket for a glove and finally a ball holder which comfortably holds half a dozen.
Weight-wise, it comes in at 3.4lbs (1.5kg), which is amongst the more lightweight models in the Sunday golf bag category. What's more, the 3-way divider neatly stores up to 8 clubs and, for comfort, there is a double strap that our tester only really needed to wear over one shoulder.
- Read our full Sunday Golf Loma XL Stand Bag Review
Best waterproof cart
Generally speaking, the best cart bags in golf are quite heavy. However, at just 1.8kg (just under 4lbs) the Callaway Chev Dry 14 waterproof cart bag is easily one of the most lightweight golf bags we have ever tested. Despite the lightweight design, there is still plenty of space in this bag thanks to seven pockets.
We first tested the bag on a very damp day at the golf course and we were happy to see the waterproof materials working as advertised. Nothing in our bag got wet and the seam-sealed zips on every pocket worked well. Also, the bag comes with a rain cover and all of the pockets are back-lined with more waterproof materials.
Our only gripe would be that some of the materials feel less than premium in some places, with the lightweight nature of the waterproof materials meaning they are a bit scratchy to the touch.
- Read our full Callaway Chev Dry 14 Waterproof Cart Bag Review
How we test golf bags
When it comes to our process of testing golf bags, we take it very seriously. Whether we are sent a product or buy it ourselves, we put each bag to the test out on the golf course to ensure we can provide thorough and reliable advice. Most importantly though, manufacturers cannot pay for a good review because we tell it how we see it. Every member of the Golf Monthly team is an avid golfer and as such, knows what does and doesn't make for a good stand bag.
As far as our methodology goes, if we say we have reviewed a product, that means we have done so properly. We also endeavour to use all the features on the golf bag. That means, for example, if the valuables pocket claims to be waterproof, we will pour water on it to find out. This comprehensive testing style is not just exclusive to golf bags either, we test using the same ethos and methodology across all gear categories.
How to choose a new golf bag
So what are some of the factors to consider when you are purchasing a golf bag? Well below we have listed some that we think are the most important and most of the bags above will satisfy all our criteria.
1. Weight
If it is going to be on your back and shoulders during the round, then it has to be light and it is important to realize that some models are lighter than others, as shown by our selections above. That being said if you want heavier models or ones you can use on carts too, there are models designed for that.
2. Comfort
On that same kind of note, comfort is also vitally important. It has to fit properly on your body whilst also having comfortable straps. Some also have padded areas around the hips and back as well which helps.
3. Strength
Whilst a good bag will be light and comfortable, it should also be strong whether it be the core bag section, the strap, or the stand itself. Preferably the sturdier the better because it has to protect your golf clubs properly.
4. Storage
If storage for all your gear is important, then some bags have more, and larger, pockets. The top models will have specifically designed pockets for your apparel, balls, accessories, perhaps a beverage pocket and definitely one to house valuables.
5. Waterproof
If you see yourself playing in the rain a lot then waterproofing will be a factor to consider. Some models above are better than others in this regard because they have been designed as such.
6. Looks
Importantly many brands have started to realize that we want our golf bags to look good as well as be functional. As such there are loads of unique designs and colors to choose from so it is a case of finding something you like the look of.
7. Budget
The final factor to consider is of course price. When choosing a golf bag you have to be aware of what you can afford because there are good models at every single price point. If you want to spend more, or less, then there is a bag for everyone.
For more advice on purchasing top quality golf bags, check out our guides to the best golf trolley bags, the best pencil bags and the best waterproof golf bags.
FAQs
Should I use a stand bag or a cart bag?
That comes down to personal preference. Golfers looking for more mobility should opt to use a stand bag and that will help them navigate the course much easier. Although those looking to carry more equipment on a trolley may be better suited to a cart bag.
How many clubs should I carry in my bag?
That depends on the type of game you want to play and the clubs that you tend to regularly use and the gapping between them. 14 clubs may be too much for a beginner golfer but may just enough for others!
What equipment should I carry in my golf bag?
Aside from your clubs, we definitely recommend bringing with you a bag of tees, enough balls to get you through your round, and some waterproofs incase the heavens open! You can also bring snacks, jumpers, a divot tool - anything you think will help you in your round. Why not take a look at our guide to the best golf accessories for inspiration!
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