Zero Friction Wheel Pro Pushcart Bag Review

Zero Friction Wheel Pro Pushcart Bag Review

About a month ago, I took a plane trip to the East Coast. One of the golf courses I played was a muni. The course was relatively flat, and it was a perfect day, so I decided to walk. But I didn't want to carry my clubs, so I paid $7 to rent a pull/push cart. Big mistake. It was old, rickety, and my clubs fell off of it twice. At home, I have a nice Sun Mountain push cart, but I couldn't take that with me on a plane. But what if there was a golf bag that already had wheels and a handle, and you could fit all of it in a golf travel bag?

Well, there is. It's called the (The Original) Wheel Pro Pushcart Bag from Zero Friction. It weighs less than 10 pounds with the wheels, and all of it will fit in most travel covers. It was developed by John Lacono, CEO and founder of Zero Friction. Best of all, it shares a lot of features - namely great storage, easy access, and lightweight - with the Zero Friction Stand Bag. Lacono said he had been "noodling" on this idea for about six years before he brought it to market recently. 

The Wheel Pro is a three-way bag, designed to be pushed, carried or used on a golf cart. And it does indeed fulfill all those categories. But first, an explanation on how it works. Without the wheels, it's an ordinary stand bag, except that it has a built-in handle that retracts and extends. It's certainly light enough to carry (around 5 pounds without the wheels), but it only has a single strap. 

The second option is to use it on a powered cart, and the Wheel Pro is a great fit for that, sans wheels. It has seven pockets to store just about anything you need - apparel, personal items, sunscreen, extra gloves and towels, and lots of room for golf balls and your rangefinder. It also has a 14-way divider (which is different from the Zero Friction stand bag). And there's even a see-through pouch in the front of the bag for your cell phone, although I found it a bit small for my iPhone 12 and its protective cover. 

The third option is the real selling point of the bag - use it as a push cart bag. To save on weight and space, it boasts a simple design. The two 11-inch wheels easily click into place in the wheel well on the bottom when you want to use it as a push cart. A quick release allows you to take them out just as fast, to be stored in a separate, included bag. And the molded handle can easily be extended to three different positions depending on your preference. But unlike regular push carts, it's imperative that you use both hands on the Wheel Pro to give you more control. Finally, when you get to your ball or arrive near the green, you simply tilt it away from you, and the stand mechanism pops the legs out so it can rest while you go hit your shot. There's also a holder for an extended umbrella at the top of the bag, so you can get a little protection from the sun or the rain while you walk. 

A two-wheel design, however, means it's not as stable as a bag with a cart that has three wheels or four wheels, so it is a little more work. In other words, you do have to support the weight of the bag while you're pushing, or you have to be really good at balancing the weight over the two wheels. Going over hills also could be a little tricky. And the more you weigh the bag down, the more effort it takes to get around the course as a push cart. So it's best, when used as a carry bag or push cart bag, that you keep it as light as possible.

The bottom line is I think the concept is brilliant, but it could use some tweaking. If Zero Friction could incorporate a third wheel somehow, it would be much easier to use as a push cart. As it is, if you only wanted to use it occasionally as a push cart, it would fulfill that need, especially if you keep it light and you're traveling with it. But golfers who like to use a push cart for the majority of their rounds - especially for local rounds - would be better off with a separate push cart that will be easier to maneuver on the golf course.