Best Golf Cart Bags 2024 (Our Recommendations After Testing)

Golf cart bags have come a long way from the minimalist old designs. Today’s models cater to the modern golfer’s needs for maximum storage, protection, and durability while retaining a lightweight and stylish form. 

Upgrading your clunky carry bag to a new golf cart bag can help elevate your organization, convenience, and enjoyment out on the course. 

We’ve compiled this list of the best golf cart bags in 2024 based on critical factors like storage capacity, club organization, weight, waterproofing, and additional golf-specific features. 

Whether riding or walking with a pull cart, these cart-friendly bags provide the ideal blend of performance, protection, and style to meet the needs of any golfer.

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Last updated on 2024-10-03. The links are affiliate links. Product images are served from Amazon Product Advertising API.

Best Golf Cart Bags 2024

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How We Tested the Golf Bags

When testing golf cart bags, we look for bags that excel in sturdiness, stability, and functionality, with particular attention to the base design. 

We begin by examining the construction quality, paying close attention to the materials used and the reinforcement of high-stress areas.

We measure and compare the base sizes of each bag, noting how this affects their stability on the cart. 

Once we hit the course, the cart bags are loaded with clubs and accessories to assess weight and functionality. Then, we secure each bag to various golf carts and push carts to evaluate how well they stay in place during movement. 

A critical factor in our assessment is the ease of access to pockets while the bag is mounted on a cart. We also test the functionality of any cart-strap channels or pass-through systems.

We also examine how well the bags protect your clubs and valuables from the elements.

During our round, we also assess the organization features and how easy they are to use, including the number and arrangement of pockets, dividers, and specialized compartments.

After our evaluation period, we return the bags to the lab for a final evaluation. We share our opinions and make recommendations based on certain features, such as value and storage capabilities.

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How to Choose the Best Cart Golf Bag

Appearance

Although it may not seem important initially, finding a visually appealing bag is always essential to golfers.

Everything pours down into the confidence that a golfer brings to that first tee, from the clothes they wear onto the course to the clubs they use.

If you plan to use your golf bag in professional settings, everything you bring to the course will be factored into how they initially feel about your abilities to get the job done.

Weight

Its weight isn’t nearly as significant for bags as for stand bags. But still, golfers have to carry their clubs from the car to the cart, and when their round is done and they head home, they must also store the bag.

All that lifting and carrying make the bag’s weight something to consider. Golf bags for women are usually lighter.

Since full-length bags are not recommended for walking, manufacturers have given these bags more storage and features. All of those extra perks add up to more weight.

Storage

Storage is the number one feature that the golf cart bags can offer over a stand bag.

Today’s cart bags offer as many as a dozen zippered pockets to store everything from rain gear if you get caught in a storm to a cooler valuables pocket that allows you to pack ice cold drinks for the back nine.

Today’s bags offer the ability to carry whatever you may need for your round, and with the extra storage these bags provide, there’s no reason not to make sure all areas are covered for your day on the links.

Dividers

Keeping your clubs safe as they travel to the course and then, once they are on the cart, is another important job of the cart bag.

Most have wide mouth openings that give your clubs room to breathe, so they are clanging into each other, causing dents and scuffs.

However, the number one area in which a golf cart bag can protect your clubs is through the use of individual full-length dividers that keep your clubs separate and off the top of each other.

These full length dividers allow your clubs to remain in good condition in the bag.

Durability

When we talk about the durability of a cart bag, we are specifically talking about the material used in constructing the item.

A cheaper golf bag will experience tears and fraying much earlier in the item’s life as it ages and goes through the damage of being carried around from car to cart.

The best cart bag’s primary focus should be on the padded top that divides the clubs and keeps the shaft and hosel from weakening.

Storage and Pockets

Finding the best golf cart bag takes into account the importance of storage. Since you are not walking the course, then you are afforded the ability to take more accessories to the course.

Extra golf balls, tees, towels, and other necessities need pockets for quick and easy access on the course.

Another area where additional storage helps is with your valuables. Most modern cart bags have lined pockets that protect your watch, heaters, smartphone, and other valuables from scratches and potential damage.

Long pockets along the side of the cart bag can carry rain gear such as waterproof jackets and pants. Some golf cart bags offer umbrella holders that attach the umbrella to the bag’s outer shell without interfering with the clubs.

Straps

A strap system allows the golfer to carry the cart bag comfortably.

Since carrying a heavy bag can burden the golfer’s upper back and shoulders, manufacturers have attempted to construct ergonomic dual-strap systems to balance the weight.

Most golf cart bags only have one strap, unlike stand bags, which usually have two straps attached to the top and bottom of the bag.

Professional golfers use a cart bag on the course mainly because they have caddies that carry the bag and need more accessories in an emergency.

A cart bag with one strap usually features a shoulder band that is wider and more padded when compared to a dual-strap system on stand bags.

Although a cart bag isn’t ideal for walking the course, they offer a strap system that makes it easy to load the clubs onto the cart.

Size

Cart bags are the largest of all golf bags. Made with a round, wide foundation that offers more dividers than a Sunday or stand bag, a cart bag offers premium storage.

The size of a cart bag lends itself to carrying a full complement of clubs with other accessories such as rain gear, an umbrella, and your valuables.

Stand and Sunday bags offer convenience over storage. While that’s great for golfers who love walking the course, most golfers prefer the cart bag because of its functionality.

The cart bag is excellent for older golfers due to its size, which allows it to be stored easily in the garage with a flat foundation. Also, the cart bag rides better than a stand bag in the cart for the same reason: the bag’s flat bottom.

Bag Locking System

A new feature of a cart bag is a bag locking system that connects the bag to ensure it doesn’t fall off the cart during riding.

The bag locking system assures the golfer that their clubs won’t get damaged or dropped from the cart.

The locking system works by attaching the cart and the bag. The attachments connect and lock once they are placed together.

A locking system is primarily featured on a higher-priced cart bag. But any golfer can purchase a locking system to attach to their bag, quickly creating a lock point to secure their clubs on the cart.

Putter Well

A putter well provides a dedicated space for a golfer’s flatstick. The well, usually located away from the irons and woods in the bag, helps protect the putter from banging into the heads of the other clubs.

A dedicated putter well is a great feature, primarily found in a cart bag, for golfers who have an expensive putter to ensure it keeps its original condition as long as possible.

The well also has a wide opening to accommodate the oversized head of a mallet putter, along with a full-length divider to protect the club’s shaft.

Rain Hood

The rain hood is a removable cover that protects the clubs from moisture. Most rain hoods utilize snaps to lock themselves to cover the clubs and stay in place while the bag rides in the cart.

Rain hoods have become popular accessories on stand bags since golfers who love to walk the course can find their clubs in trouble if rain begins.

With the quick retrieval of the matching rain hood, a golfer can snap it in place over the clubs’ top to keep them dry.

Since they ride in carts, expensive cart bags typically do not have rain hoods.

Glove and Towel Ring Holder

A golf bag has a ring at the top of the bag that anchors the strap that carries the bag and can also attach a towel and glove holder.

A towel ring can hold the towel loosely in the front of the bag, making it easy to wipe down the clubs’ grips and clean mud from golf balls.

A glove holder can be attached to the bag to help air out the leather of the glove and prolong its life. The holder is made from plastic and takes the shape of a hand to keep the glove open for air circulation.

Handle and Padding

Usually found on stand bags, a handle is essential for lifting the bag when removing it from a vehicle or loading it into a cart.

A cart bag has multiple handles, usually along the sides of the opening, to help golfers balance the bag while carrying.

When looking at the padding, golfers should look at the strap that golfers use to carry the bag.

Golf cart bags typically have one strap because the bag spends most of its time on the cart. Stand bags have a dual-strap system that allows the bag to balance along the back while walking the course. 

Cart Strap Pass-Through

A cart strap pass-through is vital to the security and safety of the golf bag and the clubs it carries.

Since most stand bags are lightweight and don’t have the round foundation of a cart bag, the pass-through anchors the bag to the cart for stability.

Golf cart bags are far more stable on the cart than stand bags, so their pass-through is larger and works as a handle. 

Some bags have additional pass-through handles on the side of the bag to offer even more security for the golfer and to ensure that the bag doesn’t dislodge from the cart.

Cleaning & Maintenance

Since golf bags are lightweight and durable, golfers find them easy to clean with warm water and dish detergent. Most bags, especially during summer, will collect dirt and regular grime.

You need a cloth rag and a combination of detergent and warm water to clean these spots. By gently scrubbing the soaked rag on the dirty spots, the bag will return to its original condition.

Top-tier cart bags are available with a leather foundation. The maintenance of these bags is different and more involved than stand bags, and they typically need pre-treatment to protect the leather.

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Questions & Answers

A great way to keep your cart bags looking great season after season is by routinely wiping them down using warm water and washing soap.

If your cart bag has spots from mud or grime, then applying this mixture will break down the stain and allow you to clean the area thoroughly.

Recommended: How to Clean a Golf Bag

Magnetic pockets are handy because they clasp the pocket closed without zippers. A magnetic pocket provides a secure closure for the pocket when storing valuables.

Another reason that golfers prefer magnetic pockets is that the style makes it easy to reach into the pocket for balls, tees, and other accessories for quick retrieval.

Most high-end bags use zippered pockets, especially in top-tier cart bags, but magnetic pockets have become a popular accessory in recent years for stand bags. 

While magnetic pockets might not offer the security of zippered pockets, they provide an easy way to retrieve items on the fly.

If you have clubs that you want to keep protected, then full length dividers are essential for your golf bag.

A full-length divider runs the entire length of the bag from the opening to the foundation. It protects the whole shaft from the hosel to the end of the grip.

Keeping a club in a divider keeps the club away from other irons and woods in the bag, thereby keeping it safe and easy to retrieve when needed.

Some stand bags use multiple dividers, where several clubs go in each compartment, and while that reduces the bag’s weight and size, it places clubs against each other.

The best golf bags come from companies that exclusively make golf bags, such as Sun Mountain and OGIO, and golf equipment companies such as TaylorMade, Wilson, and Callaway.

These best cart golf bags share similar characteristics such as durability, high-quality material, multiple pockets, including a valuables pocket and additional cooler pocket for keeping beverages cold. 

With the best stand, golf bags are lightweight and have a dual-strap padded system, making them easy to carry on the golf course.

Regardless of whether they are stand or cart bags, the best ones offer plenty of storage along with long-lasting durability that provides golfers years of storage and convenience. 

Professional golfers typically use the golf bags provided by their sponsors. Regardless of brand, the bags pros use are cart bags that offer maximum storage since the golfer’s caddy must have all contingencies covered on the course.

The bags during tournaments must have extra balls, tees, towels, and rain gear in case bad weather hits the course during their round. With these possible needs on the course, the pro golfers need a golf bag with multiple pockets.

Since these bags are classified as cart bags, they are large and rounded with multiple full-length pockets that can hold towels, clothing, and additional items such as shoes.

For amateurs, the top choice on our list is the Founders Club Premium Golf Bag. With a 14-way top, the bag features full length dividers with a dedicated putter sleeve that keeps the flatstick safe and away from other clubs.

The bag features several handles for lifting the bag, along with nine zippered pockets for an incredible amount of storage. A front facing cooler pocket can hold several bottles and cans along with ice to keep the drinks cool.

Other features include an external tee holder, umbrella holder, towel clips, range finders, and glove holders. The bag is available for an affordable price and offers durability that will keep the bag worth using for many years to come.

Yes, the cart strap pass-through matters because it is the point in the bag where it is secured to the cart. The pass-through must be strong enough to handle the rigors of riding 18 holes.

In a stand bag, the pass-through will be smaller and less bulky than in a cart bag. However, since the cart bag is designed to ride in a cart, companies emphasize creating a pass-through that can safely secure the bag when riding in the cart.

Pass-throughs typically have plenty of room for a strap to easily slide through the opening to tightly fasten the bag to the apparatus that holds the bags on the back of the cart.

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Conclusion

After spending time with this year’s top golf cart bags, we believe the Ogio Silencer stands out as the best model available. Constructed with premium materials, the Silencer delivers unmatched durability and protection. 

With 11 pockets and a 15-way top that prevents clubs from rattling, this bag provides maximum organization and storage for all your gear.

The sleek, modern styling also looks fantastic on the course, while the lightweight design makes for easy transport. 

The Ogio Silencer is the clear choice for golfers seeking the ultimate cart bag that combines durability, protection, storage, style, and convenience.

Its unparalleled quality and design justify the investment and make it our pick for the best golf cart bag of 2024.

Recommended: How Many Clubs in a Golf Bag Can You Carry?