Why Buy a Sunday Golf Bag?

The only reason to buy a Sunday golf bag is to fulfill a specific purpose. The purpose is quite simple. A golfer who buys one wants to carry a limited number of clubs with minimal gear and accessories. A Sunday golf bag can be great for a trip to a Par 3, to walk nine holes, to go to the golf range, or even for speed golf.

The purpose of these bags is straightforward, but there is great confusion on the web, both on websites that review golf equipment and among the consumers who have bought Sunday golf bags.

Let’s start with the websites:

• Some websites claim that Sunday golf bags are the broadest category, including almost all types of carry bags. These sites confuse the lightweight of today’s stand bags with the desired minimalist function of the bag
• Other sites, taking a historical purist approach, say that a Sunday golf bag must be a compact, collapsible carry bag with an approximate 4-inch top, no dividers, and definitely no legs. These sites, while honoring the past, are forgetting the purpose that the bag needs to meet

Some customers seem equally confused. I always smirk at customer reviews when they go off on a Sunday golf bag for “not being able to fit 14 clubs” or not having enough pockets for everything they want in their bag. These folks should not be buying a Sunday golf bag. They need to more closely read the product descriptions before they buy. 

While the Sunday golf bag category is not broad, a decent variety of bag offerings meet the purpose of carrying a limited number of clubs with a minimal amount of other golf stuff. We will showcase some of our favorite Sunday golf bags, each with a slightly different approach to their designs.

A Traditional Sunday Golf Bag

The traditional Sunday golf bag was very simple. It was made of fabric (sometimes leather) with little to no internal structure or spine. It was collapsible/foldable. It had no stand and was meant to lay on the ground. And the bags were light, given their minimal size and features. The lack of advanced, lightweight materials somewhat increased the weight of the traditional Sunday bags.

The top tended to be small with a 4 – 5 inches diameter and could only hold 5 – 8 clubs.

In scanning the market, we like two modern models that closely match this traditional format with some important upgrades.

Sunday Golf 36 Inch Pencil Golf Bag

The Sunday Golf 36 Inch Pencil Golf Bag is the closest in spirit to the original Sunday bags.

It offers the following specifications and features:

• It is a 36-inch long carry bag that weighs .9 pounds
• Since it has no stand, this bag lies directly on the ground
• This Sunday Bag can carry up to 6-8 clubs 
• The bag features two pockets
• Lastly, the bag has a single, padded shoulder strap that fastens at the top and below the spine handle. It is not overly padded due to the light weight of the bag and the minimal golf accessories that can be carried
• The bag is foldable for easy storage

The Sunday Golf 36″ Pencil Golf Bag has an MSRP of only $49.99.

Click to Check Out the Sunday Golf 36″ Pencil Golf Bag

The Ping Moonlite

The Ping Moonlite is the only traditional Sunday Golf Bag from a major golf bag manufacturer on this list. As expected from Ping, the Moonlite is a premium golf bag at a premium price for this category.

It boasts all the high-quality standards and thoughtfulness that golfers expect from PING.

• The Moonlite was last updated in 2020 and weighs 2.5 pounds using 300D polyester for durability. The Moonlite has no internal structure or stand, as with the other bag in this section.
• An essential feature of the Moonlite is that the belly of the bag is water-resistant so that moisture can’t seep in as the bag lies on the ground
• The top of this bag looks like a Ping standard-sized four-top.
• The top of this bag should allow 14 clubs, but the thin body of the bag might make it a little tight 
• The bag comes with five pockets with 8L of storage volume. The pockets include a large apparel pocket, a stretchable mesh range-finder pocket, and a zippered water-bottle pocket 
• A unique feature of the Moonlite is its padded, dual shoulder strap system. These straps stand straight up when the bag is lying on the ground, so a golfer can easily pick up the bag. The dual straps can be easily converted to a single strap if desired

The best place to buy this bag online is directly from PING. Click here for PING’s website.

Sunday Golf Bags With a Stand

No matter how great the traditional Sunday golf bag is in concept, some golfers have to have a stand. Who wants to bend over to pick up the bag? Who wants to have to pick the bag up to see their club heads more clearly when changing clubs? 

I get it. A stand is a modern carry bag miracle and a necessity for some.

With the lightweight materials available today, a golfer can still fulfill the original purpose of a Sunday golf bag while also getting a stand. We feature two models.

The Champkey Lightweight Golf Stand Bag

First things first, there are a ton of bags that look very similar to the Champkey Lightweight Golf Stand Bag.  They are probably all made in the same couple of factories in Asia.

As we looked at multiple of the clones, the Champkey caught our eye due to the position and number of pockets, and the lack of negative reviews. In terms of features and specifications:

• The Champkey is 33 inches long and weighs approximately 2 pounds using sturdy 900D polyester fabric.
• As mentioned, this bag comes with a stand. The legs extend by using a bottom release mechanism.
• The bag has four pockets. Two pockets are located directly below an elastic-cord water bottle holder, with two additional pockets situated on the side of the body
• The bag has a relatively small two-way top that can comfortably hold six clubs
• The single-padded strap needs to be explained a bit. Many single-strap bags have two connection points that are spaced apart, with one located at the top and one nearer to the mid-point of the bag. The Champkey has both strap connections at the top of the bag. The strap and bag would hang from one shoulder and cannot be worn across a golfer’s back. Given the light weight of the bag and the limited amount of clubs and stuff that can be carried, the strap works fine.
• In addition to the strap, the Champkey has a plastic lifting handle attached to the top rim for when a golfer wants to grab the bag and walk a short distance. 

Click to Check Out the Champkey Lightweight Golf Stand Bag

Mizuno BR-D2 Golf Carry Bag

You could almost call the Mizuno BR-D2 Golf Carry Bag Bag a “tweener.” It has a stand, but the legs are not full length. The bag is angled upwards when the legs are extended but remains close to the ground. 

The BR-D2 Golf Carry Bag’s features and specs are:

• At approximately 4.4 pounds, the BR-D2 Golf Carry Bag is our heaviest Sunday bags. The higher weight is partly due to the stand but also due to some fuller features
• The primary purpose of the short stand is to keep a golfer’s club heads off the ground so they remain clean and dry. The stand itself is released by hand
• The bag has a water-resistant coated underbelly to keep water out and protect clubs when the grass is wet, and the bag is being laid on the ground
• The BR-D2 has an 8 x 6.5-inch top with four openings and full-length dividers. The top would probably be tight for 14 clubs, depending on grip sizes, the size of the putter head, etc. 
• The bag has nine pockets, including a  detachable “mod pouch.” The pockets include: Insulated drink pocket, a quick access mesh pocket, and a zip pocket behind the hip pad
• As for extras, the bag comes with a metal towel/accessory clip, umbrella holder, loop velcro patch, and a rainhood 
• The bag has an adjustable, padded four-point strap system with a center hub. For added comfort, the bag also has a hip pad

Click to Check Out the Mizuno BR-D2 Golf Carry Bag 

And, Now For Something Completely Different

Golf lore says that the original method for carrying clubs around was to tie them together with twine or cord—minimalism at its most extreme.

The Tourbon Retro Leather Canvas Golf Club Carrier modernizes this concept. Tourbon offers a sleeve to carry 2 – 5 clubs using canvas, leather trim, and Velcro.

The sleeve forms a velcro-secured, padded fabric tube that opens and closes to encompass the shafts of the club.

The Club Carrier is 13.77″ X 8.85″ and weighs ¾ pounds. It has an unpadded shoulder carry strap and a side handle for carrying the clubs around.

While I wouldn’t use the Club Carrier on a golf course, it is perfect for going to a driving range with a few clubs.

Click to Check Out The Tourbon Retro Leather Canvas Golf Club Carrier

So, Why Buy a Sunday Golf Bag?

Buy a Sunday golf bag if you want to carry less than a complete set of clubs with minimal golf gear. These bags are great for playing nine holes, a par three course, going to the range, or playing speed golf.

I rarely use more than 6-8 of my clubs, and the Sunday Bag format is perfect for walking nine holes.

Regardless of your exact use or rationale, check out our favorites above and see if they will meet your needs.

For those who have decided you want a full-service lightweight stand bag, check out our recent post: The Best Light Golf Stand Bags.

If you like The Best Golf Carry Bags, check out our sister sites:

• The Best Golf Training Aids for golfers looking to improve their on-course performance.
• The Aggressive Fade if you are looking for the perfect golf-related gift.