Stand Bags - How on earth do you get one on?

I have just purchased a Stand Bag ad frankly I'm bemused.  How on earth do you get the thing on?   I have tried both straps on both shoulders.  I have tried lengthening and shortening the straps.    The nearest I can come up with is that the left hand strap goes over the right hand shoulder.  Or is it the topmost or shortest strap goes over the right hand shoulder and the longest or right hand one goes over the left hand shoulder?    And the clubs end up pointing to your left?   I have no real idea.  In fact, there is a very real possibility I will bung the lot on Ebay this afternoon.   Any suggestions?   Roger

You wear it like a rucksack Roger.  One strap over each shoulder with the club heads (typically) sticking out to your right. Short strap over the right shoulder, long strap over the left shoulder.  There should be a yoke between them that goes across the back of your shoulders. 

Strap lengths may need adjusting to make it sit right. 

I carried until I was 62 but never owned one of these new fangled ones they produce today.

My bags were the ones produceb by all the manufacturers at some time or other which had one ball pocket and a large side pocket for sweater, whatever, we just dropped the bag on the ground after selecting our club.

There was an old player from the Cornwall County team, by the name of Harry Champion, who used to select his club and hit the ball before the bag hit the ground.

He would've done if he'd been following some of us lot round!

I've sussed it.  I think you are all going to like this.

I fought with this bag for about an hour yesterday.  During which one of the springs exploded (which I have managed to repair but it doesn't bode well) and couldn't get anywhere.  In exasperation I posted here.

Then I sat and thought about it a bit - which side should the golf clubs hang?  Club head to your right or left?  (Thanks for your post Chris!)  I still have some of last weekends European Open to watch (HD pictures of pouring rain and driving wind?  It's so much more real in HD?).  There were the Caddies - clubs pointing right.

But when I do get this bag on, clubs point left.  Hmmmmm.

So then I sling it over my left shoulder.  Easy.  

They have sent me a left handed bag.

Would you believe it!

If I stand behind the bag and facing it, the short strap is on the left.

Never mind.  

Think I had better keep the box it came in for a bit.

Roger 

Quality Rodger, you need to save it,its quite unique.

Now you've solved it Roger, I'm going to frustrate you further.  The bag will have four strap clips on it.  By swapping the top of the short and long straps over, and then swapping the bottom of the long and short straps over, guess what you have?

A right-handed bag!

Guess how I found out.  By putting the straps back on mine worng after a clean and having the same wrestling match you had.  Feels like fighting an angry octopus!

I thought that was the end of my troubles.  But then, with a ping(!) the fastener at the top of the spring on the legs shot off. 

I assembled all the bits and managed to get them back on.  But I couldn't tighten the nut.  It seemed loose.  It was!  The thread had gone.  In the end I couldn't get it to stay on.

I rang 118golf - and they arranged for collection.  Very efficent I must say.  "It will be picked up this afternoon."  So I shot out to do the shopping, and on my return there was a note from Royal Mail.  "We called.  There was no one here.  10.40AM".

I rang 11golf again.  Very efficent.  "We will collect it this afternoon."  This time it really was "this afternoon". 

Now I await the next bag.

I wonder if this is going to turn into one of those long running saga's.

I was hoping to play on friday - with my new bag - but with it being the height of the societies season and heavy rain forecast - I am beginning to think a comfy seat on the sofa in front of the telly until it's time to head for the Pub might be a better plan.

Roger 

Roger, what make is it as a matter of interest?

It doesn't sound the most sturdy bag if things are going ping and flying off before it is even subjected to the rigours of the golf course!

Mine is a John Letters with an 'IZZO' harness and has proved unbreakable so far.

Hope your next one proves to be okay as I really like mine (once I got the hang of it!)

Alex

Sun Mountain "Lightning 2008".

I did quite a lot of research before I bought and I thought the Sun Mountain and Ogio Brands seemed to have the best reviews.

This bag is less than 5lbs and still allows you to carry quite a lot - there are sufficent pockets - and it provides limited lining for the shafts.

Its very difficult to work out whether a product is actually any good before you buy, as most people, if they do a review, talk only about their own experience of the their own product.  Which is fair, but limited.  It gives a distorted picture of the market.  If there were large numbers of reviews covering all the products then that would be helpful, but people dotend to only start typing when something goes wrong.   (Me, for instance!)

What you really want is unbiased testing or - dare I say it - advice from someone who sells a lot of them and who you can trust......but your local Pro only hsa limited number of lines, and if you are looking for something specific he may not be able to help.

In theory another one is en route to me.  But at least I have established that the after sales service from 118golf is pretty efficent.  They arranged pick up of the faulty bag that day.  I have yet to see it's replacement.

Roger