The Pioneer is Ping's flagship trolley bag, built for golfers who ride or push rather than carry. The headline act is the 15-way top, where every club gets its own full-length, padded channel, so nothing clatters together and you never play club-hunting roulette on the tee. The putter well has been opened up to swallow oversized grips and bigger mallet heads, which is a genuine improvement over a lot of rivals that still squeeze your putter. Around it sit 16 pockets totalling roughly 35 litres, including a fleece-lined valuables pocket, an insulated drinks pocket, and a forward-facing apparel pocket that opens wide.
The Cart Golfer's Kit
For golfers who ride — set the buggy up right.
Not everyone walks, and there's no shame in it — a cart round is the default at most American resorts, a blessing on a hilly course, and simply how a lot of golfers enjoy their game. But riding well is its own skill. The kit that makes a cart round better is different from a walker's: a big forward-facing bag that stays organised strapped to a buggy, a cooler that keeps drinks cold for 18 holes, a phone mount so you can see your GPS app without fishing it out, and a speaker that clips on and calls your yardages.
The cart golfer's advantage is that weight stops mattering, so you can carry the things a walker leaves behind. A 14-way divider bag keeps every club in its own slot and to hand. A proper cooler — bag-sized for a two-ball, a hard cooler for a group — turns the halfway house into an optional extra. A magnetic phone mount and a GPS speaker put your numbers and your music where you want them. And a trunk organiser means the boot of the car isn't an avalanche of gear every time you open it.
One thing riders still need that walkers don't skip: comfortable shoes. You walk more than you'd think from cart to ball and around the greens, so a cushioned spikeless pair still earns its place. This is the shelf for the golfer who rides — set the buggy up properly and a cart round is the most relaxed golf there is. If you'd rather be on foot, see The Walking Golfer's Kit for the other half of this argument.
It is a Bluetooth speaker with built-in GPS that barks out front, middle and back yardages on the cart, aimed at riders who want tunes plus distances from one gadget on the buggy rail.
A magnetic mount that straps to your cart frame or bag and grips your phone via MagSafe, so you can glance at yardages or film your swing without digging in your pocket. Aimed at cart-riders and range rats who use a GPS or shot app.
A slim, soft insulated sleeve (roughly 16 by 6 by 2.5 inches) that slots into your golf bag and holds six cans, aimed at blokes who want a couple of cold ones on the back nine without lugging a proper cooler.
The Roadie 24 is YETI's mid-size hard cooler, redesigned to be lighter and taller than the original Roadie. It is a roto-moulded box with thick polyurethane insulation, a gasket-sealed lid and a single shoulder strap, sized to hold roughly 33 cans or stand wine and 2L bottles upright. It is built tall and slim so it fits behind a car seat or in a boot without hogging space.
A 64 inch double canopy golf umbrella from Callaway. The canopy is wide enough to keep you and a playing partner dry, the vented two-layer design lets wind escape rather than turning the thing inside out, and a UPF 50 plus coating on the fabric means it doubles as sun cover on bright days. It runs on a fibreglass shaft with a manual open and a soft non-slip handle.
The Skechers GO GOLF Elite 6 is a spikeless slip-in golf shoe built around all-day comfort, aimed at the golfer who wants a cushioned, easy-on shoe at a sensible price rather than a stiff, athletic performance shoe.
A soft-sided 600D Oxford fabric trunk locker (roughly 17x13x9 inches) with pop-up Velcro dividers, side mesh pockets and ventilation grommets, aimed at anyone sick of shoes, balls, tees, gloves and a spare layer rolling round the boot.
It's Titleist's premium tour-style bag towel, sold in two flavours: a plush terry version for max absorption and a hub-pattern microfiber version for club cleaning. Aimed at players who want proper kit, not a freebie towel off a charity day.
Frequently asked
- What kind of golf bag is best for a cart or buggy?
- A cart bag with a 14-way divider top and forward-facing pockets you can reach while it's strapped down. Cart bags are heavier than carry bags because weight doesn't matter when you're riding — the priority is organisation and easy access to pockets and clubs.
- Do I still need comfortable shoes if I ride in a cart?
- Yes. You walk more than you expect between the cart and your ball, around the greens and on the tees, so a cushioned, comfortable spikeless shoe still makes a real difference over 18 holes.
- What's the best way to keep drinks cold on a golf cart?
- A bag-mounted cooler sleeve is enough for one or two players; a small hard cooler that rides on the cart floor keeps a group's drinks genuinely cold all round and doubles for the beach or tailgate afterwards.
- Is a GPS speaker worth it for cart golf?
- For riders, they're one of the best-value gadgets going — a speaker like the Bushnell Wingman clips to the cart, plays music and calls out yardages via an app, so you get distances and entertainment without touching your phone.