I’m Not Sure A Cart Bag Can Get Much Better Than This

The job of a golf bag is pretty simple. It has to hold your clubs and maybe a handful of other essentials in one place in a somewhat organized manner as you traipse around the golf course.

Not a high bar, we know.

Once we understand that premise, my friends, we can then get down to the arduous task of evaluating any given bag’s overall value.

If a bag meets that bare minimum standard, that’s sort of like getting a D-minus. You’ve met the basic utilitarian requirements of golf bag-hood, but that’s about it. If that’s your threshold, then you’re excused from reading the rest of this article.

If, however, you yearn for something more, decisions must be made. Factors such as build quality, materials, pocket layout, balanced weighting and other features will move any given bag up the Price-Value matrix. Whether you buy it or not depends on how much you value those features.

Vessel is better than most at identifying its golf bag audience and then creating and delivering feature sets that audience values. With its new Lux Cart Series II bags, however, Vessel might very well have outdone itself.

Vessel Lux Cart Series II golf bags

If you want your golf clubs to travel around the course in style, these new Vessel Lux Cart Series II bags are for you. The Vessel website says they set a “new standard of luxury through premium materials and intuitive functionality.”

All I can say is I’ve lived in apartments that weren’t this nice.

“They’re beautifully crafted, delivering the ultimate in luxury performance,” says Vessel founder and owner Ronnie Shaw. “Golfers will truly feel the difference.”

There are two bags in the Lux Series II cart bag lineup. The Lux Cart is your basic high-end luxury golf bag. Vessel says it has a “minimalist silhouette” with essential storage and streamlined organization. However, that’s only when compared to its big brother, the Lux Pro Cart bag.

The Lux Pro might be Vessel’s most feature-laden bag outside of its Tour staff bags. It features 31 pockets, six with magnetic closures. Shaw himself will admit he loves his magnets.

Both bags offer seven-way and 15-way top options and feature plush full-length velour dividers, genuine leather touchpoints to go along with their synthetic leather construction, several velour-lined pockets and a discreet AirTag® compartment.

Putting the “Lux” in “Luxury”

Again, Vessel knows its audience as well as any golf brand in the game. It also knows that its audience values luxury feel, styling and materials. Both the Lux and Lux Pro Series II are made from Vessel’s signature Tour-grade synthetic leather. With a 12- by 10.5-inch top, both have plenty of room to keep your clubs from binding and if you run out of space in either bag you should seriously reconsider what you bring to the course.

The standard (and we use the term loosely) Lux Cart bag features 22 pockets (four with magnetic closures) and velour-lined valuables compartments that include a place to store your wedding band. (Are you supposed to take that off when you play? I never dared.) The seven-way model weighs 7.9 pounds, the 15-way version 8.3.

The Lux Pro Cart bag is bigger and heavier. As mentioned, its 31 pockets feature six with magnetic closures. The seven-way version weighs in at 8.9 pounds while the 15-way is over nine.

Both include the kind of luxury touches you’d expect from Vessel. For instance, like many newer cart bags, it features a pass-through for the cart strap. Vessel goes a step further, however, by providing a matching sleeve for the cart strap. That protects the bag from any friction marks from the strap itself.

Other interesting touches include cart bracket straps to further secure the bag to the cart, a special locking pocket for valuables and a battery pouch for a portable charger for your phone.

Both bags are also designed to pair with Vessel’s Golf Club Organizer.

Price, availability and final thoughts

Premium stuff carries a premium price tag and the Vessel Lux Cart Series II bags are no different. The standard Lux Cart bag (it does feel weird to call it “standard”) sells for $469 and the Lux Pro Cart bag goes for $519.

Only you can decide whether those bags at those prices are worth it to you. After all, stripped of all the features, premium materials, pockets and magnets, it’s a bag to haul your clubs around in. You can certainly find bags ranging from crappy to serviceable to outstanding for less.

One thing we can say about Vessel, however, is that it’s doubtful you’ll find one that’s better made and with more features. I’ve been using the original Player for nearly seven years and the thing is still as sturdy today as the day I got it.

I figure if my clubs are happy and traveling around the course in comfort and style, they’re that much less likely to misbehave. It’s a well-known fact that happy clubs fly straighter and longer.

I kid, I kid. But wouldn’t it be cool if they did?

For more information on the new Vessel Lux Cart Series II golf bags, visit the Vessel website.