Is $1,000 Too Much For A Sunday Bag?

I’ve never been one to lecture anyone on how much they should charge for their goods or services.

Nor will I judge anyone on what they choose to pay for something.

That’s their business, and I try to mind mine.

That’s the micro viewpoint. In the macro sense, smart companies usually have a good handle on their costs, margins and profit goals. They also understand what their customers are after and what they’re willing to pay for it. Some companies are niche. They target upscale clientele and create upscale products that satisfy those particular wants and needs. Others prefer to be more mainstream and find the balance between quality, performance and price.

Neither one is wrong.

The reason I want to preface this piece with that little bit of economic wisdom is simple. I don’t want you to get your undies in a wad over what I’m about to share with you.

Vessel, my friends, is launching a new line of genuine leather Sunday IV golf bags in three stunning colorways.

Each one will retail for $999.

If your undies are starting to wad, relax the wadding muscles and chill.  We can discuss this like grownups.

The Vessel Sunday IV bag is how much again?

$999. As in just a buck less than a grand.

For a Sunday bag.

Yeah, it’s expensive. So expensive that it’s pointless to even discuss whether it’s worth it or not.

Vessel can rightfully claim it created the premium golf bag industry. The company started by making high-quality staff bags for the PGA Tour and for other OEMs. A few years later, Vessel introduced its own line of premium bags made from a high-grade polyurethane (PU) known as “synthetic” leather.

Some call it vegan leather. The more cynical among us call it “fake” leather.

Either way, it’s the material of choice for premium golf bags. It’s more durable and cleaner looking with a touch of class and easier to maintain than polyester or nylon. Most importantly, while it looks leather-adjacent, it’s a good bit less expensive than genuine leather.

So, what is Vessel doing with its new Sunday IV bags? Why, making them from genuine leather, of course.

Hey, for a thousand big ones, I’m gonna need to see some dead cow.

The Sunday IV Leather collection includes three Sunday bags in three genuine leather colorways: Crimson (aka “red”), Cognac (aka “tan”) and Croc Black (aka “black,” albeit with a crocodile-like surface detail).

The bags contain all of the standard features you’d expect in a Vessel stand bag. There’s Vessel’s patented Rotator Stand System, a sturdy, quick-deploying and super-stable leg package. You have magnetic pockets for your rangefinder and water bottle (it wouldn’t be a Vessel without magnets), a velour-lined three-way top with full-length dividers, Vessel’s self-adjusting Equilibrium 2.0 double strap (with a padded single strap included), high-quality metal zippers with leather pulls and even an internal AirTag® compartment.

All those features, plus the fact that genuine leather isn’t cheap, add up to the $999 price.

Yeah, but it’s a freakin’ Sunday bag

That it is.

It’s not even a good-sized one, either. Vessel says the Sunday IV Leather comfortably holds 10 clubs although I’ve seen golfers fit 14 clubs into a standard Sunday IV. It’s snug but can work provided you have normal size grips.

Midsize grips or larger? Forget about it.

Additionally, Vessel says the Sunday IV Leather weighs in at just under 5 1/2 pounds. While that sounds heavy for any kind of carry bag, we have learned over the years that balance matters as much as overall weight. From caddies we’ve spoken with, 5 1/2 to six pounds of pure bag weight is about where they draw the line. That, of course, depends on how much crap a golfer has jammed into the bag itself. Balance, however, does make it an easier carry.

Those trifles aside, let’s address the $999 elephant in the room.

As we said up top, smart companies know who their clientele is. More importantly, they know who their clientele isn’t and they don’t try to shoehorn the isn’ts in with the is’s. If you think $999 is ri-goddam-diculous for any golf bag, let alone a genuine leather Sunday bag, Vessel is pretty much OK with that. You’ll most likely think $309 for the non-genuine leather Sunday IV bag is ri-goddam-diculous, as well. Vessel’s OK with that, too.

Regardless of industry, you can be niche or you can be mainstream. You can’t, however, be both (at least under the same brand name). Give Vessel credit. They know who they are.

There are literally hundreds of less expensive options and most of them range from pretty good to outstanding in both performance and value. We write about them all the time.

More money than brains? I think not

Think these bags won’t sell? Think again. Hell, Vessel has successfully sold a $2,000 stand bag. I’ve learned not to doubt founder Ronnie Shaw’s business acumen or his chutzpah.

If you’re ready to go the more-money-than-brains route, let me tell you, you’re probably right. Not for the reasons you’re thinking, however, but you’re probably right. I started working at 13. That’s 53 years and counting as a money-earner. I may not be the brightest light in the chandelier of life but I’m no doorknob, either. I would hope, by this point in my journey, that I do have more money than brains.

That’s a glib way of saying that as you earn your money you also earn the right spend it any way you want. If you want and can afford a really nice, genuine leather Sunday bag, you could do a lot worse than the Vessel Sunday IV Leather. If you don’t want one, then your life gets very simple. Skip this one and move along.

Would I buy a $999 genuine leather Sunday bag? No chance. I may have more money than brains but not that much more. Most of you reading this post wouldn’t buy one either, I imagine. The point, however, is that there are more than enough luxury buyers out there who’ll happily pay that price, and they’ll get a really nice golf bag in return.

If you’re one of them, thanks for reading this far. It makes my day. If we’re related, feel free to remember me in your will (I’m always looking to increase that money-to-brains ratio).

If you want more info on the Vessel Sunday IV Leather golf bag, check out the Vessel website. They’re available now.