The Big Mac of Golf Bags? Let Me Explain!

• Sun Mountain expands the C-130 golf bag line to three.
• The C-130 line now includes the C-130 Cart, Hybrid and Sync bags.
• All three bags are available now at SunMountain.com.

Sun Mountain recently released their new C-130 line of golf bags. Yes, you read that correctly. Not a single new C-130 but a line of C-130 bags. In addition to the standard C-130 cart bag, Sun Mountain will be offering their Hybrid stand bag and Sync cart bag with C-130 branding.

I think that it is a brilliant move by Sun Mountain.

Of all of the bags Sun Mountain sells, the C-130 is the iconic model. Multitudes of golfers view the C-130 as the standard by which all other cart bags are measured. Named after the C-130 cargo plane, the Sun Mountain C-130 cart bag has more name recognition than any other bag in the category. That is why it makes so much sense to use the name on additional bags.

The Big Mac of golf bags?

Let me explain. It’s a safe bet that most of you are familiar with the Big Mac. I almost wrote “McDonald’s Big Mac” but I knew you would know the burger I was referencing without the restaurant name. I bet you even know the parts of a Big Mac.

“Two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions, on a sesame seed bun.”

If you sang that sentence, you are not alone. That jingle was Grammy-worthy. Once the jingle launched in the 1970s, everyone knew every lyric and all about the Big Mac.

McDonald’s recently released a new chicken sandwich, the Chicken Big Mac. If it was just a new chicken sandwich; most of us would have a general idea of what was on it. But since it has the Big Mac name, we know exactly what should be there with the “two all-chicken patties.”

(Spoiler: There are no onions on the Chicken Big Mac.)

That is what Sun Mountain has done. They have essentially Big Mac’d their new golf bags.

What are the iconic elements?

The recipe for the Sun Mountain C-130 cart bag may not be quite as musically catchy as the Big Mac jingle but we still know what elements should be there. 

At the top of the C-130 must-have list is storage.

Like the plane it’s named after, the Sun Mountain C-130 cart bag is a cargo hauler. There is ample room for all of your clubs and all of your peripheral golf gear as well. A C-130 devours every seasonal layer you throw at it and still has room for your shoes and a six-pack.

Everyone loves how much golf stuff fits in a C-130 bag, except maybe caddies who need to lug them around.

A C-130 golf bag is also functional and ergonomic. Pockets are placed where they should be for easy access on the cart. The bag fits easily and securely on the back of the riding cart while maintaining access to clubs and other precisely pocketed prizes.

The challenge for Sun Mountain is to make sure the new bags in the C-130 line live up to a C-130 player’s expectations.

Sun Mountain C-130 cart bag

Before exploring the two new C-130-branded models, let’s set our baseline with the new C-130 cart bag. If you are a Sun Mountain C-130 cart bag user and in the market for a new bag, this new version should check all of your “want and need” boxes.

First and foremost, the storage is expansive. Dangerously expansive, I would say. The bag has 11 pockets including two huge full-length side pockets. The full-length pockets are girthy as well as lengthy.

Look at how tiny a sleeve of balls placed in the side pocket appears.

The bottom line is that everything you would want to fit in a golf bag will fit in your C-130. Be careful with your filling. The bag weighs less than seven pounds empty but has the space to carry 10 times that! The bag is going on a cart but you still need to carry it to and from the cart.

In addition to being spacious, the pockets are specialized for different storage roles. There are a couple of lined valuables pockets, easy-access magnetically sealed pockets and an insulated beverage pocket with drainage holes. It’s funny how many other manufacturers forget those helpful drainage holes.

Built for riding

The new SunMountain C-130 fits perfectly on the back of a riding cart. The cart strap is routed under the top pockets so you can maintain access to those pockets after mounting. The Smart Straps make sure your bag is going nowhere, no matter how much stuff you pack inside of it.

Overall, everything is designed to be easily accessible when you walk to the back of the cart to grab a club, ball or beverage.

But you knew all of this already. The bag is a Sun Mountain C-130 cart bag and, as such, these things are the norm.

Sun Mountain C-130 Hybrid stand bag

The Sun Mountain C-130 Hybrid bag has already carried the C-130 name for a few cycles now. You are probably more familiar with the C-130S name where the “S” stands for stand. Sun Mountain dropped the S from the name and is now calling it a “Hybrid” instead.

I applaud this move. Though Sun Mountain lists the C-130 Hybrid stand bag with their other stand bags, this is not one that anyone will want to be carrying around the course on their back. The C-130 Hybrid walks the line between cart and carry usage but the course usage is geared toward a power or push cart. The legs are primarily for the driving range.

That said, the legs are fantastic. I have tried using dedicated cart bags numerous times and the trial always ends with a crash. As soon as the cart bag falls over on the driving range, the stand bag returns.

With the C-130 Hybrid, you get the best of cart and carry bags. The Hybrid brings the massive storage of a cart bag with the stable legs of a stand bag. There is slightly less storage than a standard C-130 but only the most hoarding of golfers will complain about its capacity.

Clubs remain accessible whether the bag is mounted on a riding cart, push cart or standing on its legs. It’s a feat of engineering to be sure.

Dave’s favorite feature: The handle

One of the best features of the C-130 Hybrid is the carry handle on the spine near the top. This handle makes the Hybrid so easy to load in my car’s trunk. The handle on the other two C-130 bags is on the underside of the bag (under the shoulder strap) and not as useful when loading and unloading from the car.

Sun Mountain C-130 Sync cart bag

This is the first year the Sun Mountain Sync is sporting the C-130 label. This bag is also a hybrid bag but rather than being a power cart/carry(ish) combo like the C-130 Hybrid, the C-130 Sync is a power cart/push cart combo bag.

What makes the Sync interesting is that it was was originally designed as a push cart bag. I reviewed the original Sun Mountain Sync bag back in 2020. Some of the key “pushing” elements of the original Sync are still present in this new C-130 Sync but Sun Mountain has improved the overall Sync design.

Though one normally wouldn’t start a review by looking at the bottom of a golf bag, that is where one of the key improvements can be found. The deep central channel on the base of the C-130 Sync makes it easier to mount on a push cart. For many push carts, especially Sun Mountain ones, the push cart’s lower bag-holding bracket will fit right in this groove. This will significantly reduce the bag twisting as you traverse the course.

The C-130 Sync takes the strap pass-through concept to the next level by having a top pocket that lifts up from the bag. A power cart strap can be fed through tight slots but many push cart straps include buckles and hooks that need more room. With the Sync, you can lift up the pocket, fasten the top strap and drop the pocket back down.

The C-130 Sync’s storage space is a touch less than the other two bags which makes sense since this is a bag intended to be pushed, not powered, around. A few of the pockets do have internal partitions that allow you to efficiently separate your gear.

The various 14-way tops

Though they are not identical, you can see how the bags are related to each other by looking at their tops. The C-130 tops are all slotted for individual clubs. The differing arrangements reflect the different intended uses. The Sync is to be pushed and the C-130 cart bag is for the riding cart. The Hybrid does its own thing a bit, having a 15-way instead of a 14-way top.

Since golfers will access their clubs differently depending upon how they are transporting the bag, it makes sense that the tops have different arrangements to address the different play styles.

Rubber putter bumper irritation

There is one feature I had hoped Sun Mountain had changed with these new bags. Alas, they did not. It’s the putter well. While the huge opening in the putter well is great for all sizes of putter grips, the lip that extends from the lower edge of the putter well is annoying.

The bottom of the putter grip almost always catches on this lip when you remove the putter from the bag. The larger the grip, the more likely it is that you will snag the bag’s lip. If that edge could be a bit less squared off, these snags would be reduced.

Final thoughts about the Sun Mountain C-130 golf bags

As I mentioned, I think that Sun Mountain adding the C-130 name to multiple bags is a marketing masterpiece. As long as the bags with the C-130 name possess the qualities that customers expect to see, I think this is a great way for bag shoppers to know something about a bag just from its name.

There is risk in sharing the C-130 brand name with additional bags. If too many bags say C-130, you dilute the significance of the name. If the new bags do not live up to the standard of the original, you risk destroying the name’s reputation all together.

This time around, Sun Mountain got it right. The C-130 Cart bag, C-130 Hybrid stand bag and C-130 Sync bags are all different styles of golf bags that all share the iconic core elements of the original C-130.

Find out more about the new C-130 bags at SunMountain.com

FAQ: Sun Mountain C-130 Golf Bags