There’s a lot of cool gear in the golf equipment world that doesn’t always fit neatly into Most Wanted Tests or Buyer’s Guides. You still want to know how it performs. In our We Tried It series, we put gear to the test and let you know if it’s worthy of your consideration.
What We Tried: The new Penfold Sunday Stand Bag. The name says it all. It’s a Sunday bag with legs.
Who Tried It: John Barba, traveling golfer, lover of old brands and the unofficial MyGolfSpy historian. We also had a special expert tester, Stevie Blady. Stevie knows a wee thing or two about carrying golf bags.
The Penfold Sunday Stand Bag
The Penfold Sunday stand bag is a line-straddler. It’s a bit too small to be a true stand bag and a bit too big to be a true “Sunday” bag. That’s not a bad thing.
The Penfold Sunday stand bag carries 10 to 12 clubs with ease. Even 13 isn’t a problem. A full set of 14 can be done, provided the grips are standard size.
The design is best described as “minimalistic.” Again, not a bad thing. The Penfold Sunday stand bag is available in Deep Red or Deep Navy with white accents on the handle, base and around the ball compartment. That compartment is large enough for however many balls you might need for a round, plus a pouch for your tees and ball markers.
The full-length pocket is surprisingly large. It can easily fit a rain jacket, spare outer layer or, as we would learn, the bag’s rain hood. There’s also a smaller, velvet-lined pocket on that side for valuables as well as a second, waterproof pocket on the other side. You won’t find a water bottle pocket but, again, the ball compartment is large enough to hold one if needed.
There’s a sleeve to hold an umbrella plus an oversized ring where the strap connects to the top of the bag. That’s where you clip on your towel, club brush and rangefinder. It can get a little crowded.
The bag includes an old-school single strap. It’s adjustable, very plush and comfy and features a classy little Penfold logo embroidered on the base.
The bag is eight inches deep by seven inches wide with four velvet-lined dividers. The front and rear dividers are full-length while the middle section is divided only at the top of the bag.
Testing It Out
As mentioned, I’m a traveling golfer. My most recent golf trip was a bit of a bonus: a return trip to The Home of Golf, St Andrews in Scotland. Over there you walk, so “compact and easy to carry” rules the day. We figured it would be the perfect place to test the Penfold Sunday stand bag.
As mentioned, I packed a full 14 club set into the Penfold and there was enough room left for a Stiff Arm (Don’t leave home without one!). It’s always a good idea to take the heads off your driver and fairway woods if you can. My 3-wood has a fixed hosel but I did remove my driver head. It fit snugly in the ball compartment along with my rangefinder and a dozen balls. The whole shebang fit easily into my Club Glove travel bag with enough room left over to pack souvenirs on the return trip.
I carried the Penfold for our first round, at the Eden Course at St Andrews. It’s not the lightest Sunday bag at five pounds but it is nicely balanced and the plush strap makes it comfortable to carry. The legs engage easily and have a high-quality feel.
There was a bit of a drizzle when we teed off. Once it stopped, I found plenty of room in the full-length pocket for a rain jacket and the rain hood. A water bottle or two would also have easily fit in the ball compartment.
The bag itself, according to the Penfold website, features a “Tour-grade waterproof nylon body.” My wallet stayed nice and dry in the unlined upper pocket.
Stevie and The Old Course
If you really want to know if a bag is any good, ask a guy who carries bags for a living. Enter Stevie Blady, a longtime caddie at St Andrews. Stevie carried my Penfold Sunday stand bag on The Old Course and his first move was to pull off the rain hood off. “We won’ be needin’ thah.” He stashed it in the full-length compartment along with his water bottle.
The bag is heavier than most Sunday bags but Stevie still found it pleasantly light. The key is not overloading it with crap you don’t need, like three dozen balls, an extra pair of shoes, a four-course meal and several rocks. Stevie says those are the things that really annoy caddies.
About midway through the round, I asked Stevie what he thought of the bag so far and he gave me a thumbs up. “But a second strap would be nice,” he added, as this was his second loop of the day. After the round, I asked Stevie what he thought.
“Ahh, the bag’s smashin’,” he said. “Nice and light. It’s a goodun.”
Stevie, as you may have guessed, is a man of few words.
Penfold Sunday Stand Bag: Final Verdict
If you like minimalistic bags made for function, we think you’ll like the Penfold Sunday stand bag. For us, it performs as advertised. It’s sturdy and has a high-quality feel. The pockets are surprisingly roomy and the stand mechanism deploys smoothly.
I was pleasantly surprised to be able to fit a full set in the bag, including a mallet putter. And while there are lighter bags, the balance and strap made it very easy to carry for 18 holes. The much younger Stevie, on his second round of the day, concurred.
The Penfold Sunday stand bag finished a very close third in MyGolfSpy’s 2024 Sunday Bag Testing, and copped Best Premium Bag honors. The materials are first-rate and there’s more storage than you’d expect. The zippers operate smoothly and you’ll like the plush, padded strap.
At $285, the Penfold Sunday Stand Bag is a luxury purchase. The price may make it a non-starter for some. But if you’re a dedicated walker/carrier, this is a bag that you can use for years.
Morse
2 weeks ago
Thank you for this article. It’s always nice to see smaller brands like Penfold promoted. I have purchased some items from them, including a carry bag for my father. He loves it.