Sun Mountain Boom Stand Bag Review
We Tried It

Sun Mountain Boom Stand Bag Review

Support our Mission. We independently test each product we recommend. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission.

Sun Mountain Boom Stand Bag Review

There is 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 works as advertised.

What We Tried

Sun Mountain’s Boom Stand Golf Bag. A carry bag with built-in Bluetooth speakers

Who Tried It

Dave Wolfe– MyGolfSpy writer and putter fanatic. I’m also the OG of golf bag and portable audio testing at mygolfspy.com.

Wait, you can play music while playing golf?

Man, wouldn’t it be great to listen to music while golfing? Sounds like a great way to enhance a great game. Let’s grab the buddies, play some tunes, shotgun some Claws and smash the rock around the course. It’ll be like Topgolf—except out in nature!

Admittedly, I probably should have had a trigger warning before that paragraph.

Look, I know that many of you are not down with music on the golf course. In terms of loud, invasive music, I am right there with you. That said, I find that playing music during a casual round, at an unobtrusive volume, adds to the enjoyment of that round. As it turns out, I’m not alone.

Bluetooth speakers are ubiquitous on golf courses these days. Many golfers bring portable speakers from home. Some golf courses now feature golf carts with built-in Bluetooth speakers that players can connect to while riding. Like I said, speakers and music are everywhere.

Golf Companies Answer Knocking Opportunities

Obviously, golf companies are aware of this musical manifestation and want to get in on the action. COBRA/PUMA Golf was an early speaker seller but it wasn’t a needle-mover for sales. I don’t know anyone except our Tony Covey who had their Soundchuck speaker, a solid complement to his ever-present PUMA driving cap. Years later, you can find six speaker options on the PUMA site. Still, I’d argue that none of these is specifically a “golf” audio product. They are just speakers with golf branding.

Sun Mountain’s ’22 Boom Cart Bag

When Sun Mountain released the Boom cart bag last year, we saw the first real integration of speaker technology with a golf product. That bag was straight out of Caddyshack. Not only did it have built-in Bluetooth speakers but it actually performed very well as a cart bag. Sadly, the Boom cart bag lacked the anticipated beer tap and a television. Though it had a few flaws, the Sun Mountain Boom cart bag was adept at both playing music and toting golf gear. That bag truly integrated the golf and audio arenas.

Enter the 2023 Sun Mountain Boom Stand Bag

The one thing that the Sun Mountain Boom cart bag did not do well was work as a carry bag. Not that it should have, being that it was a cart bag after all. Thankfully, Sun Mountain was aware of this and developed the Sun Mountain Boom carry bag for the music-listening walking golfer.

Let’s see if the Sun Mountain Boom stand bag with its integrated speakers is a bag worth slinging as you get in your steps.

Sun Mountain Boom Carry Bag Sound Quality Review

Let’s start with the sound. This new Boom carry bag packs solid sound output levels. The Sun Mountain Boom carry bag handles the volume well. The volume is perfect for most golfing conditions. The volume was excellent, on par with most portable Bluetooth speakers. At no time during play did I wish for it to be louder. For a speaker designed to be used outside, volume is a top priority.

Pat Perez dancing at a LIV after-party will need a few more decibels but you should have ample volume from tee to green during your round.

Like its cart bag predecessor, the bass is still on the weak side with the Boom stand bag, not surprising as the speakers look to be the same in both bags. I had hoped Sun Mountain could figure out a way to put some more “boom” in the bass. It seems to me the speaker unit could hold a passive subwoofer like the one found in JBL’s Flip 5 speaker. The space for bass enhancement is there. It’s a large golf bag after all. Maybe this will be addressed in the second incarnations of the Boom bags.

Battery Life

Battery life is once again about four hours. This is not unexpected since the battery used for the stand bag and the cart bag is the same. Unfortunately, many of the rounds I play these days are over four hours. This means you will need to bring an extra battery along to juice up the Boom battery for the closing holes.

Slow play sucks but slow play with dead speakers sucks more.

General Golf Bag Design

With one caveat, the Sun Mountain Boom carry bag is a very comfortable carry bag. A couple of the features really impressed me during the review.

Funtastic Four-Way Top

Above all, I loved the top design for this bag. The large handle at the top of the bag made for easy pickup and transfer to the back. Though I was initially skeptical, I really enjoyed the open space in the four-way top. Normally, I am a 14-way guy. I like to have all the clubs reside in their individual homes, nary a deviation from their set positions. Anal retention is alive and well in my golf bag.

The ease of access provided by the four-way top won me over. Clubs slid in and out without tangling and there was ample room for all 14 clubs. Sure, I couldn’t always automatically keep the irons in numerical order but it wasn’t like they were hard to find. Naturally, I did occasionally (always) reorder them when deviations were observed.

Sensational Straps and Stand

The strap and stand systems on the Sun Mountain Boom carry bag are excellent. The straps are comfortable and find their way to the same spots on the shoulders with ease. Nary a twisted strap observed. Once adjusted, taking the bag on and off was simple and forgettable. That’s probably the highest compliment I can pay a carry bag. For those of you who prefer a single-strap system, that is also an included option with the Sun Mountain Boom carry bag.

The leg design is also on point. The flat legs pop out with purpose, tucking away instantly with the lift of the bag. Not once did I reach back to tuck in a renegade leg.

That One Thing …

I only have one real on-course criticism of the Sun Mountain Boom carry bag. It’s top-heavy. Obviously, those speakers at the top are the packing-on-the-pounds culprits. Maybe some of the weight could be shaved by reducing the plastic around the speakers but having the speakers up there means you’ll have more weight there.

By no means is this a fatal flaw but it does require accommodations. First, you will likely set the strap system so the bag carries a bit more upright than you are used to carrying. Second, you will need to keep it nose-up when taking it off your shoulder. I did dump my clubs in the turf taking off the bag before I realized this.

Adding a full water bottle to the lower pocket helps balance the bag, but not completely. The speakers add weight to the top and make the bag feel different than a traditional carry bag where there is very little mass at the top.

You’ll likely get used to the weight shift quickly but understand that this is an unavoidable feature of the bag.

Carry or Ride—Don’t Push

The Sun Mountain Boom carry bag is a two-phase bag. It works great on your back and quite well on a riding cart. On a push cart though, the speakers are an issue. They sit right where most push cart brackets attach to the top of the bag. Even if you can fit the strap around the bulbous Boom speakers, the plastic-on-plastic contact leads to lots of twisting as you push the bag around.

Perhaps Sun Mountain will see an opening here and produce a Boom version of their SYNC bag.

Sun Mountain Boom Carry Bag: A Solid Gen One Unit

Overall, I dig the Sun Mountain Boom carry bag. For the most part, the design works. I think it is a solid first incarnation of the built-in-speaker carry bag. Like the cart bag, there are places for improvement but, overall, it checks the boxes. The top is great. It has lots of pockets, though the largest one is reduced a bit to accommodate the speaker at the top.

The sound could be improved but is still pretty good. I think there is room for some redesign here. The speakers look cool at the top of the bag but maybe some of the decorative plastic could be removed to drop the weight. To non-engineer me, it seems there is a way to incorporate a passive subwoofer into the design to improve the bass. Maybe it could even face the inside of the bag, using the large volume of the bag for low-end resonance.

How about dropping a powered subwoofer into the bottom of the bag? Sure, you’d add some weight but that would balance out the weight at the top. Plus, wouldn’t be fun to have the bag hit hard enough to make the water hazard ripple a bit?

Find out more about the Sun Mountain Boom stand bag at sunmountain.com

For You

For You

We Tried It
Oct 3, 2024
This Rangefinder is Unique!
FootJoy Pro/SLX BOA golf shoes FootJoy Pro/SLX BOA golf shoes
News
Oct 3, 2024
4 Tips to Extend the Lifespan of Your Golf Shoes
Uncategorized
Oct 3, 2024
Best Funny Golf Gifts
Dave Wolfe

Dave Wolfe

Dave Wolfe

A putter-obsessed recreational golfer, constantly striving to improve his game while not getting too hung up about it. Golf should be fun, always.

Dave Wolfe

Dave Wolfe

Dave Wolfe

Dave Wolfe

Dave Wolfe

Dave Wolfe





    This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

      Ken

      2 years ago

      I hope MGS starts a tab for Least Wanted. They can start with this and add the other portable speakers. God created earbuds for people who want music while playing. Seems like people who like loud music on the course probably road there on a Harley.

      Reply

      Mike

      2 years ago

      Don’t really understand your last-sentence connection. When I was younger, I used to ride a motorcycle and would have hated it if someone played loud music on the course.

      I absolutely don’t care for loud music on a golf course. But I don’t really care what you do the rest of your life when you’re not playing.

      Reply

      Steve

      2 years ago

      If you want to hear music while playing use EARBUDS!

      Reply

      Plumb Bob Square Pants

      2 years ago

      I don’t think speakers and music have any place on the golf course. Listen to the music of the birds, the wind and the leaves , and acorns falling.

      Reply

      Dr Tee

      2 years ago

      I’m barely ok with music on the golf course, but what I would LEAST need is inevitable–inconsiderate clowns playing hip hop with deep bass two fairways over (shit happens dudes), which is where this bag is headed. Additionally, the added weight of speakers and power pack giving a measly 4 hrs takes it out of carry and into cart bag territory. And, if you’re riding, just keep your old bag and charge up a Bushnell Wingman for music and GPS. Alternatively, you might consider not subjecting the playing field to your music and just wear ear pods. My club has USB ports so I can use my cell phone for ear pods, decent level music, GPS and whatever, without exhausting the battery … but TRULY innovative is the MNML MV2 bag, weighing at or under 5 bs, (my holiday present to myself) with all magnetic pockets, filming cell phone holder and a tech pack which will power your cell phone with a bluetooth detachable speaker with a built in solar cell array all for about $260.00. The tech pack is free if you use the shipping box for prepaid trade it forward return of an old golf bag to MNML (Sam Goulden) who donates them to the SoCal juniors.

      Reply

      Dave

      2 years ago

      Like it or not, music on the golf course is here to stay. More and more courses are bringing in carts with built-in bluetooth speakers (just saw Disney adding them) so while that is a resort course, I expect we will see more courses doing it just to draw in that set of golfers.

      Reply

      Mike

      2 years ago

      I walk my rounds, so I’m not generally near other people’s carts. I have no issue when folks play music loud enough so only they can hear it while sitting in their carts (or standing next to their bag).

      I tried the music thing…not for me. And I’ve seen very few good golfers run around with loud music playing. It’s usually the “yahoo crowd”, with coolers of beer in tow.

      Reply

      Jimmy

      2 years ago

      Another speaker review, so once again I’ll go out on a limb and assert that loud music on the course is not actually a problem. I play 70+ rounds a year at public tracks and can’t recall a single time when another group’s music was distractingly loud. Calm down, boomers.

      Reply

      Matt

      2 years ago

      I play all over NC and hear music most of the time I’m playing and its not coming from my group. Good for you that you don’t have to deal with that, but some of us do. Again, don’t care if you listen, but if I can hear it echoing across the lake its too loud.

      Signed Gen Xer

      Reply

      Jimmy

      2 years ago

      Give it another few years and you’ll level up to boomer status (that’s how it works, right?)

      I don’t mean to totally discount the issue. I could see it happening, for sure, but if this were a problem for me, I’d shuffle over to that other group and politely ask them to turn the volume down to a more reasonable level, or if necessary call the shop and have them handle it.

      I just don’t get the seething anger that every speaker blog post elicits from MGS’s aging commentariat. If it’s really such a problem, why are you complaining here? Go talk to the humans who are playing their music too loudl.

      Steve B

      2 years ago

      I am in agreement with some of the others. This is not one of the changes to golf that I am happy about. I try not to be the “Get off my lawn!” guy, but I believe we need to respect each other and having your music on your cart loud enough that you can hear it while putting means that those in the groups in front and behind can hear it as well. One of the reasons I like golf is to be outside in nature and not listening to mine or anyone elses music. If listening to music is that important then wear an earbud but please don’t make me listen to your music.

      Reply

      MarkM

      2 years ago

      NOPE!

      Reply

      Dwayne

      2 years ago

      “Man, wouldn’t it be great to listen to music while golfing? Sounds like a great way to enhance a great game. Let’s grab the buddies, play some tunes, shotgun some Claws and smash the rock around the course. It’ll be like Topgolf—except out in nature!”

      Sums it all up, doesn’t it?

      Reply

      Dr Tee

      2 years ago

      Yep, if you want loud music, cigars, booze, and buddies, you are Caddyshack’s Al Czervik–go to TopGolf because you are clearly NOT on the course to play serious golf (leave that to the rest of us please) outdoors, In fact, why don’t you just stay away from golf entirely, go to your neighborhood bar, suck back some beers and put some money in the juke box.

      Reply

      Pete

      2 years ago

      Wait so you have a problem with people enjoying their round of golf? If I have music at a volume where only I can hear it (in a cart of walking) and I want to enjoy my cigar and drink, why would you have a problem with that? I can promise you there are a lot of golfers who take it serious and do it while listening to music, drinking, and smoking a cigar. I’m sure your “real golf” is a round where you break 100..

      Dwayne

      2 years ago

      Pete,

      Nobody should have a problem with your music if they can’t hear it, nobody should have a problem with your cigar smoking if they can’t smell the smoke and you don’t leave cigar butts on the ground, nobody cares about what you drink as long as you don’t become a beligerent drunk and do the obnoxious stuff that drunks tend to do.

      I was taught that when I play golf on a course or even a driving range no noise or any actions from my group should reach other groups, this would include talking, laughing, swearing, etc. It doesn’t mean I’m boring, it just trying to respect other peoples’ space.

      This is how I approach being in public in general, planes, restaurants, stores, theaters, etc. Have respect for other people’ space, and they should respect mine.

      Mike

      2 years ago

      You mean topgolf and REAL golf on a course are 2 different things? LOL

      Actually, on my home course, you don’t see that much stupid behavior (other than slow play), most likely because the green fees are quite expensive. I’ve never had an instance where I had to ask people to turn the music down.

      It will be interesting to see in a few years, when all the cov-idiots who took up golf during the pandemic fade away, if the golf boom will still exist. Given the price of equipment & the increasing costs to actually play, I wouldn’t bet that the current growth spurt will continue.

      Reply

      Kevin

      2 years ago

      I like music but on the golf course I want to concentrate on golf. Also, it’s a time to connect with people. The music is a distraction to both. Mostly, I object to other people’s poor choice in music and to their just assuming everyone wants to hear the garbage they call music. To those who want music I recommend bone conduction headphones (like Shokz). You get to hear your music, I get my peace and quiet and we can still hold a normal conversation. Win, win, win.

      Reply

      JH

      2 years ago

      Limited upgradeability combined with questionable replacement parts….

      Better to get a Bluetooth speaker that I can use in many places.

      Reply

      Matt

      2 years ago

      I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. If I can hear your music and I’m not in your group its TOO LOUD. Enjoy your round, but don’t impact mine.

      Pretty simple concept, but hard for folks to comprehend sometimes. I saw the pros playing with an earbud in Saturday night…why can’t we do that?.

      Reply

      Steve

      2 years ago

      What is next? Carts with giant subwoofers? Another chance for people to be oblivious to those around them who don’t share their taste in music and volume.

      Reply

      JH

      2 years ago

      Definitely been to courses that have built in Bluetooth speakers in their carts …. namely Maryland National. Didn’t use it, but hopefully it’s able to limit dbls for everyone else on the course.

      Reply

      Curmudgeon

      2 years ago

      Nothing worse on the course than selfish pricks playing music and/or stinking up The place with shit cigars.

      Reply

      Mike

      2 years ago

      Ugh-oh, the cigar Nazi has spoken. You already can’t smoke indoors. Now you’re saying, you can’t smoke outdoors in the most open air place you can find? Get a life. I would love to find something you really like…and prohibit it.

      Reply

      The Swami

      2 years ago

      this product lost me the second it came in at 4 hours battery time. that’s beyond belief bad product management. there are a bazillion speakers out there that can go longer than that, especially at 50-75% volume. but to be honest most can do 4+ hours even at 100% volume no one on a golf course would ever use.

      it’s definitely not bad for Gen1 product, but to skimp on such a weak battery should never have gotten past the drawing board, IMO

      Reply

      Jimmy

      2 years ago

      I assume it was for weight savings. Batteries are cheap these days, but the only way to make them lighter is to make them smaller.

      Reply

    Leave A Reply

    required
    required
    required (your email address will not be published)

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    We Tried It
    Oct 3, 2024
    This Rangefinder is Unique!
    FootJoy Pro/SLX BOA golf shoes FootJoy Pro/SLX BOA golf shoes
    News
    Oct 3, 2024
    4 Tips to Extend the Lifespan of Your Golf Shoes
    Uncategorized
    Oct 3, 2024
    Best Funny Golf Gifts