Q:Be.Do.

9/10/06: Post 1.011

I have been meaning to take up golf for the better part of a decade now, but haven’t been sure that my body would be able to take it very well. Golf isn’t the most impactful game, but it does involve a lot of truncal rotation that I was not sure would agree with my fractured vertebrae. Finally, a little over a year ago, I borrowed some extremely old clubs from my brother in law and gave it a go.

After a month I knew that I liked the sport well enough to want to own my own gear, and tried to do my initial gearing up as inexpensively as possible. No small challenge in a sport where a single club can sell for as much as $600 and some balls retail for $50 per dozen. I don’t even want to get into greens fees.

I was moderately successful in my endeavor. I did my research – in magazines, online, and in stores – and wound up with a fine bag of clubs for a beginner. I got decent irons, great woods, and a putter that suits me just fine, all for about the cost of aforementioned single club. A great set of irons would probably help shave a few strokes off of my game, but I’ll save that little boost for when I will actually notice it – I’ve promised myself a present when I break 90.

But the one thing that is sorely lacking right now is my bag. It was a great bargain, and for good reason: it is cheaply made. I began researching new bag possibilities, and stumbled across the Ogio Shling. The yoke replaces the dual-strap system, and claims to make it easier to get the bag on and off, as well as easier to carry. I stopped by Golfsmith one day with a few extra minutes to spare and tried one out.

It was quite easy to get on and off, and that alone could be the selling point. But the big claim is how the single strap running from the yoke to the bag supposedly distributes the weight better and enables one to carry the bag standing more upright. All I know is that my current bag encourages a hideous forward lean when I’m walking the course with it.

Trouble is, golf stores never have bags for you to try out with actual clubs in them. Every bag feels wonderful when empty: it’s lugging twenty pounds of steel on a five mile hike for four hours that really lets you know how a bag feels. Empty, the Shling yoke felt odd, like it wanted to come forward off of my shoulders. But I still really want to like it. So I’m going to lust after it for a while, and next time I’m in Golfsmith, I’m going to get the guys to let me fill it up with used clubs and hike around the store for a while…