This Premium Stand Bag Got Just a Little Better and It Adds Up to a Lot

Vessel's new Player IV bag has subtle improvements from previous models that add up to a wonderful walk.

Early in the COVID-19 lockdowns, Ron Shaw was in his office in Carlsbad, Calif., when he noticed two guys waiting outside.

Every golf store was closed, so they came to Vessel’s headquarters with a dire need.

“They explained, ‘our club is open, we can’t use a cart and we can only play by ourselves,’” Shaw recalled. “They needed a lightweight bag.”

The Vessel CEO took care of them (later getting invitations to the guys’ private clubs) in what was an early sign of the oncoming boom in the sport and his golf bag business. Plenty of people rediscovered golf or took it up for the first time during the pandemic and, for a while, they were all walking.

And the effect for a company selling high-quality golf bags hasn’t slowed since.

“We are grateful,” Shaw says. “I think that year we grew 100 percent, then another 100 percent … and the momentum is still strong.”

Vessel is continuing to improve its offerings, too, with the recent debut of the Player IV stand bag. It had a tough act to follow–the Player III.

I carried a Player III as my primary bag for two years, so when Vessel offered a test-drive (test-walk?) of the IV I warned them that I’d be skeptical. How much can really be changed in one model’s family?

As it turns out, enough small changes to make a difference. Slightly bigger water bottle holders with magnetic closures, located at the bottom of the bag on either side of the magnetic ball pocket. And in that magnetic ball pocket, a mesh divider. (I can’t recommend stashing tees or divot repair tools in a mesh divider, but my mandatory granola bars seem happy there.)

Above the ball pocket is another magnetic compartment ideal for rangefinders, and the IV adds a divider inside that. It’s deep enough to fit a yardage book, if you’re so inclined.

The most significant change may be a hidden one: the base of the bag now has grooves on the bottom to keep grips from sliding and making club replacement and removal easier.

If there’s any room for complaint it’s in overall weight, as a six-plus pound carry bag isn’t the lightest in the category. As Shaw says, trying to save too much weight would mean “taking out features that make a Vessel, and we don’t want to do that.”

The premium synthetic leather means a rain hood weighing eight-tenths of a pound, extra weight that can add up over 18 holes. I’m trying to leave that in the car when a sunny round is guaranteed, and I’m also helping myself this year by leaving behind probably a half-pound of metal divot tools and extra tees in the trunk.

Vessel's Player IV / Courtesy Vessel

Regardless of whether you’re cutting weight or packing like a Sherpa, the patented Equilibrium 2.0 double strap on all Vessel’s stand bags distributes the load perfectly with an eight-point swivel mechanism. The strap can be converted to a single too, though why anyone would really want to is as baffling to me as a 60-yard bunker shot.

The Player IV bag family is available in 6-way and 14-way tops and retails for $395. A DXR model has lighter ripstop fabric. “Pro” models in both regular and DXR fabrics retail for $435 and feature a one-inch wider top with microfiber plus an additional magnetic pocket next to one of the ball pockets (perfect for scorecards on a walk). Those are premium price points for stand bags, but "sold out" signs frequently seen on Vessel's website say it all. 

Colors for all models tend to be simple–black, white, blue, gray, with occasional limited-edition models that add a splash of color.

“People see cool colors then they buy a black bag,” Shaw says, laughing. “Black, white and gray will always look good.”