The George Jones bag is still the coolest golf bag in the world
If you were a serious teenage golfer in the 1970s or 1980s, I could describe many things about you to a tee; what you wore on your feet and the kinds of irons that clunked around in your bag, but none might be more telling than the brand of golf bag you owned and how you carried it.
The trademark Jones bag was a popular choice among competitive players from junior through to college. That may be an understatement. It was THE choice.
The classic bags followed all the principles of great design. Simplicity, ease of use, and an emotional attachment to its owner that transcends its list of features and benefits. They were available in only a handful of primary colours with white as the only accent colour.
My first memory of the Jones bag was seeing one of the country’s top young amateur golfers tee it up at the Peterborough Invitational in the 1970s. His red and white Jones bag was slung backwards over his shoulder and Houston was embroidered in block letters along the long pocket, signifiying his proud membership in one of the NCAA’s most storied college golf programs.
Originally designed and manufactured by American George Jones in 1971, Jones sold his company in the 1990s and then things seemed to go dark. After disappearing for 20 years, the famous Jones bag has been brought back to life by a pair of entrepreneurial brothers from Portland, Ore.
And while clearly every attempt at retro doesn’t work, especially in golf, the timeless design of the Jones bag might very well be exactly what golf needs right now. I know I play faster when I carry, and picking up my new blue and white Jones bag with my right hand, slinging it over my shoulder backwards style brought back memories for me of a time when golf was simpler.
I get that many golfers want their bag to be able to do everything, from carring extra changes of clothes to water bottles to scorecard holders and bags of trail mix. Literally everything but the kitchen sink. I understand. But if you’ve never tried whittling your “locker-in-a-bagon-wheels” down to a more manageable dozen clubs, pair of gloves and a few balls and tees, you must give it a go.
You will experience a course completely differently. It will seem more like a walk in the park than steering a go cart around a track.
The shortest distance between two points is a straight line, not the extra 30 yards it takes to circumnavigate every tee deck, green and dicey piece of geography on your home course.
And back to that perfect design thing. The Jones bag comes with two perfectly situated ball pockets that can easily hold as many balls, tees, gloves and cell phones as you want to carry. There’s a third side pocket that has plenty enough space for an extra sweater, toque and rain suit if you want.
And you don’t even have to carry less than the maximum allowable 14 clubs as there are three slots that easily let you separate your long clubs from you mid irons from your wedges.
And did I mention that luxuriously comfy shoulder strap? Always a trademark of the Jones bag, the latest edition of the bag that I just bought comes equipped with a strap so padded and comfortable that your shoulder, and the shoulder of any caddie you should hire on a golf trip, will be forever grateful.
My prediction is that this next era of Jones bag popularity will see some cool things in customization.
I think you’ll see more people opt for their club or company or school names on their bags. You will see names in autograph style.
I’ve seen Jones bags where owners have sewn on lifestyle patches to give their bag its own personality. Souvenirs of the clubs you’ve visited, the places your Jones bag has been.
What goes around comes around.
Welcome back Mr. Jones.
Paul Hickey is a local golf enthusiast who can be followed on Twitter at @BrandHealthPrez