I righted a wrong this week. I played golf. Due to work obligations, family life, and generally unnecessary busyness, my 2009 had been fully devoid of golf antics. It’s not typical for me to stay away from the game for such a stretch, even in the winter. The moral of the story is this: whether you’re scratch or a hack, an occasional player or have a standing tee time, have vicious allergies (me) or are pollen-resistant, now is the time to eschew some weekend chores and get to the golf course.

Be you a rider or a walker, you shouldn’t subject your clubs (or your image) to a heavy, ancient eyesore of a bag. That’s where OGIO comes in. They offer a plethora of bag options, and we’ve been testing their Sticks model. I think that I can speak for the other players on the GP Tour when I say that we are big fans of walking, purist style. If that’s your speed, the right bag will go a long way toward providing you ample storage while keeping your back from breaking down. To that end, you won’t find a better fit than the OGIO Sticks golf bag.

The OGIO Sticks is the consummate bag for walking the golf course, though you’ll have no problem strapping it onto a cart if you like. The primary attribute that you want in a carry bag is weight. Actually, lack thereof. That’s where the Sticks really shines; at less than 3 and 1/2 pounds, you’ll be hard pressed to find a bag that weighs much less. I’ve had carry bags in the past that were very difficult to balance, which was another area where the Sticks performed well. Its double-strap configuration does a great job of keeping the bag level, and a hand grip near the base makes stabilizing the bag while walking even easier.

The Sticks also incorporates an ample selection of pockets and organizational features. These include the requisite options such as pockets for clothing, balls, and a water bottle. The divider top is particularly nice, with sections that keep your woods and putter nicely segmented from all those clangy irons.

Do yourself (and your game) a favor and check out OGIO’s entire line of golf bags and equipment. It doesn’t hurt that most of their bags come in a very affordable price. If you choose the Sticks, like we did, I’d suggest going with the copper/check color scheme. It’s the closest you can get to taking Gear Patrol with you to the golf course. That’s worth a good 3 strokes.

Cost: $114