Review: McKennon Leather Golf Bag
Guaranteed to be Retro Cool
Any golfer over age 30 can remember back to the days of persimmon, blades, balata balls and the single strap carry bag. Those were different days in the game of golf. There weren’t so many choices, options, or technology; it was just simpler back then. Sometimes it is fun to get out some of that old gear sitting around in the basement or the garage to look at and reminisce about the olden days. But quite honestly, when it comes to equipment, I don’t have any plans of going back; hitting some of those clubs was just too difficult. But I do enjoy the looks of the old carry bag. So if you do too, Mike McKennon guarantees to make you the retro bag you want. His guarantee is on everything, from when you get it and for the life of the bag, it is all covered.
So after my initial contact we settled on a color scheme for my bag. I love the look of a mostly white bag, so I convinced Mike to track down some good white leather for my bag. To really make the bag pop we added some accenting red and black leathers. With the number of bags he has posted on his website you can get all the details figured out right over the emails back and forth. Over the course of the 2 months in production he kept me informed of how the bag was coming and sent some pictures off as samples and to top it all off I learned that he does all the riveting and final approval on each bag himself.
I had been looking forward to the arrival of this bag for weeks, and when it showed up I was even more impressed with it than I thought I might be. It is simply stunning. The white leather looks amazing and the red leather straps and head covers look fantastic. The black bottom and trim pieces just make for a perfect combo.
So off to the course I went with a few questions. It had been years since I carried a bag like this, how would it hold up, how would I hold up and how would I adjust to setting my bag down and picking it up all the time? For my first round I decided to just do 9 holes at the local course. After sticking all 14 of my clubs in the 7.5” bag with a single divider I realized they all fit just fine. I loaded up the 2 pockets with a couple of essentials. Balls and tees in the main ball pocket and a couple of extra gloves and accessories in the other pocket. The zippers work great and have nice long leather tassels to make it easy to zip and unzip the pockets. The leather shoulder strap has a nice padded sueded area to grip on the shoulder. The buckle adjusts the length of the strap for just the right balance point. I also found a clever way to hold my rangefinder on the strap.
At first it was a little distracting to pick up the bag put it on my shoulder then set it down each time and get out my clubs, but most of that is just because I wasn’t used to it. I have used a Clicgear pushcart for years. While the clubs to tend do bind a little bit when removing them from the bag, it wasn’t too difficult, even modern multi-slot bags have binding issues too. I was a little concerned if the rivets that were sticking out of the divider would scratch up my clubs, but after 5 rounds I couldn’t find a mark on any of my clubs. I also found very little bag chatter because there was no space for the clubs to move around, they were just stacked on each other.
The second round was better and worse at the same time. I was much more comfortable carrying my bag. I got used to how it worked and my shoulder and back were fine with the weight, but it happened to be 90* that day and crazy humid. Even pushing a cart would have been brutal, so by the time I was done with 18 holes, I was wiped out. The good news is that with all that sweat, there was no color bleed or issues with the leather. The next morning it was dry and still looked like new.
Three more rounds, the bag is still clean and fresh. I’m getting more and more comfortable going back to carrying a single strap bag like I used too. It weighs in at 4.5 pounds so it is not a featherweight, but by no means heavy. The strap padding is extra thick and the balance point seems very good too.
The matching head covers are the barrel style that covers down far enough to protect some of the shaft. They are lined with a very soft felt and have an elastic cinch in middle keep them securely attached to the club.
This bag has received numerous comments and compliments. While it is not for everyone, I know many golfers that can’t carry their bag, or don’t have the resources to afford a custom leather bag, but if you miss and long for the bags of the past, Mike McKennon offers an excellent warranty and unbelievable customer service. He not only emails you to check up, but also gives a follow up phone call to make sure everything is OK. You’re guaranteed to get it on time or it is free. Your bag is guaranteed for life, and it is simply guaranteed to be retro cool.
For more information: http://www.themckennongolfbagcompany.com/
Any golfer over age 30 can remember back to the days of persimmon, blades, balata balls and the single strap carry bag. Those were different days in the game of golf. There weren’t so many choices, options, or technology; it was just simpler back then. Sometimes it is fun to get out some of that old gear sitting around in the basement or the garage to look at and reminisce about the olden days. But quite honestly, when it comes to equipment, I don’t have any plans of going back; hitting some of those clubs was just too difficult. But I do enjoy the looks of the old carry bag. So if you do too, Mike McKennon guarantees to make you the retro bag you want. His guarantee is on everything, from when you get it and for the life of the bag, it is all covered.
So after my initial contact we settled on a color scheme for my bag. I love the look of a mostly white bag, so I convinced Mike to track down some good white leather for my bag. To really make the bag pop we added some accenting red and black leathers. With the number of bags he has posted on his website you can get all the details figured out right over the emails back and forth. Over the course of the 2 months in production he kept me informed of how the bag was coming and sent some pictures off as samples and to top it all off I learned that he does all the riveting and final approval on each bag himself.
I had been looking forward to the arrival of this bag for weeks, and when it showed up I was even more impressed with it than I thought I might be. It is simply stunning. The white leather looks amazing and the red leather straps and head covers look fantastic. The black bottom and trim pieces just make for a perfect combo.
So off to the course I went with a few questions. It had been years since I carried a bag like this, how would it hold up, how would I hold up and how would I adjust to setting my bag down and picking it up all the time? For my first round I decided to just do 9 holes at the local course. After sticking all 14 of my clubs in the 7.5” bag with a single divider I realized they all fit just fine. I loaded up the 2 pockets with a couple of essentials. Balls and tees in the main ball pocket and a couple of extra gloves and accessories in the other pocket. The zippers work great and have nice long leather tassels to make it easy to zip and unzip the pockets. The leather shoulder strap has a nice padded sueded area to grip on the shoulder. The buckle adjusts the length of the strap for just the right balance point. I also found a clever way to hold my rangefinder on the strap.
At first it was a little distracting to pick up the bag put it on my shoulder then set it down each time and get out my clubs, but most of that is just because I wasn’t used to it. I have used a Clicgear pushcart for years. While the clubs to tend do bind a little bit when removing them from the bag, it wasn’t too difficult, even modern multi-slot bags have binding issues too. I was a little concerned if the rivets that were sticking out of the divider would scratch up my clubs, but after 5 rounds I couldn’t find a mark on any of my clubs. I also found very little bag chatter because there was no space for the clubs to move around, they were just stacked on each other.
The second round was better and worse at the same time. I was much more comfortable carrying my bag. I got used to how it worked and my shoulder and back were fine with the weight, but it happened to be 90* that day and crazy humid. Even pushing a cart would have been brutal, so by the time I was done with 18 holes, I was wiped out. The good news is that with all that sweat, there was no color bleed or issues with the leather. The next morning it was dry and still looked like new.
Three more rounds, the bag is still clean and fresh. I’m getting more and more comfortable going back to carrying a single strap bag like I used too. It weighs in at 4.5 pounds so it is not a featherweight, but by no means heavy. The strap padding is extra thick and the balance point seems very good too.
The matching head covers are the barrel style that covers down far enough to protect some of the shaft. They are lined with a very soft felt and have an elastic cinch in middle keep them securely attached to the club.
This bag has received numerous comments and compliments. While it is not for everyone, I know many golfers that can’t carry their bag, or don’t have the resources to afford a custom leather bag, but if you miss and long for the bags of the past, Mike McKennon offers an excellent warranty and unbelievable customer service. He not only emails you to check up, but also gives a follow up phone call to make sure everything is OK. You’re guaranteed to get it on time or it is free. Your bag is guaranteed for life, and it is simply guaranteed to be retro cool.
For more information: http://www.themckennongolfbagcompany.com/
