PING 2020 Hoofer Vs Hoofer Lite

[brew4eagle]

Hoofer Lite carries perfectly with one strap, and I'd assume the Hoofer is the same. Key is to put your hand on the driver and push down to balance everything, just like any single strap bag that you'd carry with clubs facing forward.

[SJP1]

...which is exactly why it's a niggle. It sort of tips up on one strap and you have to push it down to make it balance properly. First bag in 25 years that's required that. Tricky to explain. It's not a major, it's just a bit awkward. The plusses by far outweigh the only minus.

[brew4eagle]

I guess I don't understand as any single strap bag will require the same action

[SJP1]

I'm not referencing a single strap bag is perhaps why. I'm comparing to other double strap bags when carried on just one shoulder with the top loop only and the second loop not used.

For example, the last Titleist stand bag I had (and every other double strap carry bag I've had over the last 25 years, going right back to when stand bags were just single straps as standard and you had to buy an Izzo separately to carry backpack-style) when you just carried on one shoulder with the top loop, it leaned more parallel to the ground so you could just rest your arm on it at a natural height. The Hoofer sits more upright when you carry it on just the top loop so your forearm on your carrying arm ends up resting much higher, which is uncomfortable/unnatural. To push that down takes a bit of force and you've got to hold it in place.

[brew4eagle]

Interesting. I've found the Hoofer Lite and 4 Series before that to be the best double strap bags for carrying with just 1 strap. Prior to those I used mainly Sun Mtn and Titleist (the versions that were made by Sun Mtn) and the PINGs carried considerably better with 1 strap vs those. I've also read that most caddies highly prefer PINGs for carrying with 1 strap (1 bag on each shoulder)

[Hardrain]

I have been using one of the original Hoofers forever, it is probably about 20 years old. Love it but it is finally falling apart and I need something new. Looking at Hoofer or Hoofer Lite. My big question is if there is anyway to find more colorways? I really dislike all of the colorways I see on the Ping website. How do they not have any solid black or navy options?

[brew4eagle]

There's a solid black Hoofer and Hoofer Lite, if not on PING's 'shop' website it's probably because they're out of certain colorways. Edit- PING's website shows all of the colors when I just checked it out (?).

 

[MK7Golf21]

yea, whoever is in charge of the colorways needs to be fired at Ping, its really not that hard to come up with a nice line of colorways, Titleist always does a good job with that.

[Hardrain]

I know I am begin picky, but really don't like those bright white accents on the black bag. I see a lot of older Hoofers and "custom" ones (for teams or clubs) that are beautiful, but all the general offerings are hideous. What is going on here?!

I don't mind them having some crazy colorways, but it just seems like they would start with a few basics before they branch out.

[brew4eagle]

I went with this one, pretty basic. I think the black/white, and black/red/white look great as well...

[SullyForged]

I went with the Olive/Gray/Orange Hoofer Lite. It’s definitely an acquired taste, but I love it. Haha.

[madeinguam81]

I’m not a fan of many of the aesthetic choices for the Lite, but of the stock colorways, the green one is my favorite. I’ve mentioned this before in other bag reviews, but I hate how newer bags are overly “techie”. It doesn’t make sense considering that the most popular headcover styles are more classic and simple in nature, including those made by the very same companies that make the techie bags! Some companies, Jones for example, get it and some bigger companies are starting to get it. TaylorMade has an interesting lineup with their Flextech Lifestyle bags and Ping is showing promise with classic design choices for their new L8 and the Tropical Hoofer Lite.

Ping needs to come out with a Hoofer (and Lite) with all the features and advances of their current lineup, but with the classic Ping styling and color choices of yesteryear. I’m confident there’s a market for it. I ended up designing a custom Lite just to get the bag I wanted.

[SullyForged]

I do know what you mean. I have leather Rose and Fire Stealth Dancing Shamrocks (all black) that I bought when I had a black Stitch SL1. There were lots of bags that looked silly with the headcovers. I do enjoy how they pair with my Hoofer Lite though. It helps that that both have an Irish vibe.

[mbart]

Agree with this. The look and fabric of some new bags makes them look more like hiking packs than golf bags.

I picked up a hoofer lite in black just because it’s one of the the more simple and small stand bags currently on the market from one of the major brands. Wish it was smaller and didn’t have the white zippers but oh well, maybe next year there will be an all black option. Guess I could go the custom order route of an all black or navy hoofer lite, but do I really need 3 of the same bag????

[SullyForged]

 

[golf9596]

I went with the Craz-lite Hoofer and could not be more satisfied. The bag has everything I need, lite weight, plenty of pockets. The hidden cover in the pad is ingenious(why didn’t this happen years ago). The bag works great on a cart. My only issue would be the towel hook.

[brew4eagle]

If you're talking about the hidden rain hood in the hip pad, it did happen years ago. Started in the 2016 Hoofer and 4 Series iirc.

[golf9596]

I’ve been a Titleist user for years. Thx for the info.

[mbart]

I picked up a hoofer lite and liking it for the most part. Coming from a 2014-ish SM Swift X. Ping carries better but could just be that the straps on the swift were pretty beat up. Definitely more club tangle with the ping though.

[cflo2382]

I really enjoy my 2020 Hoofer Lite. It carries comfortable and feels lighter than it is, stand works flawlessly (and the transition from shoulder to ground/deployment is perfect), and pockets are very well laid out. I previously had the 2018 regular Hoofer model and enjoyed that, too, but this 2020 Lite model is a bit better, IMO. I caddied for a buddy of mine a couple months ago who had one of the newer Mizuno stand bags and it made me realize how great these Hoofers really are.

Club tangle can sometimes suck with 14 clubs, especially with my midsize "sticky" grips. This is only really an issue when the legs are deployed. Grabbing a club while the bag is standing straight up usually prevents this issue. Also, I really wish they could have used the magnetic flap instead of the zipper for the range finder pocket like the regular Hoofers. Not sure why that couldn't carry across the two models. This is really the only thing I miss about my previous Hoofer.

[mbart]

Agree, not having the magnetic rangefinder pocket on the lite seems like a miss when it’s already on the hoofer.

[brew4eagle]

It's a bell/whistle to potentially sway someone to the pricier Hoofer. I use that pocket for tees, divot tool, and a couple lose balls so I only open once at the beginning of the round and hopefully that's it. So I don't mind the zipper vs magnetic.

[cflo2382]

The bell/whistle thing makes total sense between the two models. I've been leaving it halfway unzipped during rounds for slightly easier access. My range finder sits rather deep in that pocket so I've even considered just leaving it completely unzipped during the round. Not the biggest deal though. Still an awesome bag.

[jjschafe]

I wish they made the 5-way Hoofer in that color, I'd buy it immediately. The 14-way and the Lite come in a bunch of interesting combos, and the 5-way is as boring as they come.

[Guest]

Anyone know how caddies like carrying the regular Hoofer? I saw a thread about it being a caddie favorite in the past, but things change. My bag is empty besides 12 clubs and half a dozen balls (I suck), so I imagine weight shouldn't be too much of an issue...

[brew4eagle]

This one is similar...

[jjschafe]

Oh, cool, I've never seen that color in any estore. Any link to it for sale?

[brew4eagle]

In stock at PINGhttps://ping.com/en-us/shop/bags/carry-bags/hoofer

[jjschafe]

*Facepalm*

googling the name of the color combo found a few cheaper as well. Thanks!

[JoelK]

Does anyone know if the 2020 Hoofer has full length dividers?  I had the camo 2017 and very, very cool but also annoying as the clubs always got tangled.  Bought an H2NO from Sun Mountain and love it but miss my camo...