Old solution to an old problem

[profsmitty]

Plastic tubes

I have been using a Sun Mountain Swift X for those rounds where I would rather carry my clubs rather than using my trolley. The old fashioned plastic tubes that used to be common years ago solved the problem nicely. They were a little tricky to find but I was able to find a box of them buried in the darker reaches of Dick's for $1.79 each. I bought 11 although I never expected to get them all in the larger of the two sections where I carry my irons and putter. To my surprise, after fiddling around for a few minutes, I was able to get ten in. My putter was the only problem as the handle was too big for the tube.

Anyone else still use these things? Is there a better solution other than a bigger bag?

[Johnny]

There was a thread awhile back about the "tubes" and I think they are a bad idea. You already mentioned the putter grip, well they get normal grips as well(the will catch and pullup), but the worse part is if you have graphite shafts there will wear the paint off.

[XYB34A]

oh that brings back memories from the 1980's. I used to have those in my bag, in the late 1980's. They would wear the shaft were they were put in and out of the bag, and tube. They wore a set of Ben Hogan PC's where the print is on the shaft. Every iron I had, had a worn spot on them.

[profsmitty]

[quote name='justaman5' post='2053838' date='Nov 9 2009, 07:39 AM']oh that brings back memories from the 1980's. I used to have those in my bag, in the late 1980's. They would wear the shaft were they were put in and out of the bag, and tube. They wore a set of Ben Hogan PC's where the print is on the shaft. Every iron I had, had a worn spot on them.[/quote]
Hadn't thought of the rubbing problem with graphite shafted clubs. Would that be a problem if you only use them with irons with metal shafts? This is the case in my bag, anyway. The tubes do tend to pull out when you withdraw the club from the bag. However, this makes it easier to find the appropriate tube when you put them back in. I also use regular grips so I have no problem getting them into the tube. I haven't tried them with oversized or non-round grips. I can see that this might be a problem.

I know these things are hopelessly hokey but I am hopelessly hokey as well. I love to carry but any more than 15 pounds or so is difficult with my tired old body. I wish there was a Swift-X style bag with dividers but I am not aware of any. Have I missed one?

[hrossroth]

I am also considering the ease of use with an ultra light stand bag. The problem that I am having is that my short putter hangs in the bag by the headcover without touching the bottom of the bag. The solution that I had in mind involved one plastic tube. I didn't like hearing about the wear factor because I am quite fond of my custom putter. I was wondering if anyone thought that some felt with a sticky back placed on the first few inches inside the tube might prevent the wear? This is my best solution to an inconvenient problem. The other bag that I have seen that is an ultra light with more than two dividers is the Ping 4 Under. It is a four way top with two full length dividers. I am not sure if it would be any easier to get the plastic tubes into that bag. The top is 8in so a little bigger then the 7in Swift X but the dividers might actually get in the way of the tubes. In that case the tubes might not be necessary. Thanks for the help.

[dieselG]

I just picked up a ping 9.5 consumer staff bag (it was a great deal) and I asked the guy behind the counter if they had any of those tubes, as I thought it would be a way to keep the clubs seperated. Those staff bags are so big you can almost put 2 sets of clubs in them. Anyway.....

He said that the tubes were a bad idea, not because of the paint wear or graphite shafts (which I have heard of too), but because they make your grips get slick faster. Apparently, as you pull the club in and out of the tube, the grips absorb an oil that the tubes give off (remember, plastic is "hard oil") and this makes your grips get smooth much faster.

Not sure if it is true, but FYI....

[mat562]

Plastic tubes, used for any great length of time, equals worn grips, scarred shafts (whether graphite or steel) and scuffed up ferrules. When you can get 17 or 18 clubs in a 6" pencil bag and get them in and out perfectly well, it's a mystery to me why anyone uses them with a larger carry bag, or a cart of staff bag. As well as potentially knackering your clubs by rendering the carefully positioned padded bag top redundant they also add unnecessary weight.

I don't use them and never have done.

[knh555]

[quote name='smith5606' date='09 November 2009 - 09:08 AM' timestamp='1257775685' post='2053862']
[quote name='justaman5' post='2053838' date='Nov 9 2009, 07:39 AM']

I know these things are hopelessly hokey but I am hopelessly hokey as well. I love to carry but any more than 15 pounds or so is difficult with my tired old body. I wish there was a Swift-X style bag with dividers but I am not aware of any. Have I missed one?
[/quote]


A little late to this thread, but I'm considering this bag:

https://www.iliacgolf.com/#/products/golf-bags/scottie-feather-stand/

At 3.1 lbs is appears to have a useful number of pockets and a small top with a few extra dividers. There are no full-length dividers though. For me, this would be to replace an 8" round top, single strap Sun Mountain that I still use as a Sunday bag.

[mozgolf]

Not for me at all, IMHO these are the pocket protectors of golf

[stage1350]

[quote name='mat562' date='14 November 2009 - 10:24 AM' timestamp='1258215860' post='2063911']
Plastic tubes, used for any great length of time, equals worn grips, scarred shafts (whether graphite or steel) and scuffed up ferrules. When you can get 17 or 18 clubs in a 6" pencil bag and get them in and out perfectly well, it's a mystery to me why anyone uses them with a larger carry bag, or a cart of staff bag. As well as potentially knackering your clubs by rendering the carefully positioned padded bag top redundant they also add unnecessary weight.

I don't use them and never have done.
[/quote]

I was going to add the ferrule issue, but Mat beat me to it. You're also toast if you use any build tape on your grips.

[profsmitty]

You guys sold me. I found a workable solution. I only carry 12 clubs in my carry bag. Wood Bros. Driver, Honma 4-wood, 3-pw MP-67s, 54* Vokey, and the Blue Goose. Less weight, less binding in the bag, and no tubes. Life is good. Now I need to figure out what to do with a bunch of plastic. Maybe tomato plant stands.

[Buddyjay]

[quote name='smith5606' date='09 November 2009 - 09:08 AM' timestamp='1257775685' post='2053862']
[quote name='justaman5' post='2053838' date='Nov 9 2009, 07:39 AM']oh that brings back memories from the 1980's. I used to have those in my bag, in the late 1980's. They would wear the shaft were they were put in and out of the bag, and tube. They wore a set of Ben Hogan PC's where the print is on the shaft. Every iron I had, had a worn spot on them.[/quote]
Hadn't thought of the rubbing problem with graphite shafted clubs. Would that be a problem if you only use them with irons with metal shafts? This is the case in my bag, anyway. The tubes do tend to pull out when you withdraw the club from the bag. However, this makes it easier to find the appropriate tube when you put them back in. I also use regular grips so I have no problem getting them into the tube. I haven't tried them with oversized or non-round grips. I can see that this might be a problem.

I know these things are hopelessly hokey but I am hopelessly hokey as well. I love to carry but any more than 15 pounds or so is difficult with my tired old body. I wish there was a Swift-X style bag with dividers but I am not aware of any. Have I missed one?
[/quote]

I have used the tubes for years. Back in the 70's - '90's I had steel shafts and didn't seem to have any problems. I even used the rings they sell to keep the tubes together. The tubes never pulled out.
But recently, I bought a new set of Ping graphites and the tubes definately started to wear the finish off of the shafts. Solution... I bought a new bag that had the 14 way dividers.

[dlygrisse]

Tubes and bags with club separators in general cause more bag chatter because the iron heads swing back and forth. I personally like the clubs laying on top of one another .....less chatter.

 

I have never understood why you need to keep the clubs separted, it's not like they aren't numbered and you can't tell them apart. I guess it is a personality thing, my buddy who is very anal and particular about things in general, likes a bag with 14 dividers and lots of pockets. Myself I just bought a Ping 4 Under, simple dividers, less pockets, less looking for where you put your stuff. KISS. JMO.

 

I would have bought a MacKenzie Walker Bag for this very reason, just a simple top on the bag and two big pockets, but paying $800 for a bag vs. $140 made the decision easy.

 

 

Plus, not that this really matters, but I have always thought tubes looked kind of dorky/nerdy, kind of like a pocket protector.