Any piece of equipment that Tiger Woods uses, usually comes under microscopic scrutiny, but one such piece of equipment that has flown somewhat under the radar is his golf bag. In most cases, tour players use the staff bag of their contracted equipment companies unless they are non-contracted players or they have other specific contractual obligations as in the case of Mr Woods. But if you aren’t using the manufacturer's bag, then where do you source the best ‘tour’ bag? Well, in almost all cases, it is Vessel Golf.
Operating somewhat under the radar, they have provided bags for many of the world's best players and have racked up numerous PGA Tour and major championship victories without many people even realizing it. I recently got my hands on the Vessel Prime 2.0 Staff bag to see what these top players are experiencing.
I was sent the all-black stock offering, which also comes in white and blue, but US customers also have the very cool option to customize their bag, by selecting primary and secondary colors and also uploading custom logos.
In terms of the looks, I was seriously toying with the idea of just leaving this paragraph blank and letting the pictures speak for themselves! It is genuinely the coolest-looking golf bag I think I’ve ever set my eyes on. I am a bit of a sucker for clean, minimalist aesthetics when it comes to my golf gear and the Prime 2.0 Staff bag epitomizes that ethos. The uninterrupted black leather panels are complimented beautifully by the subtle embossed Vessel logos on the strap and a couple of pockets.
The feel of the bag is also exceptional, and it is abundantly clear that no corners have been cut or expense spared in the creation of the Prime 2.0 Staff bag. The synthetic leather is soft and smooth to the touch and handling the bag gives you the same kind of feel as when you step into a high-end premium car. Pure luxury.
The Vessel Prime 2.0 is packed with an abundance of handy features. The waterproof zippers provide you with confidence in rainy conditions and the leather zipper pulls add a touch of luxury to the pockets. The personals pockets, for things like your wallet, phone watch, etc are lined with a beautifully soft antimicrobial material that not only feels great but keeps things hygienic.
Two of the pockets feature snap-shut magnets that make it super easy and quick to access things that you need regularly throughout the round such as your rangefinder. The umbrella compartment sits conveniently hidden behind one of the side panels so an unsightly brolly doesn’t interrupt the otherwise flawless visual.
In total there are 16 pockets, so you will definitely not struggle to find a place for anything you could need on the golf course. There are three useful grab handles to help you manoeuvre the bag into the trunk of your car, situated in various places around the bag to cover every angle.
I found the bag to be surprisingly light in comparison to other tour bags I have tried throughout the years, coming in at 9.52 lbs without the strap and rain hood, both of which are 0.82 lbs.
Everything works exactly as it should on this bag, and everything is precisely where it should be. Where there are zippers, they open and close smoothly, and they have been replaced with the magnetic closing mechanism in just the right spots.
This is about as good as it gets for me in terms of a tour bag, and I can see why many of the world's best players and their caddies choose Vessel.
The price reflects the quality, with the bag coming in at £595.00/$595.00 RRP, and stock options are available in black, white, and blue.
