50 Words or Less
The Sun Mountain 4.5 LS 14-Way, a light weight stand bag with many cart friendly features, is perfect for golfers on the move.
Introduction
If you are a regular PIG reader, praise for Sun Mountain golf bags comes as no surprise. Various models of Sun Mountain have been the bags of choice for Bill and Matt S. for many years. Now it was time to find out for myself, with a model we hadn’t reviewed before. What I discovered was a true gem.
Style
I give credit to Sun Mountain for offering six color combinations for the 4.5 LS 14-Way, that range from basic to flashy. Nothing over the top, but enough to give the bags some distinction. For me, the two shades of grey with splashes of bright yellow are great for standing out in the crowd. Branding is large, but not obtrusive.
Quality
No matter where you touch the Sun Mountain 4.5 LS, quality is apparent. Grab the top handle and you feel the sturdiness. Lower the bag to the ground and the legs spring out effortlessly. Put the bag on your shoulders to find the foam padding is thick, firm, and extremely comfortable. The materials and mechanisms of this bag are top quality.
Design & Performance
The Sun Mountain 4.5 LS 14-Way has found the perfect sweet spot between a cart bag and a carry bag. Coming in at just 4.5 lbs., it’s light enough to be a walking bag, but designed to also be receptive to stowing on a cart. The cart strap pass-through (above top) keeps the bag secure without blocking the side pockets – a feature I had not seen before in a stand bag. The 10.5” wide top is more than adequate for the 14 individual, full length, club dividers.
The E-Z fit, dual strap system is perfectly named. Not only is it simple to adjust, it’s easy to get your arms in and out of. Ease of use is a common attribute. The loaded bag is so well balanced that lifting it out of the trunk is a breeze with one hand. When you need two hands, the lift point at the bottom is integrated into the lower pocket (above bottom). Even the design of the zipper pulls makes pocket access easier.
Conclusion
To quote myself from the Golf Bag Buyer’s Guide, “The first thing for you to establish is what your bag will be doing 80% of the time when in use, and be realistic.” I ride a cart when playing, but add in practice and coaching with The First Tee of Central Florida, and I’m carrying my bag to and from the car 4 or 5 times a week. Being light weight, high quality, and chock full of design features, the Sun Mountain 4.5 LS 14-Way is truly the perfect bag for me.
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Matt Meeker
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Completely agree with your assessment about the bag and being realistic about how you will use the bag. I have a couple year old model 4.5 and typically put it on my Clicgear and it works great (put a towel across the upper bracket to stabilize it even better), but as you said it also gets carried to the range quite a bit as well and it’s terrific. Not only is the bag’s arrangement of pockets, etc pretty good but I am very impressed with the fabric that was used. After having other brand bags in the past and having the fabric disintegrate after only a couple of seasons I am very impressed with the SM 4.5 bag’s durability and hoping it lasts for a lot longer. Big fan of this bag.
Love Sun Mountain bags the best out there. I have a C130 that I have had for many years now and it still looks great and works perfectly. I like the 4.5 very much I would love one to take out with the kids when I’m walking. On a side note I also like the logo and the fact that I’m not screaming some brand of clubs on my bag. I’m not a pro and no one is paying me to advertise their clubs and I have a mixed bag of different brands.
Curious about the 14 club, individual divider. Is it really an asset….or a hassle? As golfers we absentmindedly put our clubs back in the back, sometimes watching our ball in flight. Admittedly, many of the lightweight carry bags these days require some extra care when grips collide or get stuck at the bottom of the bag. What are the thoughts around the 4.5 dividers? Thumbs up — or meh ? Thanks.
Great observation Steve. Nothing like trying to pull one club and having 3 or 4 others start shooting out the top. That doesn’t happen with the individual dividers. Along with less clanging around above the top, I feel like the shafts aren’t getting beat up. Once you get used to the placement/order of the set, it’s also more apparent when you left a club behind. Thumbs up for me.
Thank you for the assessment. With push carts being more common, bags with this design are becoming more common (opening under pocket already exists for the Ping Hoofer…) where the owner/user enjoys the lightweight structure of moving it from the car to the range, pro shop, etc. (I carry when playing 9 holes or less), while still having the capacity and opening of a staff bag. I may try this bag, but there are so many conflicting reviews of the 14-way slots. Did you find any binding of the grips and siding to occur?
I’ve had no issues with binding as you describe Dave. The more time I have with this bag, the more I like the 14 way dividers.
Matt M
your golf stand bag reviews post is really great and more resources idea. thanks a lot for sharing this best idea
Does it come with strap for umbrella holder? Picture?
The bag has a cinch loop at the top, sleeve in the middle and a loop at the bottom for the tip. Secures an umbrella nicely.
– Meeks