For a decade, the Club Glove Last Bag has been my trusted companion on countless golf trips. It’s endured numerous flights across 14 countries and remains remarkably resilient despite rigorous handling. Yet, it’s not without its drawbacks. Its slightly compact size and unwieldiness in navigating airports and hotels have occasionally been a nuisance.
For some time, the Sun Mountain Club Glider Meridian has captured my attention as a potential upgrade. While similar in size to my Club Glove, it boasts a unique retractable wheel system designed to simplify airport transit.
Recently, during a trip to San Diego, I had the opportunity to thoroughly test the Club Glider Meridian. How did it perform? And is it a worthwhile investment compared to the established Club Glove?
The answer is nuanced, but let’s delve into a detailed comparison. This review will directly compare the Meridian to the Club Glove, given its widespread popularity and my extensive personal experience with it.
Sun Mountain ClubGlider Meridian Golf Travel Bag
Sun Mountain ClubGlider Meridian Golf Travel Bag $339
The Sun Mountain Club Glider Meridian stands out as a superb golf travel bag, primarily due to its ingenious “glider” system. While it may concede slightly to the Club Glove Last Bag in sheer robustness, its distinctive design more than compensates, offering unparalleled ease of use.
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Sun Mountain Club Glider Meridian: Initial Thoughts
The Meridian is available in a variety of attractive color schemes, and I opted for a black model accented with red.
The bag’s aesthetics are immediately appealing, and beyond the distinctive “glider” feature, several differences from the Club Glove are apparent.
Firstly, the shoe pockets are positioned externally, a design choice I appreciated. My hope was that this would free up valuable interior space – a point we’ll revisit shortly.
The upper section of the bag exhibits enhanced padding, and the Meridian utilizes two straps, unlike the Club Glove’s three.
Overall, the bag presents a very polished appearance. Despite the integrated glide mechanism, its weight feels comparable to my older Club Glove bag.
Delving into Build Quality and Materials
Initially, I anticipated the Meridian to be an unequivocal upgrade from my previous bag.
However, as I began packing for my trip, a slight degree of uncertainty crept in.
The Club Glove Last Bag exudes an almost indestructible feel. Constructed from exceptionally durable nylon and equipped with an incredibly robust zipper, it sets a high benchmark.
The Sun Mountain, in comparison, feels marginally less substantial, both in material resilience and zipper quality.
It’s important to emphasize that the Meridian remains a well-constructed bag. However, I am curious to observe the long-term durability of the zippers under repeated stress.
The primary handle, used for rolling the bag, also feels less substantial than I would have preferred. While perfectly functional, it lacks the premium tactile feel of the Club Glove handle.
This handle could benefit from increased robustness. As previously mentioned, the external shoe pockets were a welcome feature. They do appear to have augmented interior space, which is a definite plus. However, a minor drawback emerged: fitting two size 12 shoes into a single pocket proved impossible.
The Club Glove readily accommodated a pair of shoes in each of its internal shoe pockets. In contrast, the Meridian only accommodates one shoe per pocket. While not a critical issue, as the expanded interior easily accommodates an extra pair, it would have been preferable for someone who frequently travels with two pairs of golf shoes.
Assessing Padding and Protection
Despite the Club Glove’s robust zippers and nylon, it wasn’t entirely immune to travel mishaps.
While my clubs have always remained intact within the Club Glove, a tripod once fractured in transit, and more recently, a leg on my Vessel Player Air bag broke, rendering it nearly unusable.
From a padding and protection perspective, the Sun Mountain instills confidence, and I had no significant concerns about the safety of my clubs during travel.
Or so I thought initially.
I had planned to bring my brand-new TaylorMade Qi10 Max driver on this trip, but in the rush of packing, I couldn’t locate a club wrench to detach the driver head. Given that the review is still pending, I opted to leave it behind as a precautionary measure.
I did, however, bring my Stix Compete Driver, and it emerged unscathed from the journey.
Club Glider in Action: Performance Evaluation
I packed my Vessel Player V Pro, a stand bag on the larger end of the spectrum. It fit comfortably within the Sun Mountain bag, and I perceived a slight increase in space compared to the Club Glove Last Bag. Perhaps not as substantial as initially hoped, but any additional room is certainly appreciated.
Admittedly, leading up to airport arrival, I was ambivalent about whether this bag truly represented an upgrade over my previous one. Marginal space gain, slightly less robust zippers and nylon.
However, upon extracting the bag from my car at Long Term Parking at PDX and navigating the lengthy walk through the garage, the underground tunnel, escalators, and into the new terminal – the difference became palpable.
The Club Glider mechanism? A complete revelation.
Sun Mountain Club Glider Wheels
With a simple lever press, the glider component extends. A quick pull of the lever beneath the bag deploys the glider mechanism, which functions both as a stand and engages the rollerblade-style wheels that distinguish this bag.
Walking with the Sun Mountain Club Glider is an absolute pleasure. The bag virtually glides effortlessly, requiring minimal exertion. It not only lives up to its “glider” name but also exhibits superior maneuverability.
Navigating the airport ticketing queue, the bag felt almost guided, effortlessly following my movements.
I recently described the LAB Putter as a genuinely “revolutionary” product. The Club Glider earns a place in this category as well.
While the overall build quality didn’t entirely meet my initial expectations, the functionality of the glider system surpassed them considerably.
Verdict: Should You Invest in a Sun Mountain Club Glider Meridian?
At $339, this is undeniably a premium-priced travel bag. However, for frequent golf travelers, investing in a durable, user-friendly bag is unequivocally worthwhile.
While soft bags may concede some durability compared to hardshell cases, their convenience generally makes them a more practical choice for most travelers.
The Sun Mountain Meridian delivers a compelling package: stylish aesthetics, ample space, and exceptional on-the-go performance.
Despite my minor reservations regarding certain materials, in practical terms, significant issues are unlikely for most users. After my initial trip, my clubs remained perfectly protected, and my travel experience was smoother than ever before.
Unless you’re traveling weekly with your clubs, this bag should offer years of reliable service.
Is it a superior choice to the Last Bag? For most golfers, I believe the answer is yes.
While the Last Bag may possess a slight edge in robustness, the Meridian surpasses the build quality of most golf travel bags (I’m thinking of you TourTrek), and the Club Glider feature effectively compensates for any minor durability concerns.
This is now my golf travel bag of choice for the foreseeable future, and for the first time, I won’t completely dread the prospect of long treks through airport terminals with my clubs.
Sun Mountain ClubGlider Meridian Golf Travel Bag
Sun Mountain ClubGlider Meridian Golf Travel Bag $339
The Sun Mountain Club Glider Meridian is an outstanding golf travel bag, distinguished by its highly convenient “glider” system. While not quite as rugged as the Club Glove Last Bag, the unique design provides ample justification for choosing the Meridian.
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A Fantastic Golf Travel Bag with a Truly Revolutionary Feature
9.2 Great
The Sun Mountain Club Glider is undeniably one of the Best Golf Travel Bags available. Period. The build quality is commendable, though slightly below the Club Glove Last Bag. However, the unique “Club Glider” feature more than bridges this gap, significantly enhancing the overall user experience.
The Pros
- Club Glider mechanism operates flawlessly as advertised.
- Ample space to accommodate most golf bags, excluding only the very largest.
- Visually appealing design.
The Cons
- Top handle could be more substantial.
- Material and build quality grade of B+.
- Relatively expensive.
- Presentation 10
- Performance 9
- Features and Quality 9
- Price 9
- Personal Affinity 9
