For a decade, the Club Glove Last Bag has been my trusted companion on golf trips, enduring countless flights to 14 countries and remaining in excellent condition despite rigorous use.
However, it’s not without its drawbacks. Its slightly smaller size and occasional unwieldiness in airports and hotels have prompted me to seek alternatives. The Sun Mountain Club Glider Meridian has been on my radar for some time. It’s comparable in size to my Club Glove but boasts a unique retractable wheel system designed to simplify airport navigation.
Recently, on a trip to San Diego, I finally had the opportunity to test the Club Glider Meridian. How did it perform, and is it a superior choice to my reliable Club Glove?
The answer is nuanced, but let’s delve into a detailed comparison. This review directly compares the Meridian to the Club Glove, a benchmark in golf travel bags and a personal favorite for years.
Best Travel Bag
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 top-tier golf travel bag, featuring an exceptionally convenient “glider” system. While it may not match the robust durability of the Club Glove Last Bag, its innovative design more than compensates.
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Sun Mountain Club Glider Meridian: Initial Thoughts
The Meridian is available in several attractive color options, and I chose the black with red accents. The bag’s aesthetics are immediately appealing, and beyond the distinctive “glider” mechanism, it presents several differences from the Club Glove.
Notably, the shoe pockets are positioned externally, a feature I welcomed. I anticipated this design would free up internal space – a point we’ll explore further. The Meridian also incorporates more visible padding around the upper section of the bag and utilizes two straps instead of the Club Glove’s three.
Overall, the bag exudes quality and style. Despite the integrated glide system, its weight feels comparable to my older Club Glove bag.
Construction Quality and Materials
Initially, the Meridian appeared to be a straightforward upgrade from my previous golf travel bag. However, as I began packing for my trip, slight reservations emerged.
The Club Glove Last Bag is renowned for its almost indestructible feel. Constructed from incredibly resilient nylon and equipped with an exceptionally robust zipper, it sets a high bar for durability.
The Sun Mountain Meridian, while still well-made, feels a step below the Club Glove in material robustness and zipper quality.
To be clear, the Meridian is still a very well-constructed golf travel bag. However, the long-term resilience of the zippers under repeated stress remains a question. The primary handle, used for rolling the bag, is also not as substantial as I had hoped. While functional, it lacks the premium feel of the handle on the Club Glove bag. A more robust handle would be preferable.
The external shoe pockets, initially a point of excitement, did contribute to increased internal space, which is a plus. However, fitting two pairs of size 12 shoes into a single pocket proved impossible. The Club Glove comfortably accommodated a pair of shoes in each of its internal pockets. The Meridian only fits one shoe per pocket. While the extra internal space allowed for storing the second pair of shoes inside the main compartment, it’s a minor inconvenience for someone who frequently travels with two pairs of golf shoes.
Protection and Padding for Your Golf Clubs
Despite the Club Glove’s robust zippers and nylon, my travels with it haven’t been entirely incident-free. While my clubs have always remained undamaged, a tripod once broke in half inside the bag, and more recently, a leg on my Vessel Player Air stand bag was damaged, rendering it almost unusable.
In terms of padding and protection, the Sun Mountain Meridian feels reassuring, and I had no significant concerns about the safety of my golf clubs during transit.
Actually, let me reconsider that statement.
I had planned to bring my new TaylorMade Qi10 Max driver on this trip. However, in my hurried packing, I couldn’t locate a club wrench to detach the driver head. Given that the driver review was still pending, I opted to leave it at home as a precaution.
I did, however, bring my Stix Compete Driver, and it arrived without any issues.
Club Glider Performance in Real Travel Scenarios
I packed my Vessel Player V Pro, a larger-sized stand bag, for this trip. It fit comfortably within the Sun Mountain bag, and I noticed a slight increase in available space compared to the Club Glove Last Bag. While perhaps not as substantial as initially hoped, any extra room is certainly appreciated.
Admittedly, leading up to my airport arrival, I was still somewhat undecided about whether the Meridian truly represented an upgrade over my existing bag. It offered slightly more space but appeared to be marginally less durable in zipper and nylon quality.
However, the moment I unloaded the bag at long-term parking at PDX and began the long trek through the parking garage, underground tunnel, escalators, and into the terminal, the difference became undeniable.
The Club Glider system is truly transformative.
Sun Mountain Club Glider Wheels Extended
Activating the glider mechanism is simple: just depress the lever, and the wheels deploy. A quick pull of the lever beneath the bag releases the integrated stand and engages the rollerblade-style wheels, setting this bag apart.
Moving with the Sun Mountain Club Glider is remarkably effortless. The bag practically glides along, requiring minimal exertion. Its maneuverability is also significantly enhanced. Navigating airport queues for ticketing and security was seamless, with the bag effortlessly following my movements.
I recently described the LAB Putter as a genuinely “revolutionary” product. The Club Glider deserves similar recognition. While the overall build quality didn’t fully meet my initial expectations, the functionality of the glider system exceeded them.
Final Verdict: Is the Sun Mountain Club Glider Worth It?
Priced at $339, the Meridian is a premium golf travel bag. However, for frequent golf travelers, investing in a durable and user-friendly bag is undoubtedly worthwhile.
While hardshell cases offer superior protection, the convenience of a soft-sided bag like the Sun Mountain Meridian makes it a more practical choice for most golfers.
The Sun Mountain Meridian is a stylish, spacious bag that excels in travel performance. Despite minor concerns about some materials, in reality, most users are unlikely to encounter significant issues. After my initial trip, my clubs were perfectly intact, and my travel experience was the most comfortable to date.
Unless you are traveling weekly with your clubs, this bag should provide years of reliable service.
Is it a better purchase than the Last Bag? For most golfers, I believe the answer is yes. While the Last Bag may be slightly more robust, the Meridian remains more durable than many golf travel bags on the market (I’m thinking of bags like the TourTrek). The Club Glider feature effectively compensates for any minor compromises in outright durability.
The Sun Mountain Club Glider Meridian is now my trusted travel companion for my golf clubs. For the first time, I won’t be dreading navigating airport terminals with my golf gear.
Best Travel Bag
Sun Mountain ClubGlider Meridian Golf Travel Bag
Sun Mountain ClubGlider Meridian Golf Travel Bag $339
The Sun Mountain Club Glider Meridian is a fantastic golf travel bag, with a very convenient “glider” system. It’s not quite as robust and durable as the Club Glove Last Bag, but the unique design more than makes up for it.
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A Fantastic Golf Travel Bag with a Revolutionary Feature
9.2 Great
The Sun Mountain Club Glider is undoubtedly one of the Best Golf Travel Bags available. Its build quality is commendable, though slightly less robust than the Club Glove Last Bag. However, the unique “Club Glider” feature more than compensates, significantly enhancing the overall travel experience.
The Pros
- Club Glider system performs as advertised.
- Ample space for most golf bags.
- Attractive design.
The Cons
- Top handle could be more substantial.
- Material and build quality are good, but not exceptional.
- Premium price point.
- Presentation 10
- Performance 9
- Features and Quality 9
- Price 9
- Personal Affinity 9
