You have the shoes and shirts, hats from top 100 courses and dropped big money on clubs, but what’s the last piece missing to complete your professional golf look? The answer: The Prime Staff bag from Vessel.
Nothing says you’re a serious golfer like a serious golf bag, and that’s exactly what the Prime Staff is.
Staff bags have long been seen as taboo on the course with their use being “reserved” for Tour players and teaching professionals. I personally think they’ve made quite the comeback in recent years, though, and any serious player will not regret the decision to add one to their own on-course collection.
Vessel Bags is the standard bearer for golf bag quality and design, which has been confirmed repeatedly through the perpetual replacement of traditional OEM branded bags on the professional level. You may have not even realized it but many of the top players in the world use Vessel bags religiously. Tiger Woods, Jordan Spieth, Steve Stricker and hundreds of others tote their bags down the fairways every weekend. Or at least their caddies do!
Quality
Vessel has positioned itself as the top bag maker in the industry today, focusing on a premium-level product with unapologetically high quality. Their overall styling, use of high-end materials and attention to detail makes them my personal favorite golf bag brand. Once you’ve seen or used a Vessel bag, trust me you’ll have a hard time ever going back to anything else.
Vessel’s high-quality synthetic leather, strong zippers and premium lining all come together to create a piece of golf art that you will both love and hate to take out on the course. But, don’t worry, even their white bags hold up beautifully over time.
A Season Of Use
I have used the Prime Staff bag for the past season and LOVE IT! Not only do I feel confident and think I look like a million bucks walking up to the club house, it helps me keep organized and ready to tackle the course in style. Now, I don’t know if this is directly related to the bag or not, but my handicap is also the lowest it’s ever been since starting to use it (your results may vary).
Even with plenty of white fabric, the bag has little to no signs of wear following continual abuse in my trunk, not to mention a ton of time spent on riding, push and electric carts and transfers to and from the range. It has also turned tons of heads at courses and I couldn’t be happier with its durability over time.
You may find that your bag even gets used as part of a “tent” by your 4-year-old at the range.
Dimensions
If you have never used a staff bag then you’re probably curious how it compares in size, shape and weight to a typical stand or carry model.
While most stand or carry bags are between 5-7 pounds the Prime Staff weighs in – empty – at 12. While that’s not overly heavy or cumbersome, it’s the abundance of capacity this bag features that will have you weighing it down in no time. While you won’t be walking the course with your Prime Staff, be prepared for some heavy lifting while trekking between your car and the bag drop!
The Prime Staff is a single-strap bag that does not feature any sort of stand legs, but rather stands upright on its large base.
Partly because of this large base, but also its symmetrical styling, I’ve also found it to be really nice to use with electric and normal push carts. I have had no issues with it fitting on any of the models I’ve tried and it’s always held securely throughout my rounds. One thing I will mention, though, is that it’s weight (when loaded up) can work against an electric caddie’s battery life – simply put, by having to carry something heavier, it will expend more energy/battery more quickly. While this hasn’t led to any bad situations it’s maybe worth keeping in mind if you plan to use it with an e-cart.
Pockets Pockets Pockets
The Prime Staff bag has literally allowed me to carry my Boy Scout training to the course and always “Be Prepared.” This has led to some funny jokes from my playing partners as my bag always seems to weigh 100 pounds, but they stop laughing when I have everything they can ask for: Band-Aids…got you covered; battery charger for your phone.. yep; extra rangefinder..no problem. I am not trying to say the Vessel Prime Staff is an enabler, but this bag has enough pockets and storage for everything!
Personalization
Want to take your pro look to an even higher level? Vessel allows you to fully personalize your new bag’s front panel on their website as part of your order.
It’ll cost an extra $35 to add your name, and an additional $85 to add a logo. I was really impressed with the quality of the stitching and how it’s held up following a full season of sliding in and out of the trunk of my car. I also haven’t had any issues with the stitching affecting the bag’s waterproofness.
Favorite Features
The Prime Staff has some great features that I’ve found I cannot live without following this past season, including:
- Magnetic pockets on the front and back of the bag: These pockets are so convenient to store items for quick, easy access during a round. While magnetic closures on a bag may not seem like a big deal, once you try them you will wonder how you ever lived without them.
- Storage compartment organization: Organized pockets in the front storage compartment are a must for anyone like me who carries a lot of “stuff” on the course. These are not often found in staff bags and I felt so much more organized all season.
- The carry handles built into the top of the Vessel Prime Staff make maneuvering this bag really easy. This is something you will really miss in other staff bags after you try this one.
Join the Vessel Gang
Whether you choose the Prime Staff or any other model from Vessel’s lineup, I guarantee you will love its style, quality and functionality. And if you, for any reason, do not like your Vessel bag then feel free to send it my way and I will happily use it!
Click on these links to read reviews of other Vessel models we’ve reviewed, too, including the VLS Stand, Lux XV and Player II.
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