Welcome to the past! If you find that the latest technology (horseless carriages and color television) is too complex for you, consider the Original Jones Bag. Designed in the style of one of the most iconic bags in golf, this bag is updated for today’s materials through the use of vinyl and nylon (of course vinyl and nylon were invented in the 1920’s and 1930’s, respectively, so we’re being liberal with the term “today’s materials”) but still keeps to the very basics.
The absence of legs (this means you’ll be setting it down on wet ground for those foggy mornings or in the rain) and the use of a single shoulder strap keep the Original Jones bag as the lightest bag we’ve tested to date. The bag has 3 pockets (two zippered “ball pouches” and a full length pocket on the belly of the bag for your outerwear or other great), a 3-way divider, and an umbrella sleeve.
Forget dedicated “cooling pouches”, pencil holders, scorecard sleeves, and velcro patches for your glove. Those are for sissies. Keep it old school with the Original Jones Bag.
Retail price: $139.95
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CLUB STORAGE
While the Original Jones Bag may well be the simplest carry bag around, you won’t be lumping all of your clubs together into a single mosh pit. The bag has a 7.75″ 3-way divider at a top to let you keep your clubs at least a bit sorted. Not surprisingly for a simple and light bag, the dividers do not run the full-length of the bag.
LEGS/BASE
There are no legs with the Original Jones Bag, so we can’t add anything here. The 3.5″ tall base is made of a solid plastic. As the bag doesn’t stand on its own, there isn’t a need for anything special for the base, it simply helps the bag keep its shape.
STRAPS
While the category is called “straps”, in the case of the Original Jones Bag, the use of the plural is extraneous. To quote the wonderful 80s B-movie “Highlander”, “there can be only one.” So keep it simple and throw that single strap over your shoulder, nothing fancy here. Unfortunately our shoulders aren’t what they used to be, so we prefer two straps to one to distribute the weight. The upside is that it can’t be any easier to slip the bag off and on. We were pleasantly surprised by the amount of padding provided by the single strap, which easily adjusts in length through a single pin – to this day we’re still guessing at how to get some of our double-strap bags adjusted appropriately.
POCKETS/STORAGE
The Original Jones Bag features a mere three pockets, the fewest of any bag that we have reviewed. There is one large garment pocket on the belly of the bag that can fit your rain gear, along with a medium pocket and a small pocket on the spine. The small pocket is best suited for balls and sits partially “over” the medium pocket, which is large enough to hold gloves, tees and markets, and even good-sized water bottles.
In keeping with its simple design, the Original Jones Bag does not include any pencil or tee holders. There are no rings on the bag dedicated to clipping on accessories, but we improvised and used the top ring that secures the strap to the bag to attach a towel and a rangefinder. There is also no lined pocket for valuables, or any additional pocket-within-a-pocket. Somewhat surprisingly, the Original Jones Bag actually includes a sleeve on the side of the bag for holding an umbrella, but keep in mind that on rainy days you are going to have one soggy bag and clubs, given the lack of legs and any rain hood.
RAIN HOOD
We’ll keep this section is short and sweet: not applicable.
CARRYING IMPRESSIONS
The Original Jones Bag is all about keeping it simple. The single shoulder strap with ample padding allows for that, and you can still easily access the top pockets while the bag is on your shoulder. We didn’t really miss the lower back padding found on most bags, likely because we simply didn’t expect it with this bag.
- Weight. The bag weighed 3.5 pounds as tested, which makes it the lightest bag we’ve reviewed.
- Padding. While most carry bags feature at least a minimal amount of padding for the lower back, the Original Jones lacks any additional protection and support.
- Handles/Straps. Aside from the single shoulder strap, The Original Jones Bag only had a woven nylon handle along the spine of the bag, used to take the bag out of the car or move a short distance.
It’s all about ease of use, and if you don’t mind reaching down to the ground to grab the shoulder strap after your shots, you’ll appreciate the simplicity of carrying the Original Jones Bag. We will say that on those mornings with dew on the ground we leave this bag at home as we prefer not to get both the bag and ourselves any more wet.
STYLE
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again. With this bag it’s all Old School. You might not have the features of your buddies’ bags, but you’ll look that much cooler. We can’t deny this bag makes a statement.
The Original Jones Bag comes in five different colors (black, red, grey, green and navy blue), with white trim regardless of color and available embroidery customization. The handle on the spine of the bag has a bit of flair, as it is actually two separate pieces of material that are twisted around each other. Fancy that!
INNOVATION
The Original Jones Bag doesn’t break new ground in terms of features, but it sure has been a while since we have used a bag like this. Does bringing back an old standby count as innovation, perhaps in simplicity? We leave you to judge. Oh wait, we will too.
COST/VALUE
At $139.95 retail, the Original Jones Bag is the one of the less expensive carry bags in our tests, though not the cheapest. It is well-made, but if it’s features you want, you don’t have to pay much (or any) more for legs, pockets, hooks, rain hoods, and so forth. The price is on the high side for what you get, but those who value one of the most iconic bags in the game updated with slightly newer materials might just be willing to spring for this.
A little marketing on how to: “Simplify and Golf.”
Model year: 2013