Sunday Best

Why lug a full bag around on a sunny Sunday, when you’re not competing and a handful of clubs are all you need?  

by Tony Dear

If there is a quiet part of the year in the modern golf equipment industry it’s summertime. Manufacturers generally aren’t in big-time, major release, Orlando-mode, so it provides a great opportunity to talk about products you may not be familiar with but which certainly warrant a mention and could potentially fill an important gap in your gear.

Chipp Golf Co., a new glove-maker that donates some of its sales to charity and non-profits got some much-deserved coverage a couple of weeks ago. This week’s Colorado AvidGolfer equipment spotlight shines on a company that has, admittedly, been around for a couple of years and whose wares some of you may have benefitted from for a while, but news spreads slowly sometimes and firms making worthwhile equipment that few others do are always worth knowing aboutWe included a Sunday Golf product in our Father’s Day list of recommended items, and had a few readers request a little more information in the days after. Sunday Golf was founded by Irish-born Ronan Galvin, a keen but far from zealous or intense golfer who grew up in San Diego. The Gonzaga graduate spent a few years in China working in golf bag development without actually playing the game, not taking it up, in fact, until he’d returned to the US when he began playing the famous Par 3 course at the Loma Club, just a mile or so from San Diego International Airport.

Galvin, together with business partners Casey Matthews and Galen Brunelle, describes his firm as ‘relatable’ rather than ‘aspirational’. He’d rather play well than badly, certainly, but doesn’t live or die on his scorecard. Golf, for Galvin at least, is about having fun and spending time with friends, not fretting about swingpaths or spin-rates.

What Galvin does get serious about is the quality of his company’s products. Sourcing the right materials and designing something that ticks as many boxes as possible is all-important.

The debut product, a lightweight, pencil-thin golf bag named after the nine-hole course Galvin played at, was launched in 2020. Unlike other Sunday bags that had come before, the Loma had collapsible legs that could be disabled with a Velcro fastener that kept them closed. There’s also a Velcro section for attaching a glove and tees.

Sunday Golf has since introduced a slightly larger version of the original – the Loma XL which had a couple more pockets and could handle a couple more clubs – and the El Camino. And, in April, it launched a standard-sized bag – the Ryder 23 – which is built for the cart-rider who likes an occasional walk. It safely holds an entire set separating them with a full-length, five-way divider.

We’ve been trying the Loma and can’t say enough about it. It carries six clubs with relative ease – we had a driver, 5-hybrid, 6-iron, 9-iron, SW – 56˚ , and putter. The weight reduction was nice, but trying a variety of different shots with fewer clubs was fun too. There’s a comfortable shoulder-strap, an insulated pocket that keeps your beverage cold, and a velour-lined pocket for valuables.

You probably won’t see Harry Diamond, Ted  Scott or Adam Hayes carrying one during the Open Championship at Hoylake later this month, but we certainly do recommend they and their bosses take one out for quiet, casual rounds in whatever off-season they get.

Loma

Price – $140
Weight – 1.9lbs
Carries – Up to six clubs
Colors – 14 colorways

Loma XL

Price – $170
Weight – 3.4lbs
Carries – Up to eight clubs
Colors – Eight colorways

El Camino

Price – $190
Weighs – 3.9lbs
Carries – Up to ten clubs
Colors – Eight colorways

Ryder 23

Price – $230
Weighs – 4.9lbs
Carries – Up to 14 clubs
Colors – Five colorways

sundaygolf.com

 

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Colorado AvidGolfer Magazine is the state’s leading resource for golf and the lifestyle that surrounds it, publishing eight issues annually and proudly delivering daily content via coloradoavidgolfer.com.

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