Bag Boys' mini-push cart a must have, and other cart news

I'm a big push cart guy and recently when I got a smaller car to save gas, my trunk got smaller and my old big Bag Boy push cart wouldn't fit in as easily with my golf bag (I carry a staff size adidas).

I love to walk the course. It's a great way to get 4 or 5 miles of walking in and golf, too. I've tried a number of push carts and always seem to come back to Bag Boy. Given my smaller car, I was curious about a smaller push cart.

So I tried a Mini GT push cart from Bag Boy. The thing folds down in one motion and is as small as an average sized suitcase. It slides into my 12 cubic foot trunk (told you it was small) and allows me to stick in my bag with ease. I can even get my son's stand bag in there as well.

Pushing the Bag Boy around is easy. The rubber tires don't require air -- or run out of it -- and glide along the grass or pavement. You almost feel like you're doing no work. The cart adjusts to any height easily. About my only quibble is I'd like the storage compartment a bit bigger for my iPhone to slide in comfortably with the SkyCaddie.

Even if I had a bigger trunk, I still think this is the cart I'd want to push. It's stylish, it's smart and it works well. I would grade it 3.5 stars out of 4. If the storage area was a tad bigger, this would be a perfect product.

Now, a little more push cart news:

The Bag Boy Company donated 24 Automatic push carts to the 2009 PING Junior Solheim Cup to be held on August 17 - 19 at the Aurora Golf Club in Illinois. Making it easy to identify the teams on the golf course, the Americans will be rolling red Bag Boy Automatic push carts while the Europeans will be pushing yellow carts.

Push carts are being allowed for the first time this year in the history of the PING Junior Solheim Cup. During the 2008 season, the AJGA permitted the use of push carts in Junior All-Star events or at any event where a player obtained a doctor’s note indicating a medical need and named the Bag Boy Company the “Preferred Push Cart of the AJGA.” Last year, many juniors used push carts in Junior All-Star tournaments and five pushed their way to victories. The positive acceptance of this new policy among players along with the health concerns associated with carrying bags prompted the AJGA Board of Directors to allow the use of push carts during all AJGA tournaments in 2009.

In 2009, over 260 AJGA junior golfers from 24 states and 6 countries have used push carts in play. Among those 260 golfers using push carts, 33 finished in the top-3. In addition, eight champions using push carts averaged 2.6 strokes fewer than their opponents.

“The rise in push cart usage among junior golfers has been very positive,” says Craig Ramsbottom, President of the Bag Boy Company. “Push carts are widely used and viewed as ‘cool’ among the European players so we are pleased to see the Americans following this trend.”

-- Langston Wertz Jr.
lwertz@charlotteobserver.com
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