Budapest XII. kerület Sharpie inserted all the way into the pen holder on Tony’s Sun Mountain golf bag.
Reisterstown I own pretty many Sun Mountain products—golf bag, push cart, rain suit, travel case—and I’m generally satisfied with all of them. I even defended Sun Mountain’s rain suits after all that trouble at the Ryder Cup. But Sun Mountain golf bags (and golf bags that Sun Mountain makes for Titleist) have an annoying defect that I first pointed out to the company, to no avail, eight or ten years ago: the pen holder on the bag (see photo above) is too shallow to engage the pocket clip on the cap of a Sharpie, which is the de facto official indelible ball-marking pen of the game of golf. As a result, the pen holder cannot be used for the only thing it’s meant to be used for. If you put a Sharpie in the pen holder on a Sun Mountain golf bag, the Sharpie will fall out, either during your golf round or, later, when you throw your bag into the trunk of your car. Making the pen holder a half-inch deeper would cost nothing but would solve the problem. Why hasn’t this been done?
Thank you! Has always bugged me as well. Maybe this will prompt a fix to what is otherwise a great product. On a side note, I really enjoy this blog, thanks for the work you put into it.
Sharpie does make “mini” versions of its pens that fit perfectly into the pen pocket. Also, I’ve found that the mini pens are more suitable for marking the ball in any event. Give it a try … proverbial two birds with one stone!
Long time listener, first time caller… Amen! Sun Mountain needs to fix this. Although I do like Rob’s clever solution as well, it shouldn’t be up to customers to work around design flaws.
Oh, and they need to make their bags so they don’t start falling apart in the first 9 months of use. Everything else about Sun Mountain bags is great–design, colors, weight, club dividers, etc.–but it’s practically a disposable bag in terms of durability. I won’t drop $180 every year. My original PING Hoofer (10+ years old) has faded but is completely intact otherwise. C’mon Sun Mountain! Step up!
If you notice, the pen pocket is about the exact depth of a typical golf course pencil. Perhaps that’s how they determined the depth. If the pocket were any deeper, and being as skinny as it is, you would not be able to get the golf course pencil out. Maybe they need a pencil pocket and a Sharpie pocket.
Just bought a Sun Mountain carry bag last month. It has two pockets now – one for a golf pencil and one deep enough for a Sharpie. Problem solved.
AMEN!!!!! (nodding head up and down vigorously!)
The small sharpie, which was designed for golf, fits perfectly.
My sharpie is so old is no longer has a clip. I stick mine is head down, and it never, ever falls out.
Not sure why “it” and “in” showed up as “is” in my previous post. Duly corrected.
So true! Lost a few Sharpies before I just gave up trying to use it.
I love this blog! Keep it up!
There is a second Design Law that Sun Mountain must address immediately in order to stay current with the equipment desires of today’s golfer: The wide-mouthed opening for putters on all C130 bags is not “wide-open” enough to hold a putter with the “fatso” Stroke Saver grip….an innovation used by an ever increasing number of golfers! “Fix it, Sun Mountain or lose us forever” (inspired by Meg Ryan in TOP GUN)
The new C-130s fix this problem… My green sharpie is perfectly happy in it.
1st world problems
Agreed, the pocket is more likely designed for short pencils.
I never considered marking my ball on the course, always mark them when I buy them (few minutes work while watching the telly) and am done with it.
I have never had a Sharpie fall out of my pen holder slot. I’m talking the full size, garden-variety blue Sharpie. Never.
I have been an avid Sun Mountain customer forever and have always found this feature annoying as well. I end up with my sharpie in a side pocket and have to dig through other stuff to find it. It would be great if this worked the way it was intended.
Moe Dweck
Moegolf.net
“I own PRETTY MANY Sun Mountain products”
Really? Two questions. Do you consider yourself a writer? Did you have any formal education in writing? I didn’t think so. Just curious.
Gotta go with the short sharpie. They should include in their directions for use.