By ED TRAVIS
Vessel has become the standard in the premium end of the bag market and the updated Player VI models refined the popular Player V model with a more convenient top and improved base stability.
FAST FACTS
Vessel Player VI Stand Bag
Micropebbled synthetic leather
Top size 10.4″L x 9.5″W
6-way (7.4 lbs.) or 14-way (7.6 lbs.) top
Carbon fiber legs
Putter well
18 pockets – 10 exterior, 8 interior
Double Strap
Cart strap pass-through
$449
Vessel Player VI Pro Stand Bag
Micropebbled synthetic leather
Top size 11.4” L x 10” W
7-way (7.8 lbs.) or 14-way (7.85 lbs.) top
Carbon fiber legs
Putter well
19 pockets – 10 exterior, 9 interior
Double Strap
Cart strap pass-through
$499
WYNTK
At last year’s PGA Show Ronnie Shaw Vessel’s CEO contradicted the feeling some people have that a golf bag is a golf bag.
That may be true in some cases but in Vessel’s case their bags are at a different level, which is evident even to those of us who don’t have a background in bag design and construction.
Shaw is passionate about his company’s bags and described to me the numerous factors and effort that goes into their products making them worth a premium price.
Vessel began making bags for Nike when Nike was still in the golf equipment business, but when that ended, they brought an ultra-premium bag to market under their own name and it was soon seen on several professional tours. Their bags are made from the highest quality materials with obsessive care to the details from design to personalization.
Shaw said he knows making a product that is 80% of the best that can be done is relatively straightforward however, “Pushing it to 100% is very difficult and it’s the magic that produces true value.”
He illustrated this with bag features pioneered by Vessel such as carbon fiber stand legs, magnetic closures for pockets and waterproof zippers, which if you have ever been caught in the rain is a big plus. Vessel holds patents on a self-adjusting double strap used for stand bags which also have a patented low-profile base that rotates so it is always flat on the ground. Combined with the wide spreading legs it makes for great stability regardless of the terrain.
Shaw also talked about the future saying they have a five-year roadmap of new product introductions they were following. Presently stand bags make up approximately 45% of their volume, cart bags 30% and tour bags 5%. Incidentally touring pros think so much of Vessel bags they pay for them, a strong commentary on Vessel bag’s quality.
I asked about the pricing, especially of their popular stand bags which are at the very top of the bag price spectrum and Shaw quickly responded there were no plans for a down-market bag at any price.
