Review: Ogio Vision SS and Syncro Golf Bags - O-Gee, O me, Oh my…

Michael White

Posted 2007-01-14

I have to chuckle in retrospect when I think about my first golf bag as a kid. It was brown and white vinyl, with a piece of nylon webbing for a strap, and one ball pocket with a grouchy metal zipper. Essentially, it was a plastic tube with a strap. Even though I’m not that old (I swear,) -golf bags have sure come a long way over the last few years. Ogio had announced some time ago that they would be coming out with a revolutionary carrying system very much like a “yoke,” that would change the way we carry our bags. It was a while in development, and people waited with much anticipation. Ogio has brought their revolutionary system to market, and it is called the “Shling.”

I had converted to using a push cart a couple seasons ago, (see the Syncro review later in this article.) As a larger guy, I just never was able to comfortably get two straps over my shoulders without a contortion act that rivaled something out of the Cirque de Soleil. Inevitably, I would end up carrying my bag on one shoulder, and not utilize both straps. By the end of a round, I could feel it, and I was not so sure it was helping my swing any. So the push cart helped to get me around the course in comfort. When Ogio announced the Shling system, I thought I would give it a try, as the “Yoke” only required lifting the bag with one hand onto the shoulders. In other words, no more contortion acts; sounds good to me so far.

The Vision SS arrived at my doorstep and I was eager to give it a try. Upon first inspection, I was impressed by the small details that Ogio is known for. A zipper-less ball pocket opened up with an easy spring-loaded pull much like a toaster oven door to allow easy access to balls. There were numerous pockets, including a wet/dry pocket (you never know when the rain will stop and that wet rain shirt has to go back into the bag.) Valuables are protected in a soft velour-lined pocket. A beverage pocket is within easy reach while the bag is on your shoulders, along with a scorecard and pencil holder. There is also an external ball “Silo” that holds three balls for quick access on re-loads (not that this ever happened, mind you.) The pockets are all well-placed, and the attention to detail is evident, as all the zippers functioned very well, and the bag was void of loose strings. So far, I was very impressed.

One other feature on Ogio bags I wanted to check out first-hand was their “Woode” club management system. This refers to the bag’s top design and club divider system. It is a seven way top (one of which is a putter well,) designed to align the driver and fairway metals along one side of the bag, while dedicating the remainder of the bag to the irons and wedges. The Woode system was featured on both the Syncro and Vision SS bags I tested. Overall, it did a good job of protecting the clubs, keeping them from tangling (although I had some difficulty with placing clubs back in the bag at times) and aligning them in an organized way that made it easy to see the club I wanted and pull it. Unfortunately, on both the Syncro and Vision SS bags, my irons seemed to knock together a lot, as the dividers were space so that the toes of the irons in the top row would hit the heels of the irons or wedges in the next row. There does not seem to be any sort of “elevation” system to the bag’s base that could cure such iron “knocking.” If you have soft forged irons, I hate to say it, but they might get a bit dinged up. One small “tweak” to the Woode system’s base seems like it would easily solve this issue.

The legs of the Vision SS bag deployed easily, and it seemed stable on a variety of lies out on the course. There is a strap to secure the legs from deploying when in a riding cart, and there is also a cart strap to secure the bag to the riding cart (it’s a large stretchy rubber strap that secured the bag to the cart’s bag rail to keep it upright when riding.) These were also thoughtful features by Ogio.

But the main attraction for the Vision SS is its Shling carrying system. It somewhat resembles a nylon Ox yoke, and attaches to the bag at two adjustable points with nylon straps and buckles. Inside of the “yoke” there are two adjustable pads, which slide to three set widths with the push of a button to adjust to the size of your shoulders. Unfortunately, the Shling system, try as I might, never afforded me a comfortable fit. I tried all three shoulder “widths” on the harness, and multiple strap adjustments, but it always seemed to hit me in uncomfortable ways on top of my shoulders and also on my right chest area. I was further frustrated by the Shling system when taking off and putting on the bag. Being you take the bag off with one hand, it tends to dangle in mid air when disengaging it from your shoulders, and it rocks back and forth while hanging there and waiting for the weight of the bag to engage the retractable legs. When placing the bag back onto my shoulders, I was repeatedly hit in the right leg by the bag’s retractable legs as I hoisted it back onto my shoulders. Overall, I have to say I was pretty disappointed by the Shling system. I liked the features of the Vision SS bag itself, but it left me yearning for a retro-fit strap system that would make the bag more comfortable to carry. I only made it a couple rounds with the Shling system before I had to call it quits. The overall weight of the Vision SS is a fairly hefty 5.85 pounds. By the end of my round, I was ready to take it off. A+ to Ogio for the bag’s quality fit and finish and spirit of innovation, but D+ for the overall on-course functionality, -especially when it came to comfort. This is the first foray into the Shling system for Ogio, so perhaps they will make adjustments down the road.

Fortunately, I had a second Ogio bag to fall back on in the form of the Syncro push cart bag. Being I usually push my bag on a Speed Cart, I felt more in my element with this bag strapped to my cart. I was glad to see Ogio had come out with a push cart bag, as it is one segment of the bag industry that is somewhat overlooked by many bag makers.

The Syncro, again, featured the Woode club management system, which worked well overall. It was also prone to the same iron clanging problems that I encountered with the Vision SS’s Woode system. But it kept my clubs organized and at the ready. There is a single strap that has its own storage pocket on the front of the bag. That took up a lot of space on the bag that could have been used for more useful storage pockets or other organizers. It is removable, but there are no quick-release hinges/fasteners to allow it to be stored in a pocket inside the bag.

The Syncro has many pockets. I especially appreciated the two large apparel pockets on each side. It has a large ball pocket on the front. Unfortunately, they did not use the ZBP (Zipperless Ball Pocket) hinged system -like on the Vision SS. I thought that would have made a lot of sense for a bag that is used on a push cart. The ball pocket did, however, feature a Lift Grip handle that is molded into the bag to make lifting the bag in and out of a trunk easier. That was a nice touch.

The fit and finish of the Syncro, again, was beyond excellent. All the zippers worked flawlessly and there were no loose strings to snag zippers. There were again scorecard and pencil holders built in. This seemed a bit superfluous for a bag that is mounted to a push cart, -most of which have scorecard holders built into the cart itself. It also featured the ball “Silo” on the front of the bag. Again, this really is not needed when most push carts have built-in ball holders on their push handles. While the overall storage was very good, these few small features seemed to use up a lot of possible storage space on the Syncro. Ogio is a company with an edge. Their designs exude new thinking and fresh ideas. I was very impressed with the quality of their bags, as well as the thoughtful details that go into their designs. I suppose bags are much like shoes, in that one size doesn’t always fit everyone. I would encourage people to try the Shling system to see if it works for them. Personally, I could never get comfortable with it. But it was quite evident that Ogio gives you your money’s worth in their designs. Perhaps a more conventional two-strapped style from their lineup would be a good compromise. Check out Ogio for yourself, as they have a quality product with lots of fresh thinking. It just might take a few tweaks to take their bags to that next level.

Michael White
Independent Equipment Consultant/Forums Moderator
Golf-Gear-Review.com