TaylorMade FlexTech Waterproof – Key Specs
Weight: 2.1 kilos
Number of pockets: 5 sealed, plus open drinks pouch
Features: Fully waterproof, anti-split stand system, big pockets
Choosing the right golf bag is more important than you may think. Being comfortable on the course is vital if you are going to play your best and having the wrong bag can not only be an unwelcome distraction, it can cause fatigue later in your round which will often result in wayward shots.
The best golf bags are ones you barely notice. If you are thinking about your bag you aren’t thinking about your game and if you are shattered from lugging it around for three hours then your swing is naturally going to be impaired by that.
There are several factors that go into determining which golf bag type is best but the first thing you need to decide is whether you plan on carrying your bag or if you are likely to you use a trolley (or even a buggy)?
If it’s the latter then you need a cart bag but for everyone else a stand bag is the best fit. Stand bags can be very basic or they can be packed with features. As you’d expect, the more features the bag has the higher the price.
A good stand bag should be lightweight, functional, durable and, in an ideal world, fully waterproof. This is particularly important if you happen to play most of your golf in Britain when even the summers are usually dripping wet.
The amount of storage space required depends on the needs of the individual but there are some basic requirements such as a pocket for balls and room for refreshments and waterproofs. And of course, if helps if it looks nice too. Vanity runs rampant in the golf world, even at amateur level.
The FlexTech Waterproof Stand Bag by TaylorMade ticks all of those boxes, which should come as no surprise as TaylorMade make great looking, top quality golf gear.
From Spider putters to the new SIM2 drivers, TaylorMade products are not only high performing, they just always look the part too. They even make some of the best golf balls. That’s why so many of the world’s top golfers are ‘Team TaylorMade’. The huge endorsement contracts help too, obviously.
The FlexTech Waterproof Stand Bag is in the mid-high price bracket but if you shop around you can find it for under £200. Is it worth it? We put it through its paces to find out.
TaylorMade FlexTech Waterproof Stand Bag - Overview
The first thing to note about this bag is that aesthetically it looks terrific. With stand bags generally there isn’t usually a great deal of difference between them. After all, how could there be? For practicality reasons alone there are certain principles they all need to follow when it comes to shape and size.
The pockets are usually in the same places, they all have legs that spring from the same location and it’s mostly just the colour schemes and overall look that set them apart.
This is where TaylorMade have excelled with the FlexTech. It just looks more expensive and classier than most of its competition, even though price wise it compares quite favourably on the whole.
This is a bag that you’d be proud to show off to your friends. Visually it appears bigger than your typical stand bag, it has curves in all the right places while the brighter coloured variations such as the royal blue / silver combo and the ‘driver’ design (so named because it uses the same colour scheme as the TaylorMade Sim2 driver head cover) look sensational.
TaylorMade FlexTech Waterproof Stand Bag: Storage
This bag has plenty of storage space. It has five waterproof welded seam sealed pockets as well as an insulated open pocket to carry a drink. The pockets are larger than standard and as the above photo shows you can comfortably fit a pair of shoes in the apparel pocket and still have plenty of space for any other essentials such waterproofs or refreshments.
The ball pocket is also larger than you would normally find in a stand bag and unlike the Callaway Hyper Dry C stand bag which I also reviewed recently, the valuables pocket was ample sized and I could easily fit my hand in there to retrieve any loose change or to check my phone during the round.
The Callaway bag does have a cool little clip which you can attach your keys to and it sits in the valuables pocket for easy retrieval, and that would perhaps have been a nice little feature on this bag. Still, TaylorMade could argue that the pocket on the FlexTech is large enough that the clip isn’t really needed.
The drinks pocket is a good size too and it’s conveniently located so that you can reach into it while carrying the bag on your back. The pouch is insulated so your refreshment will remain cool throughout your round.
All in all there is more than enough storage space to suit most golfers’ needs and if you need more than this then you really ought to be looking at a tour bag instead. While you’re at it though, you might also need to think about hiring a full time caddie to carry it for you as those things are HEAVY.
TaylorMade FlexTech Waterproof Stand Bag: Functionality
As you’d expect from the name, the bag is totally waterproof and made from high quality, lightweight materials. It comes with a PSI level of 2500mm so even in the most torrential of downpours your clubs will remain dry even if you don’t. It also comes with an easy to attach rain cover.
A five way top features two full length dividers to help keep your clubs in order. An added benefit to this is that if one of your clubs is wet when you put it back in the bag it won’t transfer the water onto the rest of the clubs in there, only the ones which are in the same section.
The FlexTech is lightweight and very comfortable to carry. There are lighter bags out there but the difference in weight is barely noticeable, particularly when you have a full set of clubs in there.
This bag just seems a lot bigger than most other stand bags even if the scales do not reflect it. For the record, it weighs in at 2.1 kilos when empty, which is probably just a fraction above average for a high end stand bag but still impressive considering the extra storage space it has.
The side pocket is deep and wide which probably makes the bag itself look wider than it actually is, while the ball pocket is also much bigger than standard and almost gives this bag the look of a tour bag.
The double strap sits easily on the shoulders without the need for any adjustment but if you do decide you need to tinker with it then it’s a simple enough process of pulling the adjustable straps until it sits at the angle you want.
Just a quick point on the shoulder strap. Depending on which model of the FlexTech you buy the strap may be different. The 2021 model I tested for this review has a more standard, fixed strap, but earlier models have a sliding, self adjusting strap which for whatever reason seems to have been ditched in the newer line.
A grab handle at the top and a nylon strap at the bottom makes lifting the bag in and out of the car very straightforward.
One of the most useful features on this bag is something so simple that you have to wonder why every stand bag doesn’t have it. Anyone who has ever had to use a stand bag on a trolley or a buggy will know awkward it can be getting into the pockets when the fastener strap from the buggy is wrapped around the bag.
The FlexTech does not have that problem because there is a handy little ‘tunnel’ that passes behind the side pocket, allowing you to run the strap through while maintaining easy access to the contents of the bag. This, combined with the ample storage space makes this bag very versatile. It isn’t a natural cart bag but it is perfectly functional.
One slight criticism I have is that if you want to stand the bag up without using the legs, you can do so but it is not the most stable. Other stand bags I have used have been much steadier when standing without the legs.
Also, personally I would have preferred the legs to come with non slip feet but despite this, the anti-split stand system does what it says. You can put this bag down on a laminate floor in your house or the club shop and it won’t do the splits even though it does not have 'feet'.
There’s an umbrella holder as well as a towel ring, which of course doubles up as a GPS / laser range finger clip, and cushioned back pads for added comfort when carrying.
There is no velcro glove fastener on this bag though. This is only a small thing and will not matter to everyone, but it is a handy feature I use all the time and I don’t understand why it isn’t a staple on every stand bag. Even if it does not get used it’s not as though it takes up any extra space or adds weight to the bag. Come on golf manufacturers, add that little velcro glove holder. You know it makes sense.
TaylorMade FlexTech Waterproof Stand Bag: Verdict
Overall, very impressed. This is an excellent bag and well worth the money. There are cheaper alternatives and there are more expensive ones, but regardless of price very few look or perform better than the TaylorMade FlexTech.
Should you buy this over other similarly priced stand bags out there? Well it really depends on how much you are influenced by brand names and whether you like how this bag looks, and that is very much a subjective thing. It looks fantastic to me but beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
If you play TaylorMade clubs then absolutely you should go for this bag, especially if you go with the ‘driver’ colour option that matches your clubs and head covers. The blue and silver combo is also a good match for SIM and SIM2 clubs, while the black and white design will go with anything.
If you do not use TaylorMade clubs but you aren’t too choosy about keeping everything the same brand, then sure, you should seriously consider the TaylorMade FlexTech because it is the kind of bag that although not excessively priced will still earn admiringly glances from fellow golfers when you show up at the course.
