Carry straps on a golf bag are important, but you probably don't think too much about them. You get a new golf bag, adjust the straps once to fit how you like to carry it, and then you never think about it again.
If you're a walking golfer, you want your carry straps to fit right and lay comfortably on your shoulders for the duration of your round. But what if your carry strap could do so much more? What if your carry straps could play music and give you yardages?
Now, there's a carry strap that does just that. Stitch Golf and Bushnell Golf have come out with a new carry strap that's unlike anything I've ever seen.
The Stitch Link strap is a collaboration between the two companies on a new carry strap -- available as a double or single -- that has integrated slots for a Bushnell Golf Bluetooth speaker and GPS unit. The Bushnell Wingman Bluetooth speaker and Phantom 3 Slope GPS are sold with the strap, which has molded, magnetic slots in which the products are inserted.
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It's a $350 package, with the strap, speaker and GPS unit, all of which are waterproof. When broken down into its components, the pricing becomes clearer. The Wingman Mini speaker retails for $110 (it's $80 right now as a holiday promotion), and the Phantom 3 Slope GPS retails for $170 (though it's $130 right now). That means the strap itself is about $80 to get to that price point.
The strap itself is made from Stitch's Touring Fabric, just like in their golf bags. The Link strap is meant to fit all Gen 2 bags from the company. The shoulder pads on the Link are wider and a little firmer than the stock strap that comes with the SL2, for example. Naturally, the Link strap is a bit heavier, too -- even without the Bushnell products inserted into it. However, the added weight of the speaker and GPS really don't mean much to a walker. Really, the biggest drag on a walking golfer is the extra junk in the pockets of the bag, pulling down on the golfer as they trek a course.
The speaker is housed in the padding joining the two shoulder straps, and it sits at the top middle of your back. That makes it easy to hear the music you're playing, using whatever app you'd like, without having to blast it so that you can hear it as you walk.
The GPS unit sits on the right shoulder strap, and you can see it while looking down as you walk. What's more likely, though, is that you'll put the bag down, then look at the strap for the GPS measurements, which by default display numbers to the front, middle and back of the green. Practically every course in the world is included in the touchscreen unit, and it can deliver the numbers verbally.
The convenience of not having to carry a GPS in your pocket or a bag pocket is great. I'm personally a laser guy, so I don't get as much utility out of the GPS as others might, but it's definitely handy to lighten the load and know you have easy access to numbers.
For me, the big benefit is the speaker. I like playing music on the golf course, but I also like walking. Typically, most people who play music on the course wind up riding, and they have to turn up the sound quite a bit to hear when they're not at the cart itself. This way, I can play the music I want, at a reasonable volume, and I can take it with me everywhere on the course. I know there are some speakers out there with clips to hitch onto your golf bag, but they can be annoying when they're dangling around along with any towels or bag tags on the same hook.
Operating both the speaker and the GPS while they're embedded in the bag is pretty easy. All of the GPS buttons are available on the front of the unit, and they're easily accessible from the strap. The speaker is a little trickier if you want to use the on-board volume buttons, but most people can just use their phone to adjust the output volume and be fine.
The units will eventually run out of power, and they charge via USB cables that are included. Removing either product from the strap takes a little bit of jimmying with your fingers, but that also gives me confidence that both products are quite secure in their molded slots on the strap.
For as good of an idea as this collab is, however, there are are some drawbacks.
The cost is the big concern. Even knowing the component costs, a $350 package is not cheap. As I mentioned, the allure of the Link for me is the speaker. I don't really need the GPS part, but it's sold as a package. I don't have to put the Phantom 3 or the Wingman Mini in the strap every time, but I would just as happily buy the strap solely for the speaker.
The product also locks you into buying two specific products from Bushnell. Bushnell makes awesome stuff. It's not that at all. The issue is what happens if and when the products break somewhere down the line. You'll have to find exact replacements to keep the utility of the strap, and that may not be easy to do in 3-5 years. Then again, you might be willing to ditch the whole package by then in favor of a new bag. There should be an option to buy the strap alone for people who already have the speaker and GPS.
Right now, the Stitch Link is made just for Stitch Gen 2 bags. Eventually, it sounds like there might be other manufacturers who get involved. So, if you want to get in on this now, you'll need a Stitch bag -- which is kind of the point, right?
The Stitch Link strap is a genuinely cool, unique product. It looks good, works well both functionally and practically. The price point is going to be a concern for some, but the component value is there for sure, and the utility is unmatched. It's definitely worth a look.
