The Top 10 Coolest Special Edition Tour Bags

Tour bags. Go on, admit it, you want one. You certainly wanted one when you were a junior golfer. You had the comically oversized white bath towel, the gleaming irons. All you needed was the special-edition tour bag and you were set. But which ones did you prize above the others? While I can’t claim to speak for everyone, these are my 10 favourite limited-edition tour bags, brought out to celebrate major championships. If I had the money and the space, you better believe that I would own every single one of them. 

Cobra 2020 US Open Tour Bag 

Usually, I steer well clear of Cobra equipment after a bad run with an old King driver. This bag, however. Yup, I’m making an exception. It’s just so cool. And I’m neither American nor an American fan, but there’s something about that stars and stripes theme that really suits the bag. I’m not sure how I’d explain the garish Yank theme if I ever summoned up the pennies to buy one, though, so I think I’ll leave repping this kit to Rickie Fowler.   

Bridgestone 2018 Open Championship Tour Bag 

While we’re on the subject of patriotism, I couldn’t pass up the chance to plug this gem of tour bag by Bridgestone. Built to commemorate the 2018 Open, it’s the proud Brit’s answer to the Americana indulgence of the starry Cobra, and a wee bit better looking, if you want my biased opinion. What I like about the Bridgestone is that although it’s themed around a whopping great Union Jack flag plastered across the side of it, it simultaneously manages not to look overstated. That’s a neat trick. 

TaylorMade 2020 Masters Tour Bag (Season Opener) 

Unassuming. Slick. Muted. The limited-edition tour bag that TaylorMade brought out to celebrate the 2020 Masters at the start of this year is the epitome of classy. It makes a nice change of pace from the other, more garish bags in this list, as well. Finally, it’s got the special pedigree of being the only bag of my picks not to have actually seen major action, despite being designed to commemorate one. That’s right, TaylorMade designed this bag to be used in the Masters this April, but because of Covid-19 it got shelved. It remains to be seen whether the brand will design a new tour bag for November. If it does, expect to see this original version become a collectors’ item. 

Callaway 2016 Open Championship Tour Bag 

Gold and blue don’t sit naturally together in my book, but Callaway somehow made the colour scheme work in this tour bag it produced to celebrate the 2016 Open. Famously, the 2016 Open, held at Royal Troon, was won by the charismatic Swede Henrick Stenson, after he went toe-to-toe with Phil Mickelson and then ultimately edged Lefty aside to claim the trophy.

Callaway 2014 Masters Tour Bag 

Another Callaway here. This time the major in question is the Masters. For 2014, Callaway decked out its tour players’ bags in the Masters’ distinctive green, yellow and white colour scheme. Although it loses a few realism points for not including any stitching of pink azaleas, it does include Arnold Palmer’s signature, the dates of his wins embroidered into the base and a crown logo. The King may be dead, but his spirit lives on both in golf and especially in this limited-edition bag. 

Titleist 2018 Open Championship Tour Bag 

It may just be my imagination or poor Googling skills, but Titleist doesn’t seem to be a great producer of special-edition bags. Moreover, when they do finally make a super chocolate fudge coated tour bag, its look tends to be subtle. But that’s no bad thing. My pick of the rather slim bunch is the yellow-themed one they cooked up for the 2018 Open. The yellow detailing is nice, but it isn’t overpowering – an easy trap to fall into. 

TaylorMade 2019 Open Championship Tour Bag 

The standard trick to making a special-edition bag stand out is to go heavy on colours and stitching. This 2019 Open bag from TaylorMade goes the other way. It stands out by texture, namely a cute pattern of in-out hexagons variously embossed and indented on the side. Its blue, white and red colour scheme is very deftly done. Many special-edition bags are nice but could be a bit embarrassing to haul out on a company workday, but this under-the-radar TaylorMade could be brandished with no fear. 

Callaway 2016 US Open Tour Bag 

Wind your mind back to the 2016 US Open. Probably your memory is of Dustin Johnson cruising to victory. You probably didn’t remember this sexy little number from Callaway. Boy, is it fine. Who ever thought murky yellowy-beige trim could be so appealing? A United States flag and eagle logo woven into the bag’s top lends a personal touch. Despite myself, I rather like it. 

Callaway 2020 PGA Championship Tour Bag 

Collin Morikawa slipped his driver into one of these after unleashing THAT tee shot on 16, setting up the eagle that won him the 2020 US PGA. Sure, the shot was pretty, but I reckon that the bag is – if it’s possible – even nicer, with its San-Francisco-inspired appearance, logo, subtle nod to Harding Park in the tree image that adorns one of the ball pockets… It’s the little things that count, but this bag ticks all the boxes. 

TaylorMade 2009 Open Championship Tour Bag 

I end on a throwback. A long, long throwback all the way back to 2009 when Stewart Cink beat Tom Watson. I recall the futuristic bag I saw sported by TaylorMade staffers battling Turnberry. It looks like something that’s been ripped from the set of Star Trek, a comms device for the Borg. Maybe it was.

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