Compact Sports
Wednesday, September 14th, 2011
Bag Boy Mini GT Review – An Excellent Compact Push Cart
Seems that everyone uses a push cart doesn’t it? As far as I can recall the push cart craze started probably about 8 years ago when Sun Mountain created the first Speed Cart. They were an instant hit across clubs everywhere; I remember working behind the counter part time at one of the local municipal courses when these things first started showing up. These push carts were way cooler than the old two wheeled pull carts of generations past, Saturday mornings at this club looked almost like a biker gang clubhouse with all these hot rods lined up and ready to ride. Sun Mountain seems to have just got the ball rolling in the push cart area too, now there are multiple companies that have claimed their own niche in the three-wheeled push cart market. Many may try, but only the one company stands out as Sun Mountain’s true rival in the push cart business, and that company is Bag Boy.
So you need an excellent push cart that folds up nice and compact so that you can fit it in the back of that little two passenger ultra chic sports car of yours? Or maybe for the economically savvy group, you need a small cart to go in the back of your little hybrid car. Or what if you just can’t seem to get the foursome packed up all in the same van when everyone is bringing cart bags, over night bags, and of course push carts on that guy’s weekend? Let’s take a closer look at the Bag Boy Mini GT, shall we? You want it compact? How does 22inches tall, 18inches long, and 14inches wide small sound? It sounds to me like you’ll have plenty of room for golf bag, cart, shoes, balls, umbrella, rain gear.well, you get the idea. It’s real small alright? Bag Boy claims it is the most compact fold in golf, and after using the Sun Mountain cart for so long, I tend to believe it and enjoy this about the Mini GT. You’re probably sitting there wondering “How does it get so small? I won’t try and pretend to know all of the technical talk behind this thing so I’ll just give it to you like I see it, first a simple push bottom mechanism is engaged, as the cart begins to fold the wheels retract much like other carts, but instead of a simple fold-in-half kind of motion the Mini GT seems to compress as it folds in, after the simple lever is pulled to fold the front wheel in presto, you’re folded up and ready to stow away in even the smallest of trunks.
So far we’ve covered the fact that it folds down really small, this is a good thing. We’ve also concluded that the Mini GT looks as sweet as any push cart you can buy today, another good thing. So far so good, but how well does the thing work? First and foremost we’ll talk about how the bag fits on the cart. I didn’t find this to be too much different than other push carts I’ve used and this is actually a really perfect thing. I tried the Bag Boy Mini GT with three different kinds of bags, first was my speed cart bag, and as you can about imagine, it was perfect. The bag was easy to load, unload, and lock in place on the Mini GT and I found absolutely nothing that I would change in this respect. Second I was able to get a hold of a stand bag for my test and it worked fine, equally easy to load and unload, but locking it in place did require me to adjust the attached bungee cords quite a bit in order to get a secure fit that would ensure I wouldn’t lose clubs all over the place right off the first tee box. Lastly I snatched up a full bore cart bag and this thing fit like a dream. Once in place and secured with the bungee this baby was ready! Anymore it seems that more and more people I know are going with cart bags as they are usually sitting atop their push carts or if the push cart didn’t make the trek they’re strapping it on the back of a riding cart. Regardless of the bag you have, rest assured that you are in good hands with the Mini GT and its fully adjustable bungee straps.
So far I’m sure you’re getting the impression that I am quite enamored by the Mini GT, well so far you would be right with that assumption. Up to this point the Mini GT has delivered far and away more than I could have expected, so far however, I haven’t gotten to the first tee yet. Don’t worry, nothing tragic is going to happen in our story today, but honestly as great as I am feeling about the cart to this point I was a little bit let down on how it ultimately stacked up to the cart I had grown to love. Don’t get me wrong, the Mini GT still performed fine, but it didn’t quite glide down the fairways like I’m used to my cart doing. Another concern was that the stability of the Mini GT just didn’t seem to be quite as rock solid as you’d hope for in a push cart. It had a tendency to feel a bit wobbly; I kept feeling like I was just moments away from tipping my whole rig on its side as I gave it a shove in my intended direction. The thing is, it never once tipped, not that I was ever intentionally trying to tip it, but using it exactly as I would use it every day, I did not have a single wipe out. I did have one thing that kept bothering me each time I used the Mini GT and I’m not 100% certain, but I think it can be easily remedied with a small wrench. See, the handle of the Mini GT is height adjustable completely independent of the wheel retraction mechanism, this is great because there are often times that I like my handle a little bit lower but in the Sun Mountain Speed Cart model I have that requires a pretty significant reduction of my wheel base, most likely leading to more wipe outs. So anyway, because the handle height is independent the locking mechanism on the cart I tested kept on slipping on me as I would go to pop the front wheel up for sharper turns and U-turns. Again, I didn’t go as far as actually putting a wrench to the cart, but if I did, I’m pretty sure that issue could be fixed. At least I hope because it did become a little bit of a pain!
Well you know I loved the size, looks, the bag fit, the drink holder, the height adjustable handle, and the sweet G-Force wheels. You also know that I wasn’t completely impressed with the ease of rolling it compared to the Sun Mountain I own, you heard me voice my concerns of the stability (albeit with no crashes to speak of), and I told you about my issue with the height adjustable handle slippage. The question at hand is, would I recommend this cart to a friend, or would I personally purchase this cart if I was in the market for a push cart right now? The answer is it depends. It depends on the needs of the person who will be using the cart. If you need a cart that you can squeeze into a tight trunk and you aren’t currently using something else, then I say yes I would absolutely recommend the Bag Boy Mini GT Push Cart to you. After all, a couple of the most important things for you are size, and getting your heavy bag off your shoulders. If you’re driving around in a pickup truck, suburban, or a hummer and space really isn’t that big of a deal, then I’d say perhaps you should shop around to see if another model might better fit your needs. While I might not point to the Mini GT first, I’d certainly be sure to tell you to see what Bag Boy has to offer because they certainly go well beyond just the Bag Boy Mini GT in their push cart stable!
For more information about golf push carts and a look at a Bag Boy Mini GT Review please visit my premier golf swing website, with news and reviews updated weekly.
|
|
Taylor Digital Minute/Second Timer $1.29 EASY-TO-READ 0.7″ LCD READOUTMINUTE/SECOND TIMING TIMES UP TO 99 MIN & 59 SECCOUNTS UP OR DOWNWATER RESISTANTCLIP/MAGNET/STANDINCLUDES 1 AAA BATTERYUPC : 077784058060Shipping Dimensions : 6.00in X 4.50in X 1.25inEstimated Shipping Weight : 0.2033… |
|
|
Thermos Nissan 26-Ounce Travel Companion Stainless-Steel Insulated Bottle $20.10 Virtually unbreakable, this lightweight, vacuum-insulated thermos travels to work or recreation easily, and for hours afterward, coffee, tea, or broth will still be hot. Or lemonade, iced tea, or a sports drink will still be chilled. Tapered toward the top and slim enough (11 inches high, 3 inches in diameter at bottom) to safely pour with one hand, it slips into a briefcase or backpack. Pouring i… |
|
|
FoodSaver FreshSaver Handheld Vacuum Sealing System Food prepping ahead of time means less time spent in the kitchen and more time to enjoy with family and friends. Slice up an array of deli meats and cheeses for a party platter, then keep it fresh and ready to go with the help of this rechargeable handheld vacuum sealer. Designed for use with the FoodSaver vacuum zipper bags and FoodSaver deli containers, the cordless unit removes the air with the… |
|
|
The Olympics – All-Time Greatest Hits! $12.98 … |
|
|
GORDON LIGHTFOOT-EAST OF MIDNIGHT $67.00 Pads – Brake Components & Pads related product.( 1.8L(Front Pair))… |
|
|
Body Bingo Audio Cd $15.95 PARENT’S CHOICE GOLD AWARD WINNER!Teaching creative movement just got a whole lot easier with Body BingoTM. Just pop the CD into your player and follow along. Body BingoTM is designed to stimulate the imagination while improving coordination, balance and agility. Upbeat music with easy-to-follow narration challenges students to perform body identification, locomotor and non-locomotor movement sk… |
|
|
Stack-On PDS-500 Drawer Safe with Electronic Lock $39.85 … |
|
|
SABRE RED Compact Pepper Spray with Quick Release Key Ring $4.45 Cool style and hot protection are combined in SABRE’s most popular key chain design. This sleek; compact pepper spray delivers a strong balistic stream to reduce wind blow back. Providing extremely practical protection; SABRE permits distance from your threat with its ten (10) foot range; and its quick release key ring and attachment clip ensure its accessible when needed! Protect yourself and you… |
|
|
Nebo Redline Tactical Flashlight Strobe S.O.S 220 Lumen #5581 $34.99 Nebo Redline Tactical Flashlight Strobe S.O.S 220 Lumen #5581… |
|
|
The Ultimate Street Car Challenge 3 $14.99 The Ultimate Street Car Challenge is like “Survivor” for car guys. Ten of America’s ultimate street-legal cars, voted in by the readers of Sport Compact Car magazine, go head-to-head in a winner takes-all fight for the coveted USCC trophyCompetitors blow-up, burn-out, and nearly destroy their cars in a gauntlet of power and handling tests. Huge smokey burnouts, wild 360 spins and in-car video ta… |