The Titleist Players S4 StaDry stand bag is looking to improve on the previous generation with more than just a seasonal color update, bringing significant improvements for complete player comfort
When you’re looking for the best stand bag for your game, the requirements are normally pretty universal. We want the bag to be comfortable to wear, we want enough space – for our clubs and our essentials, and obviously we want it to look good. With their new Players S4 carry bag, Titleist are aiming to give golfers a completely uncompromising option that doesn’t just tick the boxes, it leads the industry.
I’ve spent the last month putting the S4 through it’s paces to see how it handles all the conditions I could think to put it through, and I’ve been more than pleasantly surprised during my time playing with it.
Quick Verdict
Every change made to the Titleist Players S4 bag has been worth the brand’s investment in time and money to develop, with strong performance in every category. Comfort and convenience is paramount, without losing any of the expected level of style from a Titleist product. A well-made, well-designed carry option that will provide guaranteed and continued quality for as long as you need it; a superb golf bag.
Class and style, backed by outstanding engineering
Pros & Cons Ratings Specs Features
Pros Comfortable from start to finish with updated double strap and increased shoulder paddingMaterial quality is fantastic with long term durabilityRedesigned club organizer makes a genuine difference Cons Straps can still occasionally twist into themselves RRP $310 / £300 Colorways 6 options Dividers 4-way, full length Weight 4.7 lbs / 2 kg Pockets 8 Strap Premium Double Strap More pockets for improved organization and enhanced storage capacityNew 5-way top cuff minimizes club entanglement and improves accessUpdated strap design and materials for superior weight distribution, balance, and comfortRedesigned Stand System to deliver reliable leg deployment, security, and stabilityUpgraded materials throughout the bag are highly resistant to abrasion, tears, and UV exposure
Design and Quality: 5/5
Let’s face it, the first thing that’s going to make you interested in a golf bag is the styling. Everything else is definitely more important, but how good a bag looks is still the overwhelming reason we pull one from the shelf, or look through pictures on the web, so we need to treat this aspect just as seriously.
Thankfully, Titleist know this too, and the Players S4 StaDry stand bag is certainly one of the best-looking options on the market, with great framing and a clean, timeless aesthetic fitting the image of the brand as well as providing plenty of appeal.
It’s not by coincidence either. The engineering team (yes, there is a Titleist R&D Department for golf bags) has spent the last 12 months experimenting with new materials and fabrics to bring an even more premium look and feel to the Players series.
The improved fabrics are softer on the eyes and hands, but look sturdy at the same time, balancing the all the design aspects that were asked for from feedback, collected from elite, college-level amateurs, within the package.
To complete the Players S4 StaDry model, the color schemes on offer provide enough variation that you’ll have an option to suit your fashion, including a classic black and white number or the bright red, white, and blue that I’ve been using.
Storage and Accessibility: 4/5
From experience, there’s always a choice when it comes to bag storage: you can either reduce the pockets make carrying more comfortable or you increase space at the cost of how well the bag sits against your back (as well adding the obvious weight).
I think the Titleist Players S4 StaDry manages to toe the line between the two options as best as possible, even if it is something of a difficult compromise that often seems like a lose-lose situation.
The largest pockets are ideally placed for maximizing size while also being unobtrusive into the bag, and the valuables pouch stands out in how easy it is to reach and identify while on the move.
The smaller ball and tee storage on the front of the bag still have plenty of room, particularly the larger of the two, and I’m also a fan of the magnetically sealing drinks holder built into the side – all of your essentials are within easy reach of each other, just making for a smoother experience in general.
My only grief is that I can’t carry as much as I’d want to in the large pockets before they fill up, certainly in comparison to my cart bag. I’d rather not have to make a choice between snacks and additional drinks over making space for clothing or the bag’s headcover and while I can try to stuff it all in, it’s certainly makes things less comfortable.
In fairness, this isn’t a problem with this specific model, but it’s just as present here as with other carry bags, albeit better than I expected to find.
Durability and Performance: 5/5
In my month of play with the Players S4 StaDry, I’ve been through just about everything that the British weather has to offer, bar snow, making for the perfect testing conditions with a carry bag. The start of April had me wandering through rain and sticky mud, which turned into sand and dust by May; normally I’d complain about the forever changing conditions, but it’s been perfect to see how the bag copes across them all.
With the exception of some early dirt on the legs, which came off with a quick spray of water and a wipe down, the Titleist Players S4 StaDry has remained remarkably clean. The improved materials are super easy to wipe down, making for barely any inconvenience post-round, and they’ve retained the ‘pop’ in their color since I first opened the delivery.
Although I will concede that it’s only been a month since I started using this bag, I’m confident I’ll be happy playing this bag for years. Titleist having improved the new generation of Players bags with 50% more UV resistance, meaning it’ll be even longer before the sunlight starts to fade the material and color – less important for me in the UK, but a great guarantee if you live in Arizona, California, or similar!
Comfort and Ergonomics: 4.5/5
I might have found the most comfortable stand bag in the world with the Players S4 StaDry, even more so than the ever-popular Ping Hoofer bags.
Normally I have to invest in the tour bag-style options to find straps comfortable enough, but it always comes with the downside of those models being the heaviest on the market, which can be an obvious energy drain while walking the course.
Titleist have acknowledged this, and rebuilt the strap system with a tangible difference in padding thickness.
Combined with the lightweight 5-pound/2.25-kilo weight, the Players S4 StaDry makes for a phenomenally easy carry for both 9 and 18 hole games. I’ve gone back and forth between the S4 StaDry and my own bag, but the comfort and weight change is making an astounding difference in how much extra bounce I have in my steps down the 18th, making this an easy decision in which model I’d rather use.
My one complaint is that the straps do occasionally twist around themselves when taking the bag on and off, although this only happens once every couple of rounds so I don’t think it should cost the Players S4 StaDry more than half a star in the category rating.
Club organization: 5/5
Titleist have massively stepped up their game in this department with the S4 StaDry stand, and it might be reason enough on it’s own for you to invest in the new model.
The top cuff has been expanded through the handle section to be wider as well as slightly deeper, providing far more space for shafts to sit alongside each other and stopping grips from grabbing either themselves or the internal walls of the bag.
It makes for an incredibly smooth experience, with clubs moving in and out with minimal resistance. It’s a positive at any time, but I’ve been surprised by how much calmer I am after pulling out driver without it catching, especially after missing a clutch putt for to save par on the previous green.
There’s not much else I can say here, other than it’s a fantastic adaption that is a genuine help with relaxation on the course.
Final Verdict: 4.7/5
The Titleist Players S4 StaDry Stand Bag feels like it’s achieved the perfect middle ground between lightweight usability and premium-level comfort and design.
Every new element built into the bag is justified and welcome, even the stuff that you wouldn’t even to think about, making for one of the best stand bags available. When Titleist say they want to bring the same quality and care to their soft goods that they do to their clubs and balls, they really mean it, and the Players S4 StaDry is the best embodiment of that.
Similar golf bags to consider
Pros & Cons
Pros Feels incredibly light yet carries everythingPerfect pocket layout with quick, easy accessSuperbly comfortable straps and ergonomic designDurable, practical features built for year-round play Cons Honestly, I couldn’t find any
Price: £399.00 / $398.00