The Bag Boy XLT-15 Review: Continuing the Company’s Innovative Approach?

Would a Bag Boy XLT-15 golf bag be a good buy despite its $200 price tag? Keep reading to find out.

If Bag Boy’s innovative “Clip-Lok” system sounds appealing but you’d rather skip the revolving top of the company’s other bags, this golf bag is worthy of a look. The Bag Boy Revolver Pro (reviewed on another page of this site), the Revolver XL, the Revolver Plus and the Revolver LE golf bags all have the Clip-Lok system, but they also have tops that rotate 360 degrees. The bag includes the Clip-Lok system, but unlike the other Bag Boys, this model’s top doesn’t rotate. Instead, it’s fixed in position, like the tops of conventional golf bags.

Some of you may not be familiar with the revolving top that’s built into many of the company’s golf bags. If you’re wondering what it’s all about, I suggest you read our review of the Bag Boy Revolver Pro. That review explains everything you need to know about the revolving top. It also describes the Clip-Lok organizer system found on the XLT-15 and other Bag Boy bags, but I’ll give you a quick synopsis here.

The Bag Boy XLT-15 has an 11-way organizer top with full-length club dividers. A “Clip-Lok” is integrated into the side of each of the slots in the divider system. As you slide a club into one of the dividers, you simply snap the shaft into place in that divider’s Clip-Lok. Your club will be gently secured and prevented from moving. The system minimizes club-on-club contact, noise and the damage that can occur when your clubs move around.

It works. Clip-Loks use a simple, easy, effective design that truly does protect your valuable clubs. They’ll even stay locked into position as you’re putting your bag into your car trunk – or taking it out. I’ve owned a Bag Boy Revolver bag for five or six years now, and my clubs are much better off because of the built-in Clip-Loks.

The full-length dividers of the bag are also designed to provide protection for your clubs. Graphite shafts are expensive and can be damaged fairly easily if they’re allowed to rattle around loosely inside your bag. Between the Clip-Loks and the full-length dividers, there’s no need to worry. Personally, I won’t buy any golf bag that doesn’t have full-length dividers. Clubs are expensive, and I want to protect mine in every way possible. That’s why I bought a Bag Boy Revolver bag a few years ago.

In addition to its Clip-Loks and full-length dividers, the Bag Boy XLT-15 has several other handy features. It has a big insulated cooler pocket that’s big enough to hold several water bottles, an oversized ball pocket that’s capable of holding two or three dozen balls, a fleece-lined pocket to protect your watch, rings or other valuables, and five other pockets that provide plenty of storage. Its full-length pockets seem big enough to hold a change of clothes, and they’re certainly big enough to hold a rain jacket and pants.

The bag’s external putter well also has an integrated Clip-Lok and provides quick, easy access to your putter while keeping it safe and secure. It’s a perfect example of the thoughtful design of the Bag Boy XLT-15 - it keeps your putter safe instead of allowing it to rattle around inside the putter well or fall off an external clip and get damaged or lost. Once you try this setup you’ll never want a bag that uses a different design for putter storage.

The Bag Boy XLT-15 also comes with a towel holder (it’s suspended from the bag by a Velcro strip that secures your glove), a concealed umbrella sleeve, a place to keep several tees on the outside of your bag, and a sturdy rubberized handle. A nylon hood is provided to keep your clubs dry in the rain.

At seven pounds, the Bag Boy XLT-15 weighs almost three pounds less than the Bag Boy Revolver Pro. But, it’s still made of rugged, heavy-duty nylon. And, it’s made extremely well. The zippers all slide smoothly, the pockets are large enough to hold everything without needing to be stuffed, and the whole thing is put together with the quality that has become a Bag Boy trademark. Over time, the Bag Boy XLT-15 should be extremely durable – like every Bag Boy bag.

The Bottom Line: What are the drawbacks of the Bag Boy XLT-15? Well, I guess a ball silo would be nice. I’d also like a 14-way divider system instead of the 11 dividers this bag uses. Most golfers carry 14 clubs, not 11 plus their putter. But overall, I think the Bag Boy XLT-15 is a high-quality golf bag that doesn’t just carry your clubs – it protects them. Bag Boy knows how to make golf bags, and this one’s a good one.

From Bag Boy XLT-15 to other golf bag reviews.