Product Review: Ogio Grom Golf Bag

Contributed by Patrick Craig
May 2009

First Impressions: Ogio Grom Golf Bag (May, 2009)

Michael Pratt founded OGIO as a “gear bag design” company. With an innovative line of duffels and packs loaded with excess features, OGIO supplied customers with innovative products that have become immensely popular. OGIO had a hand in reinventing golf with a fresh contemporary line and a “pimped” out golf cart, more widely known as the BRV (battle-ready vehicle). OGIO helped spur new age golf, and recognized the vast potential of their entity as a supplier of golf specific accessories.

The OGIO Grom has been the company’s top-selling bag for the past three years. The Grom is an eight-pocket golf bag featuring; a “Woode” top with integrated grab handle, a custom 3-point ergonomic handle, a Zipperless Ball Pocket, Ball Silo, pen sleeve and divot tool holders, 45 degree insulated water bottle pocket for increase convenience, EVA molded hip pad with airflow system, and featuring the ARC Lite stand system. Since the Grom bag is really dominated by its numerous features, let’s start there.

At first glance, one of the most recognizable innovations from OGIO is their “Woode” top for golf club sorting. There are four slots running along the left hand side of the three-way club dividers to keep your driver and woods separated from the irons. This feature is pretty nice as it protects your graphite shafts from the steel shafts in your irons as well as add extra padding on the dividers that protect the shaft from the paint grinding off (which has been a big issue of mine in the past with previous bags). The system makes it easy to sort and find your clubs as well as keep them untangled below so that you aren’t rattling your clubs around hoping your 7-iron does not pop out. Also, the Grom features a separate padded putter slot which was nice to keep my usually head covered putter free and easily available.

The Grom has a total of eight pockets, four of which have actual zippers. The valuables pocket is a nice addition to a golf bag. When I played I put my wallet, cell phone, watch, and keys in it and felt that they were secure the entire round.
The other three pockets with zippers are somewhat typical of what you would find on other standard golf bags. Two reside are on either side of the bag at the bottom for usual items like gloves, tees, pencils, sharpies, and sunscreen. There is a also the standard large pocket running the length of the bag for bigger items like additional outerwear.

Zipperless pockets include an insulated pocket for a bottled drink and the Zipperless Ball Pocket. The ball pocket does a good job of holding golf balls and it seems that is all you would want to put in there as there are a couple of small holes to the sides that allows smaller items to slip out.

Conceivably my favorite feature on the bag is a small piece of Velcro on the side of the bag that can be used to hold your golf glove using the corresponding Velcro on the glove. It is one of those features that should be included on every bag on the market.

The Grom is extremely well made and has the quality more of a high end suitcase than a traditional golf bag. It seems that every part of the bag should be able to withstand years of use and abuse, without parts breaking or falling apart.

The stand legs were interesting because they never really felt like they were fully extended when using normal force when placing the bag down. I almost had to double-check that the bag was sturdy enough to stand up on its own before walking to grab a yardage. However, the legs did the trick and provided a stable base for the bag when deployed.
The carry straps are nice and comfortable. There is a bunch of padding to keep the straps secure on your shoulders and they never seem to press down too firmly. They are also easy to get on and off. The molded hip pad is also very nice as it gives you some cushion between you and the bag while walking.
At 5.8 pounds, the Grom is a bit heavier than many other light weight carrying bags. You might notice the extra weight when walking a full 18 holes, and certainly will if you play 27 holes.
The OGIO Grom is a very well made bag that sells itself on the many unique features it offers the walking golfer. There are many positive aspects to the Grom, the only drawback being the weight. I cannot imagine that OGIO meant for the Grom to be a strict walking bag, as it includes a belt to help the player fasten it to a cart more efficiently. If the golfer rides as much as they walk then the Grom is a great option.

Review by Patrick Craig

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