Sun Mountain Boom Review - The Golf Bag With Built In Speakers

Sun Mountain Boom Review – The Golf Bag With Built In Speakers

Traditions on the golf course seem to be disappearing with every season.

And while some may lament this changing of the guard, others view it as progress. I can remember a time when it would be unthinkable to bring speakers onto a golf course.

But more and more, I’m seeing younger players break out their portable Bluetooth speakers and playing music on the links. I for one don’t mind this trend. Most golfers I have encountered who play music keep it at a respectful and unobtrusive volume.

And to be honest, I actually like a bit of background music while I play – so long as it’s completely instrumental. So I was very intrigued to learn that Sun Mountain now makes a golf bag with built-in speakers. But how much of this bag is gimmick and how much is functionality? I got my hands on a Sun Mountain Boom bag and took it for a round to find out.

Weight

One of the most important aspects of any golf bag is weight.

Even if you have a power cart, the weight of a bag can still be an issue. The Sun Mountain Boom is a cart bag that weighs nine pounds when empty. So it’s a bit on the heavier side but when using it, I didn’t find the weight to be too cumbersome.

The Sun Mountain Boom has 13 storage pockets and is a full 14-way top divider bag so the extra weight is only to be expected. There is an insulated pouch that can fit up to four 12-ounce cans, accessory pouches, large apparel pouches and a slot for an extra battery pack. So considering all the storage (not to mention the speakers) nine pounds actually isn’t that heavy.

Comfort

The Sun Mountain Boom is a cart bag and as such, all the pockets face outwards.

This makes it very easy to pull things out of the pockets when the bag is loaded. The carry strap is handy for loading the Sun Mountain Boom in/out of the cart or your car.

Storage

I only have one caveat about the storage pockets.

The large apparel pocket isn’t very large. In fact, most of the larger pockets are smaller than comparable bags. But I can see why Sun Mountain designed this bag with smaller pockets.

The overall look of this bag is slim which is something I really appreciate. I don’t like when a bag has too many bloated pockets that make it look like you’re about to go camping. Besides, the 13 pockets is more than enough for my accessories – just not my clothing.

Speakers

Now let’s talk about what the Sun Mountain Boom is all about.

I liked that the Bluetooth connection was easy and dependable. I can’t stand when portable speakers lose connection for no reason. With the Sun Mountain Boom, I was able to stand with my phone about 15 feet away and the connection stayed strong.

The audio quality is decent. The Sun Mountain Boom is equipped with small, lightweight speakers so you lose significant low end frequency and bass. But the sound is clear which is more important to me. The volume is perfect for the golf course. You can blast the speakers at top volume and still annoy other golfers around you; but it’s not so loud that the whole course will hear you.

For golf course use, the speaker size and volume are perfect. Not insanely loud but definitely clear enough for your foursome to hear. But what about battery life? On a full charge, the Sun Mountain Boom lasted just over four hours. That was enough for a full round of 18 and the drive back to the pro shop. That being said, you should make sure that the Sun Mountain Boom has a full charge every time you head out to the course. While it will last a full round, the 4-hour battery life is not enough for multiple rounds.

Style

The Sun Mountain Boom comes in five different colors: navy/ocean blue, black, black/red, black camo and black/white.

I like the plain black, black/red and camo versions the most.

For being a bag with built-in speakers, I was surprised at how svelte it looked. It doesn’t look bulky, chunky or awkward. Instead, it has a slim, symmetrical profile that looks really nice in the cart and on the ground.

Price

At $349, the Sun Mountain Boom is not exactly a cheap golf bag. But it is obviously built very well and I got the feeling that it would last for a very long time. Much of what you’re paying for is the speakers and Bluetooth connectivity so you will have to decide how much that actually means to you before you decide to buy this bag.

Overall

If the Sun Mountain Boom didn’t have speakers, I would still be really attracted to it.

It looks really nice, the zippers are heavy-duty, the material is durable and most importantly, it holds all of my clubs firmly in place.

Yes, the pockets could be a bit bigger; but on days when the temperature is fair, that’s not really a big issue. Plus, I like the slimmer look of this bag more than I like the ability to store two extra shirts and a pair of shoes.

The Bluetooth function works really well and the speakers are about as good as you would expect from a golf bag. If you have the money to spend and don’t want to ever have to worry about forgetting your portable speakers again, the Sun Mountain Boom is worth a look.