{"id":701219,"date":"2026-05-29T01:50:15","date_gmt":"2026-05-29T01:50:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/701219\/"},"modified":"2026-05-29T01:50:15","modified_gmt":"2026-05-29T01:50:15","slug":"hip-bag-designs-have-become-golfs-new-status-symbol","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/701219\/","title":{"rendered":"Hip Bag Designs Have Become Golf\u2019s New Status Symbol"},"content":{"rendered":"<p id=\"inline-text-0\" class=\"mt-[18px] md:mt-0 mb-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"5r\">Fans at the LIV Golf Hong Kong tournament earlier this season certainly noticed something very different about what they were seeing on the course before a single shot was even hit. New, colorful golf bags by Cleeks GC certainly stood out looking more like art pieces than the traditional gear we are all accustomed to seeing. The golfers are loving it, too.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-1\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"5u\">These eye-catching bags created through a collaboration between Cleeks GC, Icelandic Glacial, and Icelandic artist Saga Sig, featured custom artwork into the structure of the bags themselves that certainly were visual statements in what is becoming a broader shift happening across professional golf.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,x_0,y_0,w_0,h_0\/c_fill,w_16,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images\/voltaxMediaLibrary\/production\/the_athlete_lifestyle_on_si\/01ksrdmrp34qwwak68tr.jpg\" alt=\"Martin Kaymer\" title=\"Martin Kaymer\" width=\"0\" class=\"undefined w-full w-full blur-[5px]\" q:id=\"64\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Cleeks Team Captain Martin Kaymer carries a custom golf bag by designer Timothy Goodman as part of the team\u2019s Art of Golf program at LIV Golf Adelaide on January 14, 2026.  | Photo Courtesy of Cleeks Golf Club<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-3\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"68\">Historically in the sport, bags have widely remained the same over the decades with function in mind but not self expression. That\u2019s certainly changing as competition for younger audiences and cultural relevance are at the forefront. Fashion, hospitality experiences, and social-first branding are all top of mind in a sport that is steeped in tradition.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-4\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6b\">LIV Golf\u2019s Cleeks GC have blended fashion, music, and contemporary art with their \u201cArt of Golf\u201d platform. \u00a0Gear is now a reflection of the players themselves.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-5\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6e\">&#8220;A golf bag has always been one of the most visible pieces of equipment in the sport, but historically it has been treated purely as something practical,\u201d says Jonas M\u00e5rtensson, General Manager of Cleeks GC. \u201cFor us, turning it into something expressive is about showing that golf can still respect tradition while embracing individuality and creativity.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,x_0,y_0,w_0,h_0\/c_fill,w_16,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images\/voltaxMediaLibrary\/production\/the_athlete_lifestyle_on_si\/01ksrdpnh0rwng38p36g.jpg\" alt=\"Icelandic Glacial \" title=\"Icelandic Glacial \" width=\"0\" class=\"undefined w-full w-full blur-[5px]\" q:id=\"6o\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Icelandic Glacial commissioned world-renowned Icelandic artist Saga Sig to design a golf bag exclusively for the Cleeks team as part of Cleeks\u2019 Art of Golf program. | Photo Courtesy of Icelandic Glacial<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-7\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6s\">The younger audiences are discovering golf in non-traditional ways like a fashion collab, or a social media clip, or an entertainment-driven event instead of your standard broadcast.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-8\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6v\">&#8220;Golf cannot only speak to people who already understand and love the traditions of the game,&#8221; M\u00e5rtensson says. \u201cIf we want the sport to continue growing, it has to become more culturally relevant and more accessible to people who may come to it from different entry points.\u201d<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-9\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6y\">The players are taking notice, too. Two-time major champion and captain of Cleeks GC Martin Kaymer talked about it\u2019s impacting how players feel on the course.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-10\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"71\">&#8220;Golf is a very mental game, and confidence often comes from small details\u2014how prepared you feel, how comfortable you are, and how connected you feel to your environment,\u201d Kaymer says. \u201cHaving something visually distinct creates a sense of ownership and identity.\u201d<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-11\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"74\">This shift in style is already being felt in the NFL, NBA, and Formula 1. Golf is trying bring in this new crowd while also honoring all the tradition of the sport. <\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,x_0,y_0,w_0,h_0\/c_fill,w_16,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images\/voltaxMediaLibrary\/production\/the_athlete_lifestyle_on_si\/01ksrdrm1knyrzqsm3sv.jpg\" alt=\"golf\" title=\"golf\" width=\"0\" class=\"undefined w-full w-full blur-[5px]\" q:id=\"7e\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Guests at Cleeks Garden Party Event Sponsored by Icelandic Glacial at LIV Golf Virginia May 7-10, 2026. | Photo Courtesy of Cleeks Golf Club<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.minutemediacdn.com\/platform\/google_discover_icon.svg\" class=\"shrink-0\"\/>Add us as a preferred source on Google<a aria-label=\"Follow si.com on Google News\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=si.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" class=\"flex h-[30px] w-[30px] shrink-0 items-center justify-center rounded-full bg-primary font-group-large text-sm font-medium text-white transition-colors hover:bg-secondary focus:bg-secondary md:w-auto md:gap-2.5 md:px-4 md:py-[5px]\">Follow<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Fans at the LIV Golf Hong Kong tournament earlier this season certainly noticed something very different about what&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":701220,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[566],"tags":[64,63,755,85],"class_list":["post-701219","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-golf","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-golf","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/701219","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=701219"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/701219\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/701220"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=701219"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=701219"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=701219"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}