For the past few years, the Sun Mountain Mid-Stripe has gotten my pick as the most underrated golf bag. In fact, right now it probably still is, given there are discounts bringing it to under $300. But the for 2025 season, Sun Mountain has decided to discontinue the “Mid-Stripe” name, and instead has released the successor to the bag, dubbed the Matchplay. I just got my hands on a brand new Matchplay bag, and in this review, I’m going to go over what I like, what I don’t, and help you decide if this is a bag worth investing in.…
Author: Sean Ogle
Sean Ogle
As the Founder of Breaking Eighty Sean has spent the last 10+ years reviewing the best golf products and golf courses in the world. He prides himself on only writing about products and courses he's experienced first hand, and helping others find exactly what they need to enhance their enjoyment of the game we all love so much.
Well, I didn’t see this coming. Of all the products I’ve received to review in the past several months, the Garmin Approach G20 Solar just might be the one that surprised me most. It’s a solar-powered handheld GPS unit. Who knew we needed one of these? Or, do we need it? It’s novel, certainly. But is it actually useful? And can it stand up to a fairly aggressive $300 price tag? I’ve now had the chance to get out on the course with the Garmin G20, and I’m ready to share some thoughts. First Impressions of the Garmin Approach G20…
Technology in rangefinders has all of the sudden gone crazy. Honestly, about a year ago, I was starting to think that this product class had kind of plateaued. Like, rangefinders had kind of become a commodity, with all of them very similar to each other and little differentiation between models. That idea has been completely blown up. Recently, all kinds of cutting-edge technology is being introduced on the rangefinder front to the point that we’ve got an entirely new product class: Smart rangefinders. Suddenly, we’ve got multiple options, especially when it comes to GPS integration, that are not only really…
If ever there were a dedicated golf watch that, in theory, could threaten the Garmin Approach S70’s supremacy, it’s got to be the Voice Caddie T11 Pro. This watch is so jam-packed with features. It’s got everything, including an AMOLED display that looks just as good as the S70’s, and even things the S70 can’t match. All at a $349.99 retail price that’s half of what the S70 costs! See what I’m saying? In theory, the T11 Pro is a no-brainer and legitimately is the Garmin killer some people have claimed it to be. But… Theory and reality don’t always…
When Garmin unveiled their new Approach S50 golf watch at the 2025 PGA Show, at first, I didn’t quite get it. Honestly, my initial reaction was, “Why?” I just didn’t see where the S50 fit in Garmin’s line. They seemed to have it covered with their budget S12, mid-tier S44 (the upgraded replacement to the S42), and their top-end S70 (the upgrade to the on-the-way-out S62). I wondered, how does a $400 S50 that seems at first glance, to be a confused mashup of all these watches really fit? And then I started using it, wearing it, testing it. And,…
These days most of the rangefinders I get sent to review don’t get me excited. Many of them are all derivatives of the same thing. Same design, same features, all manufactured at most likely the same factories. The ones I actually take the time to review here are the ones that are more special either in terms of features, price, or often both. When I got the MGI Sureshot SlimPro rangefinder, I didn’t expect much. MGI is known for it’s electric caddies, and I didn’t even realize they made rangefinders until recently. This usually isn’t necessarily a good sign. Before…
If you’re in the market for a good-looking golf watch that fits great, has a beautiful display, includes all of the basic golf features, but sacrifices off-the-course extras in favor of a competitive price, this Garmin Approach S44 review is a must-read. Nowadays, all of the “best” golf watches go well beyond golf. The category, especially in the case of Garmin, has jumped to include smartwatch features, fitness and lifestyle metrics, and generally a lot of functionality that has nothing to do with golf. But you know who doesn’t care about a lot of those expensive extras? A lot of…
Trying to find the best golf balls for your game can be a nightmare. There are hundreds of golf ball reviews out there that all say different things, and let’s face it, for most golfers you can barely tell the difference between a ProV1 and a Top Flite. Ok, that might be a bit of an exaggeration, but it’s true that choosing a golf ball can be a bit of a shot in the dark for most people. The goal of this post is to help take some of the mystery out of finding the right golf ball, and to help you…
Shot Scope is one of those golf brands that people either love or they feel doesn’t quite deliver enough. And their V5 golf watch is the perfect case study for those differing opinions. “Value” and “Quality” are the two overarching considerations, it seems, for golfers who find themselves on either side of the Shot Scope debate. Those who love Shot Scope proclaim its value as exceptional, unparalleled, the best in golf. And, as we’ll get into in this review, there’s a definite strong value case to be made for the V5. And those who aren’t quite onboard with Shot Scope…
For all the golf travel I’ve done, you’d think I’d be intimately familiar with golf in Florida. Considering there are more golf courses here than any other state in the country – it’s a golf writer’s mecca right? Maybe so, but compared to other states my Florida repertoire is sorely lacking. As such, it wasn’t until recently that I visited Palm Beach. I wasn’t prepared for just what that would look like. There’s affluent. Rich. Wealthy. Ultra Wealthy. And then there’s Palm Beach. It’s a new level of money I’ve never quite seen before. And just a few minutes across…