The Sun Mountain Matchplay is a Solid Luxury Golf Bag

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.

First Impressions of the Sun Mountain Matchplay

The first thing I noticed with the Matchplay is how subdued the design is when compared to the outgoing Midstripe bag.

That bag has similar build quality but features some bold, vintage colorways that were unlike anything else on the market.

While the bag itself is similar, the Matchplay colorways are more subdued with color options that are all black, white, blue, or green.

I opted for the green, which is the boldest look of the bunch.

Out of the box, I was pleased with how good the color looks in person.

The “infinity vinyl” material feels high end, and similar, if not the same to what they used on the older bag.

It does feel slightly smaller to me than the previous iteration of the bag, which I noticed a bit more once I got on the course.

That said, while I do miss the older colorways, I’ve been very impressed with the fit and finish of this bag.

How Does it Perform on the Course?

With some of the recent bags I’ve tested out, I’ve needed to recalibrate my baseline for bag size.

What I mean by this, is lately I’ve been primarily using the Vessel Player V Pro, which is $100 more than this bag.

In that bag, the opening diameter of the top is a whopping 9.5 inches. On the Matchplay it’s only 7.5 inches.

The Matchplay is both a smaller and a lighter bag, which makes it more conducive to carrying on a regular basis. But having gotten used to having so much space for my clubs, it did make this bag feel comparatively tight.

The good news is that despite the smaller size, I haven’t had any issues with clubs getting tangled or being difficult to retrieve from the bag. 

I also recently tested the new MNML MR2, which also has a 7.5 inch opening, and with that one I noticed my clubs getting significantly more caught up when carrying a full set, than I have with the Matchplay.

Walking and Carrying the Matchplay

The Vessel bag is definitely more of a hybrid bag more typically meant for people who regularly use both carts/push carts and carry.

At 5.4 pounds the Matchplay is a much more walking-friendly bag, and I very much have enjoyed walking with it.

There’s a leather top handle which feels great to hold, and is a huge upgrade over many other bags which still only have plastic handles. I do kind of miss the more natural tan leather of the older bag, but that’s personal preference. The handle here is the same color as the rest of the bag also looks very nice.

The strap system is excellent. It’s easy to adjust and make comfortable, and the weight balances well.

The hip pad has a quilted pattern that both looks and feels high end, and makes the walk even more comfortable.

One thing to note though is that I do get an occasional squeaking noise from the bag/straps when carrying this bag. I had the same issue with my old Mid-Stripe and I can’t fully pinpoint what the cause of it i

Another minor annoyance I’ve found with the bag, is that the stand legs don’t always deploy all the way.

Much of the time, I’ll need to give the bag an additional push-down to get the legs to go out another inch or two to be fully solid and supported.

The bag will usually still stand up, but since the legs aren’t fully set, the bag is much more inclined to tip over – which happened once.

This is something I’d like to think is due to it being new, and once it gets broken in will be less of an issue. But I haven’t quite gotten there with it yet. This also could be an anomaly of my specific bag.

Pockets and Storage

Overall I’m very pleased with the amount of pockets the Matchplay has. It has a velour-lined rangefinder pouch right on the front of the bag where I like to see it.

Below is a large pocket for balls and other misc. accessories. The water bottle sleeves on the sides are tight, supportive, and work great.

I like the fact that there’s a full-length garment pocket, as some bags like the Stitch SL2 Air Walker, or MNML MR2 have moved all their storage towards the bottom of the bag.

That said, this garment pocket is relatively tight and smaller than I’d expected it to be. Fitting anything more than a single layering piece in there is very tight, especially when compared to some other similar bags.

The valuables pocket is also kind of unique. Instead of having one or two small valuable pockets, this one has a larger pocket and then a divider inside of it, that breaks it up into two sections.

I don’t personally love this, as it makes it feel like it would be easier to have something slip out. For instance, if you put your watch in one part, and your car keys in the other – and then go to take your watch out, it seems like the potential is there for the keys to accidentally fall out.

I didn’t have this happen, but it crossed my mind every time I’ve used this pocket.

All that to say though, these are pretty minor critiques on an otherwise wonderful bag.

Should You Buy the Sun Mountain Matchplay?

If you’re looking for a luxury bag that is well constructed, easy to carry, and uses premium synthetic leather materials – I think you’ll be very pleased with this bag.

I think the Mid-Stripe is still a fantastic bag and even more of a value now that it’s dipped below $300 in most places –  but as the Matchplay continues to roll out, I imagine we’ll see less and less of those as they sell out.

If you’re considering this, I’d also take a look at the Jones Rover Stand. At $285, the Jones bag is about $85 less expensive than the Matchplay, weighs over a pound less, and is probably my favorite bag to carry.

It doesn’t feel as high-end as this bag, though. So if you like the idea of synthetic leather, and also want a bag that you’re less likely to come across someone else having on the course – then I think the Matchplay is a wonderful choice.

This page contains affiliate links. This means that if you click a link and buy one of the products on this page, we may receive a commission (at no extra cost to you!) This doesn’t affect our opinions or our reviews. Everything we do is to benefit you as the reader, so all of our reviews are as honest and unbiased as possible.