Sun Mountain Sports, often referred to simply as Sun Mountain, is an American manufacturer of

golf equipment Golf equipment encompasses the various items that are used to play the sport of golf. Types of equipment include the golf ball, golf clubs, and devices that aid in the sport. Equipment Balls Originally, golf balls were made of a hardwood, s ...

based in Missoula, Montana. Since its founding in 1981, the company has introduced several innovations in

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping wi ...

equipment, such as lightweight golf bags, the golf bag with built-in legs, golf push carts, waterproof golf bags, stretchable/waterproof golf jackets, and double-strap golf bags.

History

Rick Reimers, a golf professional from

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, first experimented with lightweight

nylon Nylon is a generic designation for a family of synthetic polymers composed of polyamides ( repeating units linked by amide links).The polyamides may be aliphatic or semi-aromatic. Nylon is a silk-like thermoplastic, generally made from petro ...

golf bags in the late 1970s. At the time, golf bags were heavy, crafted from leather or vinyl. Reimers founded Sun Mountain in 1981 and moved the company to Missoula, Montana, in 1984. That same year, he produced the Front 9 model, which became the company's first commercial success. His Eclipse bag from 1986 was the first lightweight golf bag with a built-in stand. Sun Mountain added its outerwear line in 1990. It was the first company, along with Izzo, to introduce double bag straps in the 1990s. Furthermore, it developed the first two-ply wind shirt in the United States, as well as the first golf push cart. Sun Mountain was one of the four producers that dominated the American golf bag industry in 1992. The company created a new line of golf products with the introduction of the "Speed Cart", the first easily foldable, three-wheeled push cart, in 1999. Sun Mountain was the first golf bag brand to introduce waterproof bags in 2007. In 2010, Sun Mountain was the biggest American maker of golf bags, with its bags accounting for 16.5 percent of the golf bag share sales in the country. It employed 140 people. By 2013, there were 200 employees.

Equipment

Sun Mountain produces golf carry bags, cart bags, push carts, golf travel bags, and golf rainwear and outerwear. It prioritizes ease of use. Its 2Five golf bag weighs only two and a half pounds. The C-130 cart bag and the 4.5 carry bag include integrated portable power packs to charge

mobile device A mobile device (or handheld computer) is a computer small enough to hold and operate in the hand. Mobile devices typically have a flat LCD or OLED screen, a touchscreen interface, and digital or physical buttons. They may also have a physical ...

s. Sun Mountain patented a bag carrying system called "Zero-Gravity Technology," which transfers the weight of the bag from the shoulders to the hips. The company has a ClubGlider golf travel case line. The best-known product of the line, the ClubGlider Meridian, is made from ballistic nylon, has two sets of wheels and a unique leg mechanism that extends and retracts, reducing 45 pounds of pressure on the arms and shoulders according to the company.

Recognition

Sun Mountain won four Golf Digest awards for golf equipment in 2017: its 2Five bag won in the Lightweight category, the 3.5LS in Carry, the C-130 in Cart, and the 5.5LS in Hybrid. Finally, the Club Glider Meridian was chosen as the Best Travel Cover. In 2016, the company had won three awards: the C-130 in Golf Cart, the 2Five in Lightweight, and the ClubGlider Meridian in the Best Golf Travel Cover award. Sun Mountain has been one of the

National Golf Foundation The National Golf Foundation (NGF) provides golf-business research and consulting services. Founded in 1936 by golf writer Herb Graffis and his brother Joe, who nearly went bankrupt in the process, its original mission was to publish authoritative ...

's Top 100 Businesses in Golf for years. The company provided the outerwear for the United States team at the Presidents Cup from 2011 to 2013.

References

External links

* {{official website, https://www.sunmountain.com/ Companies established in 1981 Sporting goods brands Sporting goods manufacturers of the United States Golf equipment manufacturers 1981 establishments in Montana