October 2019 Blog
October 11, 2019

October 2019 Blog

Hello to All!

In my last blog I tried to explain about the philosophy of Firebird Group Inc/Steurer & Jacoby as a company and the team that creates our company.

The Mission Statement of QUALITY and TRADITION to us is more than words. This is the heart and soul of WHO WE ARE and WHAT OUR PRODUCTS ARE. Let me address this with some examples of our golf bag styles. 

  • TRADITION
    • We offer three- (3) distinct styles of Golf Bags. Our "original" design comes from the look of the bags from the early 1900's. Bags of that era were not larger than 7", in fact most of them were 6". We chose to go with 7" because it would appeal to more golfers today, especially those who like to "Enjoy the Walk" as my good friend Joe Lauber of Switzerland always says. Yes, folks tell me that it is tight for 14 clubs, but the fact is the average golfer does not need 14 clubs, so leave a couple at home! I can assure you from personal use you can get 14 into the bag, but yes, it is snug as I like to say like the "Happy Family Meal" from your favorite Chinese restaurant!
    • Back to the design, all early bags had a modest front ball pocket and a side pocket for a wind shirt, towel or snack since everyone "Enjoyed the Walk!" Bags of that era were either "collapsible" which meant they had no vertical support, or they had vertical support via "wire rods" or as we refer to them as "metal stays" to offer support. The original reason for having stays is to keep the bag from falling "down" like an old sock and be able to have the bag with clubs to stand up. 
    • But if you really think about the practicality of adding a frame, it is also for the protection of your clubs, especially the shafts, and gives you the ability  to use either a hand "trolley" as our European friends rider to carts or a riding cart. This also gives you the ability to use one of our upright wooden stands when walking so you don't have to lay your bag and clubs on the ground and finally, allow upright storage of your equipment. 
    • In the styling, I kept the "tradition" of the pocket "flap." These were used as "zippers" which were not widely available in those days. Also, what golf bags that existed were made mainly by saddle makers who used flaps for the pockets on saddle bags, so buckles were the closure of practicality and ease of entry. The flaps offered security of the contents and weather protection. 
    • We had many requests for a "6" Collapsible Bag, one without supports shortly after the introduction of our "ORIGINAL" Model 100. We introduced the MODEL 50 which has a basic wooden dowel for support, again a "throwback" style, this to the late 1890's. This model is designed for up to 8/9 clubs because of the balance point ability, since the heads of the clubs will outweigh the contents of the modest ball pocket. 
      • Our newest model comes from the style of the 1940's and 50's. When you view the photos of Ben Hogan ( I was privileged to make bags for him in the 1980's) Sam Snead (who I actually played golf with when I was at Wilson Sporting Goods in the 70's) Gene Sarazen and Dr. Cary Middlecoff (both of whom I met many times at Wilson) along with Patty Berg who was one of the greatest female golfers and a fabulous person, you see how the look of golf bags had changed. The pockets became larger. The front pocket stayed a "ball pocket" but increased in size and had multiple compartments. The "side" sweater pocket relocated to the back side and again it had two pockets. The smaller one was actually called a "cigarette" pocket, I now like to refer to it as a "valuables" pocket. 
      • Another key feature is all these bags had metal "stays" to ensure the bag was always upright so that it was easier for the player to select their club for play. We offer this bag with a choice of a 4-way divider or a 3-way divider system allowing for a great way to organize clubs. 
      • One feature that I insisted on keeping was a "flap" over the front ball pocket as I think it is unique and offers weather protection and little more security to the contents. The "flap" also covers for the scorecard, tee caddie and pencil sheath.
    • QUALITY
      • This starts:
        • With the design.
        • How the bag is made.
        • What the bag is made with.

    My next blog will address this for you knowledge. I am grateful for you being interested in our products and taking time to read this and visiting www.steurerjacoby.com.

    Enjoy the game!

    -Will Jacoby