If you are not lucky enough to have a caddie to carry your golf bag, while those electric buggies beloved of presidential summits are well out of your price range, then it looks like you're lumbered with carrying your own clubs.

Padraig Harrington Huffing and Puffing?

Once you've got over the indignity of all - I mean, you wouldn't find Ryder Cup hero Padraig Harrington huffing and puffing his way from tee to tee - then at least you can take comfort in the knowledge that the lightweight materials and space saving designs on offer today mean taking the strain doesn't have to mean pain, while all those extra pockets incorporated in to the design leave plenty of room for among things the odd treat to keep your strength up.

Find a Bag With Plenty of Storage

On a more serious note, it does pay dividends to find a bag with plenty of storage compartments because apart from the essentials i.e. clubs, balls and tees, it is wise to have room for a towel for cleaning club faces as well as wet-weather gear and an umbrella in case the heavens open half-way round the course.

Peeling Off The Sweater

Equally, a sudden burst of sunshine will require peeling off the sweater or cagoule in order to ensure you feel comfortable with your climactic surroundings. In terms of comfort while carrying the bag, many now come fitted with double, rucksack-style straps that ensure the weight is spread equally across both shoulders rather than putting the strain on one and risking an injury that will put a premature end to the day's sporting activities.

Adding Metal Legs to The Side of The Bag

In the past some players chose to carry their bag on a cart, partly in order that when they stopped to take a shot, the bag was not left on the ground to get dirty or wet. The manufacturers have negated the need to buy a cart for this reason by adding metal legs to the sides of the bag that fold out to support it in a stand alone position.

A cart can also be something of a disadvantage if you are having to drag it up and over the more hilly courses. But for around £400, you can invest in a digital model that comes complete with a multi-speed controller that ensures your clubs keep pace with you. One point to remember with carts is that they are not allowed to be wheeled across greens. This may not amount to a particularly great inconvenience but it is a point of etiquette that should not be forgotten when taking the most direct route to the next tee.

Digital carts have also been an important development in ensuring that players not physically capable of wheeling or carrying their clubs around the five or so miles that constitute the length of an average golf course are no longer excluded from enjoying the game they love.

Picking The Best One You Can Afford

For the able bodied among us, good-quality bags retail for as little as £25. So until you find the inspiration to replicate the deeds of heroes such as Harrington and co (I'm still waiting, it should be noted) and acquire your very own caddie, it's a case of picking the best one you can afford, slinging it over your shoulders and heading off down the fairway.