The return of the Jones Golf Bag

February 21, 2013 | by Benjamin Larsen of AmateurGolf.com

Once an industry staple, the Jones Golf Bag is making a return to the market

As it seems the majority of the golf industry moves towards high technology, neon colors and a ‘bigger is better’ attitude, Jones Sports Company is going in an entirely different direction. They're bringing back the Jones Golf Bag, which ruled as an industry staple in the 1970s, '80s and '90s.

“It’s such a movement,” said Chris Carnahan.”Our goal is to simplify.”

And simplify is what Jones has done in its return to the golf market. Carnahan is the business director at the Portland, Ore.-based Jones Sports Co., which has re-introduced Jones Golf Bags to golfers across the country.

The minimalistic bags were arguably the most popular among amateurs when George Jones launched the line in 1971. Juniors, high schoolers, collegiate players and other elite amateurs never left home without their trusty Jones bag.

And the common thread among those golfers and the ones Carnahan is charged with connecting with more than 40 years later? They’d rather walk than ride.

“The brand is all about simplifying golf,” said Carnahan, who runs day-to-day operations of the start-up. “We ask ourselves, ‘Are we making this as simple as possible?’

“That goes along with what made Jones Sports so great from 1971 on.”

The lightweight and ultra-simple Jones Golf Bags feature very little branding and are designed as modern replicas of the previous line. Currently, Jones offers the Original Jones Bag, the Players Series #001 Bag and the Jones Rider Bag --- all with just the single strap and constructed of MTL Nylon and Jones Vinyl.

In 2013, the company plans to unveil its Jones Stand Bag and the Junior Golf Bag. Both models are sure to expand the brand’s portfolio while staying true to the minimalistic approach and nostalgic feel that is the Jones Golf Bag.

“With a brand likes this,” Carnahan said, “you only have one chance to bring it out into the market the right way.

“We launched the website in July and everything else is falling into place the way we wanted it to.”

The brand was purchased last year by the Lemman Family. Dean Lemman serves as the company’s President and CEO while his sons Matt and Tim work along with Carnahan on daily operations, fulfillment and business growth.

The family theme the Lemmans brought to the product gels well with where Jones Golf is located. The friendly northwest --- and in particular, Portland --- is where Jones Golf first earned its stripes in the game of golf.

It’s also where the re-engineered styles Jones Golf is putting into the market came to fruition. You see, in acquiring Jones Sports Co., Lemman simply acquired the logo and nostalgia. There were no blueprints, design or inventory collected from the transaction, leaving the new group empty with remake ideas.

Until the local golf community chipped in with original models, which were used to remake the bags with modern materials.

“All we got was logo and legacy. That's all that was left,” Carnahan said. “Being in Portland, a lot of our family and friends had these bags. We were able to get them and rebuild them to exact specifications with modern materials.”

Business is growing for Jones Sports Co. According to Carnahan, approximately 80 percent of their ongoing contracts are with green grass accounts. Online sales and the company’s presence in small-box retailers across the country continue to grow.

“As a startup, we’re putting the importance on making the best product possible,” he said. “And that goes along with what Jones Sports has always been. Everything they did, they put extra thought into it. They released products when they were right. That’s the legacy we’re continuing.”

To learn more about the revival of the Jones Golf Bag and Jones Sports Co., visit the company’s official website at: JonesGol fBags.com.

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