There are basically two types of golf bags to choose from:
1. Carry Bags, which as the name suggests are bags designed to be carried by you as you walk around the golf course.
2. Cart Bags, which are designed to be used with a golf cart.
When you're first starting out, you will probably want to get a carry bag, but chances are that eventually you will need both types, especially since some golf courses prohibit walking and have riding a golf cart as the only option.
One question that many beginners ask is "Why do I need a golf bag when I only have a handful of clubs?" The thing to remember though is that eventually you will probably get more clubs, and in any case clubs are not the only thing that you need to carry around on the greens! Additionally, you can get golf bags with little convienences to make your games more pleasant and enjoyable - for example, some golf bags even have pocket coolers which can keep your drink ice-cold.
When choosing a golf bag, the main issues to consider are comfort, weight, durability:
- The importance of comfort can not be understated! Remember that you will be spending many hours with your bag, so you want to choose one which fits and comfortably and which you can carry easily.
- Weight also ties into comfort: a lighter bag is of course easier to carry. Sometimes they may be a trade-off between durability and weight - lighter bags are often less sturdily constructed than heavier bags - but it isn't always this way: you can get bags made of ultra-light modern materials such as graphite (although such bags can cost more).
- The importance of durability goes without saying. You don't want to buy a bag which is going to fall apart on you as soon as you start using it!
Aside from the above, there are other features which you may consider important. As already mentioned some bags include drink coolers, which are a nice extra. A more central feature is the number of compartments and dividers in the bag - while most bags are designed to hold up to 15 golf clubs (although the number of clubs you can carry during a tournament may be limited) - there are differences between bags in this area, which could be important to you if you like to carry a lot of golfing accessories. Finally another thing to look out for is water-resistance: a water-resistant bag will help protect your golf clubs, and thus is almost certainly worth the extra investment.