It’s one of the cruel truths of golf; as soon as my season starts to wind down the golf manufacturers ramp up the new product announcements.  Such is the case with Qwowi’s favorite little bag company, OGIO.  If you check the OGIO site as often as I do, you’ve no doubt noticed a trickle of new bags popping up.  For the most part I haven’t had much to say about any of them, but if history is any indication I’ll have more detailed information (and hopefully a review or two) when the 2009 Golf Guide rolls around.

While I’m generally loathe to speak of golf when my season is so clearly on the verge of hybernation (we got our first dusting of snow a couple of days ago), I got a very interesting press release from OGIO the other day that warrants attention even during this most unpleasant time of the year.

With apologies for the horrible title of this post, OGIO has indeed announced the first “3 in 1″ golf bag; the Devolver.  Fully assembled the Devolver is a fully featured, fully functional cart bag (yes, I know I just said “fully” three times in one sentance…now it’s 4).  Peel off the outer shell (that’s right, peel it right off, don’t be shy) and you’re left with a lighter-weight, yet still fully functionally, and still stylish carry bag.  If this were an infomercial, this would be the part where I scream out “But wait, there’s more!”.  Ahh, what the hell…

WAIT, THERE MORE!!!

Through some kind of crazy zip and fold voodoo (sort of like when a chick totally takes her bra off but leaves her shirt totally on), the left over parts of the Devolver transform (Optimus Prime style) into a sleek Sunday bag suitable for carrying those select few clubs you’d need for a lazy 9 on Sunday afternoon.  I’m not sure if the guys behind this are engineers or puzzle masters, either way this is some crazy kind of cool.

Apart from the devloution thing, the feature list is pretty much exactly what you’d expect from OGIO.  For those unfamiliar, here’s the brief version:

• 10″ Uniter – 15 club top (love the Uniter)
• OGIO 3-point ergonomic handle
• Glove/Putter Cover Velcro attachment Loop
• Rubber feet to reduce annoying cart slippage
• Elastic oversized towel loop
• Pockets, pockets and more pockets (including a nice fleece-lined valuables pocket)
• Umbrella containment for pullcarts
• Lift Grip trunk handle
• Individual full length dividers
• Easy access divot tool and pen sleeve

Retail price for the Devolver (available in Red, Black and Navy) is $320, which sounds like a lot, but when you consider that it’s 3 OGIO bags in one, it sounds a whole lot better.

For those looking for more detailed info, and/or a demonstration, I’d encourage you to check out this video of the Develover in action, from Tony Korologos over at www.hookedongolfblog.com.  He does an amazing job with all things golf, but  his coverage of the annual merchandise shows is especially good.

One final note on the OGIO 2009 lineup. When I saw that they had a sexy new women’s bag called the Cougar, I thought to myself, “that’s why I love these guys”. Of course now when I tell my buddy to check out that cougar on #4, he won’t know what I’m talking about, better still, neither will my wife.