Bag Boy: Behind the Brand

Explore the 75 year legacy of the Bag Boy company from the humble beginnings of Bruce Williamson's first pull cart to the cutting edge innovation of the millenium. Click on any of the images or date below to learn more.

  • Humble Beginnings

    The first Bag Boy Cart was designed and made by Bruce Williamson in Portland, Oregon in 1946.

    The original golf cart was constructed out of two lawn mower wheels with flat tires mounted on an up and down folding, spring suspension chassis, which could be attached to a standard golf bag. To effect a folded position for the cart, the wheels moved inward and upward toward the center of the back shaft.

    1946

  • Jarman-Williamson is Born

    Following this original concept, Bruce Williamson and his partner E. Roy Jarman formed the Jarman-Williamson Company and began manufacturing these basic carts.

    The company constructed the carts using sand castings and aluminum tubing. To make the carts last longer and keep them fairly free from expensive repairs, all the parts were designed to be bolted together, making it possible to replace damaged parts.

    1946

  • Die Cast Parts Introduced

    Die castings were introduced into the manufacturing process in 1947.

    Round shaped zero pressure tires on dish wheels were added to the up and down folding chassis mechanism.

    1947

  • The Yardage Meter

    Bag Boy introduces the first cart designed to improve your game by allowing you to track distance traveled and get an accurate measure of drive length.

    This concept would later be adapted to 2021's Tracker™ product.

    1953

  • The First Ever PGA Merchandise Show

    The Jarman-Williamson Company presents the Bag Boy at the very first PGA Merchandise Trade Show in Dunedin, Florida in 1954.

    The Bag Boy company has attended every single PGA Show from 1954 to 2019.

    1954

  • The Jarman-Williamson Factory Opens

    The Jarman-Williamson Company opens their first factory in Portland, Oregon.

    1954

  • The "Cart-Mate"

    In 1957, Bruce Williamson sold his interest to Roy Jarman, but the company was retained until 1967 when it was changed to the Jarman Company.

    By then, the company was marketing its own golf bag, the "Cart-Mate," which was designed to attach to the Bag Boy cart by means of a few part changes. With improvements in design and methods continually being made in all products, the company had grown to be international in sales scope.

    1957

  • The World's Favorite Cart

    Bag Boy enjoys the success of becoming synonymous with pull carts. Golfers colloquially refer to carts as "Bag Boys."

    1965

  • Featured in Sports Illustrated

    The Bag Boy receives recognition in the pages of Sports Illustrated, introducing rental carts available for clubs to loan out to their members.

    1965

  • The Jarman Company Executive Team

    Having owned and operated the Jarman Company for ten years, Roy Jarman's family began to assume leadership roles within the company.

    The assumption of leadership by members of the Jarman family turns the company into a family business.

    1967

  • The Assembly Line Introduced

    Bag Boy introduces assembly line construction to both of their Jarman factory locations.

    The establishment of assembly lines at Bag Boy factories opened the door for faster and more efficient lines of production.

    1967

  • Acquisition by the Browning Company

    The Bag Boy Company became a division of Browning Arms Company.

    The Jarman family sold their interests in the company in 1969 to Browning Arms Company, a recreation equipment, development, and sales organization based in Morgan, Utah.

    1969

  • The Exercise Machine of the 90s

    Following the fitness craze of the 1980s, the Bag Boy Continental hits the market as a way to keep golfers in shape by encouraging them to walk the course.

    The renewed passion for health and wellness among the golf community made the cart a success, and as a result, Bag Boy made a commitment to healthy golfing that continues to this day.

    1990

  • AMF Relocation to Richmond, VA

    In 1993, AMF Industries bought the Bag Boy Company and relocated it to Richmond, Virginia making it a division of the Ben Hogan Company.

    1993

  • Bag Boy Introduces Golf Bags and Accessories

    Shortly after the move to Richmond, VA, Bag Boy began its initial diversification of its product line from pull carts to golf bags and accessories.

    This would mark the beginning of the company's growth from carts to a broad range of golf products.

    1996

  • 50th Anniversary

    The Bag Boy Company celebrates 50 years of providing quality pull carts to golfers worldwide.

    1996

  • The "Jelly Bean" Logo

    With a new identity having left the Ben Hogan Golf Company, Bag Boy rebrands as a provider of more than just push carts, and introduces the "jelly bean" logo design.

    1997

  • Leaving the Ben Hogan Company

    When the Ben Hogan Company was sold to Spalding in 1997, the Bag Boy Company was held out of the sale to run as a stand alone company.

    1997

  • Details Make the Difference

    The Bag Boy Company, now an independent brand, sees rapid growth in its early years.

    Further expanding their product line to include travel covers and more, introducing a new modern logo and the tagline "Details Make the Difference," a motto that continues to this day.

    1999

  • The First Three-Wheel Push Cart Introduced

    Bag Boy releases the Express Push Cart.

    With the first three-wheel offering in the company's history, Bag Boy cements the transition from "Number 1 Pull Cart in Golf" to "Number 1 Push Cart in Golf."

    2003

  • Dynamic Brands is Born

    Dynamic Brands, the parent company for a portfolio of premium brands in the sporting goods industry, is established and acquires the Bag Boy Company.

    2004

  • 70th Anniversary

    Bag Boy, now the leader of the Dynamic Brands family and provider of premier push carts, celebrates 70 years as an industry leader.

    Over its decades of business, Bag Boy had grown from being a trailblazer in the push cart industry to an innovator in all types of golf products, including golf bags, travel covers, and accessories.

    2016

  • Driving Innovation

    The Bag Boy Company continues to grow through its focus on quality, durability, innovation, and diversification.

    Each product is quality tested and developed to uphold Bag Boy's commitment to developing market-leading, innovative and consumer-friendly products.

    TODAY