I have been in the market for a push cart for about a year or so. I normally use a motorized cart, but I have some golf pals that enjoy walking, so I thought it would be good to have one since my shoulder isn't crazy about me carrying my clubs anymore. After researching different brands and styles, I went with the Wilson TRIO push cart. I'll be honest, cost was the determining factor in this choice. Paying over $200 for another brand was not in my budget, so I went with what I thought was best value for the features I was looking for.
The TRIO is relatively light and easy to assemble. At just under 9 lbs, you can lift it without too much effort while folded, and fully set up it's a breeze to push around. In the inital set up you need to attach the 3 wheels and secure the handle on the base...none of that requires any extra tools. Once set up, it's a 3 step process to go from folded to ready to push. First, unfold the wheel bar, then pull the red base bar until it sets up against the wheel bar...attach the silver clasp and secure. Then adjust the handle and secure it at the base. Now you are ready to put your clubs on!
I have a Callaway stand bag and it was easy to secure. There is a strap at the base and one at the top. Your bag cradles into two plastic bases and the straps click in place...they are both adjustable. The handle area has a place for a scorecard (the box calls it "deluxe" but it's really nothing special), a place for a ball, and a beverage holder. The beverage opening is small but it did fit a 16oz. water bottle.
As you can see, the base is sort of a rectangle instead of just one long bar. I'm not sure if that helps offer some stability, but design is just fine with me. In fact, I have this crazy idea that I could build some kind of box and use it to move things around in my yard! Heck, maybe you could even convert it into a stroller!
The tires seem to be some kind of high density foam, so there is no fear of a flat tire! The seemed to roll well on the grass and gravel cart paths. I did find myself going through some thicker rough and after I muscled through it, about 50 yards later one of my wheels fell off. A rock had lodged in the wheel opening and it undid the lever that secures the wheels. It was an easy fix and I had no other troubles. Sometimes it seemed like wheels were slanting, but it could have just been my eyes. For people that like to push their carts ahead, the TRIO seemed to less willing to roll on its own. I should also note there is a foot brake.
After finishing the round it was very easy to fold the cart back up.
Here you can see it fits very easily into the back of my small SUV. I read in some other reviews that if you have a regular trunk you may have to take the wheels off in order to fit both clubs and cart. It is definitely bulkier than the more streamlined and more expensive cart models, but if you are looking for some good value, I'm not sure you can beat the TRIO!
I paid $99.99 at www.rockbottomgolf.com I used a free shipping code that saved me $18. In seaching today I found the same cart for $89 at www.costco.com (note, you have to be a Costco member to puchase!) - this also included shipping. Since I'm not a member it wouldn't work for me, so the Rock Bottom price was the second best. On average these sell for around $118. If you are a sale shopper like me, I think you'd be hard pressed to find as sturdy of a cart for under $100.
I am giving the Wilson TRIO push cart an enthusiastic 4.5! Minor deductions for being slightly bulky and for my tire falling off. If you're looking for a streamlined storage cart (and have the money to spend), this might not be the one for you, but I can easily put my clubs right on top of it and still have room for shoes, balls and clothes in the back of my car.
I am looking forward to using my Wilson TRIO on beautiful summer days!
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