Pinned Golf Sound Stick Review: A Great Speaker, but Is That Enough?

If you’ve played a round of golf in the last five years, chances are you’ve heard music coming from a nearby cart. And if you haven’t, you’re either playing solo in the middle of nowhere, or you’re the one with the speaker.

The rise of the golf speaker has been fast and loud. What started with the original Bushnell Wingman in 2020 has exploded into a full-blown category, with companies battling it out to be the go-to soundtrack of your Saturday foursome.

Enter the Pinned Sound Stick. It skips the GPS yardages, ditches the remote, and goes all-in on delivering full-bodied stereo sound.

Pair two Sound Sticks together, and you’re cruising the fairway inside a surprisingly immersive audio bubble, complete with dedicated left and right channels for true stereo. That’s how I tested the product, and I’ll say this: the soundstage is real, and it’s seriously impressive.

But is that enough in a market loaded with feature-rich competition? Is it enough to have a great speaker if it costs $150 and isn’t anything more than a speaker?

Let’s dive in.

Music on the Course: Why Speakers Like This Matter

 

 

Whether you’re into music on the course or not, there’s no denying it’s become part of the modern golf experience. For a growing number of players, the right playlist is just as essential as the right putter.

That doesn’t mean every round needs tunes. Some days call for quiet. But more and more golfers—especially in casual weekend games—are finding that a little background music can elevate the mood, loosen the swing, and make a good day out on the course even better.

But not all golf speakers are created equal. The best ones don’t just play music, they do it in a way that respects the course and the players around you. Quick volume access. Smart design. Solid battery life. Maybe even GPS yardages or phone call functionality.

So where does the Sound Stick fit in?

It doesn’t try to do it all. And that’s intentional. This speaker is built around one thing: sound. Big, rich, stereo sound. And if that’s your top priority, the Sound Stick makes a strong case for being in the conversation.

So while the Sound Stick delivers on audio in a way that’s definitely compelling, especially when paired in stereo, it skips a lot of the extras you’ll find in similarly priced competitors. The question is whether that trade-off is worth it.

Let’s break it down.

 

 

Sound Stick Design and Build: Simple, Solid, and Colorful

The Sound Stick looks remarkably similar to the Bushnell Wingman and Wingman 2. While the Sound Stick is more squared to the Wingman 2’s more cylinder shape, they’re very close. And they include pretty much identical button functionality. To me, there was definitely some copying going on.

But, hey, if you didn’t already think the Wingman and the further-evolved Wingman 2 and Wingman View were the golf speaker leaders, this copycatting is just one more piece of evidence. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, as they say.

There are certainly differences between the Sound Stick and Bushnell’s latest version, the Wingman 2, but they come mostly once we get into features.

Aesthetically, however, there is one key difference. And that’s color options. Pinned offers the Sounds Stick in six bright, bold colors: green, navy, black, red, gray, and pink. It’s refreshing to see something other than the standard black and organge you’re forced to accept with the Bushnell speakers.

If matching your gear or adding a little flair to your cart setup is your thing, the Sound Stick brings a little personality.

Physically, the Sound Stick feels solid. I think it’s just as rugged as the tank-like Wingman 2.

The magnet on the back is exceptionally strong, just as strong as Bushnell’s BITE magnet. I never had a single moment where I worried about either of the speakers I was testing falling off the cart. I looked for the roughest terrain I could find (tree roots, a big lip on a cart path), and I couldn’t get either speaker to budge.

What’s missing on the Sound Stick is any kind of loop, carabiner or strap. So if you’re a walking golfer, your mounting options with this speaker are basically zero, unless you want to stick it to the side of an iron. Yes, the magnet is strong enough to hold, and it’ll stay put, but it’s clunky and gets in the way when grabbing clubs.

While I would like to see some kind of built-in attachment point for walking golfers who’d like to use the Sound Stick, I get that this is a speaker that’s designed for cart use. Just the same as the Wingman 2. And, just like Bushnell has the Wingman Mini, Pinned has their Dart 2.0 speaker, which is a much smaller, much lighter option.

Stereo Sound with Dual Speaker Pairing

 

 

Here’s where the Sound Stick really shines.

You can pair two Sound Sticks together for a stereo listening experience. And, yes, it’s true stereo, not just dual mono. After you pair the speakers, one of them will have a flashing indicator light. That’s the left channel.

When you place one speaker on each side of your cart, you create a surprisingly immersive soundstage. Sit in the middle, and there’s a legitimate sweet spot, meaning the speakers actually do a very good job of imaging.

The sound is full, rich, and warm. There’s more midrange detail than I expected, and the bass—thanks to dual subwoofers in each speaker—adds weight without muddying the mix.

The Sound Stick, especially when you’re running two together, gets plenty loud. Not blow-out-the-neighborhood loud, but definitely more than enough for any golf course use.

Pairing the two speakers takes an extra step or two. You need to disconnect each from your phone, pair them to each other, then reconnect to your phone. It’s a tad clunky, but definitely not a dealbreaker.

No GPS, No Remote, No Extras

 

 

This is where the Sound Stick starts to show its limitations.

There’s no GPS functionality. No magnetic remote. No microphone. No app integration. No volume control from anywhere but the speaker itself or your connected phone.

That lack of a remote control is a real sticking point for me. One of the biggest etiquette issues with music on the course is being able to quickly turn it down when other groups are nearby. Whenever I’m the on-course DJ, I’m always conscious of my surroundings, looking out for groups within earshot who may not want their round interrupted with music.

But with no remote, you don’t have that option to quickly mute or lower the volume, unless you keep your phone in your pocket. And I’m definitely not a phone-in-my-pocket golfer. So instead, I’m stuck hiking (or jogging) back to the cart if things get too loud. Not ideal.

I do think it’s cool how, when you have two Sound Sticks paired together, the volumes of the two speakers are automatically matched. That’s great for the audio quality, of course, but it also makes it simpler to turn the volume up and down by clicking the buttons on just one of the speakers or on your phone.

The most obvious omission with the Sound Stick is the lack of GPS yardages. I mean, really, can you even call this a “golf speaker?” Without yardages, isn’t it just a Bluetooth speaker? I guess the cart magnet is the golf-centric part of the design.

But, honestly, I’m not sure that many golfers are going to miss the GPS yardages with the Sound Stick. That’s because I’m not sure how many golfers are actually using their speakers to get their yardages. In my experience and observations, I’m seeing golfers using their speakers for music and then using their watches, handheld GPS devices, or rangefinders for their yardages.

Still, even if you didn’t always plan to use the yardages feature, you’d want it unless there was a cost savings, right?

And that’s where we get into the real problem with the Pinned Golf Sound Stick.

Pinned Sound Stick vs Bushnell Wingman 2

 

 

So, the Sound Stick costs $149.99. And the Bushnell Wingman 2 costs $149.99.

But… The Wingman 2 includes all these things that the Sound Stick doesn’t:

• Audible GPS yardages
• A remote with customizable messages
• Bushnell Golf app integration
• Microphone for phone calls

And, just like with the Sound Stick, you can pair two Wingman 2’s for stereo sound.

So, do you need all of the extra features that the Wingman 2 includes and that the Sound Stick doesn’t? No. But for the same price, why wouldn’t you want them?

I really think Pinned missed the mark in pricing this product. To me, if they could find a way to make it less expensive than the Wingman 2, they’d have a compelling advantage. They could offer their speaker as a cost-saving alternative for those golfers who didn’t want to pay for extra features they wouldn’t use.

But at $149.99, I think the price becomes a disadvantage for the Sound Stick. I think too many consumers are going to compare the features between the Sound Stick and a competitor like the Wingman 2, and they are going to come to a more-is-more conclusion.

There’s also the matter of Bushnell being such an established, trusted golf brand. Coming in at the same price, I think Pinned is going to have a tough time competing.

However, if audio quality is your main reason for buying a golf speaker, I think the Sound Stick is the way to go. I won’t go so far as to say it kills the Wingman 2, but I do think the Sound Stick is the better-sounding speaker. And the inclusion of two bass drivers (one on the top and one on the bottom) is a huge audio advantage over the Wingman 2.

And then there are the color options. With Bushnell, you don’t have any choice—it’s black and orange. With the Sound Stick, you’ve got six colors from which to choose.

Battery Life and Charging

 

 

Another area where the Sound Stick edges out the Wingman 2 is in battery life. The Sound Stick is good for a full 15 hours, compared to 14 hours with the Wingman 2. In either case, that’s a very impressive range. Even if you’re taking four-plus hours to play 18 holes, that’s more than three rounds before you need to recharge.

There are battery-life indicator lights on the bottom of the Sound Stick, though I will say that I had trouble reading them in bright sunlight.

When it is time to recharge, it’s a simple USB-C connection. You can expect a full charge to take a couple of hours.

Using the Pinned Golf Sound Stick Speaker Off the Course

 

 

The Sound Stick is a versatile, go-anywhere type of speaker. The rugged build quality, the easy-to-carry shape, and the included magnet open up all kinds of possibilities.

Backyard grilling, tailgating, hanging by the hot tub, jamming in the kitchen while you prepare dinner, taking it out to the park or the beach, I can see getting regular use out of this speaker (or pair of speakers if you go that route) in all kinds of settings. The strong magnet makes it convenient to stick to anything metal and would be a brilliant addition to any Bluetooth speaker.

And, get this, the Sound Stick is IPX7 rated, meaning it can supposedly withstand full submersion in water. For comparison, the Wingman 2 is only rated as IPX6. So, score another point for the Sound Stick. That waterproofing is just one more thing that makes this an awesome, all-around, everyday speaker whether on or off the golf course.

Who Should Buy the Sound Stick?

This is the big question.

With the Sound Stick being the same price as the Bushnell Wingman 2, and with the Wingman 2 blowing the Sound Stick out of the water when it comes to features, I think the Sound Stick is a tough sell for a lot of golfers.

However, it does have its place with a niche audience.

First of all, I think the Sound Stick is the better speaker when we’re talking sound quality. Isn’t that the primary function of a speaker? So if you’re chasing the best sound, I think the Sound Stick is a great choice.

Second, would be the color options. Plenty of golfers enjoy flashing a little style or personality. And I think the Sound Stick allows for that display far better than the competition.

And finally, a lot of golfers like to go with something a little different. Let’s face it, almost every single golf speaker you see out on the course is a Bushnell. If you’re the person who likes to have something that not every other person has, then the Pinned Sound Stick is again a great option.

But if you’re looking for a full golf-specific experience—including GPS yardages and a remote control—you’ll likely be better served with something like the Wingman 2.

Final Verdict: Solid Sound, Colorful Package

The Pinned Golf Sound Stick delivers exactly what it promises: big sound in a color package. When paired in stereo, the audio quality is downright impressive. And the build quality, magnet strength, and off-course usability are excellent.

But at $150, and without GPS yardages, a remote, or extra features, it’s hard not to compare it unfavorably to its more full-featured competitors.

So, should you buy one?

If you care most about audio and don’t need the bells and whistles, the answer is yes. It’s a fun, stylish speaker with legit sound. But if you’re looking for a more complete golf-specific speaker, you’ll probably want to look elsewhere.

Marc's Overall Rating for the Pinned Golf Sound Stick