When A Gladiator® Guards Clubs

A neatly organized Gladiator® Golf Caddy.

A neatly organized Gladiator® Golf Caddy.

The following is primarily about a nifty product called the Gladiator® Golf Caddy, a shelving system that’s typically installed in a garage and has room for two oversized golf bags and a shelf for at least two pairs of golf shoes and several boxes of golf balls. Easily hung on what are called GearTrack® Channels or GearWall® Panels, this golf-related item is just one of more than a dozen rugged garage organization and storage products sold under the Gladiator® brand, which is owned by the Whirlpool Corporation, the world’s leading home appliance company, with roughly $21 billion in annual sales.

In a line that includes washing machines, air conditioners, refrigerators, ovens, air conditioners, water purifiers and much more, the $143.99 Gladiator® Golf Caddy is, in of itself, not that big of deal. Yes, it’s a convenient rack that gets bags of clubs off the floor, out of the way of foot traffic and frees closet space. Instead of tracking mud and grass into the house, golf shoes remain in the garage, pleasing whomever draws vacuum duty.

What’s a bigger deal, however, is the entire line of Gladiator® storage products, and what their development means in this rather peculiar American Century, where desires and realities are in direct conflict.  Many folks would like a more basic, rustic and uncluttered existence , and love editions of Real Simple magazine.  And I  think I get why tiny and frequently portable cottages – – which are frequently featured on Facebook – – inspire fantasies for “small living.” The Lilliputian domiciles have minimal mortgages at worst, suggest an On The Road version of freedom, and have what’s ostensibly a lighter environmental footprint.

However, an amazing number of folks in a 1,500 square foot home need 2,000 square feet – – simply to handle excess junk. A common look of a 2,500 square foot house is a garage so packed with boxes that it couldn’t accommodate a Mini Cooper.  From rich to poor, we are in many ways a nation of hoarders, without enough living space for our “stuff.” And it’s a fact evidenced by public storage facilities that are more ubiquitous than Starbucks outlets, padlocked sheds with piles of Real Simple magazines.

Having said that, a well-organized garage with room to park two cars is arguably a luxury as satisfying as a new gourmet kitchen. Even if neighbors

A real-life Gladiator® Golf Caddy with more typical organization.

A real-life Gladiator® Golf Caddy with more typical – – yet confined – – disorganization.

think you’re an anal-retentive goofball, a well-organized garage is a major home-owning point of pride – – and a damn practical convenience to boot. While there are a number of companies and vendors who can help make this happen in one’s garage, the Whirlpool Gladiator® subsidiary behind the Golf Caddy makes some awfully slick-looking fixtures.

Along with the Caddy, Whirlpool produces high-end cabinets, work-benches, racks, tool chests and even flooring. The organizational products can be used to hang tools, bicycles and other sporting items. The line also includes garage-oriented garbage compactors, upright freezers and hooks to handle everything from rolled up hoses to leaf blowers and ladders. The GearWall® tongue and groove panels that can be attached to studs or even drywall are an ingenious and highly flexible means to maximize storage capacity.

The Gladiator® Golf Caddy – – which gets a full five stars in reviews – – comes un-assembled and in a hefty box. Once assembled, the entire piece is 27.5 inches wide, 42.5 inches high and 15 inches deep. It holds about 50 pounds of gear on the upper shelf and 25 on the lower. It also has straps to keep the bags in place, a most useful thing for those living in earthquake country.

Gladiator® products can be purchased through Amazon, at Lowes, Walmart, Home Depot or through the company directly at:  https://www.gladiatorgarageworks.com/.

Leave a Reply

  • (will not be published)