Golf bags are essential pieces of equipment. You absolutely have to have a golf bag to store your clubs and keep them organized while you travel around the course. If you travel quite a bit and want to play a few rounds while on the road, you may want to chose a golf travel bag. There are two main types of golf bags and those are carry bags and cart bags. A carry bag will come with straps on it, it is light weight and it's meant to be used by people who walk the golf course. A cart bag is one that is generally a bit larger and heavier and is meant to be strapped to the back of a golf cart. When you're on the golf course everything you have will either be in your pockets or in your golf bag so having one that is properly designed and has features that meet your specific needs will make your day much more enjoyable.
Most avid golfers will have at least two golf bags but as a new golfer you should begin with a carry bag because the carry golf bag can be used at any golf course. They are obviously designed and best suited for use on golf courses where you actually walk the course. However there are some golf courses which do not allow walking and use of a golf cart is mandatory. In this case you would simply strap your carry bag to the back of the golf cart just like a cart bag would be used. If however you buy a cart bag as your first golf bag you're pretty much limited to using golf carts all the time. Sure you could strap a cart bag onto your back and lug it around the golf course but you would be extremely tired by the end of the round and your game would suffer.
One variation of the carry bag that is extremely popular is the stand bag. This type of carry bag has legs that when you set the golf bag onto the ground the legs will automatically extend and hold the top of the bag up off the ground. This allows you easy access to your golf clubs and all of the different pockets that will be designed into the bag. These are by far my favorite type of golf bags.
Putting in a little work up front to make sure that you are familiar with golf bagswill pay huge dividends in terms of your enjoyment of the game. Spending some time reading a few golf reviews can help you know exactly what you are looking for.