Jim, the benches you are showing are the old "Meroke Style" benches that we also used for several years at our field. That style was in use at a lot of fields for many years and we appreciated having them. They were great at the time, but they could use updating. As mentioned at the start of this thread, they are the ones we had problems with which prompted me to come up with a new style to address the issues with that style of bench. The number one issue was the lack of space on the top, that is why many clubs made "mods" to the bench to accommodate that shortcoming. The second issue was the problem with the bench tipping forward. While you have not had that problem, many other people, myself included as well as several of the members at my club and other clubs, have had a problem with that. Treated lumber must be used on the Meroke benches to prevent them from tipping forward; untreated lumber is too light. Some of the other issues with the old benches were the complexity of the design, cuts required, and the different sizes of lumber required as well as the waste (and increased costs) due to scraps.
I spent a lot of time working with the club members at my field, and several surrounding fields, to come up with a list of "design goals" to address what they would want in an "ideal" bench. I feel that my design meets these requirements.
Many people have said that the four-leg design would be unstable, that is simply not true. If the bench is built as designed, it will have enough "flex" to adapt to uneven ground. If you place one leg over a hole, of course the bench will not be stable, so there are limits. We have all our benches on a grass area that is pretty rough and have never had a problem. Other clubs that are using this design have not reported any problems either.
My design does not have wheels. It is designed to not require wheels, the legs are angled and also have a taper on the ends to allow the bench to be dragged forward or backward without "digging in" like the old style benches with the vertical front and rear legs. The cost saving of not having wheels added up to the cost of a bench at our club. I frequently move the benches for the mowers. I am 72 years old and have had two back surgeries, so they are not that hard to move. Of course, wheels can be added to make the moving easier, but that will add to the cost and complexity of the bench.
While you may be married to the old style benches, I can tell you that not one of our 150 plus members have requested that we go back to the old style benches.
If you have any suggestions on how to improve my design, I would appreciate hearing them.