Top 12 Essentials to Keep in Your Golf Bag
Have you ever been playing golf on a beautiful sunny day and realize you not only forgot a hat, but also forgot to apply sunscreen? You then have to suffer with a nasty sunburn for days after and it could have been avoided if you simply had a sunscreen permanently in your golf bag.
Not only does your golf bag provide a home for your golf clubs, but it also has room to store other essentials that you will undoubtedly find yourself needing at some point during your round of golf. The more pockets your golf bag has, the more items you can store!
You most likely know the obvious essentials to keep in your golf bag such as golf balls and tees, but there are many other items that can be handy to have while you are out on the course for hours.
Let’s take a look at the top 12 essentials to keep in your golf bag!
1. Extra Golf Balls
Let’s get the obvious ones out of the way first. As obvious as they may be, they are of course the most important. If you don’t check your golf ball inventory frequently, it could end up being a problem if you lose a few balls and then realize you’ve run out of golf balls to keep playing with!
If you find other lost balls in taller grass or the woods, it’s always a good idea to hold on to these just in case you need some extras down the line. It is also smart to always have an extra ball in your pocket, and a few extra balls in your golf cart for easy access for the occasional mulligan or to drop a ball if you’ve hit one out of bounds or into the pond.
2. Tees
Another obvious essential to keep in your bag, but another super important one is to keep plenty of tees. We recommend always having a bag of tees in your golf bag. If you are hitting your drives correctly, your tee should fly out of the ground after you hit the ball. Sometimes they get lost, sometimes they break. Luckily, tees are relatively cheap and can come in large quantities! Always have some tees in your pocket ready to go and plenty of extras in your cart and bag.
3. Glove
Always keep your glove right in your golf bag so you never forget it! I aways store my glove in the same pocket of my golf bag as my tees, so I can easily take what I need without any hassle. If you are used to swinging your club while wearing a glove, it can throw you off a bit if you all of a sudden do not wear one. Gloves help you grip your club, giving you better control of your swings and movement. Always have your glove in your golf bag for easy storage and access!
4. Divot Repair Tool
When your ball lands on the green, the initial impact may create a deep indent or mark, leaving the green uneven and damaged. It is extremely important to have a divot repair tool readily available so that you can fix this. If other players notice the divot and see you ignore it, it will not be appreciated. If the divot/indent is left unattended to, it can cause a putt rolling over it to take an entirely different direction and really mess up someone's shot. Simply use the divot repair tool to lift up the indent and make the area flat.
5. Ball Marker
Having a ball marker handy is also extremely important and can end up being really annoying to you and others if you don’t have one. Once you are on the green and the golf balls are surrounding the hole, you need to mark your ball if it could potentially be in the way of someone else’s putting line. If you don’t have a ball marker, you would have to borrow someone else’s marker or use a coin, but it is so much easier to have your own handy. Many golf gloves have a magnetic marker or snap-in marker which is really helpful and you’ll always have it on your hand!
6. Sunscreen
As mentioned earlier, nothing is worse than forgetting sunscreen on a blazing hot, sunny day when you are playing 18 holes. Sunburn is not only uncomfortable, but as we all know, extremely unhealthy as well. We always have to take precautions to prevent sunburn and protect our skin. For us ladies, if you wear your hair down in a low bun or ponytail and do not wear a hat, our scalps are exposed to the sun and it is important to apply sunscreen to your part in addition to your face and body (this is one I usually forget and then have to suffer for). Having a small travel sized sunscreen permanently in your golf bag is a great item to have on hand and we promise it will be needed.
7. Bug Spray
Right next to your sunscreen, consider keeping a bug spray. On those muggy days or evenings, the bugs will come out to play and oh my goodness are they annoying. Who doesn’t hate getting bit by mosquitos or having gnats buzzing in your face while you are trying to swing your club. You’ll be everyone’s hero if you offer some bug spray to your fellow players on those buggy days. It doesn’t take up much room and if you need it, you’ll be happy to know you have some in your bag.
8. Jacket/Pullover
Even on those summer evenings, it can get a little chilly if there is a breeze on the course. It’s a smart idea to carry a lightweight pullover or jacket in your golf bag just in case you end up needing one. If you have a waterproof jacket that is lightweight, this is a great choice because it will protect you from any cold winds, but also protect you if there is an unpredicted rain shower or storm that passes through. One time, before going to play golf, I checked the weather and it was supposed to be a nice sunny day. Out of nowhere, there was a sun shower and even though it was warm, I still got soaking wet! Ever since then, I carry a lightweight water resistant pullover in my golf bag and it has come in handy more than once.
9. Towel
If you don’t have a towel in your golf bag, or hanging on it, you should really invest in getting one. Your clubs will undoubtedly get dirty and it is so practical to have a towel on hand to wipe them clean in between uses. Your irons, hybrids, pitching wedge, etc may all end up with dirt and grass on them. Yes you can try cleaning them off on grass, but to really get in the grooves and clean them well, you do need a wet towel. It is convenient if the towel can easily hang on your golf bag for quick access!
10. Water Bottle
Stay hydrated while on the course! This is so important to keep you energized and focused. You should always pack a bottle of water before you leave your house and store it in your golf bag. If you are walking a course, it will be easy to access from your bag, or if you drive in a cart, keep it up front with you by your seat. Add a water bottle to your checklist of items you need before a round of golf and act like it is just as important as a golf ball or club. You need water while you are out on the course for hours on end. If you do forget to bring water, hopefully there is a beverage cart on the course or make a quick stop at the club house to grab one!
11. Granola Bar/Snack
It is a great idea to have a few granola bars, or packaged nuts/trail mix to keep in one of your golf bag pockets. If you forget to pack a snack, it is nice to know you have a little something stored there that you can grab. Packaged nuts and trail mix are good options because nothing will melt if the golf bag gets warm. Granola bars are another great snack to keep but make sure there isn’t any chocolate in it or it will most likely melt and become messy. Make sure if you store these low maintenance snacks in your golf bag that you replenish them often and don’t keep them in there for months on end for obvious reasons.
12. Personal Items
It's always a good idea to keep some personal items in your golf bag as well. These may include a lip balm, some cash, feminine products, or deodorant. It’s great to be prepared and know you have anything you may need while you will be away from home and your car for hours at a time. Luckily all of these items are small, discreet and don’t take up a lot of space in your golf bag.
Final Thoughts
This might seem like a lot of items to store in your golf bag, but those pockets are deep! Everything listed here, we have in our golf bags and each and every one of these items have proven to be extremely useful and practical. It is always good to be prepared and equipped with whatever you may end up needing. A sunny day? No worries, you have your sunscreen! A little hungry all of a sudden? Oh yeah, you have that granola bar!
Thanks for reading and please comment below with any essentials you keep in your golf bag that we may need to add!
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