Golf Bag Essentials – Everything You Need to Carry with Yourself to Play Golf! 

A Golfer who plays a sport of precision, accuracy, patience, strength, and strategy requires proper preparation in terms of accessories to ensure a smooth game without avoidable setbacks. Excluding golf clubs and golf balls, which are the two prominent mandatory elements involved in the sport, there are a few items that must be carried in a bag by the player under any circumstances. This article focuses on those golf bag essentials, hinting at a few recommendations from pro players based on their experiences. By the end of this article, you will be able to figure out how to customize your bag according to your needs without spending a fortune as people assume!  

Top 12 Golf Bag Essentials  

Below are the essential golf tools and must-have golf bag accessories that need to be carried by the player throughout his game. Golf bag essentials for beginners might vary a bit from those for pro players according to their level of expertise in the sport, as well as the affordability and accessibility of personalized items.  

Golf Clubs 

Golfers carry a set of clubs specifically designed for various distances and situations. This allows them to switch their clubs accordingly during the game. Players can carry up to 14 clubs for tournaments. These 14 may include Drivers, Fairway woods, Hybrids, Long irons (3-, 4-, 5-iron), Mid irons (6-, 7-, 8-iron), Wedges and Putters. 

Driver is the club that is used to hit most of the tee shots proceeding to find the fairway. Being more versatile than the drivers, fairway woods can also help the players to find fairways if they do not hit their drivers well or happen to reach the greens a long way away. Hybrids are the most flexible clubs, which can be used for multiple occasions, including hitting from the tees, chipping, and making run shots. They are easier to hit than the long iron clubs from the fairway. 

Made for distance rather than accuracy, long irons can be used to play from the tee or fairway. Because they are long, they can be challenging to handle at the beginning, but enough practice will help your hands tame this bad boy and make the perfect shots! Beginners use mid-irons to practice the full swing. By being quite short, these clubs are easier to handle, hence improving players’ confidence in practicing the techniques they learn.  

Apart from mid-irons…

Apart from mid-irons, wedges can be used to chip from around the green. These attacking clubs also help players get their ball out of bunkers, pitch from a distance, and hit full shots so the ball comes closer to the flag. The putter, the most used golf club, is used on the greens to put the ball into the holes! A player could use a mallet or a blade putter as his putter! 

If you are just getting started with the sport, it is not mandatory for you to have all types of golf clubs that were discussed above. The ideal club set up for beginners includes a driver or a 3-wood fairway as the tee shot club (3-wood is much recommended), a hybrid club to hit a long way on the fairway, a 5-iron, 7-iron and a 9-iron as irons, a sand wedge, and a putter. Once you familiarize yourself with these clubs and understand their patterns, you can choose to upgrade your club collection. The Callaway Strata 12-piece set, Cobra XL set, and MacGregor DCT3000 set are some of the best starter sets for beginners with essential clubs in golf bag. 

Golf Balls 

It is recommended to carry at least a dozen golf balls by the player for a game since there is always a chance to run out of balls. According to your play style, your mentor or instructor will guide you to choose the most suitable type of ball. Usually, two-piece golf balls made out of a solid core and a durable outer cover are recommended for beginners, offering maximum distance, durability, and less spin. It is essential to clean the balls properly with a damp cloth after each round and store those in a cool, dry place to maintain their performance. 

Golf Tees 

Even though there are plenty of tee varieties in the market, pro players suggest using white wooden tees for the game. It is essential to carry plenty of them tested prior to the game. 

Rangefinder 

This has become a crucial tool for the golfers as well as for the judges. Involving GPS or laser technology, rangefinders impeccably measure the distances on the field. Unlike a couple of decades back when players estimated distances with their bare eyes, this equipment gets the job done within a few seconds. Examples of best golf rangefinders include Precision Pro R1 Smart, Blue Tees Series 3 Max, Maven RF.1, and GOGOGO SPORT VPRO GS24 

Pitch Fork /Divot Repair Tool 

This is required to fix the pitch marks made on the greens by the players for the game. Repairing the green impacts the growth of the grass effectively on the green as it was!  

Scorecard and Pencil 

These are needed to keep track of your scores for the game. 

Marker Pen 

Players carry a marker pen to leave a mark on their golf ball so it can be identified in case a bad shot is made.  

Ball Markers 

This is needed to mark the position of the ball in green. 

Towels 

Golfers habitually use separate towels to clean and dry sweaty body parts, golf balls, and clubs. Some prefer to use dark-colored towels to prevent the embarrassment of carrying dirty towels with visible strains throughout the game! 

A Jacket / Umbrella / Peaked Cap 

It is ideal if the player could carry all three items mentioned above as they can protect the players from different weather conditions, minimalizing the hiccups of their gameplay. Waterproof items are proven to be better, but having any jacket or umbrella would save you from the miserable condition of getting soaked in heavy rains and continuing to stay up for the rest of the play. A peaked cap becomes the player’s best friend on sunny afternoons with scorching sunlight by making it much easier to focus on the eyesight of the moving ball. Peaked caps are actually claimed to be one of the women’s golf bag essentials as they help the ladies to keep their loose hair collected! 

Golf Gloves 

Not every golfer chooses to wear gloves in normal conditions, but wearing rain gloves will become handy when playing during rain. Those gloves are made to become more grippy when wet. Examples of the best golf gloves include FootJoy WeatherSof, TaylorMade RainControl, Mizuno Comp, and Under Armour Strikeskin. Having a pair of gloves in your bag means you can always decide during the game whether you need to wear them and play or not! 

A Mini First-aid Pouch 

You might always realize the importance of having first aid by your side in case of an emergency. To prevent that miserable feeling prior, make sure to carry a small pouch composed of Bandages, adhesive tape, a mini muscle spray, a few painkillers, sunscreen, bug bite remedies like bug bite thing and any other medication if required. 

Some players prefer to carry a packet of glucose, protein bars, and cold energy drinks in addition to water for sustenance. This helps them have enough energy until the very end. 

As for the disc golfers, disc golf bag essentials include towels, rangefinder, scorecard and pencil, mini marker discs to mark the lies of the discs (similar to ball markers in traditional golf), disc retriever, umbrella or jacket and a peaked cap, marker pen to label the discs, first-aid items apart from discs, the mandatory item. Players carry different types of discs for the game, namely Distance drivers, Fairway drivers, Midrange discs, and Putters. If they prefer, they also can bring food items for sustenance and to maintain the same energy levels. Water and other beverages like fruit juices and energy drinks help them to stay hydrated!  

FAQs 

 

How should I fill my golf bag? 

We need to make sure that our golf bag is not overloaded with too many items. The last thing we want for ourselves is to get exhausted before playing the game by just carrying our stuff out! Spread the weight of the items evenly to avoid strain while carrying. Use different pockets in your bag for other items and place frequently used items in easily accessible pockets. 

How should I pack my golf clubs? 

First, we need to arrange the clubs by the type and the frequency of usage. Usually, the top to the bottom order goes as Driver and Woods, Hybrids and Long Irons, Middle and Short Irons, Wedges, Putter. The club heads must be covered by headcovers to prevent possible damage by transportation. You also can consider having bubble wrap or additional padding around clubheads for extra protection! 

A well-organized basic golf bag with the above-mentioned golf bag essentials helps beginners to adjust well in the game. Knowing that they have all the physical elements that are needed for the sport, they can encourage themselves to try harder and perform better. As promised, we hope you were able to get a clear idea of what items are needed for the game with the purpose of having them. Feel free to get opinions from golfers and enthusiasts in your area to make sure of the points we brought to you!