10 Essentials to Always Carry in your Golf Bag

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Louis Pringle
May 19, 2020
8 minutes

For the average golfer, a round can last up to more than four hours. While you get to come back to the clubhouse at the turn on most occasions, it is not the case for every golf course and you need to be ready for it. To help you prepare for any situation you may encounter, we’ve created a list of essentials you should be carrying in your golf bag during your rounds.

1. Golf Balls

It may seem pretty obvious, but you’ll need some, and unless you can go through a full round with a single golf ball every time, you should carry a dozen, just in case. No need to rush to the pro-shop right before the round to pick up an overpriced brand new pack. Plan ahead of time and get yourself some recycled golf balls for a much better deal.

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2. Tees

This one might seem like a given as well, but don’t discount it. We’ve all played with (or been) that golfer asking the rest of their partners for a couple of tees. Make sure you’re prepared next time you step up to the tee box by getting your very own tees, and if you want to get the most out of your money, make sure to give plastic tees a try!

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3. A Water Bottle

A good reusable bottle will be key to a good round. You’ll need to stay hydrated out there on the course and the bottle is the best way to carry your liquids around. On top of that, some modern golf bags will come with a pocket dedicated to keeping your bottle as cold as possible.

4. A Towel… or Two

Most golfers will have a towel attached to their bag, ready for use whenever the clubs get dirty. Clean club faces are essential to your golf game and having a towel will come in handy, especially if you tend to use your fingers to clean any dirt.

The second towel is simply for golfers who tend to break a sweat during the round. There’s no shame in sweating and you’ll want to have a dirt-free towel to wipe off your face.

5. A High-Protein Snack

It is essential to eat a decent meal before a round. After all, you’re going to be walking a lot for the next four hours or so. But as you walk along the slopes of the fairway, hunger can strike at any moment and you need to be ready for it.

A healthy protein bar or a homemade trail mix is an ideal snack to eat during your round. If you find those options to be too dry for your taste, a banana will also cater to the demands of your body for your round.

 

6. Rangefinder

It may not be the most essential of the essentials, but you should still strongly consider investing in one of those. If you’re unfamiliar with the potential benefits of a rangefinder for your golf game, we suggest you check out our rangefinder breakdown.

 

7. Rain Weather Clothes

You’re always subject to the elements when you head out on the course. There’s no way around it if it gets windy, snowy, cloudy or rain starts to pour down, you still have to complete the round. Be sure to bring your rain clothes in your bag, especially if clouds are already showing before the start of your round. Water-repelling innovations have helped create some lightweight apparel for you to wear in the rain. 

8. Umbrella

This one might be another given, but realizing you forgot your umbrella at home or in your car can be extremely frustrating when you’re already out on the course. Especially if it starts to rain out of the blue. Any modern stand bag will include a holder for your umbrella so you can have it with you at all times, and a lot of bags will even have an outside slot dedicated to your umbrella.

Although it will mostly be used under the rain, your umbrella can be a very useful tool when it comes to protecting your skin from sunlight (a little advice for all our fair-skinned golfers). Sun-screen is another smart option for golfers who need to worry about the sun.

9. Ball marker - fork

It can almost be anything you like, a random coin, a poker chip, a loonie, or a toonie (for all you Canucks out there). As long as it can be laid out on the green, that it won’t move while your partners are playing, and that it doesn’t get in your partners’ way, your ball marker can be whatever you desire.

While you’re marking your ball on the green, make sure to also take a second to repair that ball mark you left in the green when you landed that perfect wedge flop. A fork will help you do that. Don’t forget to repair the greens properly for the next golfers! 

10. Sharpie

Although you’ll want to mark your ball on the green to get out of the way of your playing partners, you’ll want to apply your mark to your golf ball. You don’t want some wanderer from the hole next to yours to play your ball after it lands out of the fairway. A sharpie-type pen is a great way to apply a mark to your ball to make sure no one else touches it.


There are plenty of other little accessories that we suggest you carry in your golf bag, although we wouldn’t consider those as necessary essentials. Amongst those you’ll find sunglasses, a sunscreen bottle, bugs repellent, and band-aids (especially if you tend to get blisters).

If you feel like we forgot any essentials, or you carry something a little out of the ordinary in your bag, let us know in the comments. We’ll be happy to share helpful tips with the rest of the Golf Avenue community.

Until Next Time, 

The Golf Avenue Team

Further reading

Golf season is coming to an end! Here's a comprehensive guide on storing golf clubs to avoid rust and minimize damage from the cold during the off-season.

In this blog post, we discuss the signs that might indicate that you need to change your drivers and how a damaged driver can affect your game. Check it out!