Don’t Forget These Items Next Time your Hit The Course!
Have you been caught in a storm on the golf course only to have left your rain jacket in the car? Or maybe you’ve ripped a hole in your golf glove and wish you had an extra? As golfers, we find ourselves on the course without certain items that we use or need nearly every round. And while many of us like to keep our bags as light as possible, there are a few go-to items that are great to always have on hand. Here are 12 must-have items for a day out on the golf course:
Small bottle of sunscreen and bug spray
After three hours on the golf course in the sun with 4 or 5 holes to play, you might wish you had some extra sunscreen to avoid that unpleasant burn on your neck. And a little bug spray would be nice to keep the bugs from distracting you during that important 5-foot putt to win the hole.
Permanent Marker
Permanent markers are great golf course accessories. You can use them to put a distinctive mark on your golf ball, keep score if you don’t have a pencil or pen, and even draw alignment lines on your golf ball for putting.
Band-Aids and athletic tape
For blisters, cuts, or scrapes, it’s always a good idea to carry some Band-Aids and athletic tape on the course. They are versatile, lightweight, and small enough you can throw anywhere in your bag.
Light rain jacket or portable rain poncho
Don’t let the weather slow down a great day on the course. Pack a lightweight water resistant jacket in your bag that you can wear when the unexpected (or expected) weather hits. Another great option is to pack an emergency poncho in your bag if you want to keep your bag extra light.
Aspirin or Ibuprofen
A must-have in my golf bag. You never know when you or a playing partner will need a little pain relief on the golf course (or even before the round starts)!
Cell phone with Golf Course GPS App
With technology continuing to progress every day, why not use it to help you around the course? There are many options, including dedicated GPS devices and cell phone apps you can download. After all, our cell phones and all this technology seem to go everywhere with us. There are lots of different options for golf GPS, including SkyGolf, a handheld GPS device, and Shotzoom’s Golfshot, a golf app available on Android & Apple products. Both feature thousands of golf courses, provide accurate yardages throughout the round, and allow you to keep track of your score.
Business cards
It’s no secret that the golf course is a great place to network and meet new golf partners, maybe even possible business partnerships or job opportunities. You should always have a few business cards in your golf bag (and with you everywhere for that matter), as you never know who you might meet out there.
Water bottle
Stay hydrated on the golf course. Most courses do a good job of placing water jugs every few holes, so throw a reusable water bottle in your bag that you can fill up throughout the round. Plus you never know if the beverage cart will be slow to make its way around the course.
Extra golf glove
It’s not fun to be mid-round and have your golf glove rip open with no backup. Don’t risk it. Keep an extra glove or two in one of the pockets of your bag. This is also great when one of your gloves somehow gets wet and doesn’t provide the grip it should.
Small wet towel
Keeping a towel with you during the round is a must and not just the golf towel that is hooked to your bag. Try carrying a small wet towel during your round. Not only can you use it to clean your clubs before or after your shot, you can use it to clean your ball off before you putt and clean your hands off after reapplying sunscreen or eating. Try wrapping the towel around your putter or driver to keep it from falling off your bag (or even a quick release hook or carabiner).
Snacks
Avoid a mid-round crash by keeping a few snacks with you. Granola bars, trail mix, almonds, and beef jerky make quick snacks that are easy to eat on the go and don’t spoil in your bag if you don’t end up eating them right away. Throw in a candy bar too, we won’t tell on you.
Divot repair tool and extra ball mark
As we discussed in a Golf Etiquette article, you should always repair your ball marks (and any that you happen to see) on greens with a divot tool or tee. But something else to keep with you on the golf course is an extra ball marker or two. You’ve likely played with a friend or been paired with someone who hasn’t had a ball marker with them and asked to borrow one. By taking an extra coin or marker, you can speed up your round and not have to worry about other golfers who aren’t as prepared as you!
