When you go to the golf course and look around you might see other people’s golf bags and see bulging pockets or people pulling these out of the compartments located on the bag. Have you ever wondered: What do I need to bring with me to the golf course? What are other people carrying in their bag?
Generally speaking on the inside of a golf bag (in pockets or storage compartments) there will be most of or all of the following items. Golf balls, tees, a golf glove, a ball marker, a divot repair tool, water/food and a ball marking device.
In this article I will talk about each item and what the purpose of it is for. Reading this will help to answer your questions about golf accessories and give you a better idea of what items are needed. This will help you to be more prepared when you go to the golf course.
Golf glove
Ball marker
Ball marking tool
Divot tool
Tees
Golf balls (How many do I need?)
Water & Food
Let’s start with the inside of the golf bag. What are the items that you need?
Golf glove: A golf glove is generally white. They are usually worn on the non-dominant hand of a golfer. If you are a right handed player you would wear the glove on your left hand, and the opposite if you are a left handed player. The purpose of a golf glove is to help you maintain stability in your grip of the golf club. It adds extra grip so the golf club is less likely to slip out of your hands. It also helps to protect your hand from getting blisters, you are still likely to get them. It will depend on how often you golf and how long you are there each time you visit.
Ball marker: A ball marker is only meant for the green of a golf course. (See golf course anatomy.) It is used when you are on the surface of the green and want to pick up your ball. This is the only time that you are allowed to move your ball with your hand during a hole. A ball marker can come in any size, usually they are flat so they are not distracting for other golfers. In tournament style golf sometimes you need to move your marker out of another golfer’s way. If you are not playing tournament golf you don’t have to worry about that. When it comes to ball marker’s I enjoy switching it up. I will use anything from a coin to a poker chip to a little metallic circular object with an insignia or some type of significant meaning. It can honestly be anything that is relatively flat and smaller than four inches across. As long as you enjoy using it and looking at it then it works.
Divot repair tool: A divot repair is used on the green as well. This tool is used to fix a mark made by your ball when your ball comes into contact with the green at a high speed. The purpose in using one of these tools is to keep the green free of imperfections and disfigurement that may be caused by a golf ball. A divot repair tool will have prongs that extend out from a little handle. The prongs can be anywhere from a half inch to two inches long. Most divot repair tools have two prongs but occasionally you will see some with only one prong. Some people use a tee when repairing their ball marks, this an accepted method and works the same. However, a divot repair tool with two prongs is generally more effective and efficient.
Tees: A golf tee is a piece of wood, plastic and sometimes bamboo that is generally around three inches long. They can be anywhere from 1½ to four inches long. They come in all sizes and colors. One end comes to a point, that is what you stick in the ground. The other end has a little bowl type shape so that it can hold your golf ball. The purpose of a golf tee is to lift the golf ball into the air, sometimes it sits barely above the ground and other times it sticks up three inches. Doing this makes it easier to hit the ball off the tee box and provides you with more yardage than you would have without the tee. They can be used with any club that you are hitting off a tee box (i.e Driver, Wood, Iron.)
Golf Balls: I usually get two common questions from people who are not very familiar with golfing when they are starting out. 1.) What golf balls are good? 2.) How many should I bring with me? I will start by answering the first question. There are loads of golf ball types and brands. Some of the most popular balls in the golf world include Titleist, Callaway, Taylormade, Srixon, Bridgestone and those extremely beat up white or yellow balls that people hit for practice on the range, haha! While you are new to golf, any golf ball is good. They can get extremely pricey ($4.50 per ball) so best to stick with the free ones that you already own along with balls you find while out playing on the golf course. For the most part, if you buy a golf ball from any of the brands listed above then you will have a solid golf ball to play with. The second question depends on how proficient you are while golfing, and what activity you will be participating in. If you are at the golf course just to practice on the practice green then you only need 1-3 balls. If you are wanting to practice your chipping around the green you could bring 5-10. If you are out playing on the golf course you might need to bring 20-30 golf balls. The average golfer probably carries between 8-18 balls in their bag at one time.
Water and Food: I am not exactly sure how many people bring snacks or lots of water when they golf. I personally enjoy munching on snacks while I golf. A round of 18 holes can average around 4½ hours. You are welcome to bring water or juice and snacks to eat such as pretzels, chips, jerky, candy or other