You need to decide what you need for a round of golf.
We start with the clubs. Rules of golf allow for only 14 clubs in a bag, but if you’re not keeping score for anything or playing in a competition, it doesn’t matter how many you have. Just remember that every club is extra weight.
Most golfers will have a setup something like this: Driver, 3-wood, 5-wood, hybrids (3 and maybe 4), irons (5–9), pitching wedge, gap wedge, sand wedge, and putter. Some may swap out the 5 wood for a lob wedge.
Other things you’ll need are tees. I prefer the plastic ones because they last forever. You’ll need golf balls. If you aren’t very good, you’ll want to carry extra balls in case you lose some. A dozen should be fine, but personally I have a bunch of “shag” balls that I’ve found on courses in a separate pocket from my regular game balls. If I’m playing poorly, I’ll go into my shag section and play found balls instead of losing my decent balls.
You’ll want a towel to wipe down your clubs or golf balls. Or to wipe sweat off your face. I typically have a few towels, just because…. I don’t want to wipe my clubs and my face with the same towel.
It’s always wise to have at least 2 golf gloves. I typically use 2–3 during the hot summer months, rotating every few holes.
Also in my bag is a cover for my clubs in the event of rain. Really helps to keep the water from getting on the grips. Speaking of which, a nice golf umbrella is always nice to have handy, particularly on those iffy days. I don’t play much in the rain, but when I think it might drop, I have my umbrella.
If you have these things, you’re pretty well set to play. Additional things you may want:
Divot tool, to repair ball marks on the green. Many of them have an attached ball marker so you can mark your ball’s position on the green.
First aid kit, in case you cut yourself and need a bandage.
Pain killers, in case you’re playing and have pain.
I also carry a swing weight that I use to loosen up before the round. I have a stretch band in my golf bag as well. I also have Gold Bond powder for when my hands get sweaty – huge problem in Louisiana. I keep my driver adjustment tool with me – you can’t adjust it during a round, and I never adjust it, but I have it JIC. I have an extra couple of soft spikes for my shoes and the tool to fix them. Extra pencils. A pocket knife. I have a small golf bag I keep a lot of that in. I have a groove cleaner. And occasionally, I’ll put a roll of athletic tape on the golf bag. I don’t have blisters usually, but when you get one, a bandage isn’t going to be enough…
Yeah, I tote a bunch of junk around in my golf bag. Most of that is unnecessary, but I like being prepared.
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