How To Set Up Your Golf Bag — The Complete Guide

Whether you're a golfing veteran or a newbie — it's important to know the proper way to set up your golf bag.

With the sun high in the sky, the steady wind against your skin, and the lush greens waiting for you, can you afford to have a golf bag that's not serving your game?

We've created this neat little guide on how to set up your golf bag like a pro, so you can make your life easier on the course and have what you need to stand toe-to-toe with all the other pros around you. 

Keep reading to get expert insights and learn more. 

Getting Started

Before we dive deep into organizing all of your golf bag essentials, there are a few preliminary tasks you have to take care of. 

If you're starting with a cluttered golf bag, the first thing you should do is remove everything. Clearing out your golf bag helps give you a fresh start, so you can follow the instructions below. 

Take out all your clubs, irons, woods, and putters, and line them up, so you know exactly what you're working with. 

Next, you'll want to get rid of all the stuff that you don't use anymore. Throw out any dead batteries, old towels, or any other accessories that are taking up valuable space in your golf bag. 

For good measure, now would be the perfect time to clean your putters, woods, wedges, and irons. Scrub the club faces and grips while they're all out of the bag. 

How to Organize Your Golf Clubs

One of the first steps to whipping your golf bag into shape is to organize your golf clubs. After all, holding your clubs is the primary purpose of having a golf bag. If you don't want to waste valuable time sifting through your clubs to find your putter or woods — keeping them in the right order is the best way to go. 

What you want to do first is identify the type of golf bag you have. 

Some bags have numerous club dividers where others only have a few. When you know what kind of bag you're working with, it will be easier to organize your putter, woods, irons, and other golf clubs. 

In general, you want to put the longer clubs, like your driver or woods, in the back of the bag. This keeps the clubs closer to the strap, which will make your bag easier to carry. It also makes it easier to track your golf clubs if you arrange them from left to right. 

In the next row, place all of your irons in your bag using the same technique. All your smaller golf clubs, like your putter, irons, and wedges, should be in the front of your golf bag. 

After you use your club for a swing, try and get into the habit of putting it back in the same spot. Once it becomes second nature, you'll quickly realize the benefits of having your irons and golf clubs organized. 

How to Organize Your Apparel 

Almost all golf carriers will come with at least one apparel pocket. While it may be tempting to shove other items into your apparel pocket, try to avoid doing so at all costs. If you put snacks or liquids in this pocket, you'll end up with an unforgivable mess. 

Not only will putting other items in the apparel pocket ruin your clothes, but they can also damage other areas of your bag. Several golfers have had horrible experiences where a fork or knife tore a hole through the apparel pocket. One small hole can lead to severe issues with your bag further down the line. 

In short, your apparel pocket is only for your apparel (and maybe a towel or two). What's more, keeping all your apparel folded will ensure your bag is organized to the highest standards. When you fold your apparel, you can fit more items into the pocket. Try to resist throwing your items into the pocket before your next golf game. 

If possible, try and find a golf bag that's water-resistant to prevent your apparel from getting soaked if it starts to rain. 

How to Organize Your Golf Balls

Most bags offer a specific section to store your balls. That said, you don't want to overload the number of balls you take with you. Having too many isn't necessary and will make it more difficult to organize the rest of your bag. 

On the other hand, pack too little, and you'll find yourself in a frustrating situation if you're running low. Most experts carry about 10 balls with them for a full 18 holes. 

How to Organize Your Golf Accessories

Organizing your accessories is crucial if you want to have a clear mind while on the green. However, your strategy is limited to how many pockets your stand bag offers. Fortunately, most medium and large golf bags provide plenty of pockets to hold a reasonable amount of accessories. 

If you're lucky, your stand or cart bag may have a dedicated spot for your gloves. It's a double-win if that pocket is water-resistant. There's nothing worse than wet gloves when you're trying to perform your best.  

Your tees, ball markers, pens, and notepad should all reside in the same pocket. This way you have all your accessories in one place. Some people make the mistake of bringing a small backpack with them to carry these accessories, only to find them lugging around too much to have a good time. 

Some modern bags will have specialized pencil holders, which will help free up some space for additional tees. In that case, make sure to take advantage of this feature. You can also store batteries for your rangefinder in the event you run out of juice. 

How to Organize Your Valuables

If you have a newer stand bag, chances are there's a dedicated area to store your valuables. What's more, golf bag manufacturers tend to make these compartments out of durable ermine and velour. Also, they tend to make the valuables pocket water-resistant to keep your phone and wallet nice and dry as you play. 

In short, you can keep all your valuables, such as your phone, wallet, or watches in this dedicated compartment. 

How to Organize Your Consumables

Golf can be quite physically demanding, especially if you're walking the course. Naturally, you'll want to pack water and some snacks to keep your energy levels in check. As you can see from the information above, it's not wise to shove your snacks and liquids into any compartment that has additional space. 

If you have solid food like nuts or crackers, make sure to pack them at the top of whichever compartment you choose. This will avoid them getting crushed or spilling into the deep crevices of your golf bag.

To prevent your food from melting, try and find a pocket with good insulation. The last thing you want is for that candy bar to be a liquid mess when you're starving on hole 9. 

A modern stand bag will come with a bottle holder. If you find yourself without one, make sure your cap is screwed on nice and tight. The unexpected rain is enough water to deal with, you don't need any internal flooding damaging your irons or putter. 

How to Organize External Items

Keeping a well-organized golf bag isn't only about what goes inside. You'll also want to keep all your external items nice and neat. You can start by clipping your towels to the side of your cart bag. Some players also prefer to clip their range finder on the side of their golf bags, but this is only necessary if you use your device frequently. 

If you have extra clips, you can use them to attach important items like your membership card or any other badges you want to display on your stand or cart bag. 

Another important item you won't want to forget in your cart bag is your umbrella. Depending on where you live, rain showers can be quite intense. You don't want to find yourself in the middle of a game with no cover. 

FAQs

What is the purpose of golf bag dividers?

Golf bags have a club divider system to make it easier to organize your irons and other golf clubs. What's more, they also prevent your golf clubs from colliding with one another and scratching the faces. Most standard golf bags come with four club dividers. However, some bags can have many more. 

You can find specialized golf carriers with dedicated dividers for your irons, wedges, putter, woods, and driver. If possible, get your hands on one of these bags, so you don't have to deal with your irons, putter, or driver clicking and dinging together as you're trying to enjoy a relaxing day on the green.

Some people prefer a bag with several club and iron dividers, but a lot of the pros use one with four or fewer. It all boils down to your personal preferences and how you like to arrange your woods, putter, wedges, driver, irons and other golf clubs.

Which golf clubs should you have in your bag?

You can't carry more than 14 golf clubs on the course during a game. With this limitation, players are required to strategize which golf clubs they'll need for optimal performance. When it comes to choosing your golf clubs, you'll need to consider the following factors:

• The course layout
• Your skill level
• Your confidence

All the above will determine which clubs will be most suitable on the green. The typical golf club setup includes a driver, woods, irons, and a putter. Some players don't require a driver to play. If you're a beginner, your coach may instruct you to use a 3-wood instead of a driver to practice your swing.

 You can also include some pitching wedges if you have room for additional golf clubs. However, wedges aren't necessary for practice rounds. 

What are some essential items that every golfer needs?

• New Golf Balls. When it comes to golf balls, your new ones typically help you perform better on the course. If you're just practicing, you can use old balls or ones you don't necessarily care about.
• Sun Screen/Bug Spray. One of the best reasons to play golf is to enjoy the sunshine. However, too much sun exposure can damage your skin and give you a painful sunburn. You'll also want to pack some bug spray to deter those pesky bugs from getting in your way.
• USGA Rule Book. Having the USGA rule book handy in your bag is crucial if you want to take your golf game seriously. This way, you'll know important details like penalties and how far you can move your ball.

Do you put your golf shoes in your bag?

While you can put your golf shoes in your bag, it's not usually recommended. A lot of golfers use a separate tote to carry their shoes. Although this requires you to carry a second bag, it will prevent your shoes from damaging your accessories. Furthermore, it will ensure that your golf gear doesn't crease or mark your brand-new golf shoes. 

Wrapping Up 

There's no doubt that keeping your golf bag in order will enhance your experience on the green. A lot of the tips above require you to change your habits for them to become second nature. The most important items to focus on are your putter, irons, large golf clubs, apparel and golf balls. 

At the end of the day, how you arrange your stand bag comes down to your personal preferences. 

Many golfers have a routine they like, so there's no point in reinventing the wheel. That said, you should always make sure to set up your golf bag in a way that won't damage your golf clubs, driver, woods, irons, wedges, putters, clothing, or other accessories.