Golf trips are one of the most exciting and cool things about the game. Travelling to places at home or abroad, clubs in tow, competing against your mates, it doesn't get any better right? Well before you go and book your next trip, you need to make sure you have everything you need for the trip. This is where this guide comes in.
When you haven’t got the luxury of opening the boot and filling it with every last drop of your golfing bits then you have to be a bit more savvy. So from your travel bag itself to the contents of it we’ve got you covered. We have split this guide up into luggage because let's face it, we all need an upgrade of our golf travel bag right now, golf accessories to make life easier on the course, and general accessories that enhance your experience out in the sun or when travelling. We have also included some of our best travel and packing tips further down this page as well.
Below are some of the best golf accessories that you should think about getting for your next golf trip. Also we recommend checking out our post on the best golf luggage and best golf travel bags as well.
What To Pack For A Golf Trip
Luggage
A model that featured in our best golf travel bags guide, this is an outstanding piece of kit. The integrated leg set, which retracts easily, supports 100 per cent of the weight so, when you’re facing a lengthy walk to the car park or arriving at your accommodation, transporting your clubs around couldn’t be easier.
Inside there’s just the right space to pack your clubs, shoes and a few bits of clothing without your clubs rattling round and, because of the wheels, things will never feel too heavy. It’s all plenty durable with a ‘ballistic-style’ nylon heavy padding to protect your clubs.
Read our full Sun Mountain Club Glider Meridian Wheeled Travel Cover review
The Bag Boy T-660 features a wrap-around zipper that opens up the entire front of the travel cover. From there, you simply lay your golf bag in there and, unless it's oversized or severely overstuffed, it's pretty easy to get in and out of the bag.
What's more, when folded up you can easily fit it into a small space behind the seat of your rental car when you're traveling, or put it in the corner of the trunk. The T-660 also weighs less than 6 pounds, so it's easy to maneuver when not in use and you can store it on a shelf at your house or in your garage without it taking up much space.
Read our full Bag Boy T-660 Travel Cover Review
Titleist introduced a new range of travel gear and one of our favorite pieces from said range is this Players Backpack. This, and the entire collection, offers an elegant and stylish look, especially in the black camo design pictured above. If that isn't for you, you can also get other simpler or stand out designs as well.
The backpack is constructed from high quality materials which makes this a highly durable item of luggage. It has a main zipper for storage of your larger items but also comes with extra pockets both on the inside and the outside, allowing you to organize whatever you need transport just the way you like it.
Golf Accessories
Competitively priced, this unit boasts a Slope Compensation switch so you can toggle on and off slop-adjusted distances. We put this laser up against a Bushnell model and we found it more than kept up with accuracy and ease of use. A First target priority function isolates the flag while measurements are confirmed by vibration. It is accurate to +/- 1 yard and can measure in yards or metres.
You also get 6x magnification so you get a clear view when looking through the viewfinder, and we liked the weight, durability and it sits well in the hand.
Read our full Inesis Golf 900 laser rangefinder review
We found these Technics headphones to be outstanding for not only practice sessions but travel because the quality of the noise cancelling technology is right up there with the best. Additionally the quality of the sound is excellent whilst the earbud design stayed firmly in place during the golf swing (although when running they occasionally came slightly loose).
They connect quickly using Bluetooth, charging is seamless, and they come in a premium charging case that really gives a high-quality feel. Finally you also get loads of ear bud sizes to suit all ears and we like the fact these come in different colors ranging from black, to blue, to grey.
Oakley's Portal X model is one of the best golf sunglasses on the market because it is perfect for use not just out on the golf course but also away from it too. After testing we found these to be stylish, comfortable and the Prizm Dark Golf lenses undoubtedly enhance the contrast on bright days, which is especially helpful on greens with subtle slopes.
The tacky material used for the nose pads ensures a comfortable but secure fit while the special Unobtanium material on the inside of the earsocks has a similar feel and increases in grip when wet.
Read our full Oakley Portal X Sunglasses Review
This trainer is the perfect tool to pair with the PuttOUT mat along with a mirror and gate. The trainer works on its own well, too, as it will help you hit your putts at the perfect speed to get it resting in the indentation. It's frustratingly difficult but, once you've mastered it, you'll be a demon on the greens. You can also get Premium and Platinum versions which are made from slightly different materials and are just as fun to use.
The preferred umbrella of TaylorMade Tour players, the Double Canopy Umbrella is a worthy inclusion on this list and definitely one of the best golf umbrellas anywhere on the market.
It has a convenient auto-open feature along with a lightweight, and yet strong, fiberglass shaft. It also includes WindPro technology which helps deal with those windy days.
Another banker on any trip is that you’re going to face some aches and pains. So while everyone is passing round the painkillers why not include some tape to help to reduce pain and reduce any swelling.
The beauty of this is that it gently encourages the body to behave naturally and, once applied, it can last up to five days to provide dynamic support as well as providing a reminder of how to carry yourself.
When going away a good sunscreen is vital and this non-greasy, botanically moisturizing lotion, made with mineral sunscreen ingredients as well as aloe vera and chamomile extract, will provide super protection, even for those with really sensitive skin.
Bear with me. When you’re in your B&B and you’re sharing a room and there’s just one socket then you’ll be glad that you’ve packed this.
There’s all sorts of tech help available to us these days so if you want to keep your cart, GPS, iPhone and iPad all ticking along nicely then this will be a most welcome addition.
Likewise remind yourself of all the times when you’ve got a pull trolley for the day and spent large chunks of it wrestling your trolley up or down any sort of slope.
These are always going to come in handy so pop a couple in your golf bag and keep them there so your trip isn’t spoilt by something so simple.
Our top tips
One of our writers Roderick Easdale is a man who has traveled A LOT over the years meaning he is well versed on the do's and don'ts for packing and golf travel. As such I picked his brain for some top tips and the general techniques he uses. Here are 11 of them.
- Avoid extra hold luggage - The only thing I put in the hold is my golf travel bag. The rest of my clobber either goes inside this golf travel bag or in my hand luggage.
- Use all available space - There is often a fair bit of space left inside a golf travel bag once the golf bag has been inserted, so utilize this by placing a bag of clothes in here, or you can get a pair of shoes in maybe.
- Use your weight allowances - As a rough rule of thumb, budget airlines allow 20kg for golf bags, the rest 23kg. Golf bags themselves tend to weigh roughly around 12kg, so this leaves plenty of capacity for other item to go in the golf travel bag.
- Favor clothes which you can wear both on and off course, for example golf street shoes - This way you don't have to pack more shoes and more clothes when you have versatile models.
- If you plan to bring back wine/alcohol from your trip, take bubble wrap or utilize all clothing that can be used as cushioning - that way you can wrap up any purchases in padding get them home safely in your golf travel bag.
- Check the weather forecast - Are you likely to have to golf in the rain? If so, you may need clothing to help - like rain jackets or rain pants.
- Roll soft clothing to fill the gaps in your golf bag - also group items together when you roll to reduce creasing.
- Pack any light-colored clothing inside out - this is because if marks picked up in transit don’t show.
- Liquids - Don’t forget to place any liquids of over 100ml in your golf bag as they can’t be kept in hand luggage.
- Utilize all space - One such example is stuffing your shoes with smaller items to make the most of spare space.
- Try and use the airlines hand luggage provision to take just the one bag - no-one wants to be carrying a big case as well as a golf bag.
How we test golf equipment
At Golf Monthly we seek to test all golf gear as thoroughly and extensively as possible, and then we can pass on our findings to you. This usually takes the form of using the equipment on and off the golf course, over a number of rounds and in different conditions. By doing this we can see what the products are actually like to live with and use day to day.
We think this allows us to then write concise and informative reviews to inform your buying decision. On that kind of note we should say no manufacturer can pay for a good review because we tell it how it is.
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