5 Things I'm Adding To My Golf Bag This Spring

Technically, the first day spring in the Northern Hemisphere this year is on March 20th, but the last few days here in the UK have led me to formally declare that spring is here from a pure vibes perspective. As a man slightly obsessed with the weather, a glimmer of sun, a bud on a blossom tree and a dry-ish golf course has got me shaking with anticipation for the next six months of golf. 

For those living in the UK, it has been a truly grey and wet start to the year, but the good (dry) times are very, very close. It's been a long old slog, and it seems like a lifetime since I wrote about the 5 things I'd be putting in my golf bag for the winter at the end of last year. Such has been my lack of golf over the last month, my golf bag has been nothing more than a dust collector in my hallway. On my first tentative venture to the range earlier this week, I found it still packed with my winter gloves, yellow golf balls and a half-full coffee flask - it's time for a freshen up. 

If you're getting back into golf this spring, now is the best time to have a proper sort out of your golf bag and get it ready for the best six month stretch of the year. Here's what I'll be adding (and taking out) of my golf bag as we head into the golf season. 

Lower lofted fairway woods, utility irons & long irons

One thing I always add to my bag in the winter is lofted fairway woods and hybrids. My 7-wood is one of my favorite clubs in the bag and is an incredibly useful tool when the ground is wet and you need easy carry yards that you can't get out of a utility iron or long iron. Come the winter, I always retire my utility iron and even my 4-iron in lieu of a 7-wood and an extra hybrid - but now it's probably time to swap them around. 

With the ground firming up and the need for loft and carry less prominent on firmer grounds and warmer air, a utility iron will be a handy addition to the bag. Stingers, low runners and fairway finding options off the tee are much more valuable on dry courses and now is time to make the swap at the top of your bag and hone in those skills once again. 

Gamer golf balls

I've been using what can only be described as luminous yellow pebbles over the winter and, while they absolutely served their purpose, it's time to get back to some of the best golf balls for the spring. As the weather warms and the greens firm up, you really need to be using a golf ball that can give you some control around the ever-firming greens. While the hard golf ball work wonders in cold weather, they can feel all too firm and unresponsive in better conditions. With loose leaves and mud now fading away from golf courses, the need for bright colors is much less too and there's also a smaller chance you'll lose balls to plugged lies. 

After reading my colleague Joe's glowing review of the new TaylorMade TP5x, I think I'll be opting for a fresh dozen of these for the start of the season. I might even take a Sharpie to them to add some alignment markings if I find myself at a particularly loose end one Friday night. 

Sunscreen

Here in the UK, we're probably still a month or so away from the sun being powerful enough that we need to protect ourselves from it, but I think sunscreen is a vital accessory to always to have in your golf bag across the summer so I'll be putting it in now so I don't forget. 

Last month, I've was sent an incredibly innovative and unique suncream product that I think could be a bit of a game changer in terms of applying sunscreen on the golf course. It's called Solex and it's basically a sunscreen applicator that means you can top up your suncream when you're out on the golf course without getting your hands all greasy. It's even got a mirror built into the cap so you can check it's all rubbed in! 

While most of us will apply sunscreen before we play then wash our hands in the clubhouse, far too few of us will reapply when out on the course because of the state it leaves our hands in. When you're out in the sun for over four hours during a round, top ups are essential and this Solex device seems to have solved this problem. Never have I been so excited to apply sunscreen before... 

Reusable water bottle

As I mentioned at the top of this piece, I did have to take a old coffee flask out of my golf bag that had been marinating for a month or so. While that gets deep cleaned, I'll be replacing it with a reusable water bottle that'll stay in my bag for the rest of the spring and summer. Much like topping up with sunscreen, staying hydrated on the course is a basic thing a lot of us forget, and it could be harming our performance. Always having bottle in your bag will allow you to take advantage on more and more golfer courses offering water stations out on the course and saves you having to buy one each time! 

Premium head covers

I am something of a golf club head cover obsessive. I'm always on the look out for the best, 'vibiest' combination of head covers in my bag whether from golf courses I've visited or ones I've found online. However, some of them don't tend to see the light of day in the winter as I daren't expose them to any rain or mud that may come their way. Two bright white leather ones I have in particular I don't risk at this time of year, so I opt back for the stock head covers. 

If you're like me, then I'd highly recommend working through this process between the winter and summer to keep your best head covers in tip top shape. As I start to see the mud subside, I'll be bringing back my two favorite head covers to restore the parity and the 'vibes' atop my golf bag.