While a great set of clubs can do wonders for your handicap, the right selection of golf accessories can make your rounds smoother and easier. With some top golf accessories at hand, you can focus on your driving and putting without any irritations or distractions.
The 10 essential golf accessories we’ve picked in this article won’t necessarily turn you into a professional golfer. But they can help improve aspects of your game, make your rounds more enjoyable, and even make you a more courteous player.
From humble golf towels to high-tech rangefinders, read our pick of the 10 best golf accessories.
Must-have golf accessories
These are the essential golf accessories you need in your golf bag. No golfer should be without them.
1. Golf gloves
Whilst golf gloves may not initially sound overly important, remember that your hands are the only part of you that makes contact with your clubs. Plus, the way you hold your clubs is a vital part of your game.
A good golf glove is non-negotiable for any golfer. It provides a better grip on clubs than skin alone, reduces the risk of blisters, and enhances your overall comfort. Now you can concentrate on playing rather than on any pains or niggles.
Many golfers prefer gloves made from synthetic materials due to their superior durability and flexibility, but some prefer the feel of leather. Try on a range of styles to find which you prefer. Ensure the glove you pick fits snugly without being too tight, allowing for easy movement and precise control.
2. Golf balls
There’s more to golf balls than meets the eye, especially higher-quality balls. Different types of golf balls suit different players, styles of play, and swing speeds. They also offer varying degrees of control, distance travelled, and spin.
Picking the right type of golf ball for you can have a profound impact on your game. Beginner golfers may fare better with softer balls that have more give and are more forgivable when you’re out on the course. More experienced players may prefer harder balls that offer better control and feedback. As with picking gloves, it’s worth experimenting with a small number across a range of balls to find the best for you.
Related: How to choose the right golf ball
3. Golf tees
Golf tees are simple-looking pieces of kit, but they play a crucial role in your game. A good tee can help you raise your balls to the optimal height and launch angle. This can contribute to longer, more accurate, and more consistent drives.
Golf tees are available in a wide range of materials, heights, and styles. Wooden and bamboo tees are more traditional and eco-friendly, but tees made from plastics and other synthetic materials often offer better durability. Different heights of tees are suitable for different clubs, but you can buy packs of tees offering a range of heights. You can also buy adjustable tees too. As with golf balls, it’s sensible to try out a selection of golf tees to find the ones that suit you the best.
4. Golf umbrella
The weather is hard to predict—even for the experts—and even a glorious summer’s day in Britain can quickly turn into driving rain. You don’t want to play wet-through, as this will do nothing for your game.
A large and sturdy golfing umbrella that can cope with whatever the British weather throws at it is essential. It will be a lifesaver during unexpected rain showers and can even provide shade on those rare scorching days.
Look for golf umbrellas with a large canopy that are lightweight but durable enough to withstand wind and rain. Ventilated designs can also help prevent the umbrella from being blown inside out.
5. Divot repair tool
Every golfer is responsible for maintaining the condition of the course, and you should aim to leave each hole in the same condition you found it—a divot repair tool is essential for this. They help you easily repair areas of damage to the grass on courses caused by your swing or by the ball landing. A divot repair tool will ensure surfaces remain smooth and fair for everyone and that you uphold good course etiquette.
Divot repair tools are fairly cheap pieces of kit. They’re available in a variety of styles, either metal or plastic, with one or two prongs. They fold away neatly and sometimes have attached tools, too.
‘Nice-to-have’ golf accessories
These additional golf accessories can also help you make the most of your precious time on the course.
6. A rangefinder
A trusty rangefinder is invaluable for accurately measuring distances on the course. A rangefinder will help you determine how far you are from the pin, as well as other key points along a course, like bunkers and other hazards. It helps you make informed decisions on driving distances and what clubs you should pick. Rangefinders are also great fun to use.
When it comes to golf rangefinders, you’ve got a few options. Laser rangefinders are the most common, as they’re simple to use and accurate over long distances. GPS golf watches are also an alternative that can track your location on a course.
Rangefinders usually offer a variety of features. These include different battery sizes, slope-adjustment technology, and visual options where you can paint circles around pins for that extra bit of confidence about the measurements you’ve made.
7. Golf shoes
Whilst golf shoes aren’t strictly necessary, they’re an accessory that plenty of golfers appreciate. The right pair of golf shoes can help improve your stability and balance, ensuring you get the most out of your driving, chipping, and putting. Golf shoes are also light and comfortable.
If you’re interested in investing in golf shoes, take your time trying on as many as possible to get the right fit and the best feel for you. Look for shoes that are breathable, waterproof, and offer arch support. Spiked shoes can offer better traction on grass, too, especially on wet courses.
On the other hand, spikeless shoes can be worn both on and off grass and are more versatile.
8. A golf towel
A quality golf towel is a useful, versatile, and low-cost accessory. You can use a golf towel to keep your hands clean and sweat-free, plus you can wipe down balls and clubs to keep them dry and spotless.
Look for a golf towel made from absorbent materials like microfiber, as this is effective at removing dirt and absorbing moisture. You can get golf towels that come in sets and with fittings like clips or magnets so that you can conveniently attach them to your golf bag.
9. A golf travel bag
Whilst a golf bag is a requirement rather than an accessory, smaller golf travel cases and travel bags have become much more popular recently.
Rather than being a full bag, golf travel bags are smaller, lighter, hold fewer clubs, and are more portable. They’re useful if you’re travelling and can’t bring a full golf bag, but they are also ideal if you’re heading to a driving range or a pitch-and-putt course and won’t need your full set of clubs.
Some golf travel bags are larger and come with wheels and padding, making them a great option for air travel. Others are smaller and lightweight and are more suited to carrying a smaller number of clubs for practice sessions.
10. Training aids
Golf is a game of precision and skill where effective practice is needed to improve. While the best kind of practice is usually out on the course, there are plenty of golf training aids available that can help you at home, too. Now, you can work on your game even if you only have a spare 30 minutes.
You can get training aids to help improve all aspects of your game. These include indoor putting mats, driving nets, chipping nets, launch monitors to diagnose your swing, grip trainers to improve your hand placement, and swing aids and trainers like smash bags.
Good golf practice aids can help you focus on the aspects of play you most need to improve, whatever time you have and wherever you are.
