Best Golf Accessories

Must-Have Accessories for Every Golfer

Are you looking for the the best golf accessories on the market?  Whether you are looking for golf bags all the way to full fledged golf simulators, we’ve got you covered.

Golf Bags

Outside of buying a set of clubs, your golf bag is your second biggest investment that you’ll make on golf equipment.

Choosing the right bag really comes down to one question.  Do you normally ride in a cart or walk?  And that leads to the the classic cart bag vs stand bag debate.

If your answer is that you ride in a cart, take advantage of the fact that you don’t have to carry your bag and get something that will provide you plenty of room for your clubs and other gear.  Here are our favorite golf bags for cart riders.

If you prefer to walk, you are looking for something lightweight and are willing to sacrifice some storage to do that.  For you, we recommend you check out our favorite stand bags.  If you really want a great walking bag and don’t mind not carrying a full 14 clubs, head over to our picks for Sunday Golf Bags.

Maybe your answer is that you prefer to both walk and ride.  In that case, we recommend you going with a hybrid golf bag or pair a cart bag with a push cart.  It’s the best of both worlds!  Here are some push carts that we like and here is some electric push carts that make walking 18 pure joy!

No matter your answer to the question above, please do not store your golf bag in the trunk of your car.  The heat and cold are not good for the grips on your clubs, not to mention that candy bar that you stuck in your golf bag.  Instead, we recommend you look at storing your clubs in your garage.

Best Clip On Golf GPS

Distance Finders

An accessory that is a must for every golfer is some sort of distance finder.  The days of using sprinkler heads are long gone.  Not only is their an accuracy issue, but it is a killer for pace of play.

You’ve all heard the heated debate between boxers versus briefs.  With golfers, you’ll find the same level of debate when it comes to laser range finders versus GPS devices.

The laser range finder guys tout that accuracy and speed of a laser rangefinder.  While the GPS guys bring up the fact that you can get yardages to the front / back of the green and other targets that you cannot hit with a range finder.

Regardless of where you stand on that debate, make sure you use one or the other.  For quality range finders, click here.  If you are a GPS guy, click here for  handheld GPS units and click here for GPS watches.  If you’d like to use a smartphone instead, check out these golf apps that can help you find a yardage or load these golf apps onto your Apple Watch.

Golf Apparel

How about your feet?  Do you really need Golf Shoes?  Well, golf shoes are extremely important if you are looking to finish the round strong.  A bad pair of golf shoes will fatigue you fast and leave you with an empty tank when you are looking to close out a good round.  In the old days, most players wore metal golf spikes but that is no longer the case.  Many are going with spikeless golf shoes now.  If you need some help finding good golf shoes, check out this article or go to our post on the best golf shoes for women.  If you have a wide foot, check out the best golf shoes for wide feet.  Remember, golf shoes should be snug but not tight.  Don’t forget about the golf socks either.  Having the wrong pair will make even the best golf shoes uncomfortable. Finally, once you find a pair of golf shoes you like make sure you know how to keep your golf shoes clean.

Moving from your feet to your hands, the benefits of wearing a golf glove are enormous.  Make sure you have several quality golf gloves and you understand what a cadet sized golf glove is.  Also, know when you should and should not wash your golf gloves.  Getting blisters will get you off the course quicker than anything. 

Playing in wet conditions can be miserable with wet feet.  Conditions can be a little more bearable with a quality umbrella as well to go with waterproof golf shoes.  Don’t get out there on the course with the cheap umbrella that breaks down after the first gust.  Here are some umbrellas up to the challenge. Also, to be truly prepared for wet weather you need to put a good rain suit in your bag.  Here are the best golf rain suits to invest in.

But on sunny days, the challenge changes.  There is an age old debate on whether golf with sunglasses is a good or bad idea.  Wearing non-golf specific sunglasses can lead to depth perception issues.  That’s not a problem when you’re at the beach, but on the golf course that can be a big problem.  These sunglasses are designed to address that issue.

Let’s not forget about golf clothing.  I think it’s true, if you look good you play good.  Here are some interesting golf clothing brands worth taking a look at.

Finally,  it is critical you have the right golf gear if you’re playing in cold weather.  Don’t make it harder than it already is, this cold weather golf gear paired with a golf cart heater can make he experience much more enjoyable.

Best Golf Accessory

Training Aids

We all want to get better.  Unfortunately too, we’ve all seen the last night infomercials on the golf channel about devices that “are supposed” to help you improve.

Honestly, about 90% of the training aids out there are completely useless.  The bad news, we’ve lost a lot of money purchasing them. The good news, we’ve found the ones that actually work.  Our loss can be your gain, check out our list of training aids that actually work.

In the last few years, there is another type of training aid that has hit the market. These devices use technology to analyze either your swing or overall game and help you to identify your flaws.  You can check out those swing analyzers here.

If you want to see something really cool, that is also very helpful for analyzing your game, check out these shot tracer apps for your phone.  

Indoor Golf

Another way to get better, practice more.  I know, what a novel idea.  Sometimes going to the course just isn’t in the cards.  In that case, there are plenty of ways to get in a little practice indoors at home.

For most people, the easiest (and cheapest) way to practice indoors is the indoor putting green.  But skip the cheap astro-turf putting mat, these indoor putting greens are much higher quality and will translate much better to the course.  Although not technically indoor, here’s a great article on how to build your own backyard putting green.

Golfers fortunate enough to have a little extra cash and a large enough room at the house for a simulator, should consider a golf simulator.  (Yes, an outdoor golf simulator is possible but has some limitations.)  In recent years, the technology has gotten much better and more affordable.  For complete golf simulator packages, we recommend you go here.  If you are more of a DIY person, read our full article on how golf simulators work.  If you decide to go the DIY golf simulator route, make sure to read our articles on impact screens, projectors for simulators, and simulator software.

If you are not quite ready for the complete simulator experience, you can always pick up a launch monitor, golf practice net and golf mat.  With all launch monitors, you can seriously upgrade your practice sessions.  But with certain launch monitors, you can build a simulator experience around it.   Here’s our review of our favorite launch monitors.

The Bottom Line

There are thousands of new golf products come to market each year (don’t forget about Golf Tees, Golf Towels, Golf Headcovers, Golf Ball Display Cases, Golf Club Brush Cleaners, or Golf Ball Retrievers).  For the majority of players, this is completely overwhelming and it can be very easy to waste you money on inferior accessories.  We hope these reviews make your purchasing decisions a little bit easier.