If you’re a golf enthusiast, you probably already know the importance of having a golf towel in your bag. However, some novice golfers may overlook this versatile tool essential to any golfers’ gear.
The golf towel is a multi-use part of your equipment that should always be in all golf bags, the same way you’d never forget to include your clubs or your golf balls. We’ve compiled a list of the many reasons why you need to carry golf towels in your bag while you’re out on the course.
Why Do You Need Golf Towels in Your Golf Bag?
There are a lot of important reasons to carry golf towels in your bag. While you won’t use your towel to score a shot directly, they are an essential part of your success on the course.
The main reason is for cleaning your equipment. Keeping your tools clean will ensure that nothing stands in your way of the perfect game.
You also can use a golf towel to protect your clothing and gear, for example, by laying one down in muddy areas to keep from getting wet. Just be careful when doing this because if it appears that you are improving a stance with a towel, this is in violation of USGA rule 8.1a/5 against building a stance.
What Is a Golf Towel Used For?
From cleaning your golf clubs to wiping down your grips or to wiping your sweat, golf towels are critical to your play.
Cleaning Dirty Clubs
To putt it simply, a towel to clean your clubs will help with the spin and accuracy of your shots.
Cleaning your dirty clubs while on the golf course is perhaps the most common use for your golf towel. Keeping your clubs clean is incredibly important to make sure that the grooves in your club are free of mud or dirt dug up from the course.
A club with grooves impacted by grass or dirt has less surface area, which may impose less spin on your shots. Decreasing your shot spins means less control and may mean that your ball flies in an unintended or inconsistent direction.
Additionally, damp or wet courses can make your clubs especially dirty. A towel ensures that you can wipe off your driver or your putter before putting it in your bag, so it is ready to use for your next turn. Golfers of any ability will want a clean putter to secure their best shot.
Cleaning a Dirty Golf Ball
Just as you want to clean your clubs, you’ll want to use a towel to keep your golf ball clean.
When on the golf course, a clean ball could directly impact your game, so you must keep your golf ball clean. A dirty ball can impact many aspects of your shot and is especially important for the spin, which alters the ball’s flight and trajectory.
A ball caked in mud is likely to send a ball in an unwanted direction.
Wiping Down Your Grips
A dry golf towel lets you remain in control of your club by eliminating any moisture on your grips.
Many golfers play on the course even in less than ideal weather conditions. Wiping down your grips on your putter is essential for the days that it is excessively hot or wet.
Keeping your grips dry is essential. Most grips consist of rubber, polymer, or other synthetic materials that can become slippery when wet. Even with the help of a glove, it can be challenging to hold onto your golf club. A dry club is the best way to ensure you can swing your best shot.
Wiping Sweat
Wiping sweat from your hands and face is another reason you should carry a towel in your bag. Many golfers even prefer to tote an additional towel for this use.
Being able to wipe the sweat from your brow or your hands before you swing may make all of the difference in your game, and, likely, you do not want to use the same one on your face that you used on your putter or balls. Towels used on equipment will have dirt, grass, and other debris from the field, along with remnants of the chemicals used on the course.
For this reason, you should carry two golf towels to ensure that you are ready for all of your cleaning needs.
Cleaning Golf Bag and Golf Shoes
Dirty bags and golfing shoes are less of a pressing issue when you’re out on the course. However, some golfers pack up their trunk or backseat with their gear after their time on the course. For these golfers, wiping down the bag after a round keeps the grass and mud from making their way into the car and home.
The same applies to your shoes — you do not want to track grass and dirt around with you. Plus, high-quality gear is costly, and keeping your items in good condition is vital so that they can last you multiple seasons.
