There are a lot of things to think about in the game of golf, from your swing to your score, you have to be focused on the course.
One of the more overlooked aspects of the game, especially by beginners and higher handicappers, is organization.
When you make up your mind on the club you want to hit and how you want to hit it, one of the worst things that you could do is break your concentration by either pulling out the wrong club or searching around in your bag.
While there is no definitive way to organize your golf bag, the important thing is that you organize it to your liking. As you read the rest of this article, it will give you some tips and hints on how to organize a golf bag.
How To Organize Your Bag: 4 Easy Steps
1. Empty Your Bag
The first step is the easiest, but it is also one of the more important. You want to start by emptying your bag. It is really difficult to organize a cluttered space, and there is a really good chance you have things in your golf bag that you no longer need. Maybe even an old pack of crackers or a few broken tees that just need to be thrown away.
By emptying your bag, you are starting with a clean slate, and you can put what you want, where you want it. You can also evaluate what you want in your bag, and you very well could end up leaving quite a few clubs out of your next golfing trip.
2. Choose Your Clubs
The obviously most important thing in your golf bag is your golf clubs. If you are an amateur just playing for fun, then putting the exact right number of clubs in your bag is not that important, but if you want to follow the rules of golf, you will carry 14 clubs (and yes, that does include your putter) or less.
Many golf bags will come with 14 dividers so it is easy to see when you have gone past your limit.
Some golfers may carry different clubs depending on the course, the environment, or how they are feeling, but there are certain clubs that you are going to carry no matter where you are playing. When organizing your bag, we suggest that you figure out your 14 most common clubs and use those in your initial organization.
3. Arranging Your Clubs in Your Bag
Most golf bags are made up of three sections where the clubs are placed. Golfers call the side closest to the strap the back of the bag with the front of the bag being the side that is farthest from the straps.
In general, you want to put your longer clubs in the front of the bag because they will be farther away from you and you want to put your putter and shorter clubs close to the back of the bag.
Putter
Your putter should be the first club that you put in your bag because you will use it the most and you want to make sure it is visible and easy to reach. Most golfers will put their putter in the back row of their bag so that it is the first club they see and the easiest club to reach. Many bags will have a sleeve specifically designed for the putter, and it is almost always closest to the straps on the right side of the bag.
Woods and Driver
After your putter is in place, you should organize your woods and driver, and if you play with hybrids you will organize them here as well. These clubs will be taller, so you want to put them in the front of the bag so that they are farther away from you when choosing clubs. These clubs are usually covered as well which makes it even more important to keep them behind your shorter clubs. In addition, you should order your woods and driver by putting the lower lofted clubs first and then order them by the degree of loft they play. We would suggest organizing your driver first, then your woods in order, and then follow that with any hybrids you use, even if those hybrids are lofted higher than your woods.
Irons and Wedges
Your irons and wedges are left, and should take up the middle and back of your bag. Your wedges should fill in the spots next to the putter, and your short and middle irons should go in order after your wedges from your 9-iron down to whatever the lowest iron you are playing is. The key is to keep them in order even during the round. Take a club out of its spot and place it right back in line when you are finished.
Accessories and Golf Balls
Many golfers take some accessories with them out on the course. The key is to keep your most used accessories in the top front pocket so that it is easy to just reach in and grab what you need. Ball markers, tees, and extra golf balls are all examples of what you want to keep in this pocket in your golf bag.
Other accessories you may take with you include a rule book, extra gloves, and even electronics like a rangefinder or launch monitor. If you are planning on using them during your round, it is probably best to keep them accessible either on the cart or connected to your bag in another way. If you are not going to use them, most golf bags have large storage pockets that are out of the way and can remain closed during the round.
4. Valuables
While it is not ideal, having your wallet, watch, wedding ring, and other valuables on the course is sometimes necessary. You want to make sure that you leave a secure pocket open for these things, and just plan on placing them in the pocket before the round and not touching them again. If you plan on not using your phone during the round, you should place your phone in this pocket as well.
Final Thoughts On How To Organize A Golf Bag
If you are just starting out in golf, this may seem like a less important topic, but it really is one of the keys to a successful round. Hopefully you learned something about how to organize your bag and how important it is to do that. If you did, please consider sharing this article with your friends and leave us a comment below. We look forward to your feedback.
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