Golf

The Best Golf Accessories and Travel Gear

Packing for a golf getaway? We’ve got you covered with our selection of the best golf accessories and travel gear. These items will not only help you approach the green but also play your best once you arrive.

By 

Shaun Tolson & Meyme Nakash

 |  April 5, 2024

As you prepare for a bucket-list golf trip or an annual golf getaway, you’ll need to pack more than just your clubs. Various pieces of travel gear will enhance your golf adventure. To ensure you pack all the essentials, we’ve got you covered with our favorite carry and stand bags, rain gear, and more. Enjoy your trip to the fullest with these 10 must-have golf accessories and travel-gear necessities, some of which will improve your everyday rounds at home, too.

The Best Golf Accessories and Travel Gear

Range Finder

At their core, all laser-guided range finders are the same. When set to their most basic (tournament-legal) modes, they’ll all measure distances to within a yard of each other. Where these devices begin to separate themselves is when their other algorithm-based measurement modes and sensors are toggled on. And when all of those features and capabilities are utilized, nothing measures up to the Bushnell Pro X3+.

The Pro X3+ not only uses Bushnell’s most advanced slope algorithm, but it also features technology that can adjust for altitude and ambient temperature. The difference that those metrics can make is staggering. When tested in the field, adjusted distance measurements provided by the Pro XE differed by as much as 11 yards when compared with other leading range finders that factored in only elevation change.

Bushnell Golf Pro X3+ laser rangefinder, $600 

Shoes for a Walking Round

A good pair of golf shoes that effectively uses the BOA Fit System will have you considering never buying a pair of shoes with traditional laces again. In simplest terms, the BOA Fit System features a micro-adjustable dial, ultra-strong textile laces, and low-friction lace guides. To use it, depress the dial and rotate it clockwise to gradually tighten the shoe around the foot. Each brand that incorporates the BOA system does so slightly differently, and Adidas shines brightest for its ability to create a foot-wrapping upper that distributes the pressure across the entire top of the foot while still promoting freedom in the toe box. The brand’s latest offering, Adidas Tour360 BOA Boost golf shoes ($240), features an outsole equipped with Thintech spikes, which offer plenty of grip and stability through the swing.

Adidas Tour360 BOA Boost golf shoes, $240

Travel Bag

The bane of any golf traveler’s existence is schlepping a bulky, oversize travel bag through a crowded airport. With only two wheels at their base, those vinyl and canvas equipment duffels often feel like mobile obstacles. They may succeed in getting your everyday golf clubs and bag to and from the resort, but that success goes hand-in-hand with the struggle of transporting them almost everywhere.

The ClubGlider Meridian can’t solve all of those problems. The bag is still almost 4.5 feet long, but it features a retractable stand with pivoting wheels, which makes for much more agile maneuvering as you push or pull the bag through airport terminals and hotel lobbies. What’s more, that retractable stand also eliminates those moments when you’ve previously held your breath as you pulled your traditional travel bag upright and hoped it would balance hands-free in a vertical position. Best of all, the ClubGlider Meridian is made of ballistic-quality nylon, it’s reinforced in key areas, and it features dense foam padding at the top to better protect the clubs inside.

Sun Mountain ClubGlider Meridian, $340

Rain Gear

In recent years, a number of new golf outerwear companies have entered the market with effective and stylish garments. However, none has overtaken Galvin Green as the leader in inclement-weather golf apparel. The Swedish company’s Armstrong jacket represents the brand’s latest and most effective waterproof and windproof topper. Constructed from Gore-Tex Paclite technology (92% polyamide and 8% elastane), this regular-fit jacket is remarkably lightweight—a size medium weighs only 303 grams (just over half a pound). Furthermore, the Armstrong jacket is designed specifically for golf; uniquely shaped sleeves and the presence of stretch technology provide golfers with full range of movement during the swing.

Similarly, the brand’s Alpha pants are made from the same Gore-Tex C-knit fabric and are 100% waterproof and windproof. Notably, the fabric itself is made up of three distinct layers: a tight-knitted polyester exterior, a Gore-Tex membrane in the center, and a soft mesh inner lining with a smooth surface that makes it easy to slide the pants over other garments.

Galvin Green Armstrong jacket, $390; Alpha pants, $620

Carry/Stand Bag

A lightweight stand bag is a must for a number of reasons. Not only will it be easier to transport when you travel, but it’ll make your caddy happy if/when you have one during those bucket-list rounds. (And if you don’t have a caddy, the bag will make you happy if you wind up playing a walking-only course at one of the best golf resorts in the U.S., such as Whistling Straits, The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island, or any of the tracks at Bandon Dunes.) 

When it comes to these types of bags, it’s not hyperbole to say that golfers literally have hundreds of options; yet the Vessel Player IV Stand bag is arguably the best. Proof rests in the fact that Vessel crafts golf bags for more than 100 PGA and LPGA Tour players. This particular stand bag weighs only six pounds, which doesn’t make it the lightest on the market, but it’s crafted from a durable, tour-grade synthetic leather that is weather-resistant and easy to clean. The bag offers plenty of storage, including a thermal-lined side water bottle sleeve with magnetic closure and an interior valuables pocket outfitted with a combination lock. Plus, its patented rotator stand system is equipped with carbon-fiber legs.

Vessel Golf Player IV Stand bag, $395

Travel Accessory

For golf enthusiasts who love to travel, the thrill of packing a set of clubs into a travel bag is mitigated only by the lingering fear that those clubs may be damaged by cavalier airport employees who carelessly load and unload luggage from a plane’s cargo hold. While not a guaranteed deterrence from such reckless handling, the Bag Boy backbone is a solid first line of defense.

This telescoping accessory slides into golf bags like a traditional club and can be extended up to 54 inches. Which allows the durable polypropylene cap to stand just above the tallest club in the bag. When utilized, that cap absorbs the impact of any head-on trauma, giving drivers, fairway woods, and hybrids the best odds of emerging from those travel bags unscathed.

Bag Boy backbone, $40

Hand Warmer

Playing golf when the mercury plummets comes with one primary challenge — keeping your hands warm. Golfers who have mishit an iron in the cold, especially when their hands were freezing, are likely to remember the uncomfortable tingling sensation that ran through their fingers and lingered there. It’s hard to play golf well when you don’t have complete feeling in your fingers. And, frustratingly, winter golf gloves are often more cumbersome and awkward than they are advantageous. That’s where G-Tech Apparel’s heated hand warmers come in as one of the best golf accessories you need to pack for cold-weather rounds. 

Sporting outer shells constructed from water-resistant material and interior linings made from a down-alternative, polyfill material, these pouches feature rod-shaped heating devices powered by lithium polymer batteries. When the device is turned on, it can quickly warm players’ hands once they grip the rod. Which, according to G-Tech’s president and CEO, is the best motion to deliver the most concentrated amount of heat to the hands. If you question the effectiveness of these pouches, consider that many players on both Ryder Cup teams used them throughout their matches in 2021.

G-Tech Apparel heated hand warmers, starting at $120

Golf Organizer

This Leatherology golf organizer is a streamlined travel accessory for golf balls and tees. It has an elegant full-grain leather exterior with a water-resistant lining. The bag comfortably fits all your golfing essentials, each with a designated insert. These inserts are removable, allowing the organizer to double as an ordinary travel bag for non-golf trips. It includes a removable golf tee insert that stores up to five balls and a golf tee insert that stores up to eight tees. 

Having a golf organizer on hand can be helpful because it offers easy-access storage for smaller golf equipment such as a golf towel, glove, and binoculars. If you’re just practicing your swing and not playing a full round, it’s a great alternative to lugging a bulky bag with more storage than you really need on the golf course. This is an especially valuable accessory for beginners who want to bring along putting training aids, such as the PuttOut Devil Ball Face Angle Trainer, on their trip. 

Leatherology golf organizer, $110; PuttOut Devil Ball Face Angle Trainer, $30

Launch Monitor

A launch monitor is a great tool for assessing and improving your swing, whether you’re an amateur or a pro. Fortunately, most launch monitors are compact, so you can travel easily with them. The Rapsodo mobile launch monitor is iOS-compatible and pairs with your device’s camera using radar processing for precise measurement. It is easy to use and offers slow-motion video replay and golf ball shot tracing with incredible accuracy. You can use it indoors or outdoors by setting it down on the putting green, angling it so that it has a full view of your swing. This model includes a carrying case, charging cord, and quick start guide. It has a battery life of about four hours, so you’ll want to be sure to charge it in advance. 

Rapsodo mobile launch monitor, $296

Alignment Sticks

Alignment sticks are another piece of golf equipment that’s helpful to have on hand when you’re focusing on improving your swing. These rods help golfers align their bodies and clubs to the target. That way, you can improve the plane of your golf swing. These PXG Players alignment sticks are lightweight and 44 inches in length, so they fit perfectly in your golf bag.

PXG Players alignment sticks, $15

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