Your Golf Bag Checklist: Must-Haves and No-Go Items

Watch Your Golf Bag Checklist: Must-Haves and No-Go Items - Rizzle on Dailymotion

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00:00Your Golf Bag Checklist, Must Haves, and No-Go Items

00:03My golf reckoning arrived with two broken zips on a trusty bag.

00:08That's all it took. Two stubborn broken zips on my trusty old golf bag,

00:13and I found myself hauling out the credit card to invest in a brand new sleek tailor-made masterpiece.

00:19Pockets galore, compartments in abundance, and a strap that doesn't cut into my shoulder like barbed wire.

00:24I was smitten.

00:25Before I could debut my new acquisition, a reckoning was due.

00:30I had to confront the contents of the old bag, what stays and what goes.

00:34Let's begin with the golf balls. Not a dozen, not two dozen, 49.

00:39Some pristine, some battle-scarred, and a few so disfigured they might have been recovered from the bottom of a lake,

00:45because in all likelihood, that's exactly where I found them.

00:48I've never needed more than eight balls in a round,

00:51and that was at Carnoustie, in conditions that could best be described as biblical.

00:55So, what on earth was I doing carting around enough ammunition for a weekend tournament?

01:01Then came the tees.

01:03Seven pitchmark repairers, a dozen ball markers, and six gloves.

01:07Four with more holes than function.

01:10Several fossilized chocolate bars, and somehow, a pack of cigars.

01:13I don't even smoke cigars. Never have.

01:17My golf bag had become a time capsule of poor habits, false optimism, and snack-based amnesia.

01:24Professional wisdom came from Aaron Holtam, who gently pointed out that the simpler your golf bag, the better your game.

01:31Fewer balls, lighter loads, and the inclusion of a safe club, say,

01:35a five hybrid, can dramatically improve your consistency.

01:38A stripped-down bag, not only spares your back, but also sharpens your decision-making.

01:44A cluttered bag doesn't just weigh down your shoulders, it fogs your thinking.

01:49I had become the human equivalent of a golf hoarder.

01:52So here's the lesson.

01:53Don't wait until your bag gives up the ghost to confront your golfing baggage.

01:57Empty it now. Take stock. Be ruthless.

02:00You'll rediscover gloves you thought were lost, scorecards from ancient rounds,

02:04and maybe, just maybe, a rotting apple or two.

02:08But most importantly, you'll carry only what you need.

02:12That, in itself, is liberating.