There are few things more frustrating than turning up at a destination for a few days and realising you have forgotten one of the key things you wanted to use or enjoy while away. It’s too late to go back and fetch it, and even if a replacement is available at your location, there’s the cost to consider, and you don’t really want two of whatever it is when you finally get back home. Clearly it’s best to consider anything you might need before you pack, and make sure you don’t leave anything important behind.
Flight Bag
Even if you aren’t taking the plane, a flight bag is really useful to keep all your precious golfing gear together and to keep it separate from that of any travelling companions. Research into which is best for you is easy as they vary enormously in specification and price, and a perfect starting point is to check out reviews on the Golf Monthly website before choosing the one that is right for you.
Phone Charger and Mains Adapter
It’s all very well remembering your most vital aide to everyday life, the ubiquitous mobile phone, but it won’t be much good from the second day onwards if you haven’t brought its charger. Equally important for all of your technological devices if you’re overseas is an adapter that fits whichever socket is on offer in your hotel room.
Water Bottle
It’s all too easy to go out on the course without sufficient liquid refreshment, particularly if you are somewhere hot and dry, so taking plenty of water with you is highly recommended. While many clubs that cater for tourists have drinks trolleys and halfway houses, this can never be guaranteed, and reducing the demand for single-use plastic bottles is always a good thing. In addition, you are on holiday, and so might just be a little dehydrated from the night before!
Your ‘A’ Game
If you’re going on tour with a bunch of friends and you want to put on a good show and be competitive, it’s worth putting in the grind before you go. You don’t want to be the one who comes last and has to organise the next tour, and you don’t want to be the one who is the butt of the jokes in the group. Preparation and practice will help you make a great trip even better.
Sunglasses
Even on a more overcast day, there are plenty of places in the world where sunglasses will help to abolish glare and help you keep an eye on the flight of your golf ball. Sitting with a drink after your round, especially by the pool or close to water, you will want to do your best to look like George Clooney… or Rory!
Lucky Ballmarker
Many golfers are superstitious, and while it may instead be a lucky headcover or a trinket given to you by one of your children, there is a definite benefit in surrounding yourself with things that make you feel good and give you a lift. A ballmarker from your favourite course, or one where you shot your best score, could be just the thing.
Latest Issue of Golf Monthly
Brazen plug alert! Don’t forget to take the latest issue of Golf Monthly with you. It will be packed with instruction tips and advice, news, gear and course reviews and so much more to help you on your current travels and whet your appetite for future trips. The knowledge you gain will help you impress your golfing partners in those off-course debates.
CDH Number/Handicap Certificate
Whether you are playing in a competition or simply having fun ticking off a course that has been on your list for a long time, you need to know the correct number of shots you are receiving in order to score properly. The World Handicap System was instituted in 2020 and means that you can take your handicap index with you wherever you go. It might even be a requirement at some clubs.
A Book
While there are some golfing destinations where good weather is pretty much guaranteed, there are plenty more where the conditions on the day cannot be predicted. An alternative pastime is useful, just in case, and a good book is something you can easily keep with you and enjoy at any time. You might even want to take one that is not about golf!
Restaurant/Pub Guide
Researching and booking restaurants and pubs before you go pays dividends, but not everything goes according to plan and having a back-up source of information is always a useful thing. A physical guide can be useful, but there are countless sources on the internet, often with easy links to make bookings, but again it is best to have a list of these bookmarked before you go.
Casual Clothes
Golfing fashion has improved out of all recognition in the last couple of decades. Gone are the days of diamond patterned jumpers and baggy trousers, and modern golf wear can often look as good away from the course as on it. However, you also want to dress in the evening and days off in clothing that makes you completely comfortable and doesn’t remind you of the 24 points you scored earlier, so a selection of non-golfing clothing is always a good thing to take.
Toiletries/Medicines
For all golfers, remembering to pack daily necessities such as toothbrush and paste, shaving gear and make-up almost goes without saying, But it is also advisable to take something in case of an upset stomach or headache, sunburn, or even - heaven forbid - a hangover. Preparing for all such eventualities, and for coming to the rescue for your more forgetful friends, is a great idea.
Passport
We all know someone who has turned up at an airport or at the docks with either no passport, or that of another family member which they hadn’t checked. This is a fundamental requirement for all international golf, but still one that occasionally escapes the travelling golfer. Once at your destination, this can stay in the safe until it is time to come home. You may also need your driving licence.
Tablet/Laptop
While your phone is likely to have all that you need to conduct your trip and entertain you, there is one small drawback, especially for those of a certain age. Screen size! Taking a tablet such as an iPad, or a laptop, will enable you to enjoy photos, video and films while keeping up to date with email and other messaging tools so that you don’t return to an overload of items that need a reply.
Mobile Phone
For those who are travelling light, perhaps on just a short trip for a night or two, then mobiles have the ability to store and process all the data you could possibly need to have a successful break. Setting up a WhatsApp group for those in your party means you can easily stay in touch and compare scores, while you can pay your green fees or buy drinks with just your handset. What will they think of next?!
Sun Protection
The dangers, short- and long-term, of exposure to the sun are well documented. It is usually possible to suffer from too much sun just about anywhere there is a golf course. It is therefore always advisable to keep some protection in your travel bag so that you cannot leave it behind, and use it anytime you are heading out to set a new course record. Best to apply well before playing so that your hands can dry.
Plasters For Blisters
Whether or not you have new shoes, you are likely to be playing more golf than usual when on a trip, and so blisters can occur even when wearing a pair of old dependables. A trip is not the time to introduce a new pair of Footjoys, so make sure you can keep playing comfortably by taking plasters and cream for any niggling blisters.
Camera
While your phone undoubtedly has a camera, you may well be using it to score or as a course planner, and so having a compact camera on hand is just the thing for capturing that group photo, the moment the sun beams gather over that beautiful green, or the grin on your playing partner’s face when he records his first hole-in-one.
Reserve/Back-Up Course Info
Even the most meticulously planned trip can throw something unexpected into the mix - a sudden course closure or a travel delay that keeps you from your destination. Having access to information on alternative courses is a really good idea, and there are many online golf course guides and printed course guides available such as the courses section on the Golf Monthly website where you can delve into the Top 200 courses in the UK&I or look at the many county and themed guides.
Golf Towel
Easily overlooked, especially when taking a bag you don’t normally use, this is a vital item for drying or cleaning your golf ball or equipment, and even yourself. Weather is not a consideration here as the driest golf courses are watered, we all occasionally have to retrieve a shot from a shallow watery grave, and those of us with glasses often need a clean and a wipe.
Tickets - Plane/ferry/etc
Whether they are stored on your phone or tablet, or printed on good old-fashioned paper, it is vital to take any tickets that have been allocated to you and your party. Staff at airports, ferries, hotels and clubs will often need proof of who you are, and any potential dispute regarding dates and times can easily be rectified. They also serve as an immediate reminder for those on a busy itinerary. Oh, and don't forget to take your insurance details too, just in case!
Itinerary/Booking Confirmations
As with tickets, a detailed timetable is essential, especially if you have a busy golfing itinerary when you aren’t guaranteed to remember if it’s the East or West course tomorrow and the day after. Restaurant names and bookings should be included, as should any email confirmations regarding the golf, especially green fees which can fluctuate. Nobody wants the “That’s not the figure I was quoted” conversation when away on holiday.
Money/Credit Card
The downside of any golfing trip is that golf, travel, accommodation, food and drink are seldom cheap, especially at the more famous and upmarket destinations. Alternative payment methods are advisable - a couple of cards and ideally an app on your phone - as cards can go missing or be stolen, and of course are sometimes temporarily suspended, particularly when overseas.
Spare Glove
Just as you are playing the opening round of your tour with your favourite ever glove, a hole suddenly appears in it. Or, as you take your glove off to putt and put it in your back pocket, unbeknown to you, it catches on a cactus spike and you leave it behind forever. Or, despite the forecast, heavy rain arrives. Gloves are lightweight and relatively inexpensive so having a spare or two is always a really good idea, especially when branded gloves at your bucket list destination might be three times their normal price!
Friends
While there is a great deal to be said for the occasional round in solitude - the chance to reflect, to soak up the atmosphere, the freedom to concede yourself another 4-foot putt - one of the primary joys of a golfing trip is to share it all with good friends. The banter, the camaraderie, the support and the witty mockery both on and off the course are all things that help to make a golfing holiday so memorable and lighten the mood if your clubs are misbehaving.
Waterproofs
We have touched on this before, but unless you are going to one of the most dry and arid regions for golf, you should never forget to take a waterproof jacket and trousers. Many of the modern makes are fantastically lightweight and compact, and even if you are lucky with the weather, when the sun starts to sink or you head out for your evening meal, you will be grateful for that extra layer.
Umbrella
With the unseasonable changes in the way our climate is operating all over the world, there are few places where you will definitely stay dry. Even in Dubai, then between November and March there will be short, heavy rain and even thunderstorms... and you can use it for the sun too! Almost everywhere else, there are no guarantees and so it is best to do as Robert Baden-Powell exhorted in his 1908 classic Scouting For Boys, and “Be prepared”.
Golfing Outfits
So much in golf is about confidence, and one of the best ways to instil this is to dress in golfing gear which makes you look the part while feeling totally comfortable. Say you are going away for four rounds, then you will need a couple of pairs of trousers or shorts, and a pair of shirts that match each of them. Scripting, as the tour players professionals do, is deciding on the outfits for the week before the tournament starts and means you won’t end up with a completely mismatching top/trouser combo!
DMD - Distance Measuring Device
On a tour, you are more often than not playing most of the courses for the first time. Even in not, you are unlikely to know them well, and so happily we can find all distance and course details from the plethora of laser devices, golf watches and phone apps on the market. These tell us in far greater detail than most of us really need, exactly how far to the hole or the water, and what is hiding just over the brow. No more excuses!
Golf Shoes
Comfortable golf shoes that will suit the climate and terrain of your golf trip are undoubtedly one of the most important items to consider. Many modern brands have created shoes that are a hybrid of golf shoe and trainer and so can be worn on and off the course, so saving room in your suitcase. Don’t risk taking a brand new pair, but do take the style of the course and whether you are walking or in a cart, into account.
Balls
On any golf trip, you are more likely than not to be playing courses that you don’t know well and which may have hidden hazards lurking around any corner. An ample supply of ammunition is vital as we have all heard stories of golfers running out of balls during a round… and you will be playing several. And yes, replacements will be easy to source, but they are unlikely to be cheap and they just might not have your favourite brand in stock.
Golf Clubs
The most important and essential items of all! You need your favourite and trusted rescue club, your irreplaceable putter that never lets you down, that iron that always misbehaves but is getting one last chance, and the driver that makes you feel like Bryson Dechambeau. While you could experiment by renting a set at many courses, there is nothing quite like the familiarity of your 14 familiar comrades in arms.
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