Back
Enjoying golf doesn't have to be expensive.
Even though inflation and golf's recent popularity surge make it tough to remember sometimes, I am reminded of that fact every time I do laundry and spy one of my favorite golf towels between rounds.
Over the years, I've noticed that certain golf items are actually better in their cheapest forms. Golf towels are a perfect example of this phenomenon. For years, I've almost exclusively used super-cheap, almost ratty-looking white cotton golf towels with a blue stripe down the middle. They're absorbent enough and, crucially, a little rough to the touch, which is essential because despite living in hot, sweaty Florida, I do not wear a golf glove. Wetting one end of one of my towels enables me to wipe my hands free of sweat between shots.
The golf towels I swear by are these R&R Value-brand towels, sold in packs of 12 and currently on Amazon for just under $32, or $2.66 per towel. By contrast, some single plush cotton or microfiber golf towels sell for upwards of $30 apiece. They're alright for wiping dirt off golf clubs, but they're useless for keeping my hands dry. It's a no-brainer to stick with the blue-stripe special. If one of those towels starts falling apart or gets stained, I don't feel bad about throwing it away.
Here are some other important golf items that don't need to break the bank, including some that you can actually get for free.
Golf ball markers
Poker chips or metallic logoed golf ball markers are a popular souvenir item - just ask GolfPass managing editor Jason Scott Deegan, whose collection is one of the world's most extensive - and if that's your preferred take-home item from a course, I won't judge (I'm a scorecard and yardage book guy myself). But when it comes to your every-round ball marker, keep the change (or one of the free plastic markers many courses provide).
There's a throwback elegance to tossing down some common currency behind your golf ball on the green. If you want to get a little fancy, do what I do and use a bicentennial Eisenhower dollar, which you can likely find for $5 or less at your local antique store, if you don't already have one floating around your piggy bank.
Cooling towels
In places like Florida and Arizona, searing heat and/or oppressive humidity are annual facts of life. There are some days when it would be tough just to survive through 18 holes without a soakable cooling towel to drape over the back of my neck between shots. The one I've used for years is similar to this 2-pack of Frogg Toggs Chilly Pads, which you can get for just $17 as of this writing.
Alignment sticks
There are premium versions of practically everything in golf, to the point where if you want to spend upwards of $80 on handcrafted, bespoke wooden alignment sticks, you can. Or, you could buy this 10-pack of 48-inch driveway markers for $9.99 and split it with four other golf buddies. Congratulations, you have all scored perfectly functional golf alignment sticks for $2 per pair.
Golf tees
There are few certainties in life, but here is one: I will never pay for another golf tee as long as I live. Between outings, tournaments and visits to various courses (only taking three or four tees at a time, mind you; grabbing a greedy handful is a great way to be a bad guest) over the years, I have plastic bags full of surplus golf tees in my office, and the pocket in my golf bag where I keep them is perpetually well-stocked. Any visit to the driving range usually nets a few tees as well. Besides, I'm not a big hitter, so I break tees less often than I accrue new ones. Bottom line: friends don't let friends buy golf tees.
Comments (1)
Outlet malls and Ross for golf apparel. I have nike, under armor, Adidas, etc. shorts and pants that I never spend more than $30 for.