You can tell a lot about a golfer by the way he organizes his golf bag. Golfers with disorganized, randomly assorted bags often put just as little effort toward their progress in the sport. The first step to improving your game is taking pride in what you bring to the course or to the driving range, and that starts with your golf bag.
But how exactly should a golf bag be organized? Are there reasons for the “right” way of doing things, or is it just arbitrarily recognized as “correct?” This guide will answer those questions and more, and will help you hit the course organized like a professional.
Golf Club Setup
Keeping your clubs in the right place in the bag will do a couple of things for you. One, it’ll give you quick and easy access to the club you need for a certain shot. And two, it’ll ensure that your clubs collect as little damage as possible when your bag is on the move.
Check Your Sections
The first step in knowing where each club belongs is to know what your bag offers. Bags are made with a variety of “section” options — some only have a couple of large sections, and some have individual sleeves for each club. The general setup of your clubs is the same regardless of your bag’s specifications.
Putter
The putter should be at the top of the bag (also called the back of the bag — the side closer to the straps). Many golf bags have a sleeve at the top of the bag dedicated to holding the putter. If that’s the case for your bag, use it appropriately. If you don’t have a putter-specific sleeve on your bag, put the putter in the top-most section.
The reason you want your putter at the top is simply because you use your putter on every hole (except for those rare times where you hole out from off the green). You’ll want easy access to your most often used club.
Driver & Woods
Your driver and woods should also go into the highest section of your bag. If your putter doesn’t have its own sleeve, it can share the top level with these big clubs. If there are sections within that top level of your bag, put your driver to the left, and your woods, going from longest to shortest, to the right.
Example: If you have a driver, a three-wood, and a five-wood, place them in that order, from left to right in the top level of your bag.
Long & Mid Irons
One level down from your driver’s level should be your long irons and mid irons. Again, make sure you assort them so that the longer irons are to the left.
Example: If you have a typical set of irons, (three through nine), start with your longest iron — in this case, your three-iron. For now, leave your nine-iron out of the bag, since it’s the shortest iron and will be placed in a different level. In the level below your driver and woods, start assorting your irons from longest to shortest, from left to right. In this example, you’d have your three, four, and five-irons on the left side of the middle level, and your six, seven, and eight-irons on the right side of the middle level.
Hot Tip: Hybrids’ Place
If you’re one of the many golfers who have at least one hybrid club in the bag, it’s easy to figure out its right place. Here’s what you do:
For whatever iron you replaced with a hybrid, replace that iron’s spot in the bag with the respective hybrid club. Simple, right? The biggest difference is that you’ll probably need protective headcovers for your hybrids that you didn’t need for your irons.
Short Irons & Wedges
The bottom-most level of your golf bag is where your shortest irons and all of your wedges belong. Again, arrange it so that the longer clubs are on the left.
Example: If you have a nine-iron and three wedges — let’s say a pitching wedge, a sand wedge, and a lob wedge — put them in the lowest level of your bag in that order, from left to right.
Once you have them in the right spot, you should have all of your clubs assorted perfectly in your bag. When you stand your bag, you’ll notice how — aside from the putter — the clubs are organized by height and degree. Looks good, doesn’t it?
Stay Organized
The easiest way to get organized is to stay organized. Every time you pull a club from the bag, remember to put it back exactly from where you got it. Soon enough, you won’t even have to think about where your clubs belong, or where to find the club you need for a particular shot. At that time, you’ll be able to focus completely on the shot at hand, and you’ll see your game improve.
