The bag is packed. The tee times are booked. Someone is definitely forgetting something. Here is the list that does not make it into the group chat.
April 8, 2026
The bag is packed. The tee times are booked. Someone is definitely forgetting something.
Here is the list that does not make it into the group chat.
Extra golf gloves. Not one, two or three. A wet round or a hot August day will go through a glove faster than you think, and nobody wants to play the back nine gripping a worn-out piece of leather.
A small rain jacket that fits in your bag pocket. Not a full waterproof suit, just something you can pull on for a passing shower without stopping at the cart barn. The trip that does not pack this is always the trip where it rains on hole 12.
Tees in your pocket, not just in your bag. Obvious until it is not.
Sunscreen. Apply it before you leave the house, not at the turn when it is already too late.
A good rangefinder or GPS. Not for the stroke, for the group. Knowing the yardage before you get to the ball keeps pace of play moving.
A card game or something to do at night. Golf trips have a lot of time in the evenings. Cards Against Humanity, a poker set, whatever your group plays. The night you did not bring anything is the night everyone is on their phone by 9pm.
A Bluetooth speaker. Mornings getting ready, pregame on the porch, background for the evening. One speaker for the group beats everyone playing something different from their own phone.
Snacks that are not bar food. Nuts, jerky, something for the car on the way in. Long drives and early tee times require something before the first hole and the turn dogs will not always get you there.
A shared itinerary with tee times, addresses, and any restaurant reservations. Do not make people ask you every hour. One document, shared link, everyone has it.
Payment details squared away before departure. Who owes what, who is fronting what, how it gets settled. This conversation is dramatically easier before the trip than during.
The tournament format written down. If you are running a Nassau or a skins game across the whole trip, have the format documented. Arguments about rules on hole 14 of day two are not fun. Arguments about rules that were written down before the trip are settled in 30 seconds.
The expectation of playing your best golf. Group trips produce strange rounds. Pressure is weird. Courses are unfamiliar. The guy who plays to a 12 at home will birdie something improbable and the 4-handicap will go sideways on day one. Play the format, enjoy the trip, let the scores be what they are.
Also leave home: anything that requires more than one checked bag. It slows everything down and you will be annoyed at yourself by the second airport.
That is the list. Pack accordingly.
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