The holidays are closing in, which means you’re probably planning for your next great golf trip (or at least daydreaming about one in the near future!). If you’re traveling with your regular foursome or, better yet, a group of a dozen or more, you’ll want to do your best to impress them by traveling in style and ease. Here are a few ideas that should help you:
Outerwear
Let’s face it: the only time you play in wretched weather is when you’re on a golf trip. It’s one thing to see some rain and dash back home a few miles, but if you’re on vacation, you’re going to finish that round. Therefore, make sure you travel prepared with some outerwear. Given the range of products and styles on offer, there really is no excuse not to own a waterproof jacket and pants for those nasty weather days. Nike’s Storm-FIT rain suits ($149.95) are a very reasonable investment. It sure beats letting the elements ruin your favorite golf outfit.
Cart Bag
Most golf vacations take players to resorts and courses where riding in carts is commonplace, if not compulsory. If you walk a lot of home rounds but do travel a bit to play golf, you might consider buying a cart bag specifically for your out-of-town rounds. Cart bags are larger and come equipped with all sorts of protective features and pockets. If you’d rather have your clubs be the only thing you check at the airport, a cart bag offers plenty of space to stuff extra clothes and shoes, enabling you to bring a duffel bag onto the plane, even for a week-long trip. The Nike Performance II ($199.95) is a sleek, hefty option, as is the Oakley Tee Box model ($185).
Swing Trainer(s)
A number of winter golf trips come after a layoff of a month or more sans-swings. That being the case, bringing a compact, comprehensive swing-training device. Something like the Orange Whip Golf Swing Trainer ($109.00), which can help regain some lost power and rhythm or the Tour Striker ($79.99), which trains players to deliver the proper impact to the golf ball. 15 minutes with either of these training devices before your first vacation round might net you a few extra dollars from your buddies.
Golf Bag Drink Holder
You know, just in case the swing trainers don’t help you. The nicely insulated 17th Green Logo 2.0 Cooler Bag ($10.98) holds up to six beverage cans and keeps them cold in your golf bag. So does the RJ Sports 6-Can Tube Cooler ($9.98), which is slim enough to fit straight in your cart bag next to your clubs.
Luck
As a last resort, a little superstition cannot hurt while you’re traveling, especially during the winter when flight delays and cancellations can pile up. Wear a Black Clover hat ($24.95) on the airplane to ward off any bad travel mojo.
(posted 12/10/13)