I’ve given you some ideas for how to build a set of golf clubs and an aresenal of golf balls that will look good, play well and make you look like you know what you’re doing—and hopefully in a way that saves you some cheese. Now we need to make sure you have a good golf bag to hold your sticks and balls, and I’ll give you some ideas for the other various and sundry things you can add to your golf gear collection to make the game more fun, more obsessive, or both.

Golf bags - There are three main types of golf bags: staff bags, cart bags and carry bags. The names of the last two are pretty self-explanatory, as they are designed for either strapping onto a golf cart or for slinging over your shoulder and carrying yourself. You’re probably going to want one of these two types of bags. Staff bags are the mammoth bags you see caddies lugging around for tour players on TV. They are essentially walking billboards, and are nearly as heavy if you fill them up with extra clothes, balls and other gear. Don’t bother with a staff bag unless you have someone to carry it for you.

Cart bags are smaller and sleeker than staff bags, sized to fit snugly on the back of a golf cart. They have plenty of pockets for stashing stuff, but aren’t as garish as staff bags. They’re also light enough (usually 8-10 pounds) that you could carry one for 18 holes if you had to. If you know that you’re usually going to ride a cart when you play, then this is not a bad way to go.

Personally, I’d go with a carry bag no matter what. Nearly every carry bag sold today has a stand mechanism, with two legs that pop open and keep the bag upright when you set it down. This keeps your clubs handy so you can grab one without have to bend down and root through your bag and keeps all but the base of the bag elevated (great on rainy days and on dewy mornings). Most carry bags also have soft, backpack-like straps to put over your shoulders for comfortable carrying. These bags usually weigh between 3 and 5 pounds and have enough pockets and storage space to carry enough gear to get through a round. I say go with a carry bag, since you can still put it on a cart if you end up riding, but you’ll have the option of carrying your clubs and getting the health benefit of walking 5-6 miles during an 18-hole round.

I can recommend carry bags from youth-oriented companies like Ogio and Sun Mountain, while club company Ping also makes an excellent carry bag called the Hoofer. Whatever bag you choose, make sure it comes with a detachable rain hood to protect your clubs in case of inclement weather—and to keep club thieves from getting a good look at your sticks if you have to leave them alone outside the golf shop while you’re paying or grabbing lunch. And if you enjoy an icy beverage on the course, be advised that some carry and cart bags have insulated pockets that are ideal for holding some ice and up to a six-pack of beer. Again, not a good idea for a round with the boss at his club – but a great way to kick back with your buddies on a hot summer afternoon.

Ball marker/repair tool - This is a little doohickey that looks a bit like a tuning fork that you use to repair the little craters you make in the green when your ball lands on the putting surface. You dig the prongs into the ground and push the edges of the ball mark together, which helps the grass grow back more quickly. It’s good etiquette to fix your ball marks, and any stray marks you see on the greens. Most ball mark repair tools come with a small, coin-like magnetic attachment you can use to mark the position of your ball on the green. In case another player needs to putt in the direction of your ball, you need to place one of these markers on the green—to lessen the distraction your ball might pose, and because it’s a penalty to strike another player’s ball on the green (this isn’t croquet). These marker/repair tools are available at most any golf course with golf course logos, sports team logos or in generic form. Pick one up and carry it in your pocket while you play. It’ll come in handy on the greens—or at least give you a place to prop up your cigar or cigarette while you’re putting.

Tees - Yep, you need these. You definitely want to take advantage of being able to tee the ball up at the start of each hole, as it’s easier to make good contact with the ball sitting on a nice little perch instead of nestled down in the grass. Many courses will have a basket of tees at the cash register or on the first tee for free, others will charge you 50 cents or a buck for a bag with a couple dozen tees in it. For $3-4 you can buy a bag with hundreds of tees and not every have to worry about running out. I do recommend buying a bag of extra-long tees. The 2-1/8” tee that has been the standard for decades is still good for hitting irons, hybrids or fairway woods. But today’s mammoth 460cc drivers perform better when hit off a higher tee, so look for long (3-1/4”) or extra-long (4” is the max under the Rules of Golf) to goose a little extra distance out of your boom stick.

Glove - Another area of personal preference. A lot of good players don’t bother with them. But most people do use one, and they’re especially good for occasional golfers who don’t have the proper calluses built up. 18 holes of golf can tear up your skin pretty good if you’re not used to playing, so I suggest using a glove if you don’t play much. You only need one – for your left hand if you’re a righty – and it doesn’t have to be overly expensive or a name brand. The best gloves from Titleist, FootJoy and Etonic are soft leather, but aren’t very durable. Go with a synthetic material glove, as it will last longer and probably hold up better to sweat or rain. And it isn’t a bad idea to carry a spare in your bag in case it does rain, so you can swap out a fresh glove when things get slick.

Rain gear - If you’re a casual golfer, you’ll probably stay off the links if the weather looks sketchy. But if the bug does bite you, you’ll want a good umbrella and some waterproof gear. I have a great umbrella from a company called Gustbuster that folds down to travel size, so it fits easily in a pocket of my golf bag – yet expands to cover more than 50” when opened. I also suggest getting a waterproof pullover jacket that you can stash in your golf bag just in case. I have a Columbia pullover with a hood that you can fold up and store inside its own pocket, and is not much bigger than a checkbook when I stow it. Having these items will make your life much more pleasant if you get stuck on the course in a downpour.

Sun gear - There’s not a lot of protection for golfers on bright days, so be sure to bring your own. My bag always has a couple kinds of sunblock, usually a lotion for my face and neck and a spray-on kind for getting my arms and hands during the round without getting a lot of greasy gunk on my hands. Aloe-Up and Proderma make 50-plus SPF sunblock geared toward golfers, but you can certainly get by with more generic brands. Also make sure to carry and use a hat and a pair of sunglasses. At the very least, a baseball-style cap will help protect your face and eyes, while a wide-brimmed bucket hat can really save your skin in the dead of summer. As for sunglasses, grass does a good job of reflecting light from the ground back up into your eyes. I’ve seen several studies showing that avid golfers run into plenty of sun-related vision problems that could be avoided by wearing sunglasses. I suggest staying away from polarized lenses popular with fishers, as they can distort your vision around the greens. I’d also avoid really dark lenses, as you need to be able to see subtle breaks in the greens. Oakley, PeakVision and Nike all make great golf sunglasses, but all are at the top end of the price scale. For good value and good products, you can seek out brands like Tifosi and SunDog, both of which make great golf shades in the $60 range.

Sun gear - Other items I find come in handy on the golf course include a couple towels (one to keep my clubs clean, one to wipe my hands and face) that I clip to my golf bag. and I know some people who carry a small brush to clean the grooves of their clubs during the round. I also suggest carrying a Sharpie marker or two to make a distinguishing mark or two on your golf balls for ID purposes. If you and a couple of your playing partners are all playing the same brand of ball, having some little marks (I like to make a dot over the number on each side of the ball in red or blue) on the ball will help you know which ball belongs to which player. This also helps when you, like me, sometimes play take an alternative path to the green by hitting a wild slice or hook into an adjacent fairway.

Big things - You can spend all kinds of money on golf stuff that you really don’t need, but some of it is pretty cool. I’m pretty sure that you’re on your way to winning a closest-to-the-pin or long-drive contest at the next outing you play in, so here are a couple ideas for using that golf shop credit you’re going to win. The first is a rangefinder – a device to tell you how far you are from the hole or other landmarks on the course. These were recently ruled to be legal for casual play and even some tournaments, and have become very popular. Good golfers use them to know exactly how far they are from the hole so they can plan their shots accordingly. I think they’re great for things like deciding if the slow group in front of me has finally moved far enough for me to go ahead an hit my drive, or how far away the beer cart is. Bushnell and Nikon make laser-based models that run from $200 to $700 and they’re really cool (and pretty unnecessary), while there are also GPS-based rangefinders. If you’re a real tech-head, you might dig these. Or if you do play on playing a fair amount and want to get the walking benefit without the fatigue of schlepping your bag around for 18 holes, invest in a walking cart. This is a three-wheeled buggy that you push like a stroller or a shopping cart, only with your clubs strapped on top. These are a far cry from the heavy pull-carts that many courses will rent you for $5 a round. Walking carts are generally lightweight aluminum, weigh less than 20 pounds and fold up to fit in your trunk. You can get a good model from Sun Mountain or Bag Boy for about $150, and these would really make a difference for playing a quick 9 holes after work—especially if you have your bag loaded up with a six-pack and ice.

(Photo: Striatic)