Whether you’re a seasoned golfer or a novice, there are a few accessories you should never be without. Some are fairly obvious, like sand wedges (read more about them here) and others not so much. Let’s take a look at the 10 most essential tee-time items.

Stock Your Golf Bag’s Pockets

The good thing about many golf accessories is that they can fit into most golf bags. Here are 6 golf bag take-alongs you don’t want to forget.

Tees

Painfully obvious, but easily forgotten. Tees are a little like time – you may think you have more than you really do. Most of us buy them in bulk, toss them into our bags, and head to the course. Unfortunately, we soon forget how many we’ve used over the last week or month. Nothing says, “I’m not a serious golfer” like borrowing tees from your playing partner.

Ball Markers

Here’s an easy opportunity to avoid embarrassment. And there’s really no excuse since coins make great markers. Always keep a little pocket change in your bag. Of course, you can buy plastic markers. But why, when you probably have just what you need on your dresser top?

Golf Glove

Not all golfers use a glove, but every golfer should have one in their bag. If you’re used to a glove, you can probably play without it if you have to. But why put that to a test? If you don’t usually wear a glove, keep one in your bag anyway. If the weather turns hot, or the round turns rainy, grips can become slippery, and flying clubs will not endear you to your partners.

A Divot Repair Tool

Striking the ground is an unavoidable part of the game, but repairing the mark you’ve made is the sign of an experienced, considerate golfer. Some courses may require divot repair. You can buy a good repair tool for less than $5, and they’re small enough to fit inside any golf bag.

A Marking Pen

Always be able to identify your ball. It’s a bad thing to accidentally hit your playing partner’s ball, but it’s even worse to play the ball a stranger sliced onto your fairway. All you need is a felt tip marker in your bag and you can mark your ball with a well-placed dot, stripe, or smiley-face.

Sunscreen

A round of golf usually takes 3 to 5 hours. You’ll be exposed to more potentially harmful, burning rays than you might expect. Drop a small bottle of sunscreen into your bag and you won’t be sorry later.

Stay Dry and Clean

To stay clean, dry, and happy, don’t forget to stock your golf bag with these 2 must-have items.

Umbrella

We often regret forgetting an umbrella – especially in the summer, when skies may be powder blue on the 1st hole, but dark and blustery on the 16th. Most golf umbrellas will fit snuggly into your bag’s club compartment without sacrificing your sand wedge.

Towel

Always take along a dark-colored towel. You’ll need a towel to clean mud and dirt from your golf ball and club heads, and a dark colored one won’t require laundering as often because it won’t show dirt. Towels are also good for wiping perspiration from club heads. Clean balls and club heads make for better shots, and dry grips are a must for confident swings.

Wear the “Right Stuff”

For an enjoyable afternoon on the course, you should never be without a few essential apparel items.

Hat

Without a hat, glare can make it difficult to follow your ball through the air – even when you’ve hit a good shot. Hatless playing also exposes your skin to harmful UV rays. Even under partly-cloudy skies, several hours in wide-open spaces can leave you sunburned and irritate your skin.

Golf Shoes

Golf shoes allow you to keep your feet firmly planted, which is essential for good balance and straight hitting. While some golf courses allow playing without golf shoes, your game will suffer. Bad shots are caused by many things that can’t be controlled, but sliding feet can be easily prevented.