How to Dry a Golf Bag

Nothing sours the memory of a great round faster than dealing with a completely soaked golf bag. It's not just the inconvenience, a wet bag can lead to rusty clubs, molded grips, and a smell you wouldn't wish on your worst opponent. This guide will walk you through, step-by-step, the exact process for drying your golf bag properly, protecting your expensive gear, and getting it ready for your next tee time.

The First 15 Minutes: What to Do Immediately After Your Round

What you do right after you sink your last putt can make all the difference. The temptation to just toss the soggy bag into the trunk of your car and deal with it later is strong, but you have to resist. Your car's trunk, especially on a warm day, is the perfect incubator for mold and mildew. A little effort in the car park will save you a world of hurt later on.

Before you even think about heading home, take a few minutes for triage:

• Perform an Emergency Unload: Open up the largest pockets - usually the side apparel pockets - and pull out anything that’s drenched. This means your waterproofs, extra towels, and especially your golf glove. Squeeze out your glove and lay it flat on the dashboard or hang it from the rearview mirror to start drying on the drive home. Getting these saturated items out of the bag is the first, most important step in stopping moisture from making things worse.
• Wipe Down the Exterior: Grab that semi-dry towel you still have clipped on (or a fresh one from the car) and give the entire outside of your bag a thorough wipe-down. Start at the top and work your way down. This removes the surface water and prevents it from seeping deeper into the fabric and pockets while you travel.
• Secure for Transport: If possible, place your bag in the back seat standing up rather than laying it flat in the trunk. This allows some air to circulate and prevents water from pooling in one spot. If the trunk is your only option, lay an old towel down first to absorb any runoff.

The Full Takedown: A Step-by-Step Guide to Drying Your Bag at Home

Once you’re home, it’s time to get a bit more serious. This process isn’t quick, but it’s straightforward. Find a good spot in a garage, utility room, or a covered porch with good airflow, and get ready to dismantle your setup.

Step 1: Empty Absolutely Everything

When I say everything, I mean everything. You’d be amazed at what can hold moisture and cause problems. This isn’t just about the bag, it’s about a full gear health inspection. Empty every single seam-sealed, waterproof, and hidden pocket. Spread everything out on a towel on the floor.

• Clubs: Take all 14 clubs out and set them aside. We'll deal with them specifically in the next step.
• Towels and Apparel: Pull out every towel, rain jacket, vest, or extra shirt. These items are like sponges and need to be dried separately.
• Golf Balls and Tees: Yes, even the golf balls. The dimples can trap water, and a pocket full of damp balls will keep the liner wet for days. Empty all your tees, divot tools, and ball markers.
• Personal Items: The scariest part. Check for your wallet, keys, phone, or that half-eaten granola bar. I've heard horror stories of a damp wallet leading to ruined cards and cash. Don't be that person.
• Paper and Scorecards: That yardage book or scorecard you stashed away? It's now a pulpy, inky mess. Throw it out or lay it flat to dry if it's salvageable. Soaked paper is a primary food source for mold.

Turning the bag upside down and giving it a good shake is the best way to ensure you've gotten all the loose debris and hidden items out from the bottom.

Step 2: Drying Your Lifeline: Taking Care of Clubs and Grips

Your clubs are the most expensive items in your bag, and your grips are your only connection to them. A few minutes of care here is non-negotiable.

First, tackle the shafts and heads. Use a clean, completely dry towel to wipe down each club from top to bottom. Pay special attention to any steel shafts, as even a small amount of leftover moisture can start developing small spots of rust overnight. For your irons, use a stiff brush to clean out the grooves, then wipe them dry one more time.

Next, focus on the grips. This is so important. A wet grip becomes slick and loses its tackiness, and storing it wet will accelerate its decay. Take your dry towel and firmly squeeze each grip, working your way down its length. You might be surprised at how much water comes out. Do this a few times for each club. Once you’ve squeezed them out, stand your clubs up against a wall, ideally with the grips elevated, or lay them flat somewhere with good airflow to air dry completely. Never use direct heat on your grips, it will cause the rubber to crack and harden, destroying them.

Step 3: Prepping The Bag Itself

With the bag finally empty, it’s time to deal with the main event.

1. Open Every Compartment: Unzip every single pocket on the bag. Open them as wide as you possibly can to promote maximum airflow to every corner.
2. Interior Wipe-Down: Take another dry towel or a sponge and wipe down the interior of every pocket. You’re trying to absorb as much of the visible dampness as you can. For grass, mud, or other grime, a slightly damp cloth can be used, but make sure you follow up with a dry one immediately.
3. Turn it Upside Down: Flip the bag over and prop it open. This allows any hidden water trapped in the main compartment or at the very bottom of the pockets to drain out. A shop vac can also be your best friend here for sucking residual moisture and debris out of tough-to-reach corners.

Step 4: Finding the Perfect Drying Position

Positioning is everything. You need to maximize the amount of surface area exposed to moving air.

• Use the Stand: The best method is to prop the bag on its own stand system. This keeps it stable and allows air to circulate underneath and all around it. Ensure all pockets are still unzipped and hanging open.
• Location, Location, Location: A garage or a covered patio with a breeze is ideal. You want an area that's protected from more rain but isn't a sealed, stagnant room like a closet or small bathroom. Avoid direct, harsh sunlight, as the UV rays can fade the bag’s material and degrade nylon and plastics over time. The goal is air circulation, not heat.
• If It’s Truly Drenched: For a bag that feels like it weighs 50 pounds, you might want to hang it upside down for a few hours. Hook the base onto a strong hook or sling the shoulder strap over a beam. Gravity will do a lot of the initial work for you.

Step 5: Speeding Up The Process (The Right Way)

Patience works, but if you’re trying to play again tomorrow, you can accelerate the drying time without risking damage to your bag.

The single best tool is a simple floor fan. Position a box fan a few feet away from the bag and set it to a medium speed. Aim it directly at the bag, and if possible, reposition it every few hours to target different sections (the pockets, the main opening, the base). This constant airflow is vastly more effective than heat.

Another classic method is to stuff the pockets and the main club compartment with old newspapers or towels. This works by wicking moisture out of the fabric. However, there's a catch: you have to replace the stuffing every few hours. If you leave damp newspaper in there overnight, you’re just creating a musty-smelling paper maché mess inside your pockets, defeating the entire purpose.

What to Avoid When Drying Your Bag

As a coach, I beg you, do not take shortcuts. Do not use:

• A Hairdryer or Heat Gun: This is the quickest way to melt nylon, warp plastic components, bubbles forms around logo’s and weaken the seams of your bag.
• A Radiator or Furnace: Placing a bag directly next to a high-heat source risks the same damage as a hairdryer, just on a larger scale.
• A Clothes Dryer: Just don't. Please. The tumbling will destroy the bag's internal structure, stand mechanism, and dividers.

The Final Check and Reload

After 24-48 hours (depending on the humidity and your drying method), your bag should be feeling light and dry. But you have to be one hundred percent sure before you put everything back in.

Reach your hand deep into every pocket, especially into the corners farthest from the zipper. That's where moisture hides. If you feel even the slightest hint of dampness, give it more time in front of the fan. Once it's completely, bone-dry, you can start reloading. Check that everything you’re putting back in - balls, gloves, towels - is also completely dry. This is a great time to reorganise your pockets and get rid of the junk that’s been living in there for months.

Final Thoughts

Getting your golf bag completely soaked by an unexpected downpour is a real hassle, but drying it correctly isn't complicated. By following these steps to unload, clean, and provide proper air circulation, you can rescue your bag from the brink and protect your valuable clubs from damage like rust and mildew.

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