How to Put on a Golf Towel

Attaching your golf towel might seem like a small detail, but getting it right can have a big impact on everything from your club's performance to your pace of play. Your towel is one of the most-used pieces of gear in your bag, so making it convenient and functional is a simple way to improve your experience on the course. This guide will walk you through the various methods for setting up your towel, share some next-level strategies, and cover the unspoken etiquette that shows you know what you're doing.

Why Your Towel Setup Actually Matters

You might be thinking, "It's just a towel, does it really need a guide?" Fair question. But as a golf coach, I see how small details add up. A properly placed towel isn't about looking like a tour pro (though it can help), it’s about pure function and preparedness. Here’s why it’s worth a moment of your thought:

• Convenience and Pace of Play: Fumbling for a towel that’s buried, tangled, or has fallen off wastes time and breaks your focus. Having it in an accessible, secure spot means you can clean your ball or clubface quickly and move on without interrupting the flow of the game.
• Better Performance: This is the big one. Your irons have grooves for a reason - to channel away debris and water so you can generate spin. If those grooves are packed with mud or grass, your control over the golf ball drops significantly. A readily available towel lets you keep those grooves clean a shot, leading to more predictable spin and better overall shots.
• Keeping a Grip: On hot, humid days or during a rain shower, your grips can get slick. A dry, clean towel is your best friend for maintaining a secure hold on the club. The same goes for your hands. Dry hands and a dry grip lead to more confidence standing over the ball.
• Maintaining Your Gear: Golf clubs are an investment. Wiping them down after each shot prevents dirt from hardening in the grooves and rust from forming over time, extending the life and look of your equipment.

In short, a well-managed towel system streamlines your routine on the course, removing a small but persistent hassle. It lets you focus on your shot, not on where your towel went.

Choosing the Right Tool: Types of Golf Towels

Before we learn how to attach it, let’s talk about the towel itself. Not all towels are created equal, and using the right one for the job makes a difference.

Material Matters: Microfiber vs. Cotton

The debate between microfiber and cotton is a classic one. Here’s the simple breakdown:

• Microfiber: This is the modern standard for a reason. Microfiber is ultra-absorbent, meaning it can hold a lot of water without feeling soaked. Its fibers are exceptional at trapping dirt and debris, making it fantastic for cleaning grooves. It also dries very quickly. Many microfiber towels feature a waffle-weave pattern, which adds another layer of scrubbing power.
• Cotton: The old-school choice. Traditional cotton towels are soft and feel great, but they tend to get saturated with water quickly and can take a long time to dry. They are also less effective at pulling grime out of grooves compared to a textured microfiber cloth. They work, but microfiber is generally the more functional option for golf.

Size and Style

• Caddie or Tri-Fold Towels: These are the most common towels for everyday golfers. They are typically around 16" x 24" and often feature a tri-fold design with a carabiner clip or grommet at the top. Their compact size makes them easy to manage and keeps them from dragging on the ground.
• Tour Towels: These are the large towels you see the pros and their caddies use, often measuring around 22" x 44". While they offer maximum surface area for cleaning, their size can be cumbersome. They rarely come with a clip, so they require a specific attachment method (which we'll cover next).

The How-To: Common Methods for Attaching a Golf Towel

Alright, you’ve got your towel. Now, where and how do you put it on your bag for maximum efficiency? Let's break down the most popular methods, from the most basic to the tour-pro-preferred style.

Method 1: The Carabiner Clip

Most golf a towels today come with a grommet and a carabinera at one end. This is the most straightforward method.

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Find an Attachment Point: Look for a dedicated towel ring or loop on your golf bag. These are usually small metal or fabric loops located near the top of the bag, near the main handle. Almost every modern bag has one.
2. Clip It On: Simply open the carabiner and clip it to the ring.
3. Pro Tip on Placement: Try to attach it on the side or back of your bag. If you put it on the front (facing away from the cart), it can get caught or twisted in the cart strap when you load it up. Attaching it near the back keeps it out of the way but still easy to reach.

Pros: Very secure, the towel isn’t going to fall off.
Cons: A long towel can still drag on the ground. The constant clanging of a metal carabiner can be annoying to some.

Method 2: The Pro-Style Center Slit Fold

This is my personal favorite method, especially for larger tour towels or any towel without a clip. It creates a clean, professional look and keeps the towel highly functional.

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Prepare Your Towel: Lay the towel out flat. Fold the left third over the middle, and then the right third over on top of that. You should now have a long, narrow rectangle.
2. Find a Draping Spot: This method works perfectly draped over an alignment stick that you've slid down through your bag with your clubs. You can also drape it directly over a club, like your driver or a long iron, but an alignment stick provides a dedicated, stable home for it.
3. Drape and Secure: Simply drape the center of the folded towel over the alignment stick or club. Gravity will hold it in place. The best part is that about half the towel hangs on either side, allowing you to use one end for wet cleaning and the other for dry wiping.

Pros: Looks very clean and tidy. Easy to grab and use. Allows for a natural "wet/dry" system.
Cons: Can occasionally fall off if you're pulling a club out carelessly, but this is rare if it's draped well.

Method 3: The Simple Bag Loop

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Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Locate the Opening: Many towels have what’s called a "center slit" or "pass-through" built into them. This is an intentional opening a few inches from the center.
2. Thread a Portion Through: Take the tail end of your towel and pass it through the opening, creating a knotted loop around part of your bag. This is great for looping around the bag's grab handle or even one of the bag's stand legs.

Pros: Extremely secure. Keeps the towel close to the bag and off the ground.
Cons: Not all towels have this feature. Can be a bit slower to take on and off.

Advanced Strategy: The Two-Towel System

For players who are serious about keeping their gear in peak condition, especially in wet or muddy conditions, the one-towel system isn't always enough. Enter the two-towel system. It sounds like a lot, but the logic is simple and effective.

• Towel #1 (The "Wet" Towel): This is your workhorse. It’s a bigger, more absorbent towel (preferably microfiber). Before your round, get about half of it damp with water. Use this half for cleaning clubfaces, scrubbing mud off your ball on the fairway, and wiping down your shoe spikes. The other half remains dry for initial wipe-downs. Attach this towel using one of the methods above.
• Towel #2 (The "Dry" Towel): This is a smaller, often cotton, towel that stays completely dry. Keep it clipped to a different spot on your bag or tucked inside a pocket. Its sole purpose is to dry your hands and your club grips before every single shot. This separation is fantastic for rainy days and prevents you from wiping a dirty, wet club face and then immediately trying to dry your hands with the same grimy towel.

Once you try the two-towel system, especially during a wet round, it’s hard to go back. It's a small change that makes you feel incredibly prepared.

On-Course Golf Towel Etiquette

Finally, how you use your towel communicates a lot about your experience with the game. Here are a few simple etiquette tips to keep in mind.

• When On the Green: The putting green is considered sacred ground. Never toss or drop your towel onto the putting surface itself. Instead, place it gently on the fringe or the first cut of rough. If you’re cleaning your ball on the green, take your towel to the ball an it a a pick it and its your it a place to you a it down, and it. a a a go to to your to it down, a pick over and it down a never leave it you a place pick up, walk it over a a pick to your never leave ball. Never leave your towel where it could interfere a walking your other's where it could interfere walking your other golfers could with their view or putting golfers with your a player's your golfers.
• Don't Share Mud: If your towel is visibly caked in mud, give it a quick rinse at the ball washer before wiping down your putter grip. You don't want to transfer grime onto your most sensitive clubs.
• Respect the Cart Towel: Most golf carts come with their own small towel. Use that for wiping down a wet seat or other parts of the cart. Keep your personal golf towel reserved for your clubs, balls, and hands.

Final Thoughts

As we've covered, setting up your golf towel is more than just clipping it to your bag, it's about choosing the right methods and towel types to keep your gear clean and your game sharp. From the carabiner clip to the pro-style drape, a smart towel strategy helps you stay prepared for any situation on the course, letting you focus on what really matters - your next great shot.

Just as a well-placed towel simplifies cleaning your clubs, we want to simplify the other parts of your game too. When you're facing those tricky shots where clean grooves are just the start - like getting out of deep rough, figuring out club selection in the wind, or reading a complex lie - we built Caddie AI to give you immediate, expert advice right in your pocket. You can even send a photo of your ball's situation and get back a clear, simple strategy, taking the guesswork out of the toughest moments so you can play with total confidence.