Obviously, you can’t keep all of these items in your cart at once, or you wouldn’t be able to get into the cart yourself but this is a tickler list of reminders. You can go down the list and find a lot of things that you didn’t think of before taking off on your next offroad adventure.
1. An umbrella
If you are golfing and it starts to rain and lightning, the safest place to be is not in your golf cart. An umbrella will help you get to a safe shelter without getting drenched, so you can wait out the storm and resume your game as quickly as possible. You can get a full-sized regulation golf umbrella that can stow behind the seats in the golf cart or a folding golf umbrella that is easy to carry and opens to full size to protect two people from the rain. If you are categorically opposed to umbrellas and find that they routinely turn themselves inside out and are rendered unusable, you could bring a plastic poncho instead. These are usually packaged in a very tiny plastic pouch that takes up only a modicum of space.
2. Folding chairs with covers
Folding chairs are easy to carry, take up very little room, add almost no weight, and can be stowed behind the seat in your golf cart. Folding chairs range from small chairs with no features to folding reclining or zero gravity chairs with cup holders, bottle openers and positionable sun shades. These come in handy if you drop by to visit friends or relatives that have very little patio furniture, or you pop over to the beach to enjoy the sunset or the fireworks on the 4th of July. If they are already in your golf cart, you don’t have to plan or remember to bring them with you.
3. Gloves
The obvious reason is to protect your hands from blisters or keep them warm. They are also good protection for your smartphone if you need to stow it in your glove box and you don’t want it rattling around and getting broken, just slip your phone inside where the palm goes, and it is protected. If you want to be able to use the smartphone in the months you need gloves, get a pair with special yarn on the fingers that allow you to text and use your phone with your gloves on.
4. A hooded windbreaker
Amazon sells windbreakers with hoods that fold up very small in their own zippered pouch – these are great for unexpected cold snaps and rainy days. They take up very little room and provide much-needed protection from the elements. Having a windbreaker may make the difference between the 18 hole adventure turning into 9 or freezing the rest of the time on the golf course. You want to remember the day fondly, not the time you caught a serious cold when the weather suddenly changed.
5. A dog leash
A must-have if you have a furry best friend who loves to ride in the golf cart as much as ours does. Holding the dog while driving around on the golf cart path is fine until the dog needs to take care of business – a leash is a must, especially when you are required to keep your dog on a leash at all times on the golf course. You can buy a special leash that is made for walking your dog while driving your golf cart…in case you are not able to walk with the dog, or if you are in need of a rest and Fido is still eager to walk and keep an eye out for deer and squirrels.
6. Doggy poop bags
While we are on the subject of furry friends, I know this is self-explanatory, but you never know when your pooch may need to go. These will save you a great deal of embarrassment when Fido decides to decorate the course or someone’s lawn and you have nothing available to remove it with. Plastic shopping bags are a great thing to have along to use as trash collectors and emergency water-proof covers, but their seams are not always as reliable as the bags made for picking up what your dog puts down..They come in various sizes, colors, and decorations, and take up only about 2 inches of space in the glove box in your golf cart.
7. Flashlight
Weather and available light are unpredictable. Having a flashlight will help you if you get stranded and have to walk home in the dark, or if you decide to walk a trail and need to see where and on what you are walking. You need to be able to avoid treading on a snake or surprising a skunk during your adventure. Flashlights are available with flashing warning lights also, that can signal for help in an emergency. If you have a medical condition that may require assistance while on the course, consider a multi-use flashlight. This might make a real difference in the outcome of your day.
8. Camera
You may want to record a sunset or cloud formation or record just how close that shot came to being a hole in one. If you keep a camera in the glove box, you will be able to keep those memories. Good quality cameras are very inexpensive and easy to use and extremely portable.
9. Blanket
A washable blanket is great to keep in the golf cart. It can be used for an impromptu picnic, sitting at the beach, to keep you warm when the weather is not as warm as you anticipated, and to keep you clean and dry when your furry best friend has just chased a bunny through a field of wet grass. Some folks use their golf carts year-round and those mid-winter days can turn from warm and sunny to very cold in a matter of only a few minutes. Keep the fun going longer when you can be warm while cruising around in your golf cart.
10. Tire pressure gauge
Just like your car, your golf cart tires need to be inflated to a specific pressure. If you are getting ready to hit the golf course and you notice a tire looks low, it is easiest to pull out the gauge and test the pressure – otherwise you have to look for the gauge in your garage before you can air the tire and be on your way.
11. Coolers
We have two on our golf cart – one for keeping beverages cool, storing food so the crows don’t grab it and fly off, and one for storing – of all things – extra golf balls. Special racks are available to mount the coolers on the golf cart, so they will stay with you at all times. No one wants to go several holes and discover that their cold beverages did not stay with them. It is nice to share with other golfers – on purpose, not because the cooler fell off your cart in the middle of the golf course.
12. Deep Woods Off
Yes, you are going to need to get out of the cart sometime, and it isn’t always paved. The ticks and chiggers are terrible this year, and when it’s hot and the evening is coming on, here come the mosquitos. The time to think about insect repellent is not when you are watching your ball go into the woods or the weeds – just pull the can out of your glove box and make a quick application – voila, no chigger bites to deal with for the next week. If you are allergic or sensitive to Off and other brands with DEET, you can select more natural repellents that are still able to protect you without causing you other problems.
13. Superglue
Quick repairs on the go- whether something comes loose on your golf cart or shoe or someone needs to reattach an acrylic nail. It is nice to not have to go all the way back to your home or car to fix a minor inconvenience.
14. Pocket GPS
Would you believe it? I live in a community that is so large and covered with trails that I get lost…even after living here for a couple of years. I have a neighbor that wouldn’t leave the yard without his pocket GPS. Sure, you will get to where you could get around with your eyes closed, but sometimes you need to find a shortcut. If I want to go from point A to point B and avoid the busier streets, I look up which trails and alleyways will get me there. Street intersections are usually marked, but unless you know the area well enough to be able to identify whose house is by what cart path, it is hard to really know where you are sometimes.
15. First aid kit
Well, this one is rather obvious but when someone gets a cut or a bite, no one seems to have a kit on board. It might mean the difference between continuing your game of golf and having to return to the clubhouse in the middle of the afternoon. Before you put the First Aid Kit in your golf cart glove box, slip in a few safety pins. They won’t help with wound care or bug bites, but if you have a wardrobe malfunction, they will come in very handy. The people you golf with will also be very happy if you come to their aid in a similar situation – far from the clubhouse.
16. Mechanical pencil
No need to carry a sharpener when you are carrying one of these. Keeping score and jotting down notes has never been easier. Ink pens have a much shorter shelf life and tend to be dry and unusable just when you need them the most. Pencils have a very long shelf life and are always ready when you need them.
17. Wet naps
The best clean up aid around and they take up almost no space at all. These are also good for removing mud from the tops of your shoes, sticky fingers after snacking, spilled coffee and soft drinks and even cleaning the windshield on your golf cart. Birds can try to ruin your day.
18. Storable snacks
Peanut Butter Crackers, hard candy. Kind bars and Fritos can really come in handy when out on the golf course. If you skipped lunch to make a tee time, they will help you avoid blood sugar problems and keep the focus on the golf game instead of how hungry you are. If you keep wet naps in your cart, you can add Cheetos to your list. 😀
19. Notebook
Inspiration strikes at a moments notice, like that great idea you came up with while out in the fresh air relaxing, or something you heard that gives you a new take on something. Networking on the golf course is another reason for the notebook – you just met the CEO of a new company and neither one of you have any business cards with you – write the contact information down and tear out a page to give the CEO your information also. This will eliminate the need to write information down on your lunch receipt.
20. Multitool
Definitely handy when you want to do repairs in the field, but don’t want to carry a bunch of bulky hand tools. It’s like an insurance policy – you probably won’t need it, but when you do, it is so nice to have it with you.
21. Portable Power Pack
In the event that you are in a gas cart and cannot get enough cranks from the starter to get going, this should do the trick. With an adapter, you can also get a charge on a dead cell phone.
22. WD-40
I would note here that pepper spray would have made the cut, but it is illegal to carry in some states…but WD-40 works as well and has the added value of being a handy tar cutter and anti-squeak lubricant.
23. ICE
No. Not frozen water, but In Case of Emergency contact list. What if you are out of commission somewhere and help arrives but you aren’t in any condition to give your medical vitals or contacts?
24. A few feet of electrical wire
A nice coil of wire can be a lifesaver in the event of a short and/or broken cable. The original wire never seems to have ANY slack so you can splice them back together…and of course, after the splice or repair you need…
25. Electrical tape
Although you would want this around for a quick electrical repair, there is another use for electrical tape that most people don’t think about. Whenever I was working in the outdoors or in building construction, I would occasionally get one of my fingers cut. I would use a wrap or two of the black tape to seal up the boo-boo and carry on with what I was doing. I would always take care of the cut when I got back home, but this was a quick way to keep the wound closed and clean.
