What are the top 10 essentials to carry in your disc golf bag besides discs?
Everybody knows that you need discs to go disc golfing, (it’s in the name, after all) but what are some essentials for your disc golf bag that would make your round out on the course just a little less enjoyable if you didn’t have them?
Here at Dirigo Disc Golf, we’ve been playing for a while, and have learned of a few things to carry in our disc golf bag here and there that help us to have the most enjoyable time out on the course as we can.
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Table of Content:
- Water
- Snacks
- First Aid Kit
- Sharpie/Pencil
- Nail Clippers/Pocket Knife
- Towel(s)
- Grip Enhancer
- Extra Socks
- Mini Marker
- Hot Hands
- Flair
Let’s start with the obvious:
1. WATER
This one is kind of a no-brainer. We all know the fact that we’re made up of 70% water, and when we’re playing disc golf, we’re inevitably going to sweat, so it stands to reason that some of that water will need to be replaced to keep you hydrated.
We like to use a Yeti water bottle because we’ve found that it helps to keep our water the coldest during the warmer months of the year, but really any bottle will do – you just need to have some water with you. We like to have at least 1L per 18 holes at a minimum, but that definitely increases with warmer temperatures and more difficult courses.
Some disc golf bags are even built to be able to carry a water bladder like a Camelbak so you can hydrate hands-free!
Bonus points if you bring a larger jug of ice water to keep in your vehicle for refills for you and your card mates in between rounds!
2. SNACKS
There’s not much worse than being out on the course, having a great round, when out of nowhere you start to feel your energy and focus fading fast.
We like to keep a few different types of snacks in our disc golf bag depending on the time of year and whether it’s a casual or tournament round (no one wants to be on a card in a tournament with someone who’s loudly crunching away while they’re lining up their putt).
A great go-to for pretty much any scenario is beef jerky (sorry to the non-omnivores out there). It lasts quite a while at room temperature if the bag hasn’t been opened, it’s not loud or distracting (except having someone ask for a piece), doesn’t take up a lot of space, it’s high in protein, and best of all — it’s delicious!
Double G Craft jerky is excellent and helps support one of the nicest players on tour!
Bonus points if you make your own!
Other great options are: apple slices, granola bars, trail mix, or even the occasional candy bar like a snickers.
It’s important to make sure you carry out all your trash with you if the course you’re playing doesn’t have trash cans stationed at each hole (we’re pretty spoiled here in Maine and usually have a trash can and recycling barrel at each hole). No one wants to play a course covered in litter! Pack it in, pack it out!
3. SMALL FIRST AID KIT
It’s in the nature of any athletic activity that sometimes people are going to get hurt. Fortunately for disc golf, these injuries are usually not very severe and are frequently nothing more than a little cut or scrape.
We don’t use a pre-built first-aid kit in our disc golf bag, but it definitely is not a bad idea. Some of the most important things to have in your kit would be:
- Band-aids
- Antiseptic wipes
- Antibiotic ointment (like Neosporin)
- Ace bandage
- Pain reliever like ibuprofen or acetaminophen
Some courses around the country are pretty rugged, and it’s not too difficult to take a little fall and get scraped up, so it’s always a good idea to be prepared.
These items can be easily kept in a little Ziploc bag to keep them organized, and don’t take up too much space (you don’t need to have 30 band-aids or a 500 count bottle of Advil on hand).
If you prefer a pre-made option, this wouldn’t be a bad choice
The big one here that most people wouldn’t think to include is something like Immodium. Some courses don’t have the best “facilities” or they’re far away when you get out on the course. Having these handy can make a huge difference for both casual and tournament play. Having a small stash in my disc golf bag has saved both me and a couple buddies more than once.
4. SHARPIE AND OTHER WRITING UTENSILS
Most people know the pain of losing one of their favorite discs that’s beat in to perfection to the point where you know exactly what it’s going to do on any release angle. The sting of the loss only gets worse when your buddy asks “You had your name and number on it, right?” only to realize that you hadn’t put any ink in it yet (or that you had so long ago that it was no longer legible).
Carrying a sharpie (or two) in your bag can help to avoid these situations.
Unless your disc golf bag consists mostly of valuable collectible discs that you may end up reselling, there really isn’t a good reason to not have your name on them (just like your underwear at summer camp). There is even an argument that for very sought after discs, having ink in them doesn’t change the value too greatly. In general, the disc golf community is very kind and will return a disc that has a name and phone number in it. There are some stories on reddit where discs get found across the country and the finder ships it back to the owner!
It’s also a great idea to have at least a couple golf pencils in your disc golf bag in case the course isn’t on Udisc or a tournament is using paper cards as backups. You don’t want to be the guy asking everyone if they have a pencil.
5. NAIL CLIPPERS AND/OR A SMALL KNIFE
Nail clippers are one of those items that never seem to be around when you need them. Having a set in your disc golf bag takes up very little space, doesn’t add much weight, but can be extremely useful for trimming your nails for better grip on the disc, as well as trimming off bits of plastic from your disc after pesky tree hits.
A small pocket knife is also a great idea, because it’s something that you probably won’t need very often, but will be very glad you had it when the need arises. You don’t need anything fancy – just something that will cut and potentially has a few extra tools. The utility of a small pocket knife like a Victorinox is basically unmatched for size and weight.
6. TOWELS
You were waiting for this one, right?
Towels are a very important thing to have in or on your disc golf bag in all kinds of weather – not just rain, mud, and snow. You can use them to wipe your face, hands, and most commonly – your discs.
Trying to throw wet discs with wet hands leads to higher scores. No one really wants to throw a disc that’s covered in mud, or anything else you mind find out on the course. Having a solid set of towels and a system for using them can be the deciding factor on whether or not your rating goes up or down on the next update day!
We like to recommend our towels from Dirigo Disc Golf, because they are made from high quality material and are very convenient when you’re out on the course. No need to squat down to wipe a disc with a towel that’s not easily removable. Gone are the days of picking up half your bag’s contents when you pull out a towel stuffed into a pocket.
With our towels, you can pull them off the anchor magnet that is attached to your disc golf bag, use them for whatever you need, and then just touch the magnetic corner of the towel to the anchor magnet and you’re good to go. You’ll be ready for your next shot before your card mates have even found their towel!
Take a look at our home page and FAQ for more information!
If you’re looking for just a regular towel (boring!) check out the different options at Infinite Discs
7. CLIMBER’S CHALK or GRIP BAG/SPORT SACK
Just like towels, some way to add a little extra grip to your hands and/or disc is invaluable in all weather situations. Having a consistent grip gives you that boost of confidence you need to execute the clutch shot.
Our personal recommendation would be the Whale Sac or the Option Bag – they work great and you’ll be supporting a smaller company made up of great people!
Whale Sacs come in all kinds of different patterns, and one of the best things is you can attach them right to your disc golf bag or cart!
The Option Bag doubles as a grip enhancer and a footbag/hacky sack. Use it like a normal dry bag, or as a hacky sack with your card mates during backups. It’s also a great way to warm up before a round! The bag is filled with a mixture of chalk and ceramsite pebbles, so even after the chalk is gone, the pebbles will break down to continue producing great grip for a long time.
You can see all of the different grip enhancers that Infinite Discs has here
8. EXTRA SOCKS
We don’t know about you, but we can’t stand it when our feet are wet when they’re not supposed to be. Maybe you didn’t see that puddle, or you thought your waterproof shoes were taller than it was deep, but either way, now you’re feet are wet and you’re no longer having a good time or scoring well.
Having a clean and dry pair of socks inside a little Ziploc bag inside your disc golf bag can make all the difference once your feet get wet.
They’re a little spendy, but we recommend Smartwool socks.
They’re primarily made out of merino wool, are super comfortable, and last a very long time (for me, at least).
You may not want to keep them in your disc golf bag itself, but also having an extra shirt and pair of shoes in your vehicle can help make the drive home a little more comfortable as well!
9. A MINI MARKER
This one is almost a given for more experienced players, but newer people to the sport may not think about it.
Having a mini marker in your disc golf bag is basically required for tournament or more serious play. If you’re playing a casual round with your buddies, you can probably get away with flipping your disc over in lieu of marking with a mini, but we like the idea of “practice how you play.”
Not having to think about using a mini while in tournament play because you do it in your casual rounds is just one less thing to keep you from focusing on your next shot.
Minis come in all different varieties – take a look at the offerings over at Infinite Discs, and you’re bound to find one that speaks to you. Some people have collections of minis, just like regular discs, and change them out depending on their mood or for good luck!
We’re big fans of the Vibram minis, because of how flexible they are. We keep ours in our back pocket and it just disappears compared to some of the more rigid ones that are available.
Unfortunately, they don’t make them anymore, so they can be tough to find, but well worth it if you can!
10. HOT HANDS
Living in Maine, if you don’t play during the winter or colder months, it doesn’t leave all that much time to enjoy this great sport!
Having some Hot Hands in your disc golf bag (in addition to some gloves) can make playing in the snow and cold much more bearable.
Our go-to strategy is to keep a glove on our non-throwing hand and a Hot Hands in the pocket of our throwing hand. When not throwing, we keep our hand right in our pocket to keep some of that warmth and dexterity.
We personally recommend the “Super Warmers,” which are about double the size of normal Hot Hands and last quite a bit longer. They heat a larger portion of your hand than the normal size and you don’t need to worry about shifting it around to keep your entire hand safe from the freezing temperatures.
They are pretty cheap on Amazon, and one of the 10-packs will last you anywhere from five to ten trips to the course!
BONUS:
FLAIR (PATCHES, PINS, STICKERS, TRINKETS, etc.)
Show off some of that personality by adding funny Velcro patches or stickers of companies you like.
Looking at your bag should make you happy, even if you’re not having the greatest round, so add something of whatever makes you smile.
We like to put patches on our disc golf bag and stickers on our different Yeti products. We also keep a little miniature Rubik’s cube in one of the pockets for those long backup holes!
Have some fun with this category – there really are no limits to the ways you can customize your disc golf bag to show more of your personality and get the extra little boost you need during a round!
You can locate a great selection of patches, stickers, and pins over at Infinite Discs
BUG SPRAY / SUNSCREEN
We regularly play in the Maine woods, where the bugs can be downright awful at certain times of the year. Having a good quality bug spray can make all the difference in your enjoyment of a round.
For the rounds you play that are more out in the open, having some sunscreen is a smart option!
For both sunscreen and bug spray, having an option that sprays on and doesn’t need to be rubbed in is ideal, because some of them can be pretty greasy and will affect your ability to grip a disc!