How To Clean A Golf Bag – Bringing It Back To It’s Former Glory

When you play a decent amount of golf, you are bound to have a golf bag that ends up getting a little dirty. Over time mud, sand, grass, and other forces of nature can lead the bag to look old and unpleasant.

The good news is that this can be easily avoided if you stay on top of it and clean your golf bag every time that it starts to get dirty.

In this article, I will break down how to get your golf bag clean and looking exactly like it did the day you brought it home from the store or got it delivered to your home!

Also, I will be answering common questions that golfers have related to cleaning your golf bag and keeping it clean year-round!

Materials Needed to Clean Your Golf Bag

The process to clean your golf bag is actually much simpler than you think.  Most people already are going to have exactly what they need for washing your golf bag already around their house.

The things that you need to clean a golf bag are:

  • Source of water like a sink, faucet, hose,
  • A hose is very recommended.
  • A mild soap, like the kind of soap that you would clean dishes with.
  • A good optional thing to have is a stain remover that you would use for clothes.
  • A washcloth or rag.
  • Another rag for drying purposes.

If you have all of those things listed above, then it looks like you are in luck.

The Steps to Clean a Golf Bag

The process can be broken down into a few easy steps:

  1. You need to get your bag prepped for the cleaning. That means make sure that everything is out of the bag that you can’t afford to get wet.  Make sure all fo your apparel and valuables are out especially!
  2. You need to get the bag wet before you can clean it. It helps to have a hose so that you can gently rinse the bag off.  If yoy do not have access to a hose, then you can do it the hard way and use a wet washcloth to get the whole bag damp. Remember, you do not have to go overboard with the water when prepping the bag.
  3. Mix up your soap and warm water. If you have a stain remover that is safe for your bag, it might not be a bad idea to add it to your mix for maximum effectiveness.  The stain remover can help get those very tough to get areas on your bag.
  4. Clean your bag with a rag that has been soaking in your newly mixed together water with the soap and stain remover in it. You might have to put in some extra elbow grease to get any stubborn stains off of your bag.
  5. After washing, repeat step 2, and rinse off your bag and look at how clean the bag is. If you did a good job, all of the stains and dirty areas should be very clean.
  6. The last step is to let it dry. You really can’t speed this process up because it is all about time.  After the bag dries out, you should have a golf bag that is much cleaner than before!

And it is really as easy as that.  After your 6-step process, you should be very pleased with your new-looking golf bag!

Let me answer some popular questions that you might be wondering about.

Can You Reshape Your Golf Bag?

After using your bag, a lot on the course, you might notice that the foundation of the bag is messed up and it just does not look the same.  This state is referred to as an “out of shape” golf bag.

The best way to get your bag back into shape is to fill up all of the pockets almost to their full capacity with towels, clothes, or any material could work like those.

After letting it sit for a few hours, you will notice that the bag will go back to its original state. Think of it like being a chiropractor and popping the spine back into the right spot for your golf bag.

Can You Clean The Inside of Your Golf Bag?

If you have pockets that might be messy, it really depends on the material of your pockets.

If it is a valuables pocket that has a felt material, then you should only use a sweeper to get anything out of it.  Using the method above to clean is not advised because it is not good on the felt.

If it is made of waterproof material, then you could go ahead and use the method above to also clean out your pockets.  It would be wise to take a sweeper to it first to get any pieces out of it first.

How Should You Dry Your Golf Bag?

The best way to dry your golf bag is to give it time in a dry place that is room temperature or slightly above room temperature.

Depending on the material of your bag, it is a bad idea to let your bag dry in a very hot day outside. It is up to you to do your own due diligence on your golf bag and see if setting your bag in the heat will harm the material and make the lifespan of your golf bag much less.

Like with all of the steps, be sure to do your own research before using any type of product or method to clean your golf bag.  Using the wrong soap, stain remover, or cleaning method could be detrimental to certain types of bags in some cases.

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Nick is the founder of GolfSpan and an avid golfer. He's not quite a pro but has over 15 years of experience playing and coaching golfers worldwide. His mission is to bring the golfing community a better experience when it comes to choosing the right golf gear and finding the right setup for your game.

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