It’s no secret that golf creates a mess. You’re not going to come out like a linebacker after a tackle in the rain, but there’s still dirt, grass, and, sometimes, water involved. Even a small bit of dirt can change the way the ball hits off of the clubface.
A golf towel will not only keep your clubs clean and your hands dry, but it can extend the life of your clubs and other equipment. It’s a crucial part of your gear, but it’s often undervalued.
Choosing the right golf towel will give you an easier time in the short term, and keep your clubs functional over the long term. Here is our pick for the best golf towel for your value.
Best Brand Name in Golf
1. Callaway Golf 2018 Uptown Towel
- Size: 16″ x 21″
- Style: Tri-fold
- Material: 100% Cotton
- Color: Navy, Pink, Black, White, Grey
- Attachment: Carabiner
Pros
If you care about brand names, this is the towel for you. Of course, the name carries more than prestige; it’s backed by years of experience and quality craftsmanship. Just as you’d expect with Callaway golf clubs and golf balls, they also make premium towels. Reviewers rave about the quality of the material and how soft it is. After all, what’s worse than a rough and scratchy towel?
This tri-fold towel also holds its own in the amount of water it can pick up and you’ll find it’s doing its job through a round of 18. It’s machine washable and durable. Plus, this golf towel looks good, and despite what some may say, that’s something everyone enjoys. You can proudly show it off as you cross the course.
Cons
The one area where customers complained is that the carabiner isn’t attached very well, merely with a small loop. For some, it wasn’t an issue, while others found it challenging. It may have to do with how rough you are, but something to think about.
Best Golf Towel for Under $10
2. Mile High Life Trifold Golf TowelÂ
- Size: 16″ x 21″
- Style: Tri-fold
- Material: Microfiber
- Color: Black, White, Grey, Blue, Pink, Green, Orange, Red, Brown
- Attachment: Carabiner
Pros
If you want a golf towel that does the trick but you aren’t ready to drop more than a few dollars, the Mile High Life tri-fold towel is a great place to start. For how little this towel costs, it’s surprisingly both soft and durable.
Being in microfiber, it’s going to dry much quicker than other materials like cotton, but also be able to hold up to three times its weight in water, especially with its waffle design. Remember that microfiber towels are machine washable, but should never be washed on high heat.
Several reviews note how nice the towels look hanging from the bag. You can buy a single towel or a two-pack, and leave the extra in a compartment so you’re never stranded with dirty clubs.
Cons
Though this golf towel does come with a carabiner clip, it is not heavy-duty. That’s one of the last things you want to fuss with when you’re trying to focus on your game, so it’s worth noting.
Be wary of the color options, as multiple reviewers have complained that the red and pink weren’t what they expected.
Best Wet/Dry Option
3. Frogger Golf Wet & Dry Towel
- Size: 14″ x 14″ (29″ x 14″)
- Style: Wet & dry
- Material: 50% cotton, 50% bamboo
- Color: Black, Blue, Pink, Green, Red, Black/Orange, Red/White/Blue
- Attachment: Carabiner
Pros
The nice thing about the Frogger Golf Wet and Dry Amphibian golf towel is that its waterproof inner membrane keeps moisture on one side, allowing the other to stay dry. You can wet the inside with cold water to more easily clean away dirt and grass from your golf balls, clubs, and hands, and then dry up using the outside dry layer. You can flip this around on rainy days.
Pretty ingenious design that takes from the PGA caddies, and was designed by the folks at Frogger, a group of golf addicts that strive to improve the game with superior golf products.
If you like this towel, they also offer a larger tour towel and a smaller one for golf balls.
Cons
It is on the pricier end due to the ingenuity of the design – it claims to be the first of its kind. It may be more than you’re ready to pay, especially if you read reviews that are critical of its construction.
The carabiner clip is attached through a single loop as flimsy as belt loops are, so it’s going to be relatively easy for the clip to rip away.
Best for Convenience
4. STICKIT Magnetic Microfiber Golf TowelÂ
- Size: 29″ x 29″, 13″ hanging
- Style: No fold/free hanging
- Material: Microfiber
- Color: Grey, White
- Attachment: Industrial strength magnet
Pros
This is the best towel for convenience. If you’ve noticed a pattern in the above towels, you’ll suspect that carabiners tend to be problematic – whether it’s the clip itself or the attachment point. Our second microfiber construction golf towel, the STICKIT, uses a simple yet genius idea to address this issue – a magnet!
The magnet is of industrial strength with a 25lb pull. You can attach it to any of your golf clubs, and easily remove it as necessary.
It’s also a larger towel compared to the other golf towels on our list, but whether that’s a good thing or not is a personal matter.
Cons
Despite being convenient, and loads of 5-star reviews, a small number of buyers have found that the magnet isn’t quite as strong as they’d expected. One reviewer noted they like to wet their towel, so perhaps the water added weight, though even with water, it’s unlikely the towel itself surpassed 25 lbs.
Best Golf Towel Overall
5. Under Armour Golf Bag Towel
- Size: 20.5″ x 6.7″
- Style: Tri-fold
- Material: 100% Cotton
- Color: White/Black, Red/Black
- Attachment: Metal grommet ring as the attachment point
Pros
This is the best golf towel overall, in our opinion, because it’s got all of the things the others do not. Made from premium cotton, it’s nice and soft but also durable and provides good water absorption. The bottom corner is rougher, which makes it easy to clean the grooves in your club heads
Under Armour has attempted to correct the carabiner attachment problem with a metal grommet ring that is built right into the towel, creating a more solid attachment point.
Cons
Despite having a great carabiner attachment, it doesn’t come with an actual clip. Perhaps that’s not a huge deal given that this golf towel is already on the expensive side.
FAQ
Here are some of the most common questions related to golf towels, and how to pick the best golf towel for your game.
What is a Golf Towel Used For?
A golf towel’s primary use is to keep your golf club heads and golf balls clean during a game. It can also be used to keep your hands, face, and body dry, or to shield your clubs on a hot and sunny day.
Cleaning and drying off your clubs can reduce the chances of rust developing, and will help to keep your clubs in working order for much longer. It can also help your game by ensuring dirt doesn’t interfere with the ball-club head connection, giving you a more secure grip on the handle.
A regular household towel isn’t built to stand up to this sort of job like a quality golf towel is, and may leave fluff behind. As it absorbs water, it will become heavier and heavier, which isn’t ideal when you’re traveling across the course.
As to what golf towel is best for you, everybody has their favorite golf towels. Whether you go with a cotton material or a microfiber design, you want something that’s going to clear away loose dirt, caked-on mud, and also retain water without becoming too weighed down.
How Big Should My Golf Towel Be?
Lots of golfers have personal preferences and opinions on what is the best size for a golf towel, and there’s a range of options. You want a towel that is large enough to last through the golf game, so you’ve got a clean surface to wipe your club onto.
You also don’t want your golf towel to be too large so that it’s difficult and awkward to carry. Around 20″ to 25″ is probably the ideal size.
As for your golf balls, you may opt for a pocket towel.
What Style of Towel is Best?
As you can tell from our list, there are many designs to choose from. The tri-fold design is a common one in golf as it easily tucks it out of the way, but also allows the user to slide the golf inside to clean away any dirt and use the outer side to dry clubs or wipe away sweat.
The Frogger Golf Wet and Dry Amphibian golf towel is the only towel of its kind. The design was inspired by caddies in PGA tours who carry both wet cloth and dry cloth. It allows the user to have the best of both with the waterproof inner membrane, which allows one side to be as much as soaked without affecting the other dry side.
Does a Golf Towel Make a Good Gift?
Absolutely! It’s a great way to show you pay attention and care. Whether you’re buying for an avid golfer or a weekend warrior, a golf towel is something any golfer will get a lot of use out of. Plus, it’s a seemingly simple item that can significantly improve the player’s experience.
If your loved one has a favorite brand, you may want to buy the brand’s towel. If you’re unsure, there are loads to choose from and a variety of colors to choose from, so you can pick out their favorite color.
You can also make it more fun with an embroidered towel. Your embroidery design can include personal initials or monikers, and even little embroidery design details such as golf clubs, golf balls, and golf flags.
One towel is enough, but you can opt for a pack of two if you want to give them a backup option.
Final Thoughts
Golf gets you out into nature, and no matter what the weather is like, it can still involve a bit of a mess. A golf towel on hand can help you to quickly address the little messes that pop up, like dirt in the grooves or sweaty palms, so that you can keep on enjoying the game.
A good golf towel can also extend the life of your clubs, keeping them fit for your next round and many to come. You need to consider size, material, absorbancy, and style. Using our list, you’re bound to find the best golf towel for you, or at the very least figure out what isn’t for you.
There are so many parts that go into a golf game, and we tend to put the clubs, balls, and shoes first. Giving some time and thought to the humble golf towel will pay off.
On that note, happy golfing and only birdies!