Home / Guides
Golf starter kit: the minimum you actually need
A starter kit's 'golf cover' is the physical one — a wheeled cover like the MacGregor VIP Deluxe that protects clubs through baggage handling. Travel insurance with golf cover is separate: a policy that reimburses lost or damaged clubs and non-refundable green fees. The rest of the kit is a carry bag and one glove.
New players get oversold on accessories: rangefinders, umbrellas, branded headcovers, tee organisers. None of that changes whether you can get around a course. The three items that do are the bag itself, a glove for grip and blister protection, and — only if you travel — a case that survives baggage handling.
A glove matters more than it looks: on a new player's hands, an unprotected grip causes blisters within a few holes, which then affects your swing for the rest of the round out of simple discomfort. The FootJoy WeatherSof we picked uses a leather-and-polyurethane blend built for a consistent, breathable grip across a full round.
The travel cover is conditional, not universal — if you only ever play locally, skip it entirely. If you fly even occasionally, a hard-backed wheeled cover like the MacGregor VIP Deluxe protects the driver and irons from the handling most standard soft bags aren't built to survive.
Our picks
01
Findway Golf Stand Carry Bag 31.5"
- weight
- 1.13 kg
- dividers
- 2
- pockets
- 1
carry bagbudget
02
FootJoy WeatherSof
- weight
- 0.05 kg
- material
- Leather / Polyurethane
glovebudget
03
MacGregor VIP Deluxe Wheeled Travel Cover
- weight
- 2.27 kg
- dividers
- —
- pockets
- 2
travel covermid-rangetravel-ready
Price links coming soon — we're setting up Amazon Associates for this store.
FAQ
Do I need a golf glove on both hands?
No — one glove on your lead hand (left hand for a right-handed golfer) is standard. It's the hand that does most of the gripping work through the swing; the trail hand doesn't need one.
Is a travel cover worth it if I only fly once a year?
If that one flight is with your own clubs, yes — a single mishandled bag with a bent shaft or cracked head costs more to replace than a travel cover, and airline baggage handling doesn't treat golf bags gently regardless of how often you fly.
Is the travel cover here the same as travel insurance with golf cover?
No — they're different products. The travel cover in this starter kit is the physical padded case that protects your clubs through baggage handling. Travel insurance with golf cover is a separate policy that reimburses golf equipment that's lost, stolen or damaged on a trip, up to the policy's limits, and often covers non-refundable green fees. They do different jobs and don't replace each other.
What does travel insurance with golf cover actually cover?
It depends on the policy, so read the cover list: golf equipment lost, stolen or damaged on the trip — clubs, bag, trolley — up to the policy's limits. Some policies also reimburse club rental if your clubs are delayed and non-refundable green fees if illness, injury or bad weather stops you playing a round you've already paid for. The equipment limit, and the conditions attached to theft and green-fee claims, are what separate one policy from another — compare those rather than the headline price.
Do I need separate golf cover, or is it included in standard travel insurance?
Check the policy — golf clubs normally sit under the baggage section, where a per-item limit can fall well short of the cost of replacing a full set. If that limit doesn't cover your clubs, a specialist golf travel policy or a golf add-on to an existing policy is how you close the gap. Compare the single-item limit against the replacement cost of your set before you travel.
Head-to-head
FootJoy WeatherSof vs Pure Touch Limited
More guides
Best golf bag for walking the courseBest golf ball: how to actually pick oneBest golf rangefinder: laser, GPS or bothBest golf glove: which material and price band fits your game
Try the bag finder →Try the ball finder →Bag & gear glossary →How we choose →