A golf towel does one job above all others: it protects contact. Clean grooves put spin on the ball, dry grips stop the club from twisting in your hands, and a wiped face means the dimple pattern actually transfers to your shot instead of a smear of mud. That is the honest, unglamorous answer to what are golf towels used for, and it is the reason every serious player carries at least one, often two.
The towel is the most-used piece of equipment in the bag that never swings at the ball. Understanding how to deploy it the way tour caddies do turns a scrap of terrycloth into a small competitive edge, and it is worth getting right.
What are golf towels used for during a round?
The core function is club maintenance between shots. After every iron or wedge strike, grass, sand, and moisture pack into the grooves, and a quick wipe restores the sharp edges that generate backspin. On approach shots into a green, that spin is the difference between a ball that checks and one that releases off the back into trouble.
Grips come second, but they matter just as much in the rain or in humid Southern summers when a slick handle means a lost shot. A dry towel draped over the top of the bag lets you blot your hands and the grip before you pull the club. The towel also cleans your golf ball on the green before putting, wipes mud off your spikes, and dries a wet flagstick or your face when the temperature climbs into the 90s. It is the most versatile object you carry, which is exactly why it earns a permanent spot clipped to the bag.
Why do golf towels have a hole in the middle?
That center hole or grommet is not decorative. It lets you thread the towel through a carabiner or over a rail on the bag so it hangs securely instead of sliding off during a bumpy cart ride or a walking round. A towel that stays put is a towel you actually use, and the hole solves the single most annoying problem with a plain rectangle of cloth: it disappears exactly when you need it.
The design also encourages the smartest way to carry a towel, which is folded in half over the clip so both a wet side and a dry side stay accessible. Not every towel needs a hole, and plenty of players prefer a clean-edged towel they fold and stash, but if you are the type who loses things on the course, the grommet earns its keep.
The two-towel system the pros actually use
Watch any tour broadcast closely and you will notice most caddies work with two towels, not one. The reason is simple physics: you cannot dry a clubface with a cloth that is already soaked, and you cannot scrub caked mud out of grooves with a bone-dry one. Splitting the jobs is the single biggest upgrade to your own routine.
The wet towel for grooves and mud
The wet towel does the heavy lifting. Dampen one end with water, leave the other dry, and use the wet half to break down packed dirt, grass stains, and sand in the grooves after each shot. A slightly abrasive, absorbent towel works best here because it needs to lift grime, not just push it around. This is the towel that takes abuse, so it lives on the outside of the bag where it can dry between holes. The Iron Logo Towel in Dark Green is built for exactly this role, with enough weight and texture to scrub grooves clean without shredding, and a heat-pressed logo that survives a season of getting muddy and rinsed off again.
The dry towel for grips, hands, and the ball
The dry towel never touches mud. Its only jobs are keeping your grips tacky, drying your palms before you set your hands, and cleaning your ball on the green so nothing throws off the roll. Keeping this one pristine is the whole point, which is why players stash it inside the cart or over a shoulder rather than clipped where it collects spray. A plush, soft-hand towel like the LCLRL Towel in Dark Green shines in this role, offering the kind of absorbent finish that pulls moisture off your hands fast in humid conditions and folds down neatly so it stays clean.
Between the two, you cover every wiping task a round throws at you. If you want to see the full range side by side, the golf towels collection lays out the options in one place.
How to use a golf towel the right way
Technique matters more than most players assume. Wipe the clubface immediately after the shot, before the debris dries and hardens into the grooves, then hand or clip the club away clean so you are never rushing on the next tee. Work the towel across the grooves rather than along them, since a cross-wipe actually lifts material out of the channels instead of packing it deeper.
On the green, clean the ball every time you mark it. Even a thin film of dew or grass juice on one side can nudge a putt offline over ten feet, and it costs you nothing to prevent. Fold the towel so you always know which side is wet and which is dry, and rinse the working end at the first ball washer you pass. A well-managed towel does not just clean your gear, it keeps your whole setup calm and unhurried, which is worth more strokes than most players credit.
Choosing a golf towel that fits how you play
The right towel depends on whether you walk or ride and how much you sweat. Walkers want something light that clips cleanly to a stand bag and dries fast between holes, while cart players can carry a larger, plusher towel since weight is no concern. Color matters more than it sounds: a dark towel hides the inevitable grass and dirt stains far better than a white one, which is why dark green, navy, and red dominate serious players' bags.
Iron Logo Towel
This is the workhorse. Its texture and heft make it the natural choice for the wet, groove-cleaning duty, and the deep tones hide the wear that comes from scrubbing muddy wedges all season. It clips securely to the bag and holds up to repeated rinsing, which is what you want from the towel that does the dirty work. Available in Blue and Dark Red for players who want to match it to the rest of their setup.
LCLRL Towel
Softer and more absorbent, this one is built for the clean jobs: hands, grips, and the ball. The plush finish makes it the towel you reach for on a muggy morning when your palms will not stay dry, and it folds down small enough to keep tucked away and spotless. It also comes in Blue and Dark Red.
Gym Towel
Not every towel lives on the course. The Gym Towel in Black handles the range session, the post-round shower, and the drive home, which makes it the quiet off-course companion to your on-course setup. It is a reminder that the best golf gear pulls double duty, working just as well at the practice facility as it does between the ropes.
Pairing your towel with the rest of your kit
A towel earns its place beside the gear it protects. Clean grips only matter if the glove underneath grips too, and a fresh, well-fitted glove like the LR Players Glove keeps the connection between hand and club consistent from the first tee to the last green. When your hands, glove, and grip all stay dry, your swing stops fighting the equipment.
The same logic runs through the whole bag. Keeping moisture managed on a hot day is part apparel and part accessory, which is why a breathable performance shirt from the polos collection and a properly filled bottle from the hardware collection round out a setup that keeps you cool and your gear clean. Dialed-in details are the whole Scandinavian idea: quiet, functional, and effortless.
A great towel is a small thing that quietly makes everything else in the bag work better. When you're ready to build a setup that plays as sharp as it looks, explore the full collection at Local Rule.
