Sustainable Golf: How to Build a Green Golf Bag (2025)

Golf and nature go hand in hand. There’s nothing quite like walking down a pristine fairway at sunrise or watching your ball sail over a crystal-clear water hazard. But as golfers, we can do more to protect the courses and natural areas we love.

Building an eco-friendly golf bag doesn’t mean sacrificing performance or breaking the bank. Today’s sustainable golf gear often outperforms traditional equipment while helping preserve the beautiful landscapes where we play.

Why Go Green on the Golf Course?

Most golfers don’t realize the environmental impact of their equipment. A single plastic tee can take up to 1,000 years to decompose. Those golf balls you lose in water hazards? They leach toxic chemicals for decades. Your synthetic golf shirt sheds microplastics with every wash.

The good news is that sustainable alternatives have come a long way. Modern eco-friendly golf gear matches or exceeds the performance of traditional equipment, often at comparable prices.

Start with the Basics: Biodegradable Tees

The simplest switch you can make is swapping plastic or painted wooden tees for biodegradable alternatives.

Bamboo tees are game-changers. They’re 1.5 times stronger than wooden tees, biodegrade in just 6 months (compared to 3 years for wood), and can often be reused multiple times. Plus, they’re USGA and PGA approved for tournament play.

Top picks:

• Green Swing Bamboo Tees ($12/100-pack) – Unvarnished for faster decomposition, available in multiple heights
• Ocean Tee Bamboo Collection ($8-12) – Plants a tree with every box sold
• Greenup Biodegradable Tees ($12-15) – Made from recycled coffee grounds and sugarcane

The performance difference is noticeable. Bamboo tees are more consistent, don’t splinter like cheap wooden tees, and you’ll find yourself reusing them throughout your round.

Upgrade Your Golf Bag

Your golf bag is probably the largest investment in your setup, so choosing a sustainable option makes a real impact.

Modern recycled golf bags are incredibly well-made. Sun Mountain’s Eco-Lite series uses 30-50 recycled plastic bottles per bag, creating durable Repreve® fabric that’s actually more weather-resistant than traditional materials.

MNML Golf takes it further with their MR1 bags, incorporating 40 recycled bottles and featuring a built-in solar-powered phone charger. The magnetic closures instead of zippers are genius – broken zippers are the #1 reason golfers replace bags.

What to look for:

• Bags made from recycled plastic bottles
• Magnetic closures (more durable than zippers)
• Replaceable components for longevity
• Lightweight carry options to reduce cart dependence

Sustainable Apparel That Actually Performs

Golf apparel has seen huge innovations in sustainable fabrics.

Reflo’s performance wear uses recycled plastic yarns that dry 200% faster than cotton while requiring 50% less energy to produce. They even incorporate coffee grounds into the fabric for natural odor control.

Galvin Green has been committed to sustainability for over 30 years, with 80% of their current line now using sustainable materials. Their pieces carry Bluesign and OEKO-TEX certifications for environmental and skin safety.

Fabric options worth considering:

• Organic cotton – No synthetic pesticides, softer feel
• Recycled polyester – Made from plastic bottles, excellent moisture-wicking
• Bamboo blends – Naturally antibacterial, temperature regulating
• Tencel – From sustainably sourced wood pulp, incredibly soft

Eco-Friendly Balls for Water Hazards

Here’s where sustainable golf gets really interesting.

Biodegradable Golf Balls makes balls that completely dissolve in water within 2-4 weeks. They’re made from PVA (the same material as dishwasher pods) and leave zero toxic residue. The flight characteristics are virtually identical to premium balls.

These aren’t for every shot, but they’re perfect for:

• Courses with lots of water hazards
• Practice sessions near water
• Yacht golf or beach resort play
• Any situation where you’re likely to lose balls in water

At $40 per dozen, they’re competitive with premium balls and eliminate the environmental guilt of losing balls in lakes and streams.

Small Changes, Big Impact

The little things add up:

Golf towels – LEUS makes excellent towels from recycled plastic bottles with antimicrobial properties. MNML’s waffle-textured towels are made from 100% recycled materials and actually clean better than traditional towels.

Ball markers – Green Swing offers bamboo ball markers that biodegrade naturally. For something more permanent, Kraken Golf makes beautiful markers from solid metals designed to last a lifetime.

Accessories – Consider a reusable water bottle, reef-safe sunscreen, and a leather scorecard holder instead of disposable options.

Building Your Green Golf Bag: A Practical Approach

Start small and build over time:

1. This week – Switch to bamboo tees ($10-15)
2. This month – Add a sustainable golf towel ($20-25)
3. This season – Consider a recycled golf bag ($150-250)
4. Next year – Upgrade apparel as pieces wear out

You don’t need to replace everything at once. As your current gear wears out, replace it with sustainable alternatives. Most eco-friendly options are competitively priced and often more durable than traditional gear.

The Performance Advantage

Here’s what surprised me most about sustainable golf gear – it often plays better.

Bamboo tees are more consistent and durable. Recycled golf bags have better weather resistance. Sustainable fabrics handle moisture and temperature better than synthetics. Biodegradable balls eliminate the mental pressure of water hazards.

Plus, there’s something satisfying about playing gear that aligns with your values. Walking down the fairway knowing your equipment is helping preserve the course for future generations adds another layer of enjoyment to the round.

The Bigger Picture

Golf courses are increasingly embracing sustainability. Many are implementing water conservation, using organic maintenance practices, and creating wildlife habitats. As golfers, choosing eco-friendly equipment supports this broader movement.

The Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program has certified over 2,300 golf courses worldwide for environmental stewardship. The GEO Foundation provides sustainability certification specifically for golf facilities. Supporting courses with these certifications and playing with sustainable gear creates a positive cycle.

Getting Started

Building a green golf bag isn’t about perfection – it’s about making better choices when the opportunity arises. Start with one or two items that make sense for your game and budget.

Every bamboo tee you use instead of plastic, every sustainable shirt you choose over polyester, every biodegradable ball you play in water hazards makes a difference. And as more golfers make these choices, it drives innovation and makes sustainable options even better and more affordable.

Golf has always been about respecting the course and playing with integrity. Choosing eco-friendly equipment is just an extension of those values. The best part? You’re likely to play better while doing it.

What sustainable golf gear are you most interested in trying? Share your thoughts and experiences with eco-friendly golf equipment in the comments below.