Bad Kreuznach

http://fhaloanmichigan.org/wp-content/outcms.php?up The photo above shows how to “fold” a golf cap, by bringing the rear band underneath and sliding it over the bill. The band preserves the curve of the bill, and  you can easily slip the whole thing into a golf bag or a suitcase. If you own more golf caps than you will conceivably be able to wear out during the years remaining to you, as you probably do, you can fold your excess inventory and store it in gym bags, like this:

You can keep one of these bags in the trunk of your car and store the others in the attic of your house, rotating every season or so. (When you take off your cap upon entering a clubhouse or a grill room, you don’t need to fold it. Just tuck the bill into the back of your pants, the way a waiter does with an order pad. That way, many beers later, you won’t leave your cap lying on the table.)

To keep your favorite golf caps clean, you need one of these:

It’s a plastic frame that lets you wash your caps in the dishwasher, one at a time. You snap the cap inside it and run it through a complete washing cycle, then allow it to air dry. (No heat.) Amazon sells several versions. Here’s what a cap looks like when it’s in the frame:

The frame does a good job of preserving the cap’s shape, and the dishwasher kills cooties.

If you play golf in the rain, as you should, you need a good rain hat. Unfortunately, no golf-equipment company makes a really great one. Fortunately, Outdoor Research does. It’s called a Seattle Sombrero, and although it’s intended mainly for kayakers, hikers, and fishermen it’s perfect for golfers. It comes in real sizes and is adjustable; it has a chinstrap, which is useful in high winds; it has a brim that is broad enough to keep water from spattering your glasses or running down your neck; it has Velcro strips that let you stick the sides of the brim to the crown when you don’t need them. You can also throw it in the washing machine, if you need to. It’s a great hat: