November has come. If you’re unlucky enough to live in an area where winter is fast approaching, be sure that you take the time to prepare your clubs for the winter of storage. Even if you’re certain that you’re going to be able to make the trip to Scottsdale in January and will be taking your clubs with you, take a few moments to make sure your clubs are ready to sit for the next few months.

It’s important for your clubs to be as clean as possible prior to being stored. Examine your clubs closely. Some of the biggest culprits to harm your clubs are rust, dirt in the grooves, and drying woods and grips.

If you find any rust that has formed over the past year, use some very fine grade steel wool to gently buff away the rust. Don’t use the steel wool on non-rusty areas, nor press too hard. You just want to knock the rust off, not expose metal a quarter inch deep.

You laughed hysterically with your buddies after you knocked that divot across the tee after having one too many beers. Part of that divot is still in your driver, though, and you really don’t want to face that come spring. Use a toothbrush or small cleaning brush with very firm bristles to clean out each of the grooves in your clubs. Don’t use any detergents, just some warm water to soften the dirt. Make sure you thoroughly dry the clubs as soon as they’re clean, or you’ll be working on rust all over again this spring.

Now come a few items from your local golf shop or golf website. You need to get some club cleaner to take away all of those nasty grass stains, ball marks, and mat marks that build up over the season. Many people wax poetic about how they use some combination of household products that magically cleans their clubs. However, given what you spend on a new driver nowadays, do you really want to chance it? It’s much safer to use a proven product built just for this purpose.

The other items you need to find at your local shop are saddle soap and wax for your woods. Even if you do a great job of keeping your clubs clean during the season, the dry winter air can wreak havoc on the more natural elements of your clubs. Saddle soap will clean and moisturize your grips to help prevent premature splitting and cracking. And the wax will keep your woods looking great as well as well-moisturized to make sure they’re in use for a long, long time.

Finally, check your golf bag. Clean out all the pockets of old score cards and other trash. Take account of your golf balls and tees. If you’re starting to run low (ok, so this is highly likely), be sure to note what you need so that you can stock up in the off-season. Make sure all golf balls are wiped clean and stored neatly in the bag. Check the main portion of your bag for stray pieces of dirt and grass that came off the clubs throughout the season. Use a vacuum hose if necessary to get all of those out before you put your clubs back in. Make sure the exterior of your bag is clean; use the appropriate cleaner to remove any scuffs or grass stains. If your bag is leather, use some of the saddle soap you used on your grips on the bag, particularly on the high-stress points like the strap, handle, and joints between these and the bag. Bag leather needs moisture for the same reasons as your grips and woods.

Once you have everything clean and dry, store your clubs in the bag with the heads up and covered by protective sleeves. Make sure your bag is upright and not in danger of falling over and damaging your clubs. If you live in an area where mice and other rodents tend to come into the garage and attic during the winter, it’s best to store your bag and clubs in a hard plastic case to prevent finding little mice presents the first time you hit the links in the spring.