As we all know, zippers are great inventions, but sometimes…they just break. Despite them breaking, notably on golf bags, does that really mean we should just throw away our zippered items that do not close anymore?
As we will explain in this article, there are good, fairly easy ways to replace or fix a golf bag zipper that will not cost too much.
How To Fix A Golf Bag Zipper?
First of all, if you are lucky, your golf bag is still under warranty, and you can simply ask for a replacement bag under your golf bag manufacturer’s warranty policy. There is a good chance that the manufacturer will send you a new bag if you can prove yours is defective.
Even if your manufacturer does not end up wanting to send you a new golf bag, they might still send you a replacement zipper that you can install yourself, or with someone’s help.
In the case you get only a replacement zipper from your bag manufacturer, or no zipper at all, one easy way to fix your golf bag zipper is to bring it to a luggage repair shop or a shoemaker who repairs zippers.
These trained professionals have worked with countless zippers in the past, and the one on your golf bag should be no match for their skills. This method of getting a professional to fix your bag may lead to the best result, with the least time commitment from yourself.
However, if you do not like those methods, or you wish to save money and social energy by fixing your golf bag zipper yourself, we have two DIY (Do-It-Yourself) methods for you, detailed in the next two sections.
DIY Golf Bag Zipper Fix Method #1 (Easy fix, but not professional)
This method will be very easy for you to do if your zipper slider is detached one or both ends of the zipper teeth. However, it is a slightly destructive method. In this method, we will be modifying the broken zipper into a shorter, fully functional zipper. For this method, you will need:
Materials Needed
-Golf bag with broken zipper
-Zipper Slider
-Scissors
-Sewing kit
Step 1: Cut into the zipper
Your zipper slider is currently detached from the zipper teeth, so you need a way to slide the zipper slider back onto the teeth. Once the zipper slider comes out of the teeth, it is generally not possible to reattach it.
However, by taking your scissors, and cutting into one end of the zipper, at a 90-degree angle relative to the length of the zipper, you can slide the zipper slider back into the zipper teeth.
This method is illustrated in the image down below we created for you (pretend the zipper is broken).
As shown up above, you want to cut the zipper teeth perpendicularly to create an opening on which to slide the slider back onto the zipper teeth, about where the blue line is. The yellow area demonstrates that you need to leave enough space for the zipper slider to be inserted back onto the zipper.
Step 2: Use the sewing kit to prevent your slider from coming out of your cut
Now that your zipper slider is back onto the zipper teeth, you need to make sure it does not come out of the incision you created in step 1.
To prevent the zipper slider from reaching the incision, we need to block the zipper slider from going too far up the zipper.
Take out your sewing kit, a needle and some string, and sew a bar of string across the zipper, right before the line you cut through in step 1.
Use enough string weight to permanently prevent the zipper slider from going back up the zipper end.
You can look at out figure down below to see where the string bar needs to be relative to the cutting line:
As you can see above, when you are sewing the string bar, make sure the zipper slider is below it, in the green area. Sew the string bar right before the cutting line. The string bar will act as a bunker the zipper slider cannot pass through.
Your zipper should now be fully fixed and functional. It will not be the prettiest fix, but the zipper slider should never come out of the teeth ever again!
DIY Golf Bag Zipper Fix Method #2 (Professional result, but harder fix)
This method will be harder for you to do than the first method, but it should look very clean and professional if you can complete all the steps successfully. In this method, we will be completely replacing the broken zipper with a new one. For this method, you will need:
Materials Needed
-Golf bag with broken zipper
-New Intact Zipper with the same dimensions as your original golf bag zipper
-Seam Ripper
-Sewing kit
-Sewing pins
Step 1: Remove the current zipper from the golf bag
Take out your seam ripper. A seam ripper is a little tool you use to get underneath seams and sewing string to pull them and rip them out, as the name suggests.
A seam ripper allows you to remove something sewn to a bag, clothes or more, without cutting into the fabric of the bigger item.
On your golf bag, locate the seams that attach your currently-broken zipper to the bag. Use the seam ripper to dig into and rip out the seams.
Once all the seams have been ripped out, nothing will be attaching the broken zipper to the golf bag, and it will be safe to remove it. Set the broken zipper to the side.
Step 2: Pin the new zipper to the golf bag
Take out your brand new zipper that has the same dimensions as the broken zipper, and place it on your golf bag, where the old zipper was. The zipper comes with extra fabric on each side of the zipper teeth through which you will sew it into place.
In most cases, you will need to place the extra zipper fabric inside of the golf bag to get a clean, professional fix.
Make sure the golf bag is laid out as flat as possible so that you can line up the new zipper accurately with its intended position. Using sewing pins, pin the new zipper to the golf bag to pin it into place.
These sewing pins will prevent the zipper from moving around while you sew it into the golf bag.
Step 3: Sew the new zipper to the golf bag
With the new zipper now pinned into place onto the golf bag, take out your sewing kit, a needle & a very long piece of string, and sew the new zipper into place.
Follow the perimeter of the seams you ripped out earlier to know where to sew the new zipper in, as shown in the image below:
Once you have finished sewing along the new zipper, make a big knot with your string, and cut the remaining string after the not, leaving a few inches of space after the knot.
Your golf bag will now be fully functional, fixed, and look brand new, professionally fixed.
Conclusion
There you go! After reading this article, you have learned of multiple ways and methods to repair your golf bag zipper, without breaking the bank. You will no longer need to buy a new golf bag if only the zipper is broken, thanks to these methods detailed here.
Have you had a broken golf bag zipper before? How did you fix it? Let us know in the comments down below!
