I’ve always been someone who has to leave the house to work out. At home, I can’t be trusted to pay attention to an online instructor without looking at my phone, out the window, or at a dust bunny floating into my eyeline. (Where did you come from? Didn’t I just dust yesterday?)
But with quarantine came the very necessary switch to at-home workouts, so I rush-ordered my own dumbbells, kettlebells, and enough workout equipment to set up a home gym of sorts. Then I realized that in my small Brooklyn apartment, I had nowhere to store all the stuff.
I did my best to keep things tidy, but weights inevitably laid scattered around the living room, and the sheepskin rug and yoga mat were in constant competition. One day, after stubbing my toe (yet again) on a dumbbell lurking under the couch, I knew I had to do something. I considered installing a wall-mounted storage unit or giving one of my larger houseplants up for adoption to make more floor space, but I couldn’t bring myself to decorate the apartment with sweaty gear and tangled bands.
Desperate for a solution, I cleaned out a small closet full of long-forgotten things that could be tossed or repurposed. Now that I had the space, I needed some sort of organizational system to keep tennis balls and rollerblades from rolling about. I scoured the internet for answers, but everything I found was either too flimsy (cloth bins, woven baskets) or too involved (built-in shelving).
When I stumbled upon this compartmentalized storage unit marketed as a two-bag golf organizer, I nearly scrolled right past it — I’ve picked up a club twice in my life — but then I realized it had everything I needed. There were tall cubbies for yoga mats and foam rollers; hooks for tennis rackets; a basket for tennis balls; smaller shelves for hand weights, resistance bands and yoga blocks; even floor space for the larger weights and kettlebells. While golf bag organizers are offered by many manufacturers with slightly varying configurations and sizes, I liked the idea of keeping my yoga mats and tennis rackets on separate sides, so I went with this one.
It arrived in more pieces than I was expecting, but I was still able to put it together in about an hour. (Subtract half that time if you’re a pro at IKEA furniture or home improvement projects; I am not.) Though it seemed as if certain pieces weren’t going to line up as they should, once all the parts were in place and tightened, it fit together as promised. I wrestled it into the closet, and all of my gear fit perfectly in its designated place, just as I’d imagined it.
Now my living room is as tidy as it was pre-quarantine. Each time my roommate and I workout, we return our gear immediately to its home, stored out of sight. Not having to rummage under the couch or through an overflowing bin means I’m always on time for my virtual workout classes (even if I still struggle to pay attention to them), and most importantly, I haven’t stubbed my toe once.
A few other golf bag organizers
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