Close Menu
    Facebook Instagram
    Instagram YouTube X (Twitter)
    Breaking Eighty | Best Golf Courses and Golf Product ReviewsBreaking Eighty | Best Golf Courses and Golf Product Reviews
    Subscribe
    • Home
    • About
    • Product Reviews
      • Golf Shoes
      • Golf Bags
      • Golf Clubs
      • Golf GPS
      • Golf Launch Monitors
      • Golf Rangefinders
      • Golf Recovery
    • Buying Guides
      • Best Golf Shoes
      • Best Launch Monitors
        • Best Simulator Studios
      • Best Golf Rangefinders
      • Best Golf Bags
      • Best Golf Cart Speakers
      • Best Putting Mats
      • Best Golf Clubs
        • Best Golf Drivers
        • Best Fairway Woods
        • Best Golf Irons
        • Best Golf Hybrids
        • Best Golf Wedges
    • Travel
      1. Golf Resorts
      2. Private Golf Clubs
      3. Best in State
      4. Hotel Reviews
      5. Breaking Eighty Top 100
      6. All Golf Course Reviews
      7. View All

      I Went Back to Brasada Ranch After 12 Years — Here’s What Surprised Me

      May 29, 2025

      Why Vietnam Might Be the Most Underrated Golf Destination in the World

      May 1, 2025

      Dutchman’s Pipe Club Lives up to (High) Expectations

      February 3, 2025

      The Richland Course at Reynolds Lake Oconee is a Wonderful Marriage of Old and New

      October 29, 2024

      Hoiana Shores: Insane Links Golf in…Vietnam?!

      April 23, 2025

      Dutchman’s Pipe Club Lives up to (High) Expectations

      February 3, 2025

      The Richland Course at Reynolds Lake Oconee is a Wonderful Marriage of Old and New

      October 29, 2024

      This Might Be the Most Exclusive Golf Course in Oregon

      September 20, 2024

      Best Golf Courses in Oregon: Everything You Need to Know

      September 3, 2024

      Best Golf Courses In New York: It’s (Private) Golf Mecca

      February 27, 2024

      Best Golf Courses In California: The Best Golf State in America?

      January 4, 2024

      Best Golf Courses In Wisconsin: Everything You Need to Know

      January 1, 2024

      Peninsula NYC Review: One of New York’s Grandest Hotels

      January 9, 2025

      Indulgent Paradise: Why Nemacolin Resort is a Must-Visit

      August 12, 2024

      I Wasn’t Prepared for Just How Special Sensei Porcupine Creek Would Be.

      June 6, 2024

      Ritz Carlton Orlando Grande Lakes: The Best Hotel in Town?

      March 4, 2024

      I Went Back to Brasada Ranch After 12 Years — Here’s What Surprised Me

      May 29, 2025

      12+ Best Father’s Day Golf Deals for 2025

      May 20, 2025
      8.5

      The FootJoy HyperFlex is an Excellent Pair of Golf Shoes

      May 19, 2025

      The 3 Best Golf Travel Bags in 2025 (and One You Should Definitely Avoid)

      May 15, 2025

      I Went Back to Brasada Ranch After 12 Years — Here’s What Surprised Me

      May 29, 2025

      12+ Best Father’s Day Golf Deals for 2025

      May 20, 2025
      8.5

      The FootJoy HyperFlex is an Excellent Pair of Golf Shoes

      May 19, 2025

      The 3 Best Golf Travel Bags in 2025 (and One You Should Definitely Avoid)

      May 15, 2025

      I Went Back to Brasada Ranch After 12 Years — Here’s What Surprised Me

      May 29, 2025

      Why Vietnam Might Be the Most Underrated Golf Destination in the World

      May 1, 2025

      Hoiana Shores: Insane Links Golf in…Vietnam?!

      April 23, 2025

      Dutchman’s Pipe Club Lives up to (High) Expectations

      February 3, 2025
    • Eighty Club
    • Contact
    Breaking Eighty | Best Golf Courses and Golf Product ReviewsBreaking Eighty | Best Golf Courses and Golf Product Reviews
    Home»Product Reviews»JBL Clip 3 Review: The Best Golf Cart Bluetooth Speaker Available
    Product Reviews

    JBL Clip 3 Review: The Best Golf Cart Bluetooth Speaker Available

    Sean OgleBy Sean OgleUpdated:May 4, 20212 Comments
    JBL Clip 3
    Share
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email

    For years I wasn’t generally one to listen to music on the golf course – even though I listen to music while doing pretty much everything else in my life.

    It was for no good reason other than I usually just didn’t think about it.

    But every time I was playing with someone and they turned on some tunes, I found myself immediately more relaxed and having more fun.

    As someone who rarely takes his rounds of golf that seriously, having music to enhance the experience can be a welcome way to mix things up.

    For most of this season I’ve been pretty lazy and never got around to actually buying a bluetooth speaker for my rounds of golf. I’d just throw some Spotify on my phone and leave it in my pocket.

    Well recently my buddy Jeff had an extra JBL Clip 3 lying around and gave it to me.

    I didn’t necessarily have overwhelmingly high expectations for it, as it’s only around $70 MSRP and right now under $50 on Amazon.

    But now, after 5 rounds with it? Golf is changed forever.

    Ok, that might be a bit of an exaggeration, but it honestly only took one round of playing with it to view it as one of the very best golf cart bluetooth speakers on the market.

    JBL Clip 3 Review: First Impressions and Performance

    The first thing you notice about the JBL Clip 3 is its unique design. It’s a round speaker about the same size and diameter as a golf hole, but it has a little clip attached to the top of it.

    The idea is you can attach it to just about everything, so that you have your tunes with you wherever you want to go. So far, I’ve attached it to my golf bag, a cooler, and let it just chill in a cup holder of a golf cart.

    It’s an extremely versatile bluetooth speaker that even if it isn’t necessarily made for golf specifically – it certainly feels like it is.

    From the moment you turn the JBL Clip 3 on, and and hear the audible guitar strum to let you know it’s powered up, everything is impressive.

    The pairing process is stupid easy. You hit the bluetooth button, and hit connect on your phone and you’re good to go.

    It’s simple, and it works.

    There are 3 buttons on the front for play and volume controls, that work exactly as you’d expect them to.

    JBL Clip 3 side view

    But the biggest surprise about the JBL Clip? It’s sound.

    For a $50 bluetooth speaker, it sounds good. 

    It actually has bass.

    It gets plenty loud enough for what you’d want on the golf course.

    Is it as loud or clear as some of the Bose options that cost 3-4x the price? No. But for this specific use case? You don’t need it to be. And honestly, unless you’re a true audiophile you’re not going to notice much of a difference.

    Drawbacks of the JBL Clip 3

    For all the things I love about the JBL Clip (which is most of it), there are two things so far that I’ve not liked.

    The first and most important has to do with some compatibility issues – and this is an issue that will likely effect very few of you, but it does effect me.

    On one of my first rounds with the device, it was pairing, but no sound was coming out – music was still playing through my phone. I could hit play on the speaker, and it would start music on my phone.

    It was weird, and I couldn’t figure out what was going on – until I did.

    You see I use Arccos Caddie for almost every round I play. And one of the ways Arccos detects shots is through sound and using your microphone. So when Arccos was on, it was somehow conflicting with the speaker.

    Immediately after turning Arccos off, everything worked fine.

    I haven’t dug into settings to see if I can make adjustments for them to work together, but considering how much I like Arccos – this was a bummer, and is likely going to be the case with any speaker.

    The second downside is the fact that due to its unique clip design, it’s not a great speaker to set on a table or use anywhere flat. Sure you can rest it on it’s side, or more likely find a place to clip it, but for just hanging out around a table and listening to music out on your deck or something – it’s not the best fit. I use my Bose Soundlink Mini 2 for that. 

    So when using it on your golf cart? It’s easiest to just clip it your golf bag and let it do it’s thing – but letting it chill in the cupholder has also worked great for me as well.

    On top of the versatility and value, the JBL Clip 3 is also waterproof – so no worries when you get that freak rainstorm down at Bandon.

    Battery life is also very good at around 10 hours. And I’ve been able to get 3 rounds of golf in without it dying on me, so it feels like that 10 hour rating is pretty accurate.

    Final Thoughts on the JBL Clip 3 for Golf

    Straight up, the JBL Clip 3 is my favorite portable bluetooth speaker I’ve seen for golf. I’ve been on the course with friends who have Soundchucks or AmpCaddys and I prefer the JBL to all of them. The combination of versatility, sound, and price make it an absolute no brainer – and it’s why it’s one of my very favorite products in this year’s golf gift guide.

    Bottom line? If you’re looking for a fantastic golf bluetooth speaker, at a phenomenal price, look no further than the JBL Clip 3.

    Buy the JBL Clip 3 on Amazon here.

    This page contains affiliate links. This means that if you click a link and buy one of the products on this page, I may receive a commission (at no extra cost to you!) This doesn’t effect our opinions or our reviews. Everything we do is to benefit you as the reader, so all of our reviews are as honest and unbiased as possible.

    Previous ArticleThe Golf Club: An Uber-Exclusive Golf Paradise in Ohio
    Next Article Jones Golf Bag Review: Trust Me, You Want a Utility Trouper
    Sean Ogle

    As the Founder of Breaking Eighty Sean has spent the last 10+ years reviewing the best golf products and golf courses in the world. He prides himself on only writing about products and courses he's experienced first hand, and helping others find exactly what they need to enhance their enjoyment of the game we all love so much.

    Related Posts

    10 Best Golf Rangefinders in 2025 (I’ve Tested Every One)

    May 12, 2025

    Best GPS Golf Watches of 2025: 8 Great Rangefinder Alternatives

    December 17, 2024

    Best Golf Podcasts of 2025: 16 Places To Get Your Golf Fix

    December 9, 2024
    9.4

    FlightScope Mevo Plus Review: Is it Still Worth Buying in 2025?

    September 25, 2024

    2 Comments

    1. Bob Dearborn on November 8, 2019 10:11 am

      I was in the same camp you were. Then i got a JBL sound clip to listen to music when my 9 year old son plays with me to make it more fun. He loves it so much he wants to play DJ and not always hit shots. I’ve had no issues except that no matter how you clip it it seems to always spin the microphone in to the bag. LOL. Now i’ve got my regular 4some listening to music, which i never thought would happen. Our favorite for golf is “Yacht Rock”….

      Reply
    2. Shaun on November 11, 2019 5:56 am

      My biggest gripe with Arccos was the lack of ability for playing music when using it. Ultimately I did stop using Arccos because of it and went back to using The Grint since it allows almost of the same tracking that Arccos does.

      Reply
    Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

    Quest: Play Top Courses
    Currently:
  • Top 100 in America: 49/100
  • Top 100 Public: 36/100
  • Top 100 in World: 52/100
  • Next Up: Good question!
    Email me! sean@breakingeighty.com
    About Us
    • About
    • The Eighty Club
    • Affiliate Disclosure
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact
    Buying Guides
    • Best Golf Rangefinders
    • Best Golf Launch Monitors
    • Best Golf GPS
    • Best Golf Bags
    • Best Golf Shoes
    • More Golf Buying Guides
    • Golf Coupon Codes
    Golf Courses and Travel
    • Golf Resorts
    • Private Golf Clubs
    • Hotel Reviews
    • Breaking Eighty Top 100
    • Best in State
    • All Golf Course Reviews
    X (Twitter) Instagram YouTube
    © 2012-2025 Location 180, LLC

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.