Traveling to sunny destinations to get away from our cold Canadian winters is always a good thing. Throwing a few rounds of golf in there? Now we’re talking. But flying with golf clubs can seem like a hassle, not to mention it can be nerve wracking to think about your clubs being damaged along the way.
But we’re here to put your mind at ease and get your clubs to your destination in one piece. Here are our top tips for flying with golf clubs.
Get the right travel bag for you
Hard case or soft? That’s often the question. Most airlines will cover the cost of damaged clubs, but only if they’re in a hard shell case. The downside is they are also big and cumbersome, and can take up most of your trunk space in your rental car. On the other hand, the soft cases, even the best on the market made by companies like Tour Trek, are lighter and easy to pack away, but don’t offer the same level of protection.
Load Up
Buy a bag that allows some extra space, like Tour Trek’s TC 4.0 Travel Cover, which comes with additional pockets so you can pack an extra pair of shoes or other necessities without either putting them in your carry-on or checked luggage. In fact, if you pack properly, you might not have to pay for a checked bag (aside from your clubs).
Make use of your space
Lost luggage can wreck a golf trip. Consider splitting your luggage up, placing some in your carry-on and some in your golf bag. That way if your clubs somehow get delayed or don’t arrive, you still have enough clothing and essentials to get by. Also, you can’t carry on many toiletries, so use your golf bag to store that, along with sunscreen if you’re heading somewhere warm.
Protect your clubs
There’s nothing worse than getting to your destination, taking out your clubs, and finding the shaft in your driver has been snapped clean. Now you’re stuck without the club that’s the most fun to hit—and if you have a custom shaft in your driver, it might be difficult and costly to replace. You can surely try a Stiff Arm to offer added support and protect your driver, but you’ll also find a lot of people take the head off their driver and wrap it in a towel for travel. Just don’t forget the adjusting tool needed to reattach the head once you arrive at your destination.
For some added protection, take your towel and weave it among the heads of your irons before putting the rain cover on to keep everything together.
Pack some extras
Two pairs of shoes is a key if you’re going overseas (Scotland, Ireland) and walking a great deal and if you buy the right golf travel cover, you should be able to pack a second pair with ease. Also, consider tucking them under the heads of your clubs for added protection. And no, you likely don’t need three dozen golf balls (and they’ll make your golf travel bag heavy), but a single dozen is going to be important. Consider having an emergency kit—extra glove, rain gloves, rain shirt, etc.—in your travel bag in case the need arises.
I use a rolling hard shell travel bag. To distinguish my bag from all the others, I had a large adhesive Canadian flag made to fit the case. There is no trouble identifying my bag.
I’m have a soft sided case and a hard shell case but neither do the job. The soft one does not protect well enough, I had several clubs damaged, and the hard case is too big for many rental cars. Someone needs to develop a hard sided case that collapses down when you get to your destination.
John, my two cases fit in most mini vans. It may be a bit large for your needs but my clubs have never been damaged and I have lots of room for luggage.
I pack the majority of my clothing in my TourTrek 4.0. I have one change in my back pack (as my carry on). I avoid extra checked in baggage fees and the additional clothing acts as padding for my clubs. Stiff arm in the bag with driver head removed and put into a pocket. Never have club damage and I get out of airports pretty quickly.
Smart. With laundry facilities at our destinations, my wife has convinced me to pack light. I hope she heeds her own advice