Golf Travel Bag Recs?

I’m planning to take a trip to Las Vegas in February and I’d like to bring my clubs, so I need a bag or case to carry them in.

Does anyone here travel with their clubs? Do you have any suggestions for travel bags/cases?

TIA

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Clubglove is widely accepted as the best. And most expensive.

I hd a cheap bagboy that never let me down over 100 flights. Used a broomstick back then. These days make sure to unscrew driver and fairway wood heads and put towel around remaining clubheads. Rangefinders have to go in carry on bag. Apparently contact lens solution needs to be in luggage. Can use extra space on travel bag to carry luggage. My full golf bag and balls and shoes usually about 38 lbs in travel bag, so can put little bit more in that bag.

Heard good things about ogio but never used personally.

Have fun on your trip!

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Thanks for the info! I saw that recommended elsewhere too, so I’ll be sure to check it out.

My driver head doesn’t come off AFAIK (it’s old - 2006 Big Bertha), but I’ll make sure to wrap it and the rest of my clubs :+1:t2:

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If you dont travel much it may make sense to borrow a bag from a friend. Ask around.

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I bought a $50-ish one on amazon as well a club shield thing that protected your clubs vertically for a trip to Hawaii. The club shield thing worked great (and I have a 48" driver so i was concerned) but the cheap amazon travel bag carry handle ripped off on the way home at the airport. The clubs came home in one piece at least. Next trip, I’m not sure what I’ll do because an expensive one seems like overkill for the amount of travel I do, but I’m not fond of single use crap building up in our landfills.

If you know someone that has one that you could borrow, I’d personally rather spend the $50 to give him a bottle of bourbon instead.

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Ha, noted! I don’t have many (local) golf friends to hit up, so I’ll have to buy one.

It sounds like I’ll need to spend a little money to get a decent bag. I’ll likely spend more than what I paid for my clubs since they’re all used/15 years old :upside_down_face:

I have a Ping travel bag that has served me well over 10-12 vacations. Although the airlines frown on you putting anything other than golf things in the bag the Ping bag is big enough to add a couple of pairs of shoes plus other things like suntan lotion that you might not want in your regular luggage. The main selling feature on the Ping bag was that it stood upright and had multidirectional wheels so that it could be pulled along upright without the bother of a long trailing thing to take someone out with. The bag also folded down compactly for storage. Downside is that it isn’t cheap. Check it out at: https://ping.com/en-us/shop/accessories/off-course-bags/rolling-travel-cover

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I agree with borrowing one if possible. I did that my first few golf trips until I started taking a trip with the buddy I had borrowed the bag from.

I was able to snag a soft sided Ogio for super cheap. It will probably never wear out since it gets used 1-3 times each year, but it is almost too large. I usually pack my clothes in it to fill it out. My travel companions have had Club Glove, Bag Boy and others. The Club Glove is nicest, but too pricey IMO. The Bag Boys were inexpensive, but seemed decent assuming no more than a few trips each year.

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I have a Club Glove, as does my wife, and they’re really really well made. What is now called the Collegiate is plenty large enough to hold my Ping Hoofer, 2 pairs of shoes, rain gear, and some clothing. As others have said, I take the head off my driver, and use the Stiff Arm. These bags ARE pricey, we both got ours with shop credit after a (rare) good year in club tournaments. I also understand the advice given, that if you don’t travel a ton, this investment might be excessive, a less expensive bag might do just as well. I also see a number of Club Glove bags on Ebay at what seem like reasonable prices.
I know that some people like hard-shell travel bags, but I wouldn’t recommend one. I’ve seen enough hard cases that were mis-handled, resulting in bent hinges and/or broken clasps.
Another bit of experience, even with my slightly smaller travel bag, I can pack enough stuff in it to exceed the weight limit. You may want to buy a small travel scale to double-check the weight, its a small investment to avoid excess-baggage fees for an overweight bag.

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Before you resort to buying an expensive bag (if you can’t borrow one)…maybe check out ShipSticks? They would certainly have experience sending clubs to Vegas.

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Thanks for the input. It looks like the cheapest option is $120 round trip, and I have to go without my clubs 5 days both ways (10 days total).

I don’t plan to travel a lot, but I will travel enough that a bag will pay for itself after a couple trips.

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Thanks for the input. I don’t mind spending a little more on a quality bag, as I’ll likely use it 1x-2x per year. My (used) clubs aren’t worth much, but I’ll likely upgrade them in the future, so buying a good bag now means I’ll be ready for when that happens.

I’m not 100% I can take my driver head off (it’s a 2006 Big Bertha w/no adjustments I can see), but I’ll double check. I’ll definitely take the head off my hybrid though, since I almost spent more on that than the rest of my bag combined :rofl:

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In that case, I’d really recommend looking at a used Club Glove bag on eBay or something similar. Another bag I’ve heard really good things about is the Club Glider from Sun Mountain.

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I have a hard golf case from SKB. It works great. I think a soft bag is easier to fit into cars but the airlines do not guarantee your clubs from damage with a soft bag. SKB also offers their own protection from damage warranty although it sounds like your you don’t care that much about your current set of clubs.

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Hard-sided case all the way. I’d found a good deal on a Samsonite a few years ago and it’s served me very well. Rolls well and easy to maneuver. Fwiw I believe it’s lighter than the SKB.

Plenty of room on the inside for a large bag with stuff in the pockets, plus extra space around it to pack in shoes, a few extra clothes, etc.

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Awesome, thanks man. I’ll take a look at that, too. Lots of options out there, that’s for sure!

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A caution on the hard-sided cases. They certainly offer the best protection, and I don’t think anyone would dispute that. The problem comes when you arrive at your destination. Hard-sided cases remain hard sided when the clubs come out, which can be a problem with some rental vehicles with smaller trunks.

And the problem is magnified if your travels ever include the golf meccas of Scotland and Ireland where the roads are narrow, parking is difficult to find, and the price of gas will have you wondering why you took that big SUV. While the hard-sided case offers more protection, a soft-sided case with some form of either purchased or handmade club protection (broom or hockey stick) will get you close to the protection of a hard-sided case without the inconveniences.

I used to carry my clubs in a hard-sided case, but the lessons learned made me switch to soft-sided 15 years ago, and I’ve never looked back or had a problem with my clubs.

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That’s a really good point. I’ll likely go with a soft bag then as I don’t need to make any other aspect of our travel more complicated than it needs to be.

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