Well i havent been on a trip with my clubs in a good number of years. Used to go to myrtle every year for about 25 years and then we got away from it. So i just booked my flight with our group and heading down in May. Really looking forward to it. The question is, i need to buy a cover/carrying case for my bag for the flight. Dont know when the next time i will use it so dont know how expensive i want to get into. Does anyone have a suggestion on one worth getting that wont cost a huge amount but yet give it the protection and ease of use that i would be looking for. Thank you
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Congrats on the trip! Generally the cheapest way to get a travel case is if someone is selling a used one locally. Outside of that, eBay has hard cases starting at around $100. The locks and hinges on these aren’t the greatest, but should be fine for infrequent trips. To get any cheaper, it would be a soft padded case. These can still protect clubs well and a decent tip is to put a broom or similar object that is longer than your driver in it to brace up the top from any impacts to it.
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When I travel, even with my bagboy travel caddy bag, I remove the heads on my driver, fairway wood, and hybrids. I also turn my irons upside down in the bag. This stops anything from banging into my putter and also stops my clubs from getting damaged. It’s a little extra step, but you can honestly do that and wrap your golf bag in plastic wrap and everything will travel safely.
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Im not sure if they require a travel bag, but you might want to look into ship sticks… between luggage fees and buying a new travel bag, it’ll probably be far cheaper.
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I got a hard case from an ad online for like $50. You still want to protect the clubs though, I used socks on the iron heads, tried to pack it tight. Slide the golf shoes in. I really like the idea of plastic wrapping the bag!
I have heard of ship sticks but never used them. Sounds like a good option if you don’t travel with your clubs often.
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For a one-time trip, I’d look into Shipsticks. I travel a couple of times a year, and use a Club Glove soft case. More recently I’ve added the Stiff Arm, and I take the head off my driver. Never had a single problem, but these run something like $250 to $300 new, last time I checked. If you’re going to fly with your clubs more than a few times, the Club Glove is worth it. Personally, I’d shy away from a hard case. I’ve seen too many of them with distorted hinges after rough handling, so that they won’t even close properly. I’ve read really good reviews of the Sun Mountain ClubGlider, another soft case with a good rolling mechanism.
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Thank you for the suggestions. I appreciate it. I am definitely going to wrap my iron heads in bubble wrap and i didnt think of taking the heads off my woods. I will definitely do that. I checked shipsticks and if i decide not to play in the tournament i have already paid for that monday, then it will be 60 one way. But if i have to overnight them it is 159 one way. So still thinking over that one. I am also checking both ebay and FB Marketplace for a used one. Thank you again with some great suggestions.
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If you are driving distance from Louisville, you can borrow my bag!
I’m using a soft shell club glove my dad got in a member guest 10+ years ago… I usually just take the head off my driver… I haven’t had any problems with them.
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Thank you, i am in philly. I appreciate the offer.
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I second the suggestion regarding the use of a Stiff Arm (or one of their competitors or even a homemade device). I use soft-sided cases because I travel with my clubs a lot, and I’ve found hard-sided cases take up way too much room–especially when you’re in places like Scotland and Ireland where a larger vehicle can have many disadvantages, such as navigating narrow, winding roads and finding suitable parking spots. I haven’t had a single problem with my clubs since I went to a Stiff Arm.
And if you have a driver with an adjustable head, remove that, put the shaft into the main part of the bag, and the head covered in bubble wrap (and wrench!) into one of the pockets on the side.
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Thank you. I appreciate it. I am going to be looking for a soft case.
The soft cases are nice because they can fold up out of the way. We’re not going this year, but we usually have 8 guys on a trip with a mix of hard and soft travel cases and the hard cases can be hard to stow. That said they protect clubs better and an airline like Southwest will only insure your clubs if they are in a hardcase. Sometimes your homeowners will cover your clubs. My old policy did, but my current one doesn’t.
I have a soft case and use a Stiff Arm. That doesn’t really protect a hit from the side though so I usually stuff clothes in there to further pad it. Not sure about these days, but in the past I have seen good deals online. I actually got a great deal from ebags.com and I didn’t realize they had golf travel bags.
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Ty, they must not have them any more. I went on and went through all of the bags and found nothing for golf at all. Ty. i have been looking at the founders club, looks like a nice bag.
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+1 on that Sun Mountain Club Glider. Probably not relevant for OP, but for everyone else, I cannot recommend this case highly enough. I used to be a hard case guy, but hated wrestling with that d*** thing in the car, at the airport, and at home/hotel. The Club Glider makes traveling a breeze.
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After my comment above, I thought I’d describe my homegrown setup that I use specifically for those trips to Ireland and Scotland where there generally isn’t any room for a large travel case, especially hard sided. This is going to sound strange, but it has worked–although I do use a larger bag when I’m traveling by plane in the US.
Since walking is almost universal on many of the Irish/Scottish links courses, I have a small but structured carry bag. My current one is a predecessor to the current TaylorMade Quiver bag. Before I ordered the bag, I didn’t think I’d like the shorter legs, but over the last three years, I’ve come to like this setup much more than the more prevalent tripod bag. The bag’s opening is 6 inches by 8 inches (including the bump out for the legs). Although I can jam all 14 clubs, an umbrella, and a Stiff Arm into the bag for travel, I normally only carry 12 when playing.
Everything I’ve done to construct a travel bag is based around the size of this bag. Instead of a traditional golf travel bag, I bought a speaker stand bag off Amazon. Or I should say, I bought several before I found one that fits, albeit snugly. The bag is made of the same Cordura nylon that most golf travel bags are made of. Speaker stand bag cost: $35.
I then ran across a YouTube video with instructions on attaching wheels to a duffel bag. I bought some luggage wheels and a round metal rod about 1/4 inch in diameter plus a handle to attach to the top of the bag. These materials cost about $25, and I went to a local shoe shop where the owner’s wife runs a side business doing luggage repairs and alterations. She attached the wheels and axle (the metal rod) with Velcro at the bottom and the handle at the top for about $25. When I drop the bag off at the baggage drop at the airport or after I’ve got my rental car, I can detach the wheels (the reason for the Velcro) and put the wheels and axle in the bag, reattaching in less than a minute when I need them.
I used that setup on two trips in 2019, one to Scotland and one to Ireland, and it was perfect. No damage to the clubs and very minor scuffing to the bag as a result of baggage handling. Lots of room saved in the rental car so that two of us could travel in a smaller car which really is helpful when you’re in Europe.
The only downside? No exterior pockets for shoes, balls, etc. I took care of this on those two trips by putting most of my golf accessories in my personal item, but I wanted a better solution. I just bought two small packing cubes off Amazon for about $10. I’ll put one on both sides of the bag (back to the luggage repair shop where I expect to spend another $25). Total cost for the bag, including the latest addition–around $125.
Now when I’m in the US using a cart at most of the courses I play, I use a bigger cart bag and travel bag, but if all goes well, I’m hoping to test this new addition on an August trip to Scotland.
I know some of you are thinking that I could have gotten a serviceable bag (although not a Club Glove) for about the same price. That’s true, but none of those bags are small enough for my purpose. All told, I’ve done about 15 trips to Scotland and Ireland over the last 20 years, and the last two have been so much easier with this perfectly sized bag.
A bit of a detour from the main point of this thread, but if the Stiff Arm will work under these conditions, I think it’ll work for most folks.
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I was actually going to say you should start selling this setup… sounds awesome!
Shipped my clubs via Shipsticks from Indianapolis to Sarasota for $55 ground. Fly to AZ for 4-5 days for many years. Use soft Club Glove. Works well. Be sure to get an umbrella device that protects your driver.
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Like the broom idea. I bought an umbrella-like item at Golf Galaxy or PGA Store and have never regretted it. I had one driver shaft snap when I didn’t use it!
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In addition to brooms, I’ve seen suggestions for cut off hockey sticks!
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For most golf travel, I use my Sun Mountain club glider… but if I’m space-constrained, I use a combo of these two products.
Sunday golf travel case - holds 14 clubs, though it’s a tight squeeze. You can unscrew your driver head and pack it in your carry-on.
I pair that with this Sunday bag that can fold in half and fits in my carry-on bag. This one is sold out, but any Sunday bag that doesn’t have a rigid spine can work.
Highly recommend this combo.
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