How To Travel With Golf Clubs

People have been playing golf for hundreds of years, and it's become one of America's most popular sports. Although most people likely have beautiful golf courses near where they live, it's not uncommon for people to take a golf trip to another location and bring their golf equipment along with them.

We've put together a brief guide full of travel tips on how to transport your clubs. Let's explore how to travel with golf clubs the right way.

Book a Nonstop Flight

When traveling with golf clubs, is in your best interest to book a nonstop flight. The more layovers you have, the greater the chance you encounter complications. Most items are lost when transporting them from one plane to another.

So, you can substantially reduce this risk by minimizing or eliminating layovers. If your trip has a handful of unavoidable layovers, you may want to consider alternative options.

Use a Hard Case

Many people make the mistake of storing their golf clubs in soft cases since they are lighter to carry. Unfortunately, this could lead to your clubs becoming damaged or even broken.

Hard-shell cases provide much greater protection. You should note that they are typically more expensive than soft cases. However, it's worth the investment due to the problems they could prevent.

Check Airline Policies

Most airlines have similar policies regarding carry-on items and luggage. It's crucial to research this information so you don't run into problems at the gate.

The last thing you want is to find out that you have to leave some of your golf clubs at home. This could severely detract from any golfing trip. You can often find policy information on a dedicated page on the airline's website.

If you can't find what you're looking for, contact a representative to gain insight. They can point you in the right direction and prevent you from encountering difficulties later on.

Pack Light

One of the best things you can do when traveling with golf clubs is to take only what you need.

Most people often don't have a reason to take their entire club set with them. Additionally, destination golf courses often have purchase and rental options for people who travel to the location. In a situation like this, there is even a chance that you could end up playing with clubs better than the ones you own.

Still, many people like to take their own clubs due to how familiar they are with using them. This is often true for those who compete.

Use ID Tags

ID tags are a great way to reduce the risk of baggage loss. Unfortunately, airline staff will sometimes misplace your bags.

This is a problem entirely outside of your control. With proper ID tags, though, they can ship your clubs to your home address.

Include your name, contact info, address, and flight info on the ID tags. Depending on the duration of your trip, you might want to use the address of your destination on your ID tags.

For example, someone traveling to a location for a month or so will likely still be there by the time the airline returns their bags. Although this isn't guaranteed to work, it will give you a much better chance of retrieving your items compared to if you didn't have ID tags.

Use Tracking Devices

Tracking devices are another precautionary measure you can take. They can help you pinpoint the location of your bags if they are lost or stolen. Keep in mind that this is not a foolproof method, though.

Criminals who steal bags often immediately search for and remove tracking devices. Still, it provides a chance that you could get your clubs back when you otherwise wouldn't have. Tracking devices are cheap and easy to use, so you should consider leaving one in a golf bag full of high-value equipment.

Ship Your Clubs

Sometimes, traveling with all of the golf clubs you need simply isn't an option. In a case like this, you can ship your clubs instead.

Keep in mind that you may need to explore multiple shipping providers before you find an option that works for you. You should also ensure that you ship them at the appropriate time. For instance, you wouldn't want your clubs to arrive before you do.

You also wouldn't want to wait around for them after you get off your plane at your destination. This is especially important for people who are traveling to golf tournaments.

Budget For Transportation

No matter how you choose to transport your clubs, you'll need to budget for this process. If you only take a few clubs with you, bringing them on your flight will likely cost less than $100.

If you bring an entire set, chances are you will pay more than this amount. You should also consider the price of your potential shipping options.

This will be influenced by certain factors, such as shipping speed, the distance to the shipping destination, etc. As long as you shop around, you won't encounter any financial surprises.