Golf Travel Bag Recommendation

[billchao]

Looking for a travel bag recommendation. I’ve never flown with my clubs before, so I’m not completely sure of what I need to look out for. I’ve read that the Sun Mountain ClubGlider series bags are pretty good so can’t go wrong there, but for basically the same price (before adding in a stiff arm device), I can just get the SKB hard case which seems like it offers more protection and comes with a lifetime warranty and their $1,500 club coverage.

I understand there are logistical differences between a soft bag and a hard case, but seeing as I’ve never flown with my clubs before, I don’t know which things matter and which are inconsequential. I know the hard case is heavier, but I weigh all my bags before I head out the door when I fly anyway.

My bag is a C130S, so basically a full sized cart bag but not as big as a staff bag. I know that matters because I can’t get the standard SKB case.

Some feedback from others who have experience with this is appreciated.

[ncates00]

I’ve used SKB for guitars and golf and have found them to be really good. Both have flown on long plane trips with no issue (as of yet). Funny enough, they’ve been checked often, but thankfully I’ve not had any issues. 

Go hard case for sure. 

[boogielicious]

8 hours ago, billchao said:

Looking for a travel bag recommendation. I’ve never flown with my clubs before, so I’m not completely sure of what I need to look out for. I’ve read that the Sun Mountain ClubGlider series bags are pretty good so can’t go wrong there, but for basically the same price (before adding in a stiff arm device), I can just get the SKB hard case which seems like it offers more protection and comes with a lifetime warranty and their $1,500 club coverage.

I understand there are logistical differences between a soft bag and a hard case, but seeing as I’ve never flown with my clubs before, I don’t know which things matter and which are inconsequential. I know the hard case is heavier, but I weigh all my bags before I head out the door when I fly anyway.

My bag is a C130S, so basically a full sized cart bag but not as big as a staff bag. I know that matters because I can’t get the standard SKB case.

Some feedback from others who have experience with this is appreciated.

My wife and I have the Club Glove Large. I’ve done three trips with them and lent them to others and had no issues. There’s a 50lb limit for most airlines otherwise the price goes up. But I was able to stow a pair of shoes and lots of balls with no issue.

Clubglove: Travel Luggage - The Number One American Made Connectable Rolling luggage On Tour

 

[billchao]

7 hours ago, boogielicious said:

My wife and I have the Club Glove Large. I’ve done three trips with them and lent them to others and had no issues. There’s a 50lb limit for most airlines otherwise the price goes up. But I was able to stow a pair of shoes and lots of balls with no issue.

Clubglove: Travel Luggage - The Number One American Made Connectable Rolling luggage On Tour

 

That’s slightly more than what the ClubGliders costs. Given that the price is comparable, I don’t know why I wouldn’t go with a hard case, which is what I’m leaning towards now.

Just weighed my golf bag without going through it and cleaning out junk and it’s about 29lbs. The SKB case is listed at 18lbs, so that gives me about 3lbs to spare, enough I think for a dozen golf balls and a pair of shoes. More if I go through my bag and take out unnecessary things, as I’m pretty sure I have a jacket or two stuffed in there already, an assortment of shag balls, and some extra things like a notebook and training aids I probably won’t need to pack with me.

[Vinsk]

17 hours ago, billchao said:

Looking for a travel bag recommendation. I’ve never flown with my clubs before, so I’m not completely sure of what I need to look out for. I’ve read that the Sun Mountain ClubGlider series bags are pretty good so can’t go wrong there, but for basically the same price (before adding in a stiff arm device), I can just get the SKB hard case which seems like it offers more protection and comes with a lifetime warranty and their $1,500 club coverage.

I understand there are logistical differences between a soft bag and a hard case, but seeing as I’ve never flown with my clubs before, I don’t know which things matter and which are inconsequential. I know the hard case is heavier, but I weigh all my bags before I head out the door when I fly anyway.

My bag is a C130S, so basically a full sized cart bag but not as big as a staff bag. I know that matters because I can’t get the standard SKB case.

Some feedback from others who have experience with this is appreciated.

Bag Boy T-10 Travel Cover | Golf Club Travel Bags

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Welcome to the Pro Am Golf USA online store! When you want an all-in-one spot to buy golf supplies...

I’ve used this for 10 years. Soft body with a hard case on top. This bag has been from Washington to Florida and many other trips. Good price. 

[mohearn]

I use a Club Glove (model "Burst Proof") with a bag boy stiff arm. Weighs less than 10 lbs.  I use my carry/stand bag with it. Have over 50 flights with it, no trouble.  I used to lock it, but don't anymore as TSA always needs to open the bag and they generally cut whatever lock is on it.  (Once, I sent it unlocked, and when I picked it up at baggage claim, it had a lock on it, Go figure. )

 

One thing, very important, is to make sure whatever you get fits in your vehicle.  The hard sided cases are quite large and may not fit especially if you're renting cars, etc.  Mine fits just barely sideways into Corolla trunk, and Rav4 rental. Pretty sure neither would take a larger hard sided case.

FWIW, in my travels I've never seen anyone with a hard sided case.  Anecdotal I know... I'm not usually flying into heavily golf oriented locations.

 

[billchao]

6 hours ago, Vinsk said:

Bag Boy T-10 Travel Cover | Golf Club Travel Bags

---

Welcome to the Pro Am Golf USA online store! When you want an all-in-one spot to buy golf supplies...

I’ve used this for 10 years. Soft body with a hard case on top. This bag has been from Washington to Florida and many other trips. Good price. 

I’ll look into that, thanks.

3 minutes ago, mohearn said:

I used to lock it, but don't anymore as TSA always needs to open the bag and they generally cut whatever lock is on it.

I use TSA locks so it’s not an issue. The SKB has TSA locks on the clasps.

3 minutes ago, mohearn said:

One thing, very important, is to make sure whatever you get fits in your vehicle.  The hard sided cases are quite large and may not fit especially if you're renting cars, etc.  Mine fits just barely sideways into Corolla trunk, and Rav4 rental. Pretty sure neither would take a larger hard sided case.

Yea this is the one area I really don’t know about. The SKB case is 52” long on the outside. Sun Mountain says the ClubGlider Meridian is 52” long, interior dimension. So that’s longer than the hard case? Is it the hard shell that makes it harder to store inside a car?

If I’m traveling alone I’d probably just stick the thing in the backseat if I had to. I’m going to be carpooling with three others on our trip to Sand Valley, but we’re renting a minivan so storage shouldn’t be an issue.

At the risk of being short-sighted, I don’t know how much this can affect me.

[mohearn]

Just a thought as you consider what to do...  when you arrive at your destination and unpack your clubs, the Club Glove (or similar) folds down to pretty small dimensions and can just stay off to the side in the car trunk.  Some of those hard sided cases are really large, and it can be a pain to find space to store it at your destination.  

 

[RickK]

Years ago I had a hard case and honestly it was more of a hassle than anything.  I used to fly quite a bit, now just couple of times a year.  I have a soft padded case that is very very similar to the largest Club Glove cover.  I have been using it for the past 20 years and never had a problem.  It has as much club protection as the Club Glove does and the current version of it is less than 1/2 the cost of a Club Glove.  

Edited May 24, 2021 by RickK

[Vinsk]

Not keen on ship sticks?

[billchao]

49 minutes ago, mohearn said:

Just a thought as you consider what to do...  when you arrive at your destination and unpack your clubs, the Club Glove (or similar) folds down to pretty small dimensions and can just stay off to the side in the car trunk.  Some of those hard sided cases are really large, and it can be a pain to find space to store it at your destination.  

Thanks, this is the kind of feedback I was looking for. I hadn’t considered that I can unpack my bag at the airport and fold up the travel bag for storage.

28 minutes ago, Vinsk said:

Not keen on ship sticks?

Haven’t really considered it. I guess I’m old fashioned and like hauling around a giant unwieldy object around when I travel.

[billchao]

22 hours ago, Vinsk said:

Bag Boy T-10 Travel Cover | Golf Club Travel Bags

---

Welcome to the Pro Am Golf USA online store! When you want an all-in-one spot to buy golf supplies...

I’ve used this for 10 years. Soft body with a hard case on top. This bag has been from Washington to Florida and many other trips. Good price. 

So I was thinking about this design and it seemed really familiar. Then it hit me, I bought something like this years ago and never used it 🤦🏻

Picked it up from my brother’s attic today, brand new in box. I guess I have a travel bag now 😂

[iacas]

I've loved my ClubGlider. It's not a hard case, but that's never been a problem.

Knock on wood.

[Hardspoon]

I have an SKB hard case, and I love it.  It's basically indestructible, so when I do travel, I have no concerns about damage. It also doubles as storage for my extra golf bag when I'm not using it.

The only downside is that it doesn't have 4 wheels, so your arm can get a bit tired when rolling it around an airport.

I'd definitely recommend them if you value protection and durability over anything else.