Flying with golf clubs

[JML22]

Has anyone flown with their club in a padded box? It's a one way trip so i dont want to spend a crap load on a hard shell.

Will they survive if i buy a sturdy box and pad it like crazy?

[That is Good]

TSA will need to go thru your box.

Can't see how you could make it open & close, easily.

Check out Craigslist.

[vasaribm]

Maybe ship them via FedEx

[saevel25]

I use Bagboy golf bag, it's work brilliantly for two trips. out of the 4 times TSA has checked my bag 3 times. I buy the TSA lock, so there universal key will open and close it, and they don't have to cut the lock open.

I know most airlines will have you sign a waiver form if your clubs are in a soft case. What i do is wrap them up in my fleece blanket i have, it keeps them stable, and expands the support around the clubs. The weak point is were the clubs sit outside the golf bag, so i support that. Also if your buying a soft bag, get the bag caddy, its sturdy aluminum with a plastic cap ontop, and you extend it to give the shell its maximum support incase it gets dropped on its head.

If its a one way trip, and your not going to be going on many golf trips involving a plane, just fed ex them. You can insure them as well, fed ex will take better care of the clubs.

[GaijinGolfer]

Ship them to the hotel at your destination.  Flying with clubs is a pain and I personally wouldnt want to risk the airline losing them.

[MSchott]

I fly with a soft case and have never had an issue but I rarely take my clubs. I wrap a towel around the shafts of my graphite woods. But if you fly frequently with your clubs, it's worth the investment to get a good hard case.

[bkuehn1952]

I suspect I am in the minority but I have always used a soft bag (Club Glove) with a couple of sturdy poles inserted that are slightly longer than my driver.  The clubs have survived trips to Ireland, California and elsewhere.  I carry my bag when playing so hauling the clubs around is no big deal for me.  I primarily fly Delta so the clubs go free using the Amex card.

Of course, my bag is not filled with the latest offerings so I might feel differently if I had a set of custom built sticks.

[NM Golf]

I have both a hard case and a soft case. My soft case is a Club Glider which is by far the best golf bag travel case ever invented. I haven't used my hard case since I got my club glider. The problem with the hard cases is they are huge and don't fit in the trunk of many cars. With that hard case I always had to make sure to rent a big enough car, which costs more money.

I've never had an issue traveling with my clubs, and I fly with them at least 3-4 times a year.

[Unkynd]

I bought a Club Glove used and picked up the Stiff Arm.  Worked fantastically for traveling.

[mrwaltmitty]

I have traveled with my clubs a lot and tried a couple of different options. Currently I use the Caddy Daddy Co-Pilot and it works well. The bag is light with a hard top to protect the clubheads. The only gripe with TSA is they left one of the pockets unzipped once and a few balls escaped.

[BuckeyeNut]

My golf clubs have flown all over the world.........

My 2 cents:  Fly with a backup set of clubs so you don't have to worry about them.  After flying with secondary clubs many times without issue, I flew with my "GAMER" set once....I went to St. Croix and my clubs went to Texas.  Everything worked out fine, but I don't think I'll fly with my "GAMERS" anymore...LOL

I have a soft cover that is beat to hell after many flights, but I've never had a club damaged.  For what it's worth....I'd rather fly with a backup clubs.  If something happens to them....I won't care.  If something happened to my "GAMERS" ....I'll be buying top dollar replacements the day I get home!!

[AmazingWhacker]

If you don't want to buy a travel bag/case then I would say to just ship them.  If you ship them without the bag - it's pretty cheap.  If you need to ship your bag then I think I remember reading it was around $70 bucks . .more of a thinker.

I recently travelled with my clubs for the first time and I thought pretty hard about how to do it.  In the end, I got a Club Glove Burst Proof roller bag and a stiff arm - like Unkynd mentioned above.  I am really happy with that decision.  The clubs seem really secure and safe in the club glove - especially with the stiff-arm . .I feel like it would take an exceptional amount of abuse/neglect to damage them.  Not that I'm going to try it .. but I feel like I could just toss the bag down a flight of stairs and they would not suffer one bit.

It was really easy, too.  The Club Glove rolls better than any suitcase I ever had.  Best part - the empty club glove just folds in on itself and takes up very little room in the car/hotel room.

BTW - if you can fly Southwest Air, they fly your clubs for free.  I was thinking this was going to be a one-time deal .. but now that I have the club glove, I bet I'll be travelling with my clubs more often.