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First and likely only time flying with clubs

SuperStroke
huhhh

huhhh

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I am taking my clubs on a trip to OH. I've never flown with them before, so I don't have a travel bag and don't want to spend hundreds on one that will likely never get used again (at least not for a long time). It's only a one way flight, we'll be driving back.

So my question is, how do I keep my clubs safe for one trip only? I have an ageing Ogio stand bag and a Callaway staff bag (from a THP contest). I know the staffer would be more protective, but I don't want to mess it up and am afraid of it being too heavy (more $$$). I have a driver with a removeable head, the rest are fixed.
 
If you dont plan on ever flying with them again, use ShipSticks
 
If you don't have a travel bag and don't plan on getting one, your better option might just to look into a Shipsticks like company and let them handle it. There's no way you could/would want to just ship your bag all loose on an airplane and then just hope for the best.
 
I've only traveled with my clubs once (so far...hopefully more trips are in the future!) but I used ShipSticks and had a good experience overall. The only bummer was being without my clubs for a few days before I left so I knew they would get to my destination by the time we got there :D
 
I thought about ship sticks, but min. that is $50. I'm also on a (small) budget.
 
Shipsticks if just one way and not a frequent traveler
 
huhhh said:
I thought about ship sticks, but min. that is $50. I'm also on a (small) budget.
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I would say shipsticks as well. Depending on the airline, it will cost you $50 round trip for the baggage.
 
huhhh said:
I thought about ship sticks, but min. that is $50. I'm also on a (small) budget.
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It'd cost you 25-30 to put them on the plane unless you have status/cc for a free checked bag, or flying an airline like SW. Not to mention you'd still need a bag or box of sorts to protect them in travel.
 
I'm planning a trip to Myrtle in Nov, so I'm curious to get some insight from the real travelers here.
From what I've read, a good travel bag costs. It just does.

For a single trip, a cheaper soft bag can work, but take the head off the driver, put the shaft tip down in the bag, pad the clubheads so that the bag is full for max support with clothes or towels or whatnot.
Also, most folks really recommend some sort of...damn, I can't recall, the stiffening shaft you put in the bag with a head on it to help protect the shafts.

I figure I'll score something off Kijiji here (~Craigslist) for the bag and hope for the best. Don't travel with the clubs enough to justify the $200-$300 for the travel bag.
 
huhhh said:
I thought about ship sticks, but min. that is $50. I'm also on a (small) budget.
Click to expand...

If you travel without a hard case, you're likely going to have to sign a waiver for your clubs, so if anything happens to them you're going to be on the hook for replacement. The $50 will give you a better peace of mind than trying to Macgyver something together to protect your clubs for a flight.

Also, you're probably looking at a checked bag fee for your clubs as well, which is going to be 20-30 bucks each way depending on the airline.
 
Is getting a cheap travel bag from walmart the same as having no travel bag? Or is any bag better than nothing?
 
jmatt said:
I'm planning a trip to Myrtle in Nov, so I'm curious to get some insight from the real travelers here.
From what I've read, a good travel bag costs. It just does.

For a single trip, a cheaper soft bag can work, but take the head off the driver, put the shaft tip down in the bag, pad the clubheads so that the bag is full for max support with clothes or towels or whatnot.
Also, most folks really recommend some sort of...damn, I can't recall, the stiffening shaft you put in the bag with a head on it to help protect the shafts.

I figure I'll score something off Kijiji here (~Craigslist) for the bag and hope for the best. Don't travel with the clubs enough to justify the $200-$300 for the travel bag.
Click to expand...

I have a padded soft bag that I use with a stiff arm - I've traveled with clubs 3-4 times with it and not had any problems.
 
Ill be honest here. If ShipSticks is too much, just rent a set.
 
JB said:
Ill be honest here. If ShipSticks is too much, just rent a set.
Click to expand...

Yeah I was considering that too. I just wondered if there were options, this is the best place to find them.
 
JB said:
If you dont plan on ever flying with them again, use ShipSticks
Click to expand...
I have never used them so I can't give a personal success story, but this seems like the obvious answer to me.
 
Depending on the airline and their policy, I think bringing them with you is still an option. A local shop here rents hard travel cases for $30 and I was going to use that before a friend let me borrow his padded soft bag. We flew AA to Mexico and golf clubs count as your first checked bag ($25), clubs are cheaper than all other sports items (I saw a kiteboarder packing his boards etc in a golf bag to avoid the high fees) and you just need to keep it under 50 pounds. I used it as my only bag and it was stuffed and weighed 46 pounds.

But if Shipsticks is $50 and you don't have to worry about it, I'd go that route!
 
If you're never going to travel with your clubs again, I'd ship them. If you do think it's a possibility in the future (however remote) I'd go to DSG/Academy and buy yourself a soft case. I got one from Datrek, and a Stiff Arm for cheap for #StaffProto in 2015 and they held up well. I'll probably use it once or twice this year as well. But those two together will still cost you more than shipping them once through a service like ShipSticks.
 
I can't say that I'd never use it again. But I've been playing most of my life and this is the first time I've ever put them on a plane.
 
I would either rent it buy a hard plastic case at some where like Dick's for like $30. It'll protect your clubs; it's just unwieldy when trying to put in your car.
 
I've been traveling with a soft club glove case since the 90s and have never had a broken club. I remove the driver and FW head and that is it. I've flown with clubs probably over 200 flight segments.


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Look into Fedex - last time I checked, they had a box (free) that they ship in. If you can send them a bit early, they will go ground and that's reasonably priced. Shipsticks can get down to $39 I think. As pointed out earlier, if you don't have airline status (unless you are flying SouthWest) the bag is going to cost to take as luggage.
 
Let's break down the costs:

I have used shipsticks before, it is likely going to be roughly $50 each way (depending on where you are shipping to.

If you are flying southwest or have status with the airline you are travelling on then your clubs will fly free. If not, then that is likely to be $20-30 each way.

So if you can find a travel bag for $50 or under than you are better off financially than going to ship sticks as you would still have the bag and could either keep it for future use or sell it off after the fact. If you get free checked bags, then your would be able to spend $100 and still be better off and either have an investment in future use or an asset you can sell off to try and recover costs.

Or check with any of your playing partners, friends, etc and see if they have a travel bag you can borrow. That is what I did the first time I flew with my clubs. Might cost you a beer next time you play, but that is about it.
 
Like most have said, use shipsticks. Better than chancing getting your clubs busted up on the plane. If that's not an option, I'd rent.
 
First, Mancest is right. First look at the airline policy, because on most airlines there are extra costs for golf bags.
Second, consider borrowing a hard case travel bag from one of your golfing buddies. Why? Because if it is a soft travel bag it is MUCH more likely to get damaged and then you have to deal with that. If it is a hard case, you're buddy is not going to mind you borrowing it. It will come back to him in the same condition he lent it to you.
Third, if you don't have any golfing buddies that can help out (and you don't have time to get more buddies) then see if you can rent a travel case. I did this once from Play it Again.
 
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