If you are an avid golfer chances are you will likely travel to play some amazing golf courses. But we all know how annoying packing your golf clubs can be, with this post I will cover some ways to make traveling with your clubs easier. I will also discuss what I believe to be the best golf travel bag to use on your next trip to make sure your clubs are well protected.
Important Considerations before Buying Golf Travel Bags
1. Size
The most important feature to consider is the size of the golf traveling bag. Your clubs must be able to fit and have enough room so they are not hitting each other inside the bag.
If there is too much space the clubs can move around and cause damage. It is important to test your golf bag and make sure it fits in the traveling bag before they can go with you on the trip. Too small and your clubs will scratch up against each other. Make sure to check out the dimensions of both your golf bag and travel bag before buying.
2. Weight
Golf traveling bags can be heavy, even before adding your bag and all the other accessories you plan on carrying. If you carrying your clubs long distances, it is imperative that you purchase a bag that is easy to carry. You will avoid a lot of headaches if you stick to a light travel bag. Also take into consideration that if you go over 50lbs airlines charge you additional fees, you are better off keeping your bag as light as you can.
3. Durability & Protection
If you are a frequent traveler you may have noticed that luggage takes a heavy beating. It is vital that you take into consideration the durability of the bag to ensure your clubs are intact when you get to your destination.
It is recommended that you take a look at the golf travel bags hard case. These travel bags have a hard outside cover that protects the clubs and items inside. But that is not necessarily the best option, other golfers sometimes prefer soft case golf bags because they are much lighter and easy to carry. The style of the bag is totally up to you. A well protect bag will last longer and your clubs will be safe.
4. Design
While the design is a personal preference it is up to you how you like your travel bag. Each bag has different functionalities, what to look for is which bag will offer more storage is it easy to carry, does it have wheels? Those are good questions to ask yourself when it comes down to design.
Wheels make it easier to carry your clubs
Also when deciding on which golf travel bag to purchase you should consider a golf travel bags hard case, or a golf travel bags soft case.
With a hard case you will have more protection but you sacrifice paying much more in price. As for a soft case the chances of damaging your clubs is greater due to not much material protecting your clubs. Both types of bag sometimes feature wheels, which is one of the best features to have. You will avoid alot of hassle and it will make it easy to move your traveling bag around.
Hard case golf travel bags
Soft case golf travel bags
Shipping VS bringing them on the plane
Shipping with Fedex
Using a shipping service will make it easier so you dont have to worry about bag fees. You simply just pack your clubs with either FedEx or UPS and they take care of the rest. You also won’t have to carry your clubs on you.
Here are some prices of shipping with FedEx
Shipping with UPS
From personal experience, UPS has not been my favorite method to ship my clubs. UPS is much more expensive to ship than Fedex. Both are very similar but If you are trying to save some cash I would recommend using Fedex.
It depends on how far and how fast you are sending the clubs, but a standard set of clubs using ground from NY to LA was about $95 for me. It took about four days and the clubs arrived in the same condition.
- 3 day shipping is $250
- 2 day shipping is $360
- Next day delivery is $480
As you can see all of these prices vary depending on how fast you want them to your destination. It’s best to plan ahead and choose the four-day shipping for around $95
Carrying them with you on the plane
If you decide on bringing them with you on the plane you must pay those ugly baggage fees.
Every airline is different make sure to check what airline you are traveling on and if they charge extra for golf clubs and/or overweight bags. It is best that use a golf travel bag to make sure your clubs donot get damaged while traveling.
Remember to keep your bag the lightest you can to avoid those airline surprises. It is recommended to keep it below 50 lbs to avoid additional baggage fees.
How to correctly pack your clubs
Image source: http://www.golfadvisor.com
Use a golf Stiff Arm
Use Extra protection and prevent club breakage, a stiff arm is designed
to absorb the impact of a fall or mishandling of your bag.
It usually does a good job and takes the damage if your clubs are mishandled.
They are very cheap and it will come in handy if you are a frequent traveler.
Flip your clubs upside down
The head of the clubs goes first down your bag and the grips should stick up.
Protect irons using head covers
If you dont want you irons to get scratched up use head cover for them.
They will prevent them ratting and hitting up on each other while they are shipped.
Removing driver’s head
The great thing about new drivers is that most of them come off using a wrench. This makes it easy to take off the club head add it to the bag, you won’t have to worry about the club head snapping inside while you travel.
You can then put the head of the club in the head cover and add it to your pocket on your bag.
After doing this your most expensive club is now protected. Also, the shaft does not stick out of the bag. This hack has been super effective for me, to prevent and damages to a new driver.
Driver head is removed and now it is much easy to protect and store into your bag.
Well, protected driver head fits perfectly in your bag.
Now you know everything you need to know about the proper way to of getting your clubs ready to ship. I will know show you what I believe to be the top 10 best golf travel bags, these bags will protect your clubs and make sure they are in great shape when they arrive at your destination.
Top 10 Best golf travel bags
Now that you know what to consider before purchasing a golf travel bag, here is the list of the best golf travel bags that will help keep your clubs safe and will make traveling much easier.
CaddyDaddy Golf CDX-10 Golf Travel Bag Cover
The CaddyDaddy has a lot of room, it fits extra golf balls, clothes, and shoes. It features wheels and a pulling strap to make it easy to maneuver.The top area of the bag has extra padding. The Caddy Daddy Golf CDX-10 makes a great soft case to travel with.
Analysis
The Caddy Daddy offer plenty of room for extra balls, with aclothing, and shoes. It features smooth rolling wheel and a pulling strap to make it easier to move around.The top part of the bag has extra padding to prevent any damages to the club heads. This bag is great for the price and your clubs will be well protected. My favorite thing about this bag is it has extra storage on the sides, you can add extra clothes, shoes and more.
INTECH Golf Travel Cover
INTECH Golf Travel Cover
INTECH travel cover is an extra padded golf bag that prevents any damage to your clubs
Using this bag they arrive safely to your destination. It features wheels to easy move around. A shoe pocket to carry your extra shoes. Lastly ID tags and locks to prevent your bag from being lost. It offers good protwith alot of storage, easy maneuverability.
What others are saying about this bag
For a soft-case bag, this does the job!
Analysis
What I love about the INTECH Golf travel cover is that it has extra padding to make sure my clubs don’t get damaged. I also like that it has wheels so I can move them around easily at the airports. A great feature is that has storage for extra shoes. I think this travel bag makes an excellent bag to keep your clubs in while you travel. It won’t take up much space if you ever need to store this bag.
SKB 2SKB-4814W Deluxe ATA Golf Travel Case
SKB 2SKB-4814W Deluxe ATA Golf Travel Case
The SKB ATA golf travel case is high-quality hard shell bag that accommodates most golf bags.
It has a tight seal and will definitely protect those clubs for getting beat and thrown around.
Its ideal for frequent travelers, and has a lifetime warranty! If your clubs get damaged using this case, SKB will replace you clubs for up to $1,500. Isnt that crazy! You are well protected with bag for sure.
Analysis
Hard shell golf covers are great for the over protective golfer that has expensive clubs. Nothing worse than buying a travel case and arriving at your destination with damaged clubs.
That is a true nightmare. What I like about the SKB ATA golf travel case is that it is super high quality that I can hit it with a hammer and still feel confident it wont break.
I also love that it has a lifetime warranty, if your clubs do ever break SKB will cover you clubs for up to $1,500 that is amazing. Get this travel cover if you really want maximum protection
Izzo Golf Padded Travel Cover Review
Izzo Golf Padded Travel Cover Review
The Izzo padded travel cover is a soft bag that will cover your basic travel needs.
It is super lightweight and has padding on the inside of the bag for extra protection.
It has a padded strap which makes it easy to carry.
Expandable to 50″ it fits most golf bags and shrinks down to 7.5″ for easy storage.
Analysis
After taking a look at this travel golf bag, it is a decent bag that will support basic needs. Don’t expect this bag to have too much protection.
It is a soft bag with light padding. It will do the basic job but do not buy this if you have expensive clubs. This is one of the most basic bags on this list.
But I won’t use this if I really over protective about my clubs.
OGIO Savage Travel Bag
OGIO Savage Travel Bag
The OGIO Savage travel bag is a well built soft case bag that protects your clubs.
It is a lightweight bag that is easily maneuvered with its smooth rolling wheels.
A great travel bag if you are an occasional travel. This will support your basic needs. Expect to only fit your bag and not your accessories.
Analysis
The OGIO Savage travel bag features a lightweight fully padded design. What I like about this travel bag is that it is built very well and easy to carry around.
I like the wheels and the hand strap makes it easy to move. It is a soft case with extra padding on the outside of the bag. Overall it is very cost effective and is great for the occasional golfer looking for basic traveling case. This will do a good job to protect your clubs.
Bag Boy T-700 Golf Bag Travel Cover
Bag Boy T-700 Golf Bag Travel Cover
The Bag Boy T-700 golf travel bag is a soft case travel bag that has extra thick padding with high-density foam, it offers maximum protection.
With inline skate wheels, you will be able to move around the airports with ease. You are able to lock the zippers and fits most golf bags.
This bag has plenty of room and offers excellent padding.
Analysis
If you are looking for a travel golf bag that offers extra thick padding this bag with hold up well. What I like about this bag is that it is well built, offers alot of room for almost any bag.
It also has extra storage in the front so you can add additional items.
CaddyDaddy Golf Phoenix Golf Travel Bag
CaddyDaddy Golf Phoenix Golf Travel Bag
The Caddy Daddy golf phoenix golf travel bag features high impact mold for maximum protection.
It has in-line skate wheels. Internal and external safety straps to keep clubs from moving around. 3 huge pockets to carry and additional equipment.
Analysis
This Caddy Daddy travel bag is probably the highest quality soft case on this list.
One of the things you will notice after looking at this bag The super durable padding on the outside. The mold is very resistant to any damages.
This bag will handle any sudden drops or mishandle without any problems.
It’s massive and allows you to bring extra equipment in the 3 pockets.Additional straps on the outside and inside protector clubs from moving around.
This soft case is built to last you won’t be unimpressed with this one.
Samsonite Golf Hard Sided Travel Cover Case
Samsonite Golf Hard Sided Travel Cover Case
The Samsonite is a lightweight hard shell golf travel case.
This golf bag is super durable and features a padded interior for extra protection.
4 wheels allow it to move around easily. This golf case fits most golf bags.
Analysis
Overall the Samsoinite is a great golf travel bag. Its ultra protection makes it stand out from the rest. Also, its 4 wheels make moving your clubs around very easy.
Definitely, one of the best hard shell golf cases out right now.
Golf Travel Bags LLC The Vault
Golf Travel Bags LLC The Vault
The Vault golf travel bag is a hard shell case that will definitely help protect your clubs.
The TSA locks help secure your belongings.It will fit most golf bags and you will have extra room to add your accessories like golf shoes, clothing and more
Analysis
Overall the vault is excellent that will protect your clubs well. It has plenty of room and can fit extra accessories.
My favorite feature is the heavy duty latch and TSA lock that you can use on this. Many other travel bags do not have such high-quality latches this bag does.
I definitely recommend this hard shell case.
CaddyDaddy Golf Co-Pilot Pro 2 Hybrid Travel Bag
Golf Travel Bags LLC The Vault
The Vault golf travel bag is a hard shell case that will definitely help protect your clubs.
The caddy daddy co-pilot pro 2 hybrid is a durable nylon bag.With this bag you put all your clubs inside instead of packing your entire golf bag.
With so much storage you can fit so many items. The bag is literally indestructible.
Analysis
What I like about this travel bag is that inside of placing your regular golf bag into a travel bag, this actually is you’re actually golf bag.
You load it up with 14 clubs and all your accessories in the big pockets. This bag is different from the list in that you put your clubs in there.
But overall the materials feel great it also feels indestructible so this bag is built to last you won’t have any problems with your clubs being damaged.
Conclusion
in Summary, you have discovered:
- Important Considerations before Buying Golf Travel Bags
- Shipping VS bringing them on the plane
- How to correctly pack your clubs
- Top 10 Best golf travel bags
As far as the Best golf travel bag it is totally about your personal preference, each golf bag offers different features. It is best that you purchase one of the bags for yourself and test whether it is right for you.
What do you believe is the best golf travel bag, and what are some of the ways you pack your own personal clubs when you travel?