I rarely fly out of SFO with checked luggage. But I did so yesterday to take my golf clubs with me. I admit this is extremely limited experience, but it was so bad it made me wonder about this station. Specific issues:

1. The MVP Gold/75K line was the longest and slowest. That can happen for any of a number of valid reasons.

2. When I reached the counter I understood why the line was so slow. The agent seemed confused. Her name tag had no name - just said "agent in training". No supervisor anywhere near her (the line is on the far right). Hey, everyone needs to learn but why have a trainee alone working the line serving Alaska's best customers?

3. Golf bags are not placed behind the counter after checking. Instead you are asked to place them on a cart near the line. I was nervous about this given the experience to that point, so I waited to make sure the cart was moved appropriately. Waited and waited. Finally with 30 minutes left before departure I alerted them that the clubs have been sitting there for 25+ minutes. That triggered a flurry of activity and the cart was promptly moved. But I suspect if I hadn't said anything the clubs would not have made the flight. And I was only able to make sure this happened because I had Pre-check and didn't need overhead baggage space (so I could wait outside security at the counter to confirm they were handled properly).

I have a number of future flights out of SFO that may include checking bags. Was my experience unusual or have others had problems there?