Travel Golf Bag - Hard Plastic or Padded??
Dec 31, 2010, 9:14 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2008
Posts: 63
Travel Golf Bag - Hard Plastic or Padded??
I've never traveled with my clubs before, but doing a small trip in the near future. By common sense, the hard covered plastic travel bag seems to provide the most protection.
How are the padded ones? Do they get the job done? Would anyone recommend them? Or not recommend them?
I found some new padded ones from $30 - $100, but also found some used hard plastic ones on craigslist for about $50.
I don't plan on using it too often, so I'm not looking to get crazy here.
Thoughts? Suggestions?
How are the padded ones? Do they get the job done? Would anyone recommend them? Or not recommend them?
I found some new padded ones from $30 - $100, but also found some used hard plastic ones on craigslist for about $50.
I don't plan on using it too often, so I'm not looking to get crazy here.
Thoughts? Suggestions?
Dec 31, 2010, 11:17 am
#2
Join Date: Dec 2009
Posts: 33
The molded plastic cases offer a lot of protection, but they're a PITA once you arrive - difficult to stow and store, as they eat up a lot of space.
A quality padded bag is best, but the key is to buy a decent one - like Club Glove - or something similar.
A quality padded bag is best, but the key is to buy a decent one - like Club Glove - or something similar.
Dec 31, 2010, 11:37 am
#3
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Posts: 1,934
Here are some considerations for either bag:
- Need to have wheels to roll bag
- Need ability to lock with TSA lock
- Check weight limitation for airline checked piece for golf bags
- Check size of trunk of rental car if traveling with others
We've traveled with a soft bag, wheeled bag as it allowed us to put other stuff in the bag, shoes, balls, clothing, etc. We used bubble wrap and clothing to pad the club heads.
Most times, we travelled with others so rental car trunk space was a consideration that a hard sided bag wouldn't have been feasible for us.
Lastly, the soft bag, folded down into a square for storage in the garage vs. the hard sided case.
- Need to have wheels to roll bag
- Need ability to lock with TSA lock
- Check weight limitation for airline checked piece for golf bags
- Check size of trunk of rental car if traveling with others
We've traveled with a soft bag, wheeled bag as it allowed us to put other stuff in the bag, shoes, balls, clothing, etc. We used bubble wrap and clothing to pad the club heads.
Most times, we travelled with others so rental car trunk space was a consideration that a hard sided bag wouldn't have been feasible for us.
Lastly, the soft bag, folded down into a square for storage in the garage vs. the hard sided case.
Dec 31, 2010, 11:46 am
#4
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: In a hotel somewhere trying to repack everything I brought (and bought) in to a carry-on smaller than my last one.
Programs: UA, Asia Miles, Southwest, IHG
Posts: 1,101
I use a wheeled padded bag with a TSA lock. The hard bags tend to be really heavy and there is a weight limit on golf bags.
I have a few packing cubes with golf clothes wrapped around the club heads for extra protection. The padded bag can also double as an overflow bag for trip shopping, dirty clothes etc.
I have a few packing cubes with golf clothes wrapped around the club heads for extra protection. The padded bag can also double as an overflow bag for trip shopping, dirty clothes etc.
Dec 31, 2010, 5:16 pm
#7
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Jan 1, 2011, 8:13 am
#8
Join Date: Jan 2008
Posts: 3,838
Wirelessly posted (iPhone 3G: Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_2_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8C148 Safari/6533.18.5)
I've taken my clubs transatlantic 40-50 times in various padded travel covers and touch wood haven't had any problems, other than sleeves of balls going missing from time to time.
I put my irons head side down into my bag and pack a few t-shirts around the heads of the woods for extra protection (if you are getting a soft bag ensure it's well padded at the top). Also consider getting one of those telescopic rigidity enhancing poles (can't remember the name) which you put into the golf bag.
I've taken my clubs transatlantic 40-50 times in various padded travel covers and touch wood haven't had any problems, other than sleeves of balls going missing from time to time.
I put my irons head side down into my bag and pack a few t-shirts around the heads of the woods for extra protection (if you are getting a soft bag ensure it's well padded at the top). Also consider getting one of those telescopic rigidity enhancing poles (can't remember the name) which you put into the golf bag.
Jan 1, 2011, 9:32 am
#9
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: ORF
Programs: Amex Plat, AA, BA Silver, Marriott Plat, Choice Gold, HHonors Gold, IHG Diamond
Posts: 3,749
The telescoping pole is a Stiff Arm which is made by Club Glove. You can generally find a Stiff Arm priced at about $30, but I found mine at a PGA Superstore in Myrtle Beach for $20. You may find a comparable price online. Some folks seem to think a trimmed broom handle or hockey stick will work as well, but I'm not willing to take that bet.
Shipping may be good, but depending on your airline situation (Southwest not charging for bags, certain frequent flyer programs for other airlines waiving baggage fees, and certain credit cards, like Amex's Delta, offering waived fees as a benefit), it can be quite expensive. I've flown to California, Florida, Scotland, and Ireland with my clubs in a soft-sided bag and never had a problem. I used a hard case years ago and agree with the comments that once you're off the plane, hard cases are much more trouble than they're worth. I currently use a Golf Travel Bag Chauffeur 3 bag that is a reasonable imitation of the Club Glove Last bag, but many golfers swear by the Club Glove brand.
The tips offered here regarding the way you should pack your bag are good ones. Note that a lot of airlines say that a golf travel bag for purposes of flying consists of the travel bag, one golf bag, 14 clubs, a dozen balls, and a set of shoes. Weight limit is generally 50 pounds. Since it's easy enough to put together a combination of bag, clubs, balls, and shoes within the airlines' definition that weighs less than 50 pounds, I've long felt that this definition is as much a limitation of liability (if we lose your stuff, all you're getting is compensation for a travel bag, a bag, 14 clubs, a dozen balls, and a pair of shoes) rather than a true limitation on weight. I was so far under weight on a trip to Ireland/Northern Ireland this summer that I was able to pack two bottles of Bushmills I had bought while visiting the distillery. I suspect if these bottles or the entire bag had been lost, I wouldn't have received anything had I made a claim for compensation for the lost whiskey.
Shipping may be good, but depending on your airline situation (Southwest not charging for bags, certain frequent flyer programs for other airlines waiving baggage fees, and certain credit cards, like Amex's Delta, offering waived fees as a benefit), it can be quite expensive. I've flown to California, Florida, Scotland, and Ireland with my clubs in a soft-sided bag and never had a problem. I used a hard case years ago and agree with the comments that once you're off the plane, hard cases are much more trouble than they're worth. I currently use a Golf Travel Bag Chauffeur 3 bag that is a reasonable imitation of the Club Glove Last bag, but many golfers swear by the Club Glove brand.
The tips offered here regarding the way you should pack your bag are good ones. Note that a lot of airlines say that a golf travel bag for purposes of flying consists of the travel bag, one golf bag, 14 clubs, a dozen balls, and a set of shoes. Weight limit is generally 50 pounds. Since it's easy enough to put together a combination of bag, clubs, balls, and shoes within the airlines' definition that weighs less than 50 pounds, I've long felt that this definition is as much a limitation of liability (if we lose your stuff, all you're getting is compensation for a travel bag, a bag, 14 clubs, a dozen balls, and a pair of shoes) rather than a true limitation on weight. I was so far under weight on a trip to Ireland/Northern Ireland this summer that I was able to pack two bottles of Bushmills I had bought while visiting the distillery. I suspect if these bottles or the entire bag had been lost, I wouldn't have received anything had I made a claim for compensation for the lost whiskey.
Jan 3, 2011, 2:28 pm
#11
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: SFO / SJC
Programs: AA, Hertz, Marriott, Hilton
Posts: 73
I have the following Club Glove bag, and I highly recommend it:
http://www.clubglove.com/User/ViewPr...p?ProductID=13
Even though I don't travel with my golf clubs very often, this bag gives me very good piece of mind when traveling with my clubs. Considering how much a set of golf clubs cost these days, the investment in a good bag is a relatively small price to pay, IMHO. This particular bag is well made, well padded, and folds up very small when not in use.
http://www.clubglove.com/User/ViewPr...p?ProductID=13
Even though I don't travel with my golf clubs very often, this bag gives me very good piece of mind when traveling with my clubs. Considering how much a set of golf clubs cost these days, the investment in a good bag is a relatively small price to pay, IMHO. This particular bag is well made, well padded, and folds up very small when not in use.
Jan 5, 2011, 8:39 am
#13
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 16
I was snooping on the internet during work hours and came across this thread...
If you are interested in going the soft cover/stiff arm route, I have 40% off redemption codes for Club Glove's website. There is no limit to the amount of items you can purchase but they're only good for one transaction.
Feel free to send me a pm if you interested. It's just an 8 digit code... no sketchy links or anything.
If you are interested in going the soft cover/stiff arm route, I have 40% off redemption codes for Club Glove's website. There is no limit to the amount of items you can purchase but they're only good for one transaction.
Feel free to send me a pm if you interested. It's just an 8 digit code... no sketchy links or anything.
Last edited by Timothy Q; Jan 10, 2011 at 8:46 am
Jan 5, 2011, 10:59 am
#14
FlyerTalk Evangelist
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Programs: Honestly, I've been out of the travel game so long that I'm not even sure. Maybe Marriott Gold?
Posts: 10,677
Yup. I second this vote. I bought a Club Glove travel bag on eBay some years ago and saved quite a bit vs. my local retailers. Some person won a bag at a charity event and, I assume, decided he/she had no use for it. The bag has a few logos from the charity event sponsors, but I didn't care. It does the job very, very well.
Jan 7, 2011, 11:26 pm
#15
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: DALLAS,TX AA EXP-3MM, HYT PLAT, SPG PLAT,HLT GLD,LEADERS CLUB
Posts: 1,183
This is the bag I use :Cargo Golf - Pro 500 2-n-1 Travel Golf Bag.
This bag has been around the world over a dozen times. From Bali to Europe.It fits in the trunk of cabs and the bag is only 11 pounds empty. I have never had a club damaged on over 300,000 air miles except the time a tsa agent got mad because I threw the bag when re-checking it. The bag is cheap and mine needs replacing. I might get a better model,but I can not say enough good things about it. It holds 2 pair of shoes,a full set of clubs,rain gear,2 doz balls,and misc stuff.
This bag has been around the world over a dozen times. From Bali to Europe.It fits in the trunk of cabs and the bag is only 11 pounds empty. I have never had a club damaged on over 300,000 air miles except the time a tsa agent got mad because I threw the bag when re-checking it. The bag is cheap and mine needs replacing. I might get a better model,but I can not say enough good things about it. It holds 2 pair of shoes,a full set of clubs,rain gear,2 doz balls,and misc stuff.