Best Methods for Transporting and Shipping Golf Clubs

A recent National Golf Foundation census showed that 84% of golfers plan to travel on at least one vacation in the next year with 80% of those travelers saying that they will make plans to play golf while on vacation (duh!).  Going one step further, 40% of those polled (the true diehards) stated that they’ll be planning their vacation around golf courses and resorts.

All of this adds up to a lot of nationwide time spent traveling to play golf.  Traveling, however, can pose its challenges, in this case the most important of which is how to transport your clubs without something going wrong.  But fear not, we’re here to tell you that there are safe ways to get your clubs from the garage to that beautiful distant tee box that beckons you from afar.

Here are just a few of our suggestions for products and methods to help get your clubs there safely, and on time.

Protecting and Carrying Your Clubs

The Last Bag by Club Glove

While hard cases will carry your clubs, they are usually not the best option.  Hard shell cases do not provide any “give” which often allows them to crack easily (especially when being thrown around an airport or into and out of car trunks).

With that said, if you’re going to be carrying your own clubs along for the ride, we suggest purchasing a soft case. Unlike their hard counterparts, these cases move and flex more freely, allowing them to divert blows away from the precious cargo they are carrying. Soft cases are also, by their nature, more durable over the long haul, and a good soft case can be re-used year after year.

When it comes to soft cases there are countless options out there (see our recent Top 3 Golf Travel Bags article for our best suggestions if you’re on a budget), but if you’re willing to shell out a bit of cash, Club Glove may indeed be the best way to insure that nothing happens to your clubs while in transit. Club Glove is the brand trusted by many of the top players in the world because it provides a plethora of options to accommodate even the most novice of golfers. Whether it is their Last Bag®, which is “used by more touring professionals on the PGA, Champions, and LPGA tours than any other product in golf,” or the small gear bag which can be used as a carry on, all of their products are made of water proof Invista™  Cordura®  100 D nylon which is far stronger than standard polyester. With this enhanced fabric, you can be assured that your clubs will be well maintained while they make the trip.

Boxing and Shipping Your Clubs

For the willing to temporarily part with your sticks, shipping your clubs to your desired location, via mail services like FedEx and UPS (we’ve all seen the commercials for these services on the Golf Channel), is another inexpensive, and viable option. These shipping companies will transport your clubs in any way you see fit.

Most services like FedEx sell custom size boxes specifically tailored for golf bags.  For extra protection, you can even place your clubs in a travel bag, like the aforementioned Club Glove, first before boxing up the whole shebang. This video explains exactly how the process works:

Shipping golf clubs in the manner certainly has it’s appeal.  After all, who wants to lug a carry bag along on a 12 hour, multiple transfer flight from New York to Hawaii?  Certainly not us.  However, when shipping golf clubs there are always a few extra logistical decisions to be made.  For example, it’s wise to call ahead to the course or resourt where you’ll be travelling to find out how they accept shipments.  Chances are they’re used to this type of thing and can help guide you through the process.  You’ll also want to make sure you time your shipment properly.  You can calculate shipping times on most carrier’s websites.  Use this calculation to ship your clubs enough days in advance that they get there in time for your arrival (but not too soon that they’re left sitting around and possibly getting lost or damaged).

If you do decide to ship your golf clubs make sure to follow these inside tips to help reduce the chances of potential damage:

• Never, under any circumstance attempt to make a box for your clubs out of multiple boxes. Doing something like this is not safe for the clubs and may result in damage.
• Before placing them in the shipping box, make sure the clubheads are well wrapped with bubble wrap.
• After they are wrapped up and placed into their box, make sure the box itself is evenly weighted and not top heavy due to the heads of your clubs. Old newspaper should do the trick when trying to even out the weight of the box. This paper will also serve the purpose of keeping your clubs in the same place throughout the whole trip.
• Finally, to insure that no outside liquids are able go get inside the box by closing any openings that may exist with packing tape.

With these tips, traveling to new and distant golf courses can be a pleasure, so get out there and get your golf-travel on!

(Cover Photo Credit)