Since we already spend so much time exploring the world, the moment we fell in love with golf, we knew we had to figure out how to take our clubs with us. Whether it is a quick flight to a sunny resort course or a weekend road trip, playing a round of golf on vacation is an incredible experience.
But looking at a set of expensive, fragile golf clubs and imagining them being tossed around by airline baggage handlers is terrifying for any golfer!
We quickly realized (after some research) that learning how to travel with golf clubs safely comes down to just a few smart packing hacks and the right protective gear. If you are preparing for your first golf trip, here is exactly what you need to protect your investment and travel stress-free.
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Table of Contents
1. A Heavily Padded Travel Bag (Flight Cover)
You absolutely cannot check your regular golf bag naked on an airplane. You need a dedicated golf travel bag, often called a “flight cover.”
While you can buy hard-shell cases, they are incredibly heavy, hard to fit into rental cars, and a nightmare to store in your apartment. Instead, we highly recommend a high-quality, soft-sided travel cover with thick padding around the club heads and heavy-duty wheels.
- Our Top Picks: We use the Sun Mountain Kube and the MacGregor VIP Travel Cover. While the Sun Mountain bag is a premium travel cover of great quality, it also comes with a high price tag. The MacGregor bag has so far worked very well and is much more affordable.
- Why they both work: They offer brilliant padding at the top to protect the club heads, roll smoothly through the airport, and folds up relatively small when you store them at home or in your hotel room.
2. The “Stiff Arm” (The €30 Club Saver)
If you only buy one thing from this list, make it this. A “stiff arm” or club protector is an adjustable aluminum pole with a plastic mushroom-shaped cap on top.
You extend it so it sits just taller than your longest club (your driver) and place it in the center of your bag. If the airline drops your bag directly on its head, the aluminum pole absorbs the impact instead of your expensive driver shaft snapping in half!
- Our Top Pick: This one from BagBoy is currently a little more expensive at Amazon, but definitely worth the money. You can also check different Golf online stores – normally, you get it discounted for around 30€ (that’s what we paid).
- Why it works: It is the cheapest insurance policy you will ever buy for your golf clubs. Never fly without one.
3. The Pro Tip: Remove Your Club Heads
If your driver or fairway woods are modern and adjustable (meaning you can see a small screw at the bottom of the club head where it meets the shaft), here is a travel secret that will save you so much anxiety.
Take the small torque wrench that came with your clubs and simply unscrew the heads right off the shafts!
Wrap the detached club heads in their headcovers and pack them safely inside your carry-on luggage or tuck them deep inside your golf bag’s side pockets. Then, put the bare shafts back into your golf bag upside down (with the grips facing up).
Even if you use a stiff arm, the driver head is the most vulnerable part of your entire set. By taking it off completely, you reduce the risk of the airline snapping your most expensive club to absolute zero.
(Just don’t forget to pack the little wrench so you can put them back together at your hotel!)
4. The Ultimate Packing Hack: Use Your Golf Bag for Clothes)
Here is a travel hack we absolutely love: airlines allow a generous weight limit for checked golf bags (usually around 20-23kg). Your beginner clubs and bag likely only weigh about 12kg.
Instead of cramming all your clothes into your regular suitcase, use these very affordable packing cubes and pack your sweaters, socks, and rain gear directly inside the golf travel bag!
Not only does this free up massive amounts of space in your normal luggage, but wrapping soft clothing around the top of your golf clubs provides an extra layer of shock-absorbing protection for your club heads.
However, it’s best to consult your airline’s policy before the flight. Most have some restrictions about what to additionally pack into your golf bag. From what we know, shoes are always allowed (which is a great benefit as they are bulky) and most probably they won’t check if you do not exaggerate using your golf bag as extra suitcase. We always wrap our socks around the clubs and at least put our golf shoes and rain gear into the golf travel bag and never had any issue.
Ready for Takeoff
Learning how to travel with golf clubs doesn’t have to be stressful. With a good travel cover, a stiff arm protector, and some clever packing, you can confidently check your bag and focus on enjoying the fairways at your destination.
Where are you planning to take your clubs on your first golf trip? Let us know in the comments below!
