The UK is home to the best golf courses in the world. But if you want to travel further afield for a golf holiday in Portugal, USA or elsewhere, then getting the basics right matters. It all starts with knowing the best way to pack your clubs for travel.
You can’t take golf clubs in your hand luggage, so we delved into Skyscanner travel insights and asked for tips from pro golfers to help you understand the best way to pack your clubs for travel. Read on for the pro golfer tips or click here to skip to the step-by-step guide.
Get the right insurance
Check you’re covered
It’s always important to take out travel insurance before you fly. But when you’re going on a golf holiday it’s even more important.
Most general policies will not cover you for golf equipment or any injuries sustained while doing sports. If you’re travelling to somewhere like Cypress Point in America, where healthcare is expensive, it’s vital to get the right policy. Luckily, there are niche insurance policies that cover all aspects of golf holidays.
Want to know more about insurance? Get answers to all your travel insurance questions here.
Track your travel golf bag
Learn what the pros use
So many of us have travelled for a holiday, only to find out that our luggage hasn’t made it with us. Normally we can get by with a few T-shirts while the airline recovers our bag, but if you’re on a golf trip and your clubs don’t make it then it’s a different story.
For peace of mind, placing some sort of tracker in your golf bag is a smart move. Apple’s AirTag is one option. Place it in with your clubs and set it up on the ‘Find My’ app before you go. Although the tag might not prevent your bag going missing, you’ll at least know where it ended up. Giving that information to your airline will help speed up the recovery.
Solheim Cup 2024: Team Europe captain Suzann Pettersen is a fan of AirTags
“AirTags are super useful. Golf clubs are obviously essential and after you check them in you don’t feel in control which isn’t a great feeling. With AirTags it’s really nice to know where your gold clubs are. They’ve actually helped a lot of us get our clubs back!”
The best way to pack your golf clubs for travel
A step-by-step guide
So you’ve got your insurance covered and set up your tracker, but what next? You need to pack your golf clubs so they won’t get damaged in transit.
- Use the right travel bag
There’s a huge range of travel golf bags on the market. In terms of casing, it comes down to personal preference. Both hard and soft cases will protect your clubs, with hard cases being that bit more protective. Golfers tend to opt for a soft case because they’re easier to travel with. If you watch the pros, this is mostly what they use.
When it comes to your budget, there can be a big difference in quality between the cheaper options and the top of the range bags; you often get what you pay for. Keep an eye out though because you can usually find some great bargains and discount codes in the sales.
- Remove the heads (Pro tip)
To help keep your clubs in good condition, try removing the heads from your drivers and woods when travelling. Wrap them in something soft and bulky, like a beach towel or rain gear, and they’ll likely come out the other end unscathed.
Before you do this, take a photo of all your clubs so you can double check the settings when you put them back on.
“A little trick a lot of Tour pros use is to put your driver head and place it inside your bag, there is less chance of a snapped club!“
Mel Reid, professional golfer and Solheim Cup Team Europe Vice Captain.
- Pack your clubs upside down
If you’ve removed the heads, it’s worthwhile to go an extra step and protect the hosel as well.
Turn your clubs upside down in your bag, so the handles are sticking up, so any damage will likely happen at the non-business end of the club. Replacing a grip is a lot easier and cheaper than repairing other types of damage.
- Buy a stiff arm
It’s no secret that baggage isn’t always handled delicately by airlines. If your travel golf bag is dropped or thrown, it’s normally the biggest club, the driver, that takes the brunt of the damage.
If you don’t want to take the heads off your clubs, make sure to add a stiff arm to your bag. They normally come with a head and a telescopic body. Simply place it in with your clubs and make sure it extends higher than your drivers. This way, if your bag does have an unplanned crash, it’s the stiff arm that will get damaged and not your prized clubs.
- Remove empty space
The less empty space you have in your bag, the less your clubs can move.
Adding soft bulky items as padding is a great way to take up this space. Beach towels are a common choice, but even just packing some of your clothes here adds a protective layer. As a bonus, it also reduces the demands on your main bag. Taping some of the shafts together is another way to cut down on movement in transit.
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