Nothing can ruin a vacation faster than arriving at your destination only to find something wrong or missing from your gold clubs and equipment before you even get to step on the green. Proper planning and preparation can help assure that your equipment arrives in good condition and ready for the first tee. The following are some tips from experienced traveling golfers:
Prepare your equipment for travel.
Decide with clubs your will bring and be sure to clean your clubs since some golf course fertilizers can trigger bomb detectors. Pack all of your accessories (golf shoes, towels, gloves, tees, markers, etc) into the bag with clubs. This will give you more room for items in your regular carry-on or suitcase.
Don’t carry-on.
Most air carriers have limited cabin space and will not allow you to carry on golf bags. It’s best to purchase a hard case or good quality covered soft travel bag. Hard cases provide the best protection but can be expensive. A good quality enclosing soft bag is acceptable. Mark your case with updated luggage tags. Check your carriers website for specific checked or excess baggage rates, allowances and restrictions. Consider personal insurance and ask about your carrier’s liability policies.
Go directly to Baggage Claim Desk on arrival.
Immediately check with information or a skycap for the pick up location of over-sized luggage. Should there be a problem you can immediately make a claim for lost luggage. Or just pick up your case and head for the golf course.
For more tips and travel suggestions, check out these great resources:
Golf Travel Tips - More About Traveling With Your Clubs
5 Tips For Flying With Golf Clubs
For a list of premier golf courses around The Retreat, check out our post on South Orange County Golf Courses
