How to Fly with Your Golf Clubs
What scares me the most about flying with my golf clubs is the fear of the unknown. You tuck your most valuable golf possessions in a travel bag and hand them off in hopes they arrive in piece in and in the same city as you... which is not always the case.
The Golf Travel Bag
The first line of defense is a good bag. You can go online or to any golf retail store to pick up one of these bags and my recommendation is do not skimp. The bag you choose is the first line of defense when you pass it off to the baggage handlers and it's placed on your flight (hopefully).
Some travel bags have a separate compartment for your golf shoes. While this is the case with my golf bag, I prefer to tuck mine into the bag but if you're looking to conserve space, the separate spot for golf shoes might come in handy.
Lastly is size. The days of free checked baggage on an airplane are coming to an end and most of the airlines now charge for any bag checked. If you can pack a few additional items in your golf bag it will make your carry-on lighter. Packing golf balls comes to mind but also anything the FAA does not let you carry on (like your razor to shave with for example) can now be packed here.
Hard Cover Bag v. Soft Cover Bag
Hard cover certainly offers more protection and if that's your biggest concern, it's probably the way to go. As you can see in my pictures, I have a soft cover bag. It has slightly more padding near the top where the head of the clubs go but does not offer the protection a hard case.
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