Every golf club in your bag is designed to do a job, and we take the performance of our clubs seriously. If a driver doesn’t give you an acceptable level of distance and accuracy, out it goes. If a sand wedge doesn’t produce spin on chips and pitch shots, you’ll be heading to the pro shop to find one that does!
A golf travel bag deserves the same consideration.
No, it’s not something those you are going to use it every day, but a golf travel bag is a piece of equipment that needs to do a critically important job every time you reach for it: Protect your clubs while making it easier to get them through airports, rental-car lots and hotel lobbies. Making a smart choice means getting your clubs from home to your destination will be relatively easy,
while a poor choice can ruin your trip before you ever get to the first tee.
Here’s how to find the perfect golf travel bag.
Start where bags take a beating
Baggage handlers are not known for their soft hands or a gentle touch, so examine the fabric, stitching, handles and zippers of any travel bag that you are considering. Zippers should be large, smooth and sturdy enough to withstand a tightly packed bag. Brass is great, but sturdy plastic is fine too. The handles should be reinforced where they attach to the bag because you’re going to pull and yank them.
Pay special attention to the bottom half of the bag. A reinforced plate, skid rails or molded structure can help a bag slide over curbs without scrapping the fabric. Wheels should roll smoothly and sit in sturdy housings. Bags that have two wheels are fine, but bags with four wheels that can roll and spin independently can allow a bag to be moved easily when its upright, and that can be a nice feature in a crowded airport.
Protect the vulnerable area
Iron heads are difficult to break. Carbon fiber driver heads and graphite shafts are not, so your greatest concern when it comes to club damage should be near the top, where drivers and fairway woods can absorb force if the cover is dropped vertically or something lands on it. Look for dense padding around the clubheads and a top section that maintains some structure.
With a soft bag, consider using a telescoping support rod, often called a stiff arm, and extend it beyond your longest club. You might also consider taking photos of your clubheads with you’re smartphone and then unscrewing the head from your driver and fairway woods, placing them in their headcovers and packing them in your golf bag. The head-less shafts should stay below trouble if your bag gets squished, and the photos you take ensure you re-attach the heads in the proper settings once you arrive at your destination.
Hard case or soft cover?
A hard case supplies the most crush resistance, but it has some drawbacks. Hard cases tend to be heavier, they take up more space when you store them at home, and depending on your car, they be awkward in the trunk. They do, however, provide the best protection for your clubs, and most can accommodate drivers up to 48 inches in length, but check to see that your golf bag fits.
Soft covers are lighter, easier to store and usually easier to fit into a vehicle. Their protection depends on their materials, padding, support and how carefully they are packed. Some soft covers have rigid panels or molded shells to vulnerable areas while retaining some flexibility.
Do not make price the only consideration
You won’t be able to take two strokes off your score because you brought the most expensive travel bag in your foursome, but you probably don’t want the cheapest option either. That $75 or $100 you save won’t be much consolation when a failed zipper, damaged wheel or poorly protected driver ruins the first day of your trip.
Buy for the way you travel. Frequent flyers may value maximum durability. Golfers with limited storage may want a cover that folds compactly. The best travel bag is the one with features that solve your problems.
Here are six golf travel bags to consider:
Club Glove Tour Traveler
Price: $550
What you need to know: The most-used travel bag on the PGA Tour, the Tour Traveler combines maximum capacity with premium protection. Its 1680-denier Cordura ballistic-nylon exterior, padded clubhead area, shock-absorbing wheelbase and abrasion-resistant base are designed for frequent travel. It also includes a Stiff Arm, an interior stability strap, all-terrain urethane wheels and heavy-duty YKK zippers.
Ogio Renegade Travel Cover
Price: $385
What you need to know: The Renegade is made for golfers who need a bag that can handle more than just polished airport floors. Its impact-resistant SLED base, oversized off-road wheels and reinforced corners help it negotiate curbs and uneven surfaces easily. Generous padding protects the clubheads, interior compression straps limit movement, and the cover folds for easier storage between trips.
SKB Deluxe Standard ATA Golf Travel Case
Price: $304.99
What you need to know: For golfers who prioritize crush protection, this hard-sided case surrounds a stand or carry bag with a rigid shell and secures it with industrial-strength. It has TSA-accessible locking latches, built-in wheels, and the case accommodates drivers up to 48 inches. Check the fit carefully, because wider bags with protruding molded handles may require SKB’s larger model.
Sun Mountain Kube Travel Cover
Price: $290
What you need to know: The Kube’s greatest advantage becomes apparent after your trip. Plastic half-shells and dense foam protect your clubs in transit, but the lightweight cover folds into a compact package for easy storage. Ballistic-style fabric, reinforcement in high-wear areas and heavy-duty two-way zippers give the design added durability.
Sun Mountain x Realtree ClubGlider Meridian
Price: $450
What you need to know: The ClubGlider Meridian’s retractable kickstand supports the bag’s weight and gives it four-wheel stability, making it easier to maneuver through airports and parking lots. The stand retracts into a molded tray for travel and storage. Dense foam padding, ballistic-style fabric, reinforced wear areas and full-length two-way zippers add protection and durability, while Realtree camouflage gives this limited edition a distinctive look that’s easy to spot at baggage claim.
Bag Boy T-10 Travel Cover
Price: $229.95
What you need to know: The T-10 combines a crush-resistant ABS top with a flexible 600-denier polyester body, providing hard-shell protection around the clubheads while reducing the storage problems of a rigid, full-size case. The soft section packs inside the top when you are not using the bag. High-density StandGuard padding protects a stand bag’s leg mechanism, while in-line skate wheels, an ABS base and an internal compression strap make walking with the T-10 easier.
David Dusek is a senior writer at Golfweek covering equipment, technology and travel.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Traveling Under Par: Choosing your ideal golf travel bag
