You golf travel equipment might appear to be a matter of personal taste, but if you carry out a full golf travel bags review you will begin to understand that there are certain imperatives with respect to the options you have in travel bags before you can get down to the matter of personal choice.
Much depends upon how much travel you do, and what form of travel. For example, a tour professional that frequently has to take transoceanic flights will have a different requirement in club protection than a Sunday golfer who drives to the nearest golf course ten miles away. These are extremes, of course, but the point being made is obvious.
Baggage Handlers can be Under Pressure
Airport baggage jockeys are not renowned for the gentleness and tender care with which they handle your baggage, and your golf clubs are no different. It is not that they are deliberately rough with your property, just that they have little time to handle the volume of baggage that they have to handle and cannot afford to use kid gloves. Impatient passengers waiting on their luggage, or latecomers who expect their luggage to reach the plane before they do, contribute to this.
You must therefore decide upon what degree of protection is appropriate to your golf clubs and choose your options from there. There are basically two types of golf travel bags: hard sided cases and soft sided bags. The hard sided cases come in various types, from the solid cases to the telescopic types that can be telescoped to take up only the size required. There are also various options such as the type of lock: key or combination. Size: do you want your travel case to also hold your personal travel requirements such as changes of clothing and toiletries?
Your Gold Travel Case could be Your only Luggage for the Trip!
This is an option that many golfers use since it cuts down on the total number of luggage pieces required. What you also have to consider is the size and weight. The more you want to store, the larger the case will be and the heavier it will be. Will it fit into your trunk? Do you have storage space in your home for it when not in use?
Let’s have a look at what is available. The cheapest on the internet that I could find is the 51” Doskocil Golf Guard that holds nothing except your golf bag. It comes with a latch that can take a padlock and is priced at $59.99. This is probably fine for the ordinary guy who is going on vacation with his clubs, and needs some protection. Nothing wrong with it; the size is fine and it provides protection against bangs and the handling expected at airports.
You can Combine Strength with Light Weight
On the other hand, you can opt for a Sweet Spot travel case at almost $200 that can also hold your personal luggage. What you decide to pay is determined by whether or not you buy the most expensive as a matter of principle, you need the extra space provided the larger cases, you need the extra strength or you want the lightest case you can get for ease of handling.
All of these are valid reasons for paying extra, though I have seen travel cases advertised that can withstand plane crashes. I don’t think that I would be too bothered whether or not my golf clubs survived the plane crash! I would probably prefer to be inside such a case myself, and leave the clubs to take their chances belted into the seat.
Your second option is the soft travel bag, and these are generally more popular and more expensive. Many travel bags can double up as cart bags, and they too can hold enough clothing and personal effects for a few days travel. They are ideal for a weekend golf outing, when all you need is a couple of clothing changes and some toiletries. No other luggage is needed.
The Last Bag you see is the Best!
Burton, Bag Boy, Ogio, Datrek and most of the rest offer 51” travel bags for under $100, but if you want something a bit better, the Club Golf Last Bag at just under $300 is the most widely used travel bag on the PGA tour. Almost every tour professional uses one.
You also have a wide choice between these two extremes, and while it is nice to have the best, few players other than the tour pros really need something expensive. So make your decision initially on what you need, and then on what you would like to be seen with. There could be up to $200 between the two.
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