[Ken Fry]

Many participants here are fortunate to travel for golf.  I had a couple instances last season I'm curious if anyone else experienced.

I did two trips in 2017 checking my clubs with the airline.  I take great care in packing my bag with towels wrapped around club heads, a long wood dowel to protect club heads if the bag is dropped,  the zip top cover from the walking bag and all inside a ClubGlove bag.  Nothing I do runs contrary to TSA and airline demands.

On both trips, TSA opened my bag, unzipped the top cover, removed the towels I use to secure the clubheads then threw everything into the ClubGlove bag and zipped it up.  The airlines expect a signed waiver of liability.  I get that.  But with TSA opening bags and removing any protection you try to put in place to keep your clubs safe, why would anyone sign off on this process?  Is TSA going to replace any broken clubs?

Has anyone else experienced this?

Ken

[Tommy Williamsen]

TSA opens every golf bag and ski bag when I travel. It is true for everyone with whom I travel as well.

[Frank M]

I’m from Canada. My clubs are inspected by TSA every single time I return home.

[Cal Seifert]

Nothing like sitting on the plane waiting to takeoff and seeing TSA chuck your bag like a side of beef.

[Garland Bayley]

Nothing like sitting on the plane waiting to takeoff and seeing TSA chuck your bag like a side of beef.

That's not the TSA!

[Jeff Schley]

I think the airlines still have the disclaimer that you must you a hard case to ensure against damage?  Can't remember, but I had the driver head snap off of my Ping ISI in 2002 at Kapalua Plantation when I grabbed it on the range after landing.  I said SH**!  Wasn't a hard case, but I had a wood pool and towels there.  Course let me borrow a driver luckily.

[Jeff Shelman]

I will again share my friendly reminder: I take the head off of my driver on every trip and pack it away in my bag.


My hope that the combination of that and the stiff arm in my bag will prevent damage.

[Ian Mackenzie]

Yes, all the time and it is to be expected.


Reset your expectations, I'm afraid; this has been the new reality for awhile.


Why should TSA favor golf clubs over any other of the thousands of iterations of baggage and luggage they see every day?


Sounds like you may want insurance.
Or, use Ship Sticks.

[Garland Bayley]

I put the woods in their head covers, then stick the heads down in the bottom of the bag around the stiff arm. Don't see how they could snap a driver or other wood head off this way.

[BHoover]

I will again share my friendly reminder: I take the head off of my driver on every trip and pack it away in my bag.

My hope that the combination of that and the stiff arm in my bag will prevent damage.

This is a great idea, and one which I will be sure to use myself the next time I fly with my clubs. Simple and effective.

[Erik J. Barzeski]

Flying is the only time I use iron covers. Can’t hurt.

Plus I take off wood heads. And use a StiffArm. And wrap towels. Etc.

[Carl Rogers]

Use Fed Ex or UPS to ship your clubs.  More reliable.

[Charles Lund]

I thought about taking the head off my driver and packing it in my golf bag.


Seems like that is a formula for head not getting repacked.


I wrap a towel or jacket around my driver and fairway metals.  I've done close to 30 overseas golf trips, mostly with non-U.S. carriers.  I have also done close to a hundred flights in the U.S., mostly on the West Coast.  I haven't had a club lost or broken.  Airports i have flown from most frequently are Seattle Tacoma, San Diego, LAX, and Vancouver.  Alaska is the U.S. Airline I fly with most frequently. 


My biggest hassle has been bags not being transferred onto flight at Heathrow when I have a connection.


Charles Lund

[RJ_Daley]

On GB&I to States I've used "Luggage Forward" to ship them home whilst I stayed a little longer for non-golf and was very satisfied.  Infrequent poster Rury McDonald of Edinburgh is an officer in that company.  He goes the extra mile to double check on pick-ups at your desired location and quotes an attractive price.  Well worth it.

 On flghts from States to....where ever, I use a Samsonite golf case that I love.  It is easy to inspect, easy storage, hard bodied, andv has slider wheels that make it a very good buy and easy to get through airport to car rental to hotel and othe transportation issues.

Always clean the club grooves and shoe soles very well to get rid of nitrate traces from fertilizer on courses along with nemitodes, etc. Fert nitrate sets off TSA sniffers. 

I'm no expert or great traveller, but above works for me and never lost any equipment to damage or lost/stolen.

[Jeff Schley]

Use Fed Ex or UPS to ship your clubs.  More reliable.

I'm sure it is reliable, but what is the cost for something like that?  Do you really do this?  Ballpark cost?

[JJShanley]

Flying is the only time I use iron covers. Can’t hurt.

Plus I take off wood heads. And use a StiffArm. And wrap towels. Etc.

Yep!  I stuff the towel in as well, but numbered covers make it easier (in theory) for a person of goodwill to repack properly.

[Thomas Dai]

On return flights fill your golf holdall with your trips dirty washing. If they open it up, well there's nothing quite like the smell of a couple of weeks worth of fermented socks to discourage further investigation!
atb

[Bruce Wellmon]

I still have my SKB hard shell case I bought in 2005. A little heavy and a little cumbersome but still going..........

[Bob Montle]

On return flights fill your golf holdall with your trips dirty washing. If they open it up, well there's nothing quite like the smell of a couple of weeks worth of fermented socks to discourage further investigation!
atb

EXACTLY!
I put a sock over each iron then wrap my underwear around the woods.
Never had a problem.

[Mark Smolens]

Use Fed Ex or UPS to ship your clubs.  More reliable.

I'm sure it is reliable, but what is the cost for something like that?  Do you really do this?  Ballpark cost?

Don't be so sure. A few years back, before I figured out that I should just leave a set of clubs in my Mom's garage in Scottsdale, I shipped my clubs out the weekend of my brother's wedding -- bachelor party golf on Friday. The clubs never made it past Memphis. . . plus Fed Ex claimed that I didn't declare the value and tried to compensate me with a check for $100!! After I wrote a letter to the FedEx subrogation dept agreeing to file suit, FedEx sent State Farm (my renter's insurance covered the loss) a check for the $1800.

Shipping with FedEx is neither safe nor reliable. Hopefully I can fly SW to golf vacations outside the Valley so that I can ship my clubs for free

[Brad Tufts]

I still have my SKB hard shell case I bought in 2005. A little heavy and a little cumbersome but still going..........

Yes!  Hard cases are cumbersome at times, and annoying at others, but they protect your stuff!!  I don't considering using my socks/underwear, taking clubheads off, using iron covers...because I don't need to!  I've had my SKB hard case since about 2000, and I've replaced maybe 4 handles and one buckle, and it's still great.

I've used a soft case exactly one time since 2000, and part of the club glove was caught in one of the belts, and it tore a two-foot hole through the glove and an 18-inch hole in my golf bag.  Something even chewed an inch-deep hole in one of my golf balls.  Never again.

The worst horror story I've ever witnessed actually involved Alaska Airlines at Sea-Tac.  After a great 5-day trip with Sean Leary and Bob Jenkins, Ryan Simper and I went back to the airport to fly back east.  Simper had a brand new hard SKB case purchased on my recommendation, with his full setup inside.  I watched him check in, we both watched the clubs go on the conveyor belt with a tag on it...and poof, vanished.  Ryan pursued this to the hilt, and got full value back (about $3500), but something like that would send me for a full loop, especially after dropping $5K at Club Champion this offseason!

To this day I will not leave my bag on the "oversize cart" at check-in, as it's often 20 feet from the door.  I will wait there until an employee brings it to a non-public area.  Not that it would have saved Simper above, but it makes me feel a touch better.

[Pete Lavallee]

I’ve never opened my Club Glove and not found the TSA inspection slip inside. You are right they don’t see a need to repack as carefully as you did. That being said the Club Glove expandable stick with the mushroom shaped top has kept my sticks safe so far.

[Jonathan Mallard]

I unscrew the heads where I can, and pack them in the side.


I carry a roll of masking tape, and tape the shafts together and stick them in the bag.


I take the irons, 3-4 at a time and pack them head first into different bag compartments and tape those together too.


I've always had to untape everything at the end of each journey.


Last trip I was asked to procure hurleys for the local Irish Sports enthusiasts and packed them in some of my tee shirts and taped those together as well. Again I had to untape everything.

[jeffwarne]

Hard shell cases, on a trip with 4 golfers, are a nonstarter.
They take up all the room.
I've never had a club break in 30 years of travel-I use towels and Jackets.(having TSA not resassemble is a bummer though)
The one time I took my head off my driver it wouldn't reattach-and evidently it was the the only 8.5 head in the north of England.
The pro at Formby worked a miracle and jury rigged it together 10 minutes before my tee time in a qualifier.


I did take my driver head off this particular tripI
 on right now-no incident (there is much less risk of stripping the newer models)


I have had two sets stolen off the conveyer belt (downside of being in the back of the plane)

[Charles Lund]

I've been fortunate, maybe I have been lucky.  I have a padded golf bag with wheels.  I fly overseas carriers that allow two bags without charge. 


Sorry to hear the bad stories.


Charles Lund

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