Are Hard Sided Golf Travel Bags Necessary for Golf Vacations?
With your tour guide,
Anne P. Mitchell
| Summary: Are hard golf glub travel bags really necessary? Yes! Soft golf travel bags + travel by air can spell disaster for your clubs, so do your research and find a hard golf glub travel bag to fit your budget, and protect your clubs! |
Golf travel bags come in a variety of sizes, weights and materials. Some are especially designed to be carried on the shoulders (lightweight but soft). Unfortunately, soft golf travel bags + travel by air can spell disaster for your clubs. Other golf travel bags are used only to protect the clubs from bumps and mishandling when traveling by air (hard sided golf travel bags, which are usually bulkier and heavier). The biggest ones come with wheels, so that they can be carted around.
The bottom line is that if you are flying, you will want a hard sided golf travel bag to protect your clubs.
When considering hard sided golf travel bags, you have basically two options: completely hard cover or hybrid. Hard sided golf travel bags take more space and are inconvenient to carry, but they’re perfect for air travel because they offer the highest level of protection. Hybrid travel bags are basically soft bags with a hard top used to transport equipment. They cannot be used while playing, however, so either way you’ll need an additional playing bag once you get to your destination.
Whatever style you choose, make sure your bag meets some basic requirements: caster wheels, exterior ball sleeves, enough cushioning to prevent damage (look for an inside layer of polyfoam), padded shoulder strap, exterior pockets (for accessories), and waterproof construction (either nylon or synthetic leather). Nice extras are microfiber-lined valuables pockets and a beverage pouch.
Golf travel bag companies are coming up with new options every day. Sun Mountain , one of the top manufacturers of golf bags, sells the MPB (multi-purpose bag), a new hybrid that combines features of both a cart bag and a standbag, including retractable aluminum legs, individual club-dividing 14-way top, and even an insulated beverage pouch. At $179, it’s a steal. Another top-of-the-line innovation is Ogio’s Stinger bag, with seven exclusive patented features. The Stinger comes with a Hoode(TM) all-weather club protection, RAIL(TM) (Rapid Access Incline Lock), and 11 pockets (7 zippered). It sells for under $300.
If the Ogio, or even the MPB, are too costly for you, fret not. You can find high-quality bags starting at around $130, both online and at specialty stores.
In the final analysis, which golf travel bag you choose is less important than the fact that you get one. After planning the perfect golf vacation, it would be horrible to arrive only to find that your clubs were damaged!
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