Baggage charges: A golfers' guide

alrite peeps,

going off to the Algarve in a week or two and haven't taken my golf stuff away with me before. Can i have some advice please on how to pack everything in and any little tips you have for making sure that the equipment stays as it should do and reduces the chance of any damage.

i've got a bag that i put my golf bag into but its not a hard case

Posted: 28/04/2009 18:06

What I tend to do is pack clothes within the golf bag to try and protect shafts and heads. Then pack more stuff between the golf bag and the outer travel bag for extra support, plus it saves me taking a suitcase as well!

Put socks inside golf shoes to stop the shoes getting squashed or mis-shapen.

Enjoy yourself, Vicko!

Posted: 28/04/2009 18:26

As your travel bag is a soft one pay a visit to B&Q, or similar, and get a broom handle or piece of wood that is slightly longer than your longest club. Place it next to the longest club in the bag to prevent it gettin squashed lengthways.
Posted: 28/04/2009 18:32

wrap a towel around your irons heads.  this will stop them getting all dinged.

enjoy portugal and let us know what it was like and what the prices are like.

we are off to turkey at 3am tomorrow.  oh happy day

Posted: 28/04/2009 18:37

Up-end your driver and woods so the heads are inside the bag. Put clubhead covers on the irons to prevent dinks.
Posted: 28/04/2009 20:03

When you see the way the baggage handlers chuck your bag around you will cry. Wrap everything up well with towels, that also leaves a bit more space in the suitcase for extra polo's. Enjoy yourself and I hope the weather is OK. I'm off to Spain on the 11th (yippee)
Posted: 28/04/2009 20:31

I'm off to Spain on the 22nd - my first golf trip abroad too. Thanks for all the advice above.
Posted: 29/04/2009 10:05

We always put a broom handle an inch or so longer than the driver in the bags. This means that when the bag is stuck in the hold and has tons of weight being pushed down on it, the £1 broom handle is taking the weight not the £200 plus worth of flexible titanium and graphite. We started doing this after my wife took her driver head out of the bag with the shaft still in the bag on the first tee at San Roque!
Posted: 29/04/2009 10:54

what about insurance?

i don't have any insurance at present but want to get some for my golf gear

Posted: 29/04/2009 11:53

I think Insure and Go and Columbus offer the option of adding golf cover.

Try searching the threads on the site; I'm sure questions have come up about insurance recently.

Posted: 29/04/2009 12:04

I just wrap a couple of towels around the heads, then put rain cover on, then put it in travel bag.

Your clubs may be insured by your house contents.

Enjoy your trip!

 Not going away this year, 1st time for about 6/7 years.......rubbish!!!

 Which courses you playing Vicko?

Posted: 29/04/2009 13:47

Vicko you are not in the Algarve during the week 13-20 June by any chance?? we are stayingay Ferragudo that week playing Gramacho, Pinta & Silves each round is 90euro for two inc buggy, which I think is a good deal even tho its only June, it will be a bit hot but only as hot as it is here in summer if we ever get one..
Posted: 29/04/2009 14:04

What i hate is the cost of taking clubs. To get to Faro from Edinburgh you can chose Flyglobespan or ...... thats it.

They charge £15 + fees for clubs, per flight, and there is a weight limit. They have also started charging for a luggage bag going in the hold. I usually find that my bag, clubs & flightbag are not a kick in the pants off the weight limit so by the time you stick broom handles & towels in you are over that limit so have to remove something.

Next time I go, not this year, i will probably just take 11 clubs and pack most of my stuff in this flight bag with the rest in a small bag to take on the plane.

Posted: 29/04/2009 14:25

Take you balls in your hand luggage. I've heard that they are a prime target for theft.
Posted: 29/04/2009 14:37

Having seen how clubs are handled at Faro I would not take my clubs with me. They don't come through an out of gauge handling section but merrily thump their way along with the normal suitcases etc.  On the 4 golf holidays I have had to the Algarve I have used the excellent and very cheap services of Geoff Bacon at golfleisurestore@yahoo.co.uk
Posted: 08/05/2009 15:12

Alimoor wrote (see)

Having seen how clubs are handled at Faro I would not take my clubs with me. They don't come through an out of gauge handling section but merrily thump their way along with the normal suitcases etc. On the 4 golf holidays I have had to the Algarve I have used the excellent and very cheap services of Geoff Bacon at golfleisurestore@yahoo.co.uk

Alimoor, with over 20 years of flying to Faro with four five or sometimes 8 sets of golf clubs I have never seen any damage to clubs at all!! which having seen the state of some of the bags before they flew is a minor miracle!! of course accidents do happen but I havnt seen one, all the other bags that come out on the carousel seem to be in one piece too. When I play lovely challenging golf courses I want to play them with my tools other peoples are different. Maybe I'm not good enough to play with just anything but all my mates are the same..

Posted: 08/05/2009 15:24

I'm travelling with Ryanair, who have a flat £30 charge for the golf bag - but they do charge extra for excess on your "normal" luggage. So, I've been told to load the golf flight bag with as much luggage as possible.

Posted: 08/05/2009 15:58

Mindthepond wrote (see)

Alimoor, with over 20 years of flying to Faro with four five or sometimes 8 sets of golf clubs I have never seen any damage to clubs at all!! which having seen the state of some of the bags before they flew is a minor miracle!! of course accidents do happen but I havnt seen one, all the other bags that come out on the carousel seem to be in one piece too.

Have to agree with MTP. I've been on countless trips abroad playing golf in Portugal and Spain, with groups of up to 10. We have never had a mis-hap with any of our clubs and some guys have just taken their normal carry bags with just the rain hoods on!

Maybe we've just been lucky, I dunno.

I wouldn't worry about it too much.

Posted: 08/05/2009 19:37

Just thought we're going again in 5 weeks I shouldnt have opened my big mouth (metaphorically speaking)!!
Posted: 08/05/2009 19:46

I have an appartment in Costa del Sol with 5 great courses within 5 minute drive. I leave 4 sets of clubs over there so I avoid the expense and inconvenience of bringing clubs each time I fly. I also allow use of them to my guests free of charge. I only charge £195 p/wk from Oct to Apr which works out at only £7 per day for a party of 4 golfers.
Posted: 25/05/2009 20:38

Another vote for the broom handle. I have also put wedges and putter in my suitcase (my wife does object mind you) as per another note, if you flyglobespan, you get charged both ways and they only allow you a "half-set", so you're weight limited on the clubs. I put sweaters etc. around the top also to pad it out.

Posted: 25/05/2009 23:45

Waldorf_Salad01 wrote (see)

Another vote for the broom handle. I have also put wedges and putter in my suitcase (my wife does object mind you) as per another note, if you flyglobespan, you get charged both ways and they only allow you a "half-set", so you're weight limited on the clubs. I put sweaters etc. around the top also to pad it out.

Is it not the case that you are allowed something like 15 or 16 kilos with Flyglobespan, who I normally use, which including my flight bag allows me at least 12 clubs with carry bag, balls & shoes.
Posted: 26/05/2009 12:36

You are absolutely right Forbesie, the limit is now 16 kilos. I flew with them last year when things were a little less clear, so i called them and they defined it as " a half set" with a weight limit of about 12 kilos at the time, hence my packing of wedges & putter with the wifes summer dresses and shoes in the main case.
Posted: 27/05/2009 14:24