Travelling with Golf bag updates - 2023

[Quebec Club Ho]

29 minutes ago, scott_Donald said:

 

I am a weird one, not a fan of the last 3 holes at North Berwick but love the Muirfield feeling ones as far out as you can go. 

The last three are what I call 'memorable' and some may call them quirky but it is at least different. I wish I could comment on Muirfield 😞 

[hammergolf]

5 hours ago, njlam said:

Turnberry/Prestwick/Troon/North Berwick/Muirfield/TOC/Jubilee/Carnoustie

 

Only half our group are playing Turnberry due to ownership issues....not me.

Great lineup! 

[ND2005]

9 hours ago, njlam said:

Turnberry/Prestwick/Troon/North Berwick/Muirfield/TOC/Jubilee/Carnoustie

 

Only half our group are playing Turnberry due to ownership issues....not me.

the course was there long before him and I trust it will be there long after him. 
 
I will say the clubhouse was a garish hideous tribute to him. And he splashed his logo on basically every piece of apparel so I didn’t buy any souvenirs.

[njlam]

1 hour ago, ND2005 said:

the course was there long before him and I trust it will be there long after him. 
 
I will say the clubhouse was a garish hideous tribute to him. And he splashed his logo on basically every piece of apparel so I didn’t buy any souvenirs.

As only four of us are playing Turnberry, we are having a little game on the par 3s….lowest aggregate score gets a Turnberry hat. The three players with scores that aren’t the lowest have to wear a Trump 2024 hat for the next round at Prestwick…got to go low!

[dwboston]

2 hours ago, ND2005 said:

I will say the clubhouse was a garish hideous tribute to him. And he splashed his logo on basically every piece of apparel so I didn’t buy any souvenirs.

 

To each his own, but the part about the apparel and logos is certainly exaggerated.  Very few of the apparel items in the pro shop had any mention of the owner's name or his logo.  I bought a pullover and a jacket, as well as a jacket for my wife, and none of them had his name or logo.  Most of the items I looked at in the pro shop had the Turnberry logo (and maybe the manufacturer logo).

 

[scott_Donald]

11 hours ago, ND2005 said:

the course was there long before him and I trust it will be there long after him. 
 
I will say the clubhouse was a garish hideous tribute to him. And he splashed his logo on basically every piece of apparel so I didn’t buy any souvenirs.

 

When he bought the play he had tr ump on everything and sales went down 60%; so they had to remove the name on most stuff and sales went back to normal.

 

My wife is from that area and seems it is not doing well financially, to me it's overpriced but awesome. I would happily pay 350 a night there but not 600 like it is right now.

 

I still have a free dinner voucher for the hotel I have not used!

 

9 hours ago, dwboston said:

 

To each his own, but the part about the apparel and logos is certainly exaggerated.  Very few of the apparel items in the pro shop had any mention of the owner's name or his logo.  I bought a pullover and a jacket, as well as a jacket for my wife, and none of them had his name or logo.  Most of the items I looked at in the pro shop had the Turnberry logo (and maybe the manufacturer logo).

 

 

 

 

I bought a ball marker!

[ND2005]

2 hours ago, scott_Donald said:

 

When he bought the play he had tr ump on everything and sales went down 60%; so they had to remove the name on most stuff and sales went back to normal.

 

that checks out, when I was there the stuff with the “regular” logo was very very scarce 

[njlam]

Missed connection in Heathrow and needed to fly standby to Edinburgh.

My luggage didn't make it to Edinburgh, and no one knows where it is.

On the phone with BA and they said my clubs would be delivered 7/24 (today is 7/20). When I asked where they would be delivered, they told me my home in Oregon.

 

BA's customer services is based out of a call center in India and I am very frustrated. My tour operator said to wait until tomorrow and we will check the airport (still one more flight from London to arrive tonight).

 

Luckily, I shipsticked my clubs and all my rain gear, one pair of shoes and my Muirfield jacket and tie are in there, so I can play for a day or so without my luggage. However as the luggage has my CPAP, meds and all my golf clothes. I am furious.

Given how much planning and expense went into this trip, I wish I had Shipsticked my luggage. It arrived two days ago.

[ND2005]

5 minutes ago, njlam said:

Missed connection in Heathrow and needed to fly standby to Edinburgh.

My luggage didn't make it to Edinburgh, and no one knows where it is.

On the phone with BA and they said my clubs would be delivered 7/24 (today is 7/20). When I asked where they would be delivered, they told me my home in Oregon.

 

BA's customer services is based out of a call center in India and I am very frustrated. My tour operator said to wait until tomorrow and we will check the airport (still one more flight from London to arrive tonight).

 

Luckily, I shipsticked my clubs and all my rain gear, one pair of shoes and my Muirfield jacket and tie are in there, so I can play for a day or so without my luggage. However as the luggage has my CPAP, meds and all my golf clothes. I am furious.

Given how much planning and expense went into this trip, I wish I had Shipsticked my luggage. It arrived two days ago.

 

Very sorry to hear that. I will never fly BA again after my last experience and yours sounds even worse. 

 

Do you have someone in the US who could emergency ship medications to you?

 

[hammergolf]

35 minutes ago, njlam said:

Missed connection in Heathrow and needed to fly standby to Edinburgh.

My luggage didn't make it to Edinburgh, and no one knows where it is.

On the phone with BA and they said my clubs would be delivered 7/24 (today is 7/20). When I asked where they would be delivered, they told me my home in Oregon.

 

BA's customer services is based out of a call center in India and I am very frustrated. My tour operator said to wait until tomorrow and we will check the airport (still one more flight from London to arrive tonight).

 

Luckily, I shipsticked my clubs and all my rain gear, one pair of shoes and my Muirfield jacket and tie are in there, so I can play for a day or so without my luggage. However as the luggage has my CPAP, meds and all my golf clothes. I am furious.

Given how much planning and expense went into this trip, I wish I had Shipsticked my luggage. It arrived two days ago.

Very sad to hear, but honestly not surprised. I advise everyone to avoid London Heathrow like the plague for this exact reason. Hopefully they can get your bag to you quickly, but I would advise you to buy clothes and toiletries and keep your receipts. I understand not having your cpap or meds, but maybe go to pharmacy over there and explain the situation. Frankly, I’ve found on my many trips over there that the pharmacies and doctor’s offices are much better than here when it comes to issues like yours. At least there are laws in the UK that hold airlines liable for their mistakes. They are liable for up to $1774. Start a complaint email or live chat. See the link below. I understand how hard it is to understand the call center in India. Look on the bright side, BA is going to buy you shirts from every course and any other clothing you need! 
 

https://www.britishairways.com/en-us/information/legal/notice-of-liability#:~:text=In the case of checked,unless the baggage was defective.

 

https://shelbyjoe.com/how-to-get-paid-when-british-airways-loses-or-delays-your-baggage/

 

https://traveladdicts.net/truth-airline-lost-luggage/

Edited July 20, 2023 by hammergolf

[njlam]

23 minutes ago, hammergolf said:

Look on the bright side, BA is going to buy you shirts from every course and any other clothing you need! 

Turnberry is our first course...the bright side is it is Turnberry, not Trump Turnberry.

[hammergolf]

6 hours ago, njlam said:

Turnberry is our first course...the bright side is it is Turnberry, not Trump Turnberry.

If you don’t get your bag, take a ride to Ayr and you should be able to find the toiletries, necessities and clothes you need there.

[njlam]

15 hours ago, ND2005 said:

Very sorry to hear that. I will never fly BA again after my last experience and yours sounds even worse. 

 

Not sure if this is a BA problem or just a Heathrow problem.

 

Still don't have my luggage. Hard to sleep without CPAP....

Bought three days worth of undies/socks...will buy the full golf outfits when I get to Turnberry...As BA will be picking up my necessities....I am hoping for rain.



 

Edited July 21, 2023 by njlam

[ND2005]

59 minutes ago, njlam said:

Not sure if this is a BA problem or just a Heathrow problem.

 

Still don't have my luggage. Hard to sleep without CPAP....

Bought three days worth of undies/socks...will buy the full golf outfits when I get to Turnberry...As BA will be picking up my necessities....I am hoping for rain.



 

 

Heathrow is a huge issue but I was equally disappointed by BA's customer service and lack of responsiveness. 

 

I could go on and on about BA but just about every aspect of the experience disappointed me - from a booking error, to a check in issue, to the on-flight experience. The lost bags were the icing on the cake.

 

I hadn't flown BA in a very long time and I sort of assumed it would be the same/similar quality product to United or Delta and it was not even close. Should have just ponied up the extra bucks for the united flight (it might have put me over the top for 1K status too if I had lol. Oh well). 

Edited July 21, 2023 by ND2005

[scott_Donald]

1 hour ago, njlam said:

Not sure if this is a BA problem or just a Heathrow problem.

 

Still don't have my luggage. Hard to sleep without CPAP....

Bought three days worth of undies/socks...will buy the full golf outfits when I get to Turnberry...As BA will be picking up my necessities....I am hoping for rain.



 

 

AirTags!

 

so right now it might be a starting airport problem, Heathrow or BA.

 

Fingers crossed you get your gear!

[jdpilot]

I played in a two-day tournament in May at Trump Turnberry, which was held on King Robert the Bruce and The Ailsa. This was my first time to play the two courses since Trump took ownership. The changes to both courses were fantastic, and I was particularly impressed with the changes made to KRB. I honestly enjoyed KRB as much as I did The Ailsa. It’s definitely not a course to be overlooked. 

[hammergolf]

7 hours ago, njlam said:

Not sure if this is a BA problem or just a Heathrow problem.

 

Still don't have my luggage. Hard to sleep without CPAP....

Bought three days worth of undies/socks...will buy the full golf outfits when I get to Turnberry...As BA will be picking up my necessities....I am hoping for rain.



 

It’s both, Heathrow has been bad for a very long time for getting bags on connecting flights. British Airways’ hub is Heathrow, but it seems their customer service has become progressively worse in the past few years. However, that being said, there is scanning info that should at least tell them if your bag made it to London and is stuck there, or if it never made it on the plane in the US. I use a cpap as well, so can understand how tough that is. Hopefully they find your bag and get it to you ASAP!

Edited July 21, 2023 by hammergolf

[hammergolf]

6 hours ago, ND2005 said:

 

Heathrow is a huge issue but I was equally disappointed by BA's customer service and lack of responsiveness. 

 

I could go on and on about BA but just about every aspect of the experience disappointed me - from a booking error, to a check in issue, to the on-flight experience. The lost bags were the icing on the cake.

 

I hadn't flown BA in a very long time and I sort of assumed it would be the same/similar quality product to United or Delta and it was not even close. Should have just ponied up the extra bucks for the united flight (it might have put me over the top for 1K status too if I had lol. Oh well). 

I won’t even book any of my clients on a connecting flight through Heathrow. I’m up front with them and advise them to spend the extra couple hundred dollars to fly direct from a U.S. airport to Dublin, Edinburgh, or Glasgow OR use Shipsticks. Going on a bucket list trip and not having your bags and clubs is awful.

[njlam]

Thanks everyone. I think all my problems could have been solved it I shipsticked the luggage with the golf bag.  The extra $300 would have been worth it.

From the AirTags, I can see my clubs have arrived in Edinburgh about an hour ago. I am playing Turnberry tomorrrow and hope my bag gets here before we leave the hotel in the afternoon. If not, our tour operator says they can get the bag for me and bring it to wherever I am (Prestwick, then Troon).

I went to the Turnberry proshop and stimulated the local economy quite a bit (hopefully BA reimburses me). It is raining and now I am well prepared. There was mostly Turnberry swag at the proshop but there was a corner where a lot of Trump stuff was available.

[hammergolf]

2 hours ago, njlam said:

Thanks everyone. I think all my problems could have been solved it I shipsticked the luggage with the golf bag.  The extra $300 would have been worth it.

From the AirTags, I can see my clubs have arrived in Edinburgh about an hour ago. I am playing Turnberry tomorrrow and hope my bag gets here before we leave the hotel in the afternoon. If not, our tour operator says they can get the bag for me and bring it to wherever I am (Prestwick, then Troon).

I went to the Turnberry proshop and stimulated the local economy quite a bit (hopefully BA reimburses me). It is raining and now I am well prepared. There was mostly Turnberry swag at the proshop but there was a corner where a lot of Trump stuff was available.

Good to hear. Enjoy the trip!

[Quebec Club Ho]

5 hours ago, njlam said:

Thanks everyone. I think all my problems could have been solved it I shipsticked the luggage with the golf bag.  The extra $300 would have been worth it.

From the AirTags, I can see my clubs have arrived in Edinburgh about an hour ago. I am playing Turnberry tomorrrow and hope my bag gets here before we leave the hotel in the afternoon. If not, our tour operator says they can get the bag for me and bring it to wherever I am (Prestwick, then Troon).

I went to the Turnberry proshop and stimulated the local economy quite a bit (hopefully BA reimburses me). It is raining and now I am well prepared. There was mostly Turnberry swag at the proshop but there was a corner where a lot of Trump stuff was available.

Sad to hear about the issues you're having 😞

Hoping that good Karma goes your way and the belief that there are good people out there that can make the rest of the trip a success! 🙂 

[italianstallion]

Just got back from my Ireland / Scotland trip. Flew direct with Aer Lingus from Orlando to Dublin, bag arrived with me. Then after 4 days in Ireland hopped on a Ryanair flight to Edinburgh, bag also arrived with me on that flight. The part I was worried about was the return: we were going to fly Ryanair to Dublin, then Aer Lingus direct from Dublin back to Orlando. No issues whatsoever. Based on that experience anytime I travel with the clubs to Ireland and the UK I’ll fly direct to Dublin, deal with the extra hassle of having to recheck my bags, and go from there. 

[njlam]

Update:

After four days, I finally have my luggage. However it was only due to the expertise and contacts of my tour operator.

 

My bag had finally been transported from Heathrow to Edinburgh and according to my AirTags sat in a warehouse outside of EDI for 2 days. I had asked that my bag be forwarded to Turnberry, but it hadn't moved while I played Prestwick and Troon. My tour operator had enough of this and contacted the currier company that BA uses and arranged for us to pick it up directly (waiting for delivery could have been a few more days). On the way from Troon to Muirfield, we stopped at the currier's warehouse (lots of golf bags there), and after showing my ID and claim check, I was reunited with my bag and all that clean underwear.

I am grateful and impressed with my tour operator (Traveling the Fairways/Fraser Cromarty) in getting this done. He had to wait until the bag was out of BA's hands and in the currier's possession before he could work his connections and expedite the process.

Live and learn, Next time Shipsticks for clubs and luggage, or avoid LHR and BA all together.

[scott_Donald]

49 minutes ago, njlam said:

Update:

After four days, I finally have my luggage. However it was only due to the expertise and contacts of my tour operator.

 

My bag had finally been transported from Heathrow to Edinburgh and according to my AirTags sat in a warehouse outside of EDI for 2 days. I had asked that my bag be forwarded to Turnberry, but it hadn't moved while I played Prestwick and Troon. My tour operator had enough of this and contacted the currier company that BA uses and arranged for us to pick it up directly (waiting for delivery could have been a few more days). On the way from Troon to Muirfield, we stopped at the currier's warehouse (lots of golf bags there), and after showing my ID and claim check, I was reunited with my bag and all that clean underwear.

I am grateful and impressed with my tour operator (Traveling the Fairways/Fraser Cromarty) in getting this done. He had to wait until the bag was out of BA's hands and in the currier's possession before he could work his connections and expedite the process.

Live and learn, Next time Shipsticks for clubs and luggage, or avoid LHR and BA all together.

 

Great news but how has the golf been? that's what you are here for!

[njlam]

Great golf so far.

Loved Turnberry and would play it everyday if I could. If I had to describe it, I would say it is like the greatest hits of Bandon Dunes over 18 holes.

It seemed we were the only ones on the course and the hotel was very highly staffed relative to the number of people staying there. All the employees were very complementary of Trump and all the local golfers said the improvements he made to the course were well conceived and executed. Going into the last par 3, all four of us were tied and I was KP.....my buddy sank a 45 footer for birdie and I missed mine....He was nice to say he didn't need a Turnberry hat, so we didn't have to buy the Trump ones for the losers.

Thoroughly enjoyed Prestwick and missed my eagle putt on 18 after driving the green. It is definitely quirky and might become tiresome if played everyday. Great weather.

Troon was fantastic and more than passes the every day test. Totally got my mail returned to sender at the postage stamp hole, but had a great time.

A rest day today and playing North Berwick tomorrow....looks like rain....

[hammergolf]

3 hours ago, njlam said:

Great golf so far.

Loved Turnberry and would play it everyday if I could. If I had to describe it, I would say it is like the greatest hits of Bandon Dunes over 18 holes.

It seemed we were the only ones on the course and the hotel was very highly staffed relative to the number of people staying there. All the employees were very complementary of Trump and all the local golfers said the improvements he made to the course were well conceived and executed. Going into the last par 3, all four of us were tied and I was KP.....my buddy sank a 45 footer for birdie and I missed mine....He was nice to say he didn't need a Turnberry hat, so we didn't have to buy the Trump ones for the losers.

Thoroughly enjoyed Prestwick and missed my eagle putt on 18 after driving the green. It is definitely quirky and might become tiresome if played everyday. Great weather.

Troon was fantastic and more than passes the every day test. Totally got my mail returned to sender at the postage stamp hole, but had a great time.

A rest day today and playing North Berwick tomorrow....looks like rain....

You’re in for a treat at North Berwick!

[Hawkeye77]

On 7/24/2023 at 6:48 AM, italianstallion said:

Just got back from my Ireland / Scotland trip. Flew direct with Aer Lingus from Orlando to Dublin, bag arrived with me. Then after 4 days in Ireland hopped on a Ryanair flight to Edinburgh, bag also arrived with me on that flight. The part I was worried about was the return: we were going to fly Ryanair to Dublin, then Aer Lingus direct from Dublin back to Orlando. No issues whatsoever. Based on that experience anytime I travel with the clubs to Ireland and the UK I’ll fly direct to Dublin, deal with the extra hassle of having to recheck my bags, and go from there. 

Aer Lingus was top notch as far as we were concerned!

[Hawkeye77]

On 7/25/2023 at 1:09 PM, njlam said:

Great golf so far.

Loved Turnberry and would play it everyday if I could. If I had to describe it, I would say it is like the greatest hits of Bandon Dunes over 18 holes.

It seemed we were the only ones on the course and the hotel was very highly staffed relative to the number of people staying there. All the employees were very complementary of Trump and all the local golfers said the improvements he made to the course were well conceived and executed. Going into the last par 3, all four of us were tied and I was KP.....my buddy sank a 45 footer for birdie and I missed mine....He was nice to say he didn't need a Turnberry hat, so we didn't have to buy the Trump ones for the losers.

Thoroughly enjoyed Prestwick and missed my eagle putt on 18 after driving the green. It is definitely quirky and might become tiresome if played everyday. Great weather.

Troon was fantastic and more than passes the every day test. Totally got my mail returned to sender at the postage stamp hole, but had a great time.

A rest day today and playing North Berwick tomorrow....looks like rain....

If the little guy who is a like talking to Gary Player channeling Monty Python humor checks you in at North Berwick, enjoy him - he was an absolute treasure! 

[njlam]

North Berwick is now the best of the trip so far! Wonderful course, nice neighborhood, great caddies. Muirfield today.

[ousuxndallas]

I spent 10 days in Scotland last year and was able to get all of my clothes into a carry on. Plus some in my golf bag that I sent via ShipSticks. For men, I don't see the need to check any luggage. Pack less. Then you take poor airlines out of the equation.