Travelling with Golf bag updates - 2023

[dirthead]

56 minutes ago, ousuxndallas said:

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. 

That's one big lesson I learned on my trip to Scotland this year.  I packed WAY to many clothes.  Could have easily gotten by with 2 sets of golf clothes for 5-6 days of golf.  A couple sets of casual clothes and a jacket or vest.  My next trip I'll pack much lighter and absolutely use ShipSticks for my clubs.  

[hammergolf]

4 hours ago, ousuxndallas said:

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. 

Exactly. I have set up my golf travel bag with packing cubes that velcro into it for most of my clothes, then I take a carryon with 2 days of clothes, my cpap, and toiletries. Since I began only flying direct flights from the US abroad I have not had one issue. 

[Chanceman]

On 7/20/2023 at 10:55 AM, 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).

 

Have they changed the logo? That looks like the original one which was then changed to the cross (pictured) which was on the merch about 10 year ago, pre DT.
 

Edited July 28, 2023 by Chanceman
Wording

[njlam]

On 7/27/2023 at 5:41 AM, ousuxndallas said:

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. 

10 day golf trip with all your clothes in a carry on?

Are you a commando?

[ousuxndallas]

On 7/28/2023 at 5:14 PM, njlam said:

10 day golf trip with all your clothes in a carry on?

Are you a commando?

LOL!  I'm an expert level traveler.  Roll things up tight, stuff things everywhere, etc.  It can be done.  Think through your wardrobe (what should be packed vs. warn on plane, etc.) and it's not that tough.  Also, since I ship-sticks my clubs, you can put shoes, rain gear, socks, pants, etc. in that bag as well.  

[njlam]

18 hours ago, ousuxndallas said:

LOL!  I'm an expert level traveler.  Roll things up tight, stuff things everywhere, etc.  It can be done.  Think through your wardrobe (what should be packed vs. warn on plane, etc.) and it's not that tough.  Also, since I ship-sticks my clubs, you can put shoes, rain gear, socks, pants, etc. in that bag as well.  

Sounds great...were you able to do the same thing going home? Dirty laundry has a way to getting bigger....

[njlam]

On 7/25/2023 at 11:09 AM, 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....

 

On 7/26/2023 at 10:15 PM, njlam said:

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

While I realize this thread is about prbblems travelling with golf bags, for those who are following my saga, I thought I would provide commentary on the rest of my trip.

With Turnberry/Prestwick/Troon/North Berwick behind us, Muirfield was next and it didn't disappoint, While some may find it stuffy, the whole play in the morning, get suited up for an awesome lunch, then foursomes in the afternoon (where two man teams play alternate shots) was an incredible experience. I had a great caddie (who was on Rose Zhang's bag at The Open last year) and he really helped me out in the deep bunkers. A sandy birdie on #12 was the highlight of the morning round. While Muirfield doesn't have any real ocean holes, I feel the same way about it as I feel about Bandon Trails; it is a fantastic golf course and the day there was a wonderful experience.

As good as Muirfield was, nothing could beat the experience of The Old Course. Just arriving in St Andrews is like being on a movie set, and the amenities at the Old Course Hotel were a reminder of the advances made in plumbing technology since Greywalls was a new hotel. We were all nervous on the first tee, and I hit my tee shot a little right of where my caddie told me to. My second shot did not feel great, but I was on the green and KP of our foursome...three putts later, I had finished the first hole of what would seem like the fastest round of 18 I have ever played. Time moves quickly when you are having fun. Parring the Road hole and the 18th was really special.

In hindsight, playing our free round at the Jubilee after the round at TOC was probably a mistake. While Jubilee was nice, it meant that I had played 36 at Muirfield, then 36 at TOC/Jubilee leading up to our last day at Carnoustie, which is probably the hardest golf course on the trip. Fatigue had really set into my 63 year old body and my only solace is the material obtained for my upcoming book, The bunkers of Carnoustie, Volumes 1 & 2,,,

Overall a wonderful trip despite the lost luggage.

If I had to rank the golf courses:
1. Turnberry/North Berwick
2. The Old Course/Muirfield
3. Troon
4. Carnoustie
5. Prestwick
6. Jubilee

Alternatively, if I had the rank the experiences:
1. The Old Course

2. Muirfield

3. North Berwick
4. Turnberry
5. Troon
6. Carnoustie
7. Prestwick

8. Jubilee
 

Edited August 3, 2023 by njlam

[ousuxndallas]

2 hours ago, njlam said:

Sounds great...were you able to do the same thing going home? Dirty laundry has a way to getting bigger....

Yes, probably rolled up my dirties and stuffed them in golf bag and ShipSticks them back home.  Even though dirty, still fold and roll like clean.  New shirts bought added to the mix, so had to account for those, but it all fit.

[hammergolf]

3 hours ago, njlam said:

 

While I realize this thread is about prbblems travelling with golf bags, for those who are following my saga, I thought I would provide commentary on the rest of my trip.

With Turnberry/Prestwick/Troon/North Berwick behind us, Muirfield was next and it didn't disappoint, While some may find it stuffy, the whole play in the morning, get suited up for an awesome lunch, then foursomes in the afternoon (where two man teams play alternate shots) was an incredible experience. I had a great caddie (who was on Rose Zhang's bag at The Open last year) and he really helped me out in the deep bunkers. A sandy birdie on #12 was the highlight of the morning round. While Muirfield doesn't have any real ocean holes, I feel the same way about it as I feel about Bandon Trails; it is a fantastic golf course and the day there was a wonderful experience.

As good as Muirfield was, nothing could beat the experience of The Old Course. Just arriving in St Andrews is like being on a movie set, and the amenities at the Old Course Hotel were a reminder of the advances made in plumbing technology since Greywalls was a new hotel. We were all nervous on the first tee, and I hit my tee shot a little right of where my caddie told me to. My second shot did not feel great, but I was on the green and KP of our foursome...three putts later, I had finished the rirst hole of what would seem like the fastest round of 18 I have ever played. Time moves quickly when you are having fun. Parring the Road hole and the 18th was really special.

In hindsight, playing our free round at the Jubilee after the round at TOC was probably a mistake. While Jubilee was nice, it meant that I had played 36 at Muirfield, then 36 at TOC/Jubilee leading up to our last day at Carnoustie, which is probably the hardest golf course on the trip. Fatigue had really set into my 63 year old body and my only solace is the material obtained for my upcoming book, The bunkers of Carnoustie, Volumes 1 & 2,,,

Overall a wonderful trip despite the lost luggage.

If I had to rank the golf courses:
1. Turnberry/North Berwick
2. The Old Course/Muirfield
3. Troon
4. Carnoustie
5. Prestwick
6. Jubilee

Alternatively, if I had the rank the experiences:
1. The Old Course

2. Muirfield

3. North Berwick
4. Turnberry
5. Troon
6. Carnoustie
7. Prestwick

8. Jubilee
6. Jubilee

Great trip!

[EdwardGolfer]

Recently tried https://bagtotee.com to ship my golf clubs... I was a little nervous but the prices were way more affordable than shipsticks and I had noticed throughout the years how they keep bumping their prices. 

Overall clubs arrived great and I'll keep using them. Let me know if anyone else has used them here. 

Edited September 15, 2023 by EdwardGolfer

[hammergolf]

On 9/15/2023 at 2:37 PM, EdwardGolfer said:

Recently tried https://bagtotee.com to ship my golf clubs... I was a little nervous but the prices were way more affordable than shipsticks and I had noticed throughout the years how they keep bumping their prices. 

Overall clubs arrived great and I'll keep using them. Let me know if anyone else has used them here. 

They don’t do international yet, but if they can provide lower rates than Shipsticks they can do a bunch of business.

[imkirby34]

Similar to last year's Scotland trip, I was part of another group golf trip (NCGA - Northern California Golf Association) from 9/8-9/16, this time to Ireland.  No issues with checked suitcase or golf bag going both ways.  On the way there it was American Airlines SJC-DFW-DUB.  On the way back it was British Airways DUB-LHR-SJC.  

 

SJC-DFW flight was delayed such that there was ~45 minutes between arrival at DFW and departure to DUB, but suitcase and golf bag still made the transfer.  Had even more delays issues (>1 hour) on the DUB-LHR flight, but I had already purposely selected flights that would leave at least 2.5 hours between connections at LHR, so there was no time crunch.  However, some folks on the flight weren't so lucky because they were going to SFO and they apparently missed their connection.

[njlam]

Update: 10 weeks after submitting my receipts to British Airways, I was reimbursed for my expenses/clothes for their losing my non golf bag luggage (4 days) on my July Scotland trip.

 

British Air was not easy to work with and I had almost given up hope. Not sure if I will use them again

[tad950]

5 hours ago, njlam said:

Update: 10 weeks after submitting my receipts to British Airways, I was reimbursed for my expenses/clothes for their losing my non golf bag luggage (4 days) on my July Scotland trip.

 

British Air was not easy to work with and I had almost given up hope. Not sure if I will use them again

It has been my unfortunate experience that 10 weeks is probably a slightly better than average time period to resolve a claim with most airlines. And if you transferred through LHR, there was probably a mountain of other claims besides yours 😄. 

Edited October 12, 2023 by tad950

[Chanceman]

I came into Heathrow on Singapore Airlines and had no trouble with the golf bag which duly appeared at the over size ramp. Seems to be more of an issue with bags getting misplaced when transferring to other flights up to Scotland. 

[Quebec Club Ho]

On 10/12/2023 at 12:57 PM, njlam said:

Update: 10 weeks after submitting my receipts to British Airways, I was reimbursed for my expenses/clothes for their losing my non golf bag luggage (4 days) on my July Scotland trip.

 

British Air was not easy to work with and I had almost given up hope. Not sure if I will use them again

Hi Njlam, 

I am not sure if I posted this already or not. Sorry old age 😞

BA didn't lose my bags but on my way home I was denied boarding.

It did take exactly two months to receive my compensation. I'm not sure if I'm allowed to post the amount but it was way more than my expenses. It actually helped reduce some of my overall expenses for my trip. And it could have been the max allowed by European law

But like you, I'm a little gun shy about booking BA.

In the future I'm thinking about booking KLM to Amsterdam - Amsterdam to Aberdeen. 

Happy you got your compensation 🙂

[scott_Donald]

12 hours ago, Quebec Club Ho said:

Hi Njlam, 

I am not sure if I posted this already or not. Sorry old age 😞

BA didn't lose my bags but on my way home I was denied boarding.

It did take exactly two months to receive my compensation. I'm not sure if I'm allowed to post the amount but it was way more than my expenses. It actually helped reduce some of my overall expenses for my trip. And it could have been the max allowed by European law

But like you, I'm a little gun shy about booking BA.

In the future I'm thinking about booking KLM to Amsterdam - Amsterdam to Aberdeen. 

Happy you got your compensation 🙂

 

I am about to book Aberdeen - Schiphol - Calgary return and certainly going to use KLM. BA didn't even come in to my head. 

[hammergolf]

On 10/13/2023 at 7:40 AM, Chanceman said:

I came into Heathrow on Singapore Airlines and had no trouble with the golf bag which duly appeared at the over size ramp. Seems to be more of an issue with bags getting misplaced when transferring to other flights up to Scotland. 

I think it’s also worse in the summertime when the number of golfers are increased. 

[njlam]

I booked BA (business class) via Alaska using miles. Thought it was a great deal in retrospect, not so much.

In the future, while I may take BA from a convenience perspective, I will ShipSticks my clubs and luggage in advance.

[Quebec Club Ho]

13 hours ago, scott_Donald said:

 

I am about to book Aberdeen - Schiphol - Calgary return and certainly going to use KLM. BA didn't even come in to my head. 

Enjoy Calgary! 

[scott_Donald]

9 hours ago, Quebec Club Ho said:

Enjoy Calgary! 

 

It won't be until end of January; 2 days visiting friends(been in Calgary for more than a year of my life in the last 20 years) and then 6 days skiing, Revelstoke working our way back to Calgary. 

[tad950]

1 hour ago, scott_Donald said:

 

It won't be until end of January; 2 days visiting friends(been in Calgary for more than a year of my life in the last 20 years) and then 6 days skiing, Revelstoke working our way back to Calgary. 

Ever skied Kicking Horse? Great little ski area. Sorry for going off topic.

Edited October 19, 2023 by tad950

[scott_Donald]

3 hours ago, tad950 said:

Ever skied Kicking Horse? Great little ski area. Sorry for going off topic.

 

no afraid not, just done - Whistler, Lake Louise, Sunshine before in Western Canada. 

[Quebec Club Ho]

12 hours ago, scott_Donald said:

 

It won't be until end of January; 2 days visiting friends(been in Calgary for more than a year of my life in the last 20 years) and then 6 days skiing, Revelstoke working our way back to Calgary. 

Enjoy the skiing!! I hope the locals did and continue to be nice and courteous to you. Hard to believe one can be treated as nice as I was in Scotland 😉

[st1800e]

Chiming in on losing access to essentials…

 

My CPAP in its own travel case is a carry on, as a medical device it’s not counted in what you carry on.  

 

Medication, they all go in my carry on back pack.  

 

Also in my backpack is one pair of golf shoes, a dozen balls, a hat and a glove.  

Everything has an AirTag.  
 

[ND2005]

On 10/18/2023 at 1:58 PM, njlam said:

I booked BA (business class) via Alaska using miles. Thought it was a great deal in retrospect, not so much.

In the future, while I may take BA from a convenience perspective, I will ShipSticks my clubs and luggage in advance.

I took BA because the business class flight was half the rate as United Polaris. 
 
lesson learned. I’m not going to use them again.