9 Tips For Travelling Abroad With Your Golf Clubs

By: Andy Waple | Wed 05 Feb 2025

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I travel abroad a lot for my job and although rental sets are generally available at the destination I prefer to take my own clubs.

All golfers flying abroad will be familiar with the hassle this brings, so here are a few tips to take some of the pain away and allow you to look forward to your trip with less stress.

1. Early Flight Tip: Maximise Comfort With Airport Hotels And Twilight Check-In

My best piece of advice if you have an early flight is to take advantage of airport hotels and use the free early check-ins available the night before the flight. My last trip from Manchester was a red-eye 6.20am departure which seemed appalling, apart from the fact it meant I could have lunch and a round of golf in Portugal on arrival day. I booked airport parking and a hotel through holidayextras.com and travelled to Manchester from Sheffield the evening before the flight. Jet2 have Twilight Check-In and it was a doddle. No queue whatsoever, and my bags were checked in promptly. Next time I saw them was the following day at Faro Airport. It allowed for a relaxing dinner, a few drinks at the hotel and a grateful lie-in of sorts. Next morning I was through security in just nine minutes to enjoy an early morning coffee. Some other airlines offer this service so check them out.

Golf Travel Tips

2. Pack Smart: Know Your Bag's Weight For Hassle-Free Travel

Know how much your bag weighs and write it down for next time. You will see the accurate weight when they are on the check-in scales so pay attention. Nearly all airlines charge for carriage but the weight allowance is reasonable, usually between 20-23kg.

Mine is a lightweight stand bag and the 14 clubs with graphite shafted irons, six balls, waterproofs and a pair of shoes totals around 16kg.

So there is plenty of room for extras, but you need to be careful to read the small print to see what else you can carry.

3. Quick Tip: Store Toiletries in Golf Bag to Breeze Through Security

If you have no further check in luggage, put your toiletries in the golf bag. That way you avoid having to put their contents in a clear plastic bag at security.

4. Protect Your Clubs: Use a Rigid Support to Prevent Damage

Put something rigid in your bag, slightly longer than your driver, to take the weight in case the bag is mishandled and dropped on its end. I use an adjustable walking pole, but a sawn-off broom handle is ideal.

5. Stand Out: Opt For a Distinctive Travel Bag to Avoid Mix-Ups

Buy a distinctive travel bag. It’s easy to spot and is less likely to be picked up accidently by a member of another golfing party at the carousel. Most people have black bags and mistakes can easily happen. My multi-coloured Ogio travel bag stands out a mile and gets lots of compliments. All the same I always check the label before walking off with it to make sure I’ve not picked up someone else's!

6. Arrival Alert: Know Where to Collect Your Golf Bags at the Airport

Check at the arrivals hall where golf bags are delivered. Some airports put them on the carousel, others use a special oversize delivery point that can be more than 100 yards away. There is nothing worse than panicking they’ve been left behind when they have been put in a pile on the floor behind you in the arrivals hall half an hour previously.

7. Dual Purpose: Travel in Golf Shoes For Style And Practicality

Travel in a pair of golf shoes. Most hybrid shoes look like trainers anyway so you won’t get funny looks when you trot down the plane to the loo. It helps keep the weight down and gives you an extra pair if the golf bag goes AWOL.

8. Handy Fix: Keep Duct Tape in Your Bag For Emergency Repairs

Carry a roll of duct tape in the bag. If the zips get broken in transit you will be able to carry out emergency repairs to get everything home.

9. Security Caution: Avoid Taking Golf Balls in Hand Luggage

Be careful taking golf balls in your hand luggage. From experience I can tell you that your bag might get flagged as suspicious at the security screening causing you a long delay being asked to empty your bag for inspection.

And we have some bonus tips that have been suggested by Golfshake readers...

How to Position Your Golf Bag

"Put your bag in with the stand facing sideways. If you put it in with the legs at the bottom of the bag they get damaged when the baggage handlers throw them about as they take the brunt of the impact if the bag doesn’t have any protection on the bottom."

Pack Golf Essentials in Different Luggage

"Put a spare pair of shoes and some golf balls in a different piece of luggage."

Use Packing Cubes

"Could I also suggest packing cubes. Non rigid bags. I put my clothes and toiletries into my golf bag. A cube for golf clothes, evening clothes, poolside clothes, etc. They easily fit into the spaces around the golf bag. Easy to pack and unpack."