? about flying with golf clubs

[adisneymama]

Hi, we will be flying SW to MCO and dh will be bringing his golf clubs with us. He always plays 2 rounds of golf while at Disney and only plays with his clubs. We have never flown before and I'm not quite sure what is required when checking them with the airline. We will also be using DME and they will be one of the tagged items. We will have a stroller that we are gate checking, and about 3 suitcases. So this will be 4 bags of checked luggage (including the golf clubs) for 3 people. Anything specific we need to do? Any tips or suggestions?
Thanks!

 

[U2FanHfx]

Hi There,

I have flown many times with my clubs. They are counted as one of your check-ins. So the most you can take without extra cost is 1 other bag and the clubs. Just a note - get a hard case for the clubs. Most airlines will not be responsible for the clubs if they get damaged and are in a soft case.

Regs,

CJM

 

[seashoreCM]

You need to verify with your airline that the golf bag meets the size and weight requirements (latter typically 50 lb.) to avoid extra fees.

If your golf tee time is the same day as arrival you would be better off not putting a ME tag on the golf bag and going to the carousel at Orlando to get it yourself. It takes around 4 hours for the automatically delivered baggage to arrive at your room.

Disney hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/magicx.htm

 

[adisneymama]

Hi thanks for the replies, we will have the hard case. I know the bag doesn't weigh more than 50 lbs. It is a carry bag and not a large bag. DH tee times are not for a couple of days after we arrive so not a problem using DME. Also, there are 3 of us and including the golf clubs we will only have 4 bags so we are under the limit. I'll just put a few bags with my DD name on them. Thanks again. Any other suggestions are welcome!

 

[adisneymama]

I just spoke with SW and they said that we are allowed 3 items each, but they do not count the golf clubs towards this count. We are packing lite so we will still only have 4 bags including the golf bag, so we won't go over the DME limit either. I feel much better now! Thanks again guys.
CJM - Where did you get your hard case? I thought DH had one and he just told me no we have to get one. Did you get it from a sporting store? Thanks!

 

[goldcupmom]

Make sure you check w/ SW about the OUTSIDE dimensions of the golf club case. I just flew SW w/ daughter and her fencing equipment and the TOTAL of length + width + height cannot exceed 62". If it does, you will be charged $50 - $100 each way to take the clubs. This went into effect the end of march. I was STUNNED as we had always taken her equipment in a golf bag w/o problem or charge.

 

[adisneymama]

Make sure you check w/ SW about the OUTSIDE dimensions of the golf club case. I just flew SW w/ daughter and her fencing equipment and the TOTAL of length + width + height cannot exceed 62". If it does, you will be charged $50 - $100 each way to take the clubs. This went into effect the end of march. I was STUNNED as we had always taken her equipment in a golf bag w/o problem or charge.

Interesting, that is who I talked to was a rep at SW. She said that it didn't even count towards our checked luggage limit. She said just to make sure it was in the hard case and that was all. I may call back tomorrow and ask someone else.

 

[disney funseeker]

I didn't think airlines counted items such as golf bags, ski equipment, strollers as checked luggage. Perhaps checked luggage is the wrong term because these items do get checked but not counted as part of your luggage weight limit.

For Father's day, I bought dh a soft case travel golf bag for our Disney vacation. The hard cases cost almost 3x more. I kept telling dh to go to the golf store to make sure he didn't want a different one but he was happy with what I bought. Now, I think I'll have to ask my brother what he thinks about the soft case since he used to be a baggage handler at a big airport.

 

[TammyC]

My DH just borrowed a travel case from a friend. I think they call it a hybrid. It is like a regular golf bag on the bottom and has wheels. It has a hard top that attaches and covers the club heads. We did not sign a damage waiver and it is much smaller than a standard hard case. It worked great for us.

 

[adisneymama]

My DH just borrowed a travel case from a friend. I think they call it a hybrid. It is like a regular golf bag on the bottom and has wheels. It has a hard top that attaches and covers the club heads. We did not sign a damage waiver and it is much smaller than a standard hard case. It worked great for us.

What airline did you fly? Did they charge you the extra fee for the size or did they just let you check it knowing it was golf clubs? SW keeps saying that they do not charge extra for golf clubs.
Thanks

 

[golfgal]

I have flown several times with clubs, most airlines have dropped the waiver they had people signing for using soft sided cases. If you use a soft case, wrap a beach towel around the clubs. You can also use the travel bag for extra suitcase space, especially since he only has a carry bag, there will be extra room in there that you will want to fill up so the clubs don't move around inside the travel case. I would also get one of those wide luggage straps to put around the case so the locks don't pop open (not the locking kind, just the strap) if you use a hard case. Soft cases have zippers.

I would pick up your clubs before getting on the ME bus. They are usually delivered to the oversize luggage place, not the regular luggage place, and could easily be overlooked by ME. You won't have to worry about the case being too large for airline requirements, they aren't that big and since the cases are designed specifically for airline travel, they meet airline requirements.

While I totally understand about wanting to use your own clubs, most resorts offer pretty nice rental clubs and flying with golf clubs is kind of a pain. It might be worth a quick phone call to the pro shop of the courses he is going to play to see what kind of rental clubs they have.

 

[adisneymama]

While I totally understand about wanting to use your own clubs, most resorts offer pretty nice rental clubs and flying with golf clubs is kind of a pain. It might be worth a quick phone call to the pro shop of the courses he is going to play to see what kind of rental clubs they have.
__________________

Thanks, I wish he could use the rental clubs. DH is very tall and therefore his arm length is also very long. He can't use standard clubs at all. His clubs have to be fitted for him. If he could use the standard clubs I think he would rent though. Thanks for the suggestion on packing them in the hard case and about picking them up! I would not have thought of that.