So you are getting ready to vacation and spend some time with your in-laws and you know what a big golfer your father-in-law is and want to make sure you bring your best game to the course when he “spontaneously” decides you should go golfing.
This means you probably want to have your own clubs with you when you take him on. In order to do this though, you have to pack your clubs and equipment into the cargo hold and hope everything comes out the same as it went in. Well, with the new advancements in clubs also come new advancements in the golf travel case.
The Options
A golf travel case will help you make sure your investment in top of the line equipment stays as pristine as the day you bought it. Before you go rushing out to the store to buy one though, you want to make sure you have all the facts about them.
There are three categories golf travel cases can be separated into, the hard, soft and hybrid designs. Before you say to yourself, “I want the one that will provide the best protection so I’ll just get the hard case,” you might want to compare the differences first. All three types of bags have advantages and disadvantages to them, but they are all specifically designed to be travel cases.
Hard Case
The most common material the hard golf travel case is made of is high density polyethylene. These bags are rigid and usually close with locking clasps over a rubber seal to prevent dirt and moisture form getting to the clubs. The hard golf travel case can be built in different shapes and sizes, to fit your specific length of club and type of bag.
The features to look for in the hard case are through-and-through color (so scratches do not show), maneuverability (such as wheels and handles), and even collapsibility. That’s right collapsibility; “Golf Telebag” has come out with a telescoping rigid case that will collapse to 24″ for storage.
So if space is a big concern for you, but you want the rigid design, this might be an option worth checking out. This particular bag will run you about $120, and the standard hard cases will run anywhere from $50 -$500. One major drawback to the hard golf travel case though is the unavailability of exterior storage compartments as you will find on soft cases.
Soft Case
Soft golf travel cases on the other hand are usually equipped with not only exterior pockets, but extra handles and padding. The common design of soft cases consists of a nylon design with support straps and padding to go along with the convenience of extra space they provide when empty. Club Glove boasts the use of its “Last Bag” by more touring professionals than any other product in golf.
If you are looking to be on par with the champions, this $250-$300 bag may be the one you’ve been looking for. Still not sure which type of bag is right for you, or maybe they both are, if that’s the case, the hybrid golf travel case may be what you are looking for.
Hybrid Case
The design behind the hybrid is a simple concept, make a hard golf travel case with soft case features. The idea has taken a few different forms, firstly being to have a hard case built into a soft case. Secondly, to have a hard case with attachable soft accessory bags for the outside. The drawback of these designs are that while traveling, the bag takes quite a beating and become quickly worn out, and there are only so many attachment pouches you can add to a hard case.
The solution to these problems has shown up in Cargo Golf’s “ProSeries 900”. Cargo Golf has taken the idea of the hybrid golf travel bag to the next level with the soft case “skin” which is removable from the hard case travel section of the bag. This design allows for the wear and tear of travel to be handled by the hard case inside, keeping the outer bag with all the accessories bags clean and working as long as possible, and is reasonably priced at around $189..
So there you have it, a quick review of your options for your new golf travel case, now you can stop worrying about your clubs and start trying to figure out how to beat your father-in-law and earn the respect you deserve.
