TSA PROBLEM, EVERY TRAVELING GOLFER MUST KNOW

[pccasstpro]

I tried carrying my wood heads on my carry on bag last week through the Myrtle Beach airport. TSA stopped me in the security line to inspect my back pack and said they don't allow golf clubs to be carried on... I had to go back to the ticketing desk and have one of the works go into the back where my bag was and have them put the heads into my Club glove bag... what the hell? How come just the heads can't be carried on?

 

I have carried my driver head in my carry on without an issue . I will sometimes get a bag pull for additional inspection but nothing out of the sorts....

[Argonne69]

Is it too much to ask that the f*cking a**hats at the TSA properly close my travel bag when they inspect it? On my last trip they opened the bag, and then failed to secure the burst straps, and fully close the zipper.

[Hack Daddy]

> @braby33 said:

> No similarity between fertilizer and gunpowder. But a really common fertilizer is one of two components in explosives commonly used in industrial explosives. And the other components is even easier to get.

 

Nitro in both.

[Big A HG]

I haven't read the entire thread, but has anyone with removable/adjustable heads taken those clubheads off and brought them on their carry-ons (obviously wrapped and protected nicely) and just left the shafts in the golf bag? This would help save a little space lengthwise and maybe prevent some damage.

[jth3333]

driver head every time I fly

[kekoa]

I traveled last month from OC to SFO and I could tell for sure that TSA took everything out of my bag. I took the heads off my driver and put a towel around the tips of the shafts with tape. When I got to the hotel to put the heads back on the tips look crooked or bent. I can't tell which. I'm hoping the club builder I used maybe just didn't let the tips cure long enough. I'll take a pic tonight to get some opinions.

[Hack Daddy]

> @"Big A HG" said:

> I haven't read the entire thread, but has anyone with removable/adjustable heads taken those clubheads off and brought them on their carry-ons (obviously wrapped and protected nicely) and just left the shafts in the golf bag? This would help save a little space lengthwise and maybe prevent some damage.

 

Yes. I remove the heads and stick them in my carry on. Flip irons, homemade stiff arm, and a throw pillow to take up the rest of the dead space, with the rain cover on. No issues... (knock on wood).

 

Edit: 1 - 1/4" X 48" pine dowel with 1" PVC t connectors epoxy on. $5 OTD.

 

 

[Hack Daddy]

> @kekoa said:

> I traveled last month from OC to SFO and I could tell for sure that TSA took everything out of my bag. I took the heads off my driver and put a towel around the tips of the shafts with tape. When I got to the hotel to put the heads back on the tips look crooked or bent. I can't tell which. I'm hoping the club builder I used maybe just didn't let the tips cure long enough. I'll take a pic tonight to get some opinions.

 

What club? Most adapters look bent or crooked to allow for adjustability.

[tad950]

> @"Big A HG" said:

> I haven't read the entire thread, but has anyone with removable/adjustable heads taken those clubheads off and brought them on their carry-ons (obviously wrapped and protected nicely) and just left the shafts in the golf bag? This would help save a little space lengthwise and maybe prevent some damage.

 

I always take the driver head off, put the head in the headcover, and put it in the golf bag. I also put the shaft in the bag, grip up, I see no reason to put the head in my carry on. I figure that if the driver head were to get damaged in my travel bag, a damaged driver head would probably be the least of my problems.

 

And I use a wooden dowel or broomstick (with a sliced tennis ball on one end for cushioning), 1” longer than the longest remaining club in my bag. I like it better than a Stiff Arm.

 

Since I’ve had issues in the past with my checked luggage arriving late, I put a change of clothes in my golf travel bag. Which also helps cushion my equipment.

 

 

[wdm50]

I put wood heads in the carryon. You could also come up with a classic video like this guy did when they broke his Martin guitar. Over 1 million views, you talking about a get even.

[shadymg]

i take heads off of woods & hybrids, and then i take my towels, golf jacket, and a couple other jackets i would have brought carry-on and wrap them around the club heads. My travel bag also has padding at the top. It's gone with me to China, Australia, and several US in the last year and my plan hasn't failed me yet. Fingers crossed

[tiderider]

it it that easy to take off heads and reattach them?

[J_Birdie]

Only time in 10 trips that my bag has been inspected was after pebble beach where I didn’t have time to clean them. TSA friend of mine said the golf course dirt sets off the scanners like it’s an explosive so they open it. Every other time I’ve had time to clean my clubs and the bag was not opened.

 

They put my clubs in the travel bag backward to boot. I’ll be cleaning every time until proven to me that it’s bunk haha.

[HackZogan]

> @J_Birdie said:

> Only time in 10 trips that my bag has been inspected was after pebble beach where I didn’t have time to clean them. TSA friend of mine said the golf course dirt sets off the scanners like it’s an explosive so they open it. Every other time I’ve had time to clean my clubs and the bag was not opened.

>

> They put my clubs in the travel bag backward to boot. I’ll be cleaning every time until proven to me that it’s bunk haha.

 

In my experience cleaning the clubs does not prevent TSA from searching your bag (ie. removing all your clubs, putting them back in wrong, not extending the backbones that you meticulously positioned to ensure your bag fits into your clubglove and then inevitably leaving items out of your bag that they just stuff back into the club glove since its a hassle to get your bag back out).

 

Count yourself lucky that it's only happened to you once!

[North Butte]

Geez, I just stick my clubs in the golf bag, stick the golf bag in an SKB hard case along with a Stiff Arm and hand the whole thing over. Seems about 50/50 that the TSA opens it all up at my local (departure) airport, less than 50/50 otherwise. It's just the way things are.

 

Out of nearly a dozen overseas trip I've had a putter shaft slightly bent once. That was the one trip where I used a Club Glove instead of the SKB.

[jvincent]

I also use an SKB hard case.

 

The only issue I have ever had was a chip on the crown of a brand new driver (arrived on Thu, flew on Fri) when they took all the clubs out of the bag to inspect them. That's going to happen with some frequency no matter what you do. A chip is nothing compared to a bent/broken shaft.

 

Hard case forever!

[az2au]

> @"North Butte" said:

> Geez, I just stick my clubs in the golf bag, stick the golf bag in an SKB hard case along with a Stiff Arm and hand the whole thing over. Seems about 50/50 that the TSA opens it all up at my local (departure) airport, less than 50/50 otherwise. It's just the way things are.

>

> Out of nearly a dozen overseas trip I've had a putter shaft slightly bent once. That was the one trip where I used a Club Glove instead of the SKB.

I don't even do that much, always use a soft-sided bag and stiff arm and in literally 100s of flights, including at least 10 this year alone with golf clubs, I've never had an issue. My bag is searched around 20% of the time I'd say.

[Hawkeye77]

Had a guy at the Sioux Falls airport let me watch his TSA inspection a couple years ago and showed me how careful he was to put things back as he found them. Thought that was cool. Sitting in airport right now hoping my clubs are being transferred to next plane and hope we are riding the same plane after a 4 hour layover, lol.

[Argonne69]

> @HackZogan said:

> > @J_Birdie said:

> > Only time in 10 trips that my bag has been inspected was after pebble beach where I didn’t have time to clean them. TSA friend of mine said the golf course dirt sets off the scanners like it’s an explosive so they open it. Every other time I’ve had time to clean my clubs and the bag was not opened.

> >

> > They put my clubs in the travel bag backward to boot. I’ll be cleaning every time until proven to me that it’s bunk haha.

>

> In my experience cleaning the clubs does not prevent TSA from searching your bag (ie. removing all your clubs, putting them back in wrong, not extending the backbones that you meticulously positioned to ensure your bag fits into your clubglove and then inevitably leaving items out of your bag that they just stuff back into the club glove since its a hassle to get your bag back out).

>

> Count yourself lucky that it's only happened to you once!

 

You forgot to mention leaving the zipper open, and the snaps on the handles unsnapped.