flying with a ping hoofer

[CEPHAS]

Good afternoon! I’ll be flying to Chicago from Orang County CA and was looking for some input. i have a Club Glove International travel bag and was wondering if anyone has had any issues flying with a ping hoofer and a same or similar travel bag. Will my clubs be protected, or should i use a sturdier golf bag?

 

thanks. 

 

[CCTxGolf]

Club glove is the best travel bag. Add a stiff arm and your golden. I really wouldn’t even fret without a stiff arm

[Argonne69]

Yes, Club Glove is the best. However, I always use a stiff arm. I once saw the airline grounds crew dumping luggage out of the belly of the aircraft directly on to the tarmac. They dumped a soft sided golf travel bag out, and it landed directly on the club end of the bag. If there wasn't a stiff arm in the bag, the woods were toast. A stiff arm is cheap insurance.

 

Edited July 3, 2021 by Argonne69

[Abh159]

Did the exact same thing a few weeks back with a hoofer lite. I have a club glove collegiate. I got some bubble wrap off Amazon and stuffed it around my bag for a little extra padding and had absolutely no issues. 
 

Like argonne said though MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A STIFF ARM. If you don’t have one then you’re taking a serious risk. 

[dlygrisse]

One of my legs got bent pretty good once on mine.  Use a stiff arm and then use an old bag if you have one. Airlines just don’t care how they treat your stuff. In fact I would surmise a lot of the baggage handlers enjoy abusing your belongings.  

[Duffer222]

Securely wrap a towel around your clubs weaving in and out of each head.  Remove any heads you can and store them elsewhere and you should be good!

[CEPHAS]

thanks for the responses! looks like it’s time to go shopping. 

[CCTxGolf]

Just FYI for anyone in the market. Nowadays most retailers and even the club glove website offer a free stiff arm with your purchase. 

[hammergolf]

8 hours ago, CEPHAS said:

Good afternoon! I’ll be flying to Chicago from Orang County CA and was looking for some input. i have a Club Glove International travel bag and was wondering if anyone has had any issues flying with a ping hoofer and a same or similar travel bag. Will my clubs be protected, or should i use a sturdier golf bag?

 

thanks. 

 

I would recommend taking the heads off all your longer clubs if possible, and using a StiffArm. Then wrap around your irons with a towel or two. Besides that your good to go. I’ve literally made hundreds of trips using my hoofer inside my travel bag.

[Argonne69]

An old broom or mop cut down to a few inches longer than your driver can also serve as a stiff-arm. Some folks have put a tennis ball on the end, but the handle is probably sufficient.

 

[cristphoto]

I have the Club Glove Last Bag and a lightweight standbag. Never had any trouble on the airlines.  My Club Glove came with the Stiff Arm and I always use it. I take my driver head off (only removeable head in my bag) and stick it in one of the side pockets wrapped in a towel and put the head cover back over the naked shaft. I'll usually wad a couple towels in the top of the bag for added protection. Be sure to put on the bags travel cover at the top to hold clubs in place. Then I'll put my golf shoes against the bag spikes facing outward. A good travel bag (Club Glove is exceptional) and Stiff Arm will do a great job.  

 

If you're worried that the super light Ping bag is insufficient for travel try to borrow a 14 club separator bag for extra shaft protection. It should still be light enough to clear airline weight limits. 

[llamont]

I’ve traveled all over with my “OG” Club Glove and Ping (Hoofer2 and L8+) bags with no issues. Although I’m a hack I did play collegiate golf at a tiny NAIA program about 20 years ago and logged some miles during that time. Like others have said, wrap your irons with a towel and use a stiff arm. Your clubs should be fine 🤓

Edited July 6, 2021 by llamont

[Robber6656]

I had a stiff arm  bent when I returned from a trip. NO damage to the clubs. I would never travel without the stiff arm.

 

Hoofer like bag with Club Glove and Stiff arm is all I ever use now. I used to travel with a staff bag for the extra protection. It's not needed IMO.

[davep043]

I'll jump on the bandwagon.  I use a Club Glove collegiate size, and my Hoofer from 2015, and have never had a problem.  I do use a Stiff Arm, I do take the head off my driver, and I do wrap a towel through all of the irons.  

[dubbelbogey]

All will be good with Club Glove. 

 

I'm in the camp of using a wooden stick instead of a stiff arm. Mine happens to be an old hockey shaft because I have them around. But a broomstick would be fine, of course. It won't break (I've seen the actual Stiff Arm's get bent). I also use a tennis ball on the end of mine.

 

Removeable heads get pulled off and packed separately..

 

Since I have a 4-way divider on my bag, I also put my irons in upside-down. Not only are they better protected, it moves most of the weight down near the wheels so gliding the bag around the airport is a lot easier since the weight is low and not hanging so much on your arm.

 

Edited July 6, 2021 by dubbelbogey

[jvincent]

Am I allowed to chime in with "just get a hard case" in this thread?

 

Throw in bag, shoes, and whatever else you need and don't spend a minute worrying. Yes, it can be a pain for cars depending on how big your group is.

[Abh159]

49 minutes ago, jvincent said:

Am I allowed to chime in with "just get a hard case" in this thread?

 

Throw in bag, shoes, and whatever else you need and don't spend a minute worrying. Yes, it can be a pain for cars depending on how big your group is.

 

I love the hard case option for durability reasons, but they are a HUGE pain when it comes to rental cars / ride share services. I guess if you're solo you could put them in the backseat of a car, but if you're with other people it can become an issue. 

 

I went on a golf trip with a buddy recently and we could only use UBER XLs because his hard case wouldn't fit in the trunk of anything smaller than an SUV or minivan. Needless to say I made him pay for all those as my soft club glove case would have fit in the truck of most sedans 🤣.

Edited July 6, 2021 by Abh159

[golfortennis]

For the guys saying remove the heads and pack separately.  Where exactly are you packing them?  I kind of wonder if it's not like packing the rangefinder in there, just inviting it to be stolen.  

[dubbelbogey]

2 hours ago, golfortennis said:

For the guys saying remove the heads and pack separately.  Where exactly are you packing them?  I kind of wonder if it's not like packing the rangefinder in there, just inviting it to be stolen.  

Carry on.

 

As for hard cases, I know many have traveled with no issues using hard cases. And some airlines will only offer a damage waiver with a hard case. Valid points, but in addition to the issue mentioned above with rental car space, hard cases have been known to get damaged (racking of the hinges causing the buckles to misalign.) While the clubs may still be safe, the case itself are vulnerable to damage. Some of the hard cases out there are not very robust. They're not built like a Pelican case, for sure.

 

Also, soft side (specifically Club Glove) is how the vast majority of pros pack their gear. For those that make a living with their sticks, that's a decent endorsement.

Edited July 6, 2021 by dubbelbogey

[golfortennis]

17 minutes ago, dubbelbogey said:

Carry on.

 

As for hard cases, I know many have traveled with no issues using hard cases. And some airlines will only offer a damage waiver with a hard case. Valid points, but in addition to the issue mentioned above with rental car space, hard cases have been known to get damaged (racking of the hinges causing the buckles to misalign.) While the clubs may still be safe, the case itself are vulnerable to damage. Some of the hard cases out there are not very robust. They're not built like a Pelican case, for sure.

 

Also, soft side (specifically Club Glove) is how the vast majority of pros pack their gear. For those that make a living with their sticks, that's a decent endorsement.

Thanks.  I've never removed the heads, but I have a stiff arm and pack some towels around the heads.  So I have been ok.  Just carried on range finder.  

[jvincent]

12 hours ago, dubbelbogey said:

Carry on.

 

As for hard cases, I know many have traveled with no issues using hard cases. And some airlines will only offer a damage waiver with a hard case. Valid points, but in addition to the issue mentioned above with rental car space, hard cases have been known to get damaged (racking of the hinges causing the buckles to misalign.) While the clubs may still be safe, the case itself are vulnerable to damage. Some of the hard cases out there are not very robust. They're not built like a Pelican case, for sure.

 

Also, soft side (specifically Club Glove) is how the vast majority of pros pack their gear. For those that make a living with their sticks, that's a decent endorsement.

I'm on my second hard case.

 

My cheap one was broken by the handlers. Imagine what would have happened to the clubs! I have an SKB now that has a lifetime warranty. I had to get a wheel replace a couple of years ago, but otherwise it's still going strong.

 

I don't know what percentage of pros fly private vs commercial, but certainly the top guys don't have to worry about baggage handlers.

[dubbelbogey]

1 hour ago, jvincent said:

I'm on my second hard case.

 

My cheap one was broken by the handlers. Imagine what would have happened to the clubs! I have an SKB now that has a lifetime warranty. I had to get a wheel replace a couple of years ago, but otherwise it's still going strong.

 

I don't know what percentage of pros fly private vs commercial, but certainly the top guys don't have to worry about baggage handlers.

True - but the bottom half of the Tour (probably more) doesn't fly private, and probably none on the KF Tour, not to mention all the collegiate players. When I've run across some college teams at the airport, it's dominated by Club Glove (I'm sure that's part of some sponsorship deals, of course). I also happened to once be at a hotel in China where European Tour players were staying for their event. Again, soft side cases were the norm as they were all gathering to check out.

[CEPHAS]

I've thought about getting a hard case, but i just don't travel enough with my clubs to buy one. I picked up my CG cheap so I've kept it. I do have the wooden rod with a tennis ball that i have used as a stiff arm. I did forget about removing the heads. Also nice tip about turning the irons upside down for weight distribution.

[rooski]

16 hours ago, dubbelbogey said:

Also, soft side (specifically Club Glove) is how the vast majority of pros pack their gear. For those that make a living with their sticks, that's a decent endorsement.

 

They also have 3-5 people waiting for them to land with a truck full of personalized gear ready to be crafted in 15 minutes so I think that's apples to oranges. If I break my RadSpeed all i have are tears and my credit card number

Edited July 7, 2021 by rooski

[Primo1868]

I fly with a ping hoofer tour and a club glove, no issues, no concerns on any trip!