The final countdown to a golf trip across the pond is an exciting time. Besides anxiously awaiting the great memories ahead, the days just before departure usually prompt golfers to consider the preparations they might have missed along the way. One of those overlooked, yet wildly important, preparations involves something that you’ll need almost every day of the trip…
How will I get my golf clubs across the pond?
This conundrum has two solutions…
- You can bring your golf clubs with you on the plane.
- You can ship your golf clubs ahead with a company that specializes in golf club shipping.
Whenever possible, we recommend that you ship your golf clubs to Scotland and beyond for these important reasons.
Convenience
The first, and perhaps most obvious, reason to ship your golf clubs overseas is convenience.
You’ve spent the last year or so looking forward to an unforgettable golf trip across the pond. All of your plans are in order, you’ve followed our golf trip packing list, and you’ve even spent some time learning how to play links golf.
But your trip is almost guaranteed to be bookended by a notorious headache: the airport.
Even on its best day, the airport can be a stressful experience. Navigating the crowds and check-in line with your luggage and golf clubs is a less than ideal way to start and end your trip.
Of course, you can eliminate most of that frustration by shipping your golf clubs ahead, where they’ll be comfortably waiting at your first hotel when you arrive.
Before you ship the clubs, however, you’ll need to prepare your golf travel bag. The helpful video below shares exactly how to do it.
Arrive On-Time
Just about every week, a professional golfer takes to Twitter to announce an airline has lost their golf clubs. In one famous incident, United Airlines lost Rory McIlroy’s clubs just a few weeks before he won The Open Championship at Royal Liverpool Golf Club.
Rest assured, if it can happen to them, it can happen to you.
This is especially true if you’re connecting through London Heathrow, where golf clubs seem to take unscheduled detours with alarming regularity.
The absolute last way that you want to begin your trip is without your golf clubs. Just imagine stepping onto the first tee of the Old Course at St. Andrews or Royal County Down with a set of rental clubs. It’s not a pretty picture, is it?
But that’s precisely what recently happened to a group of the H&B Forces. They experienced a flight delay, missed their connection, and landed in Scotland in a different city than expected and without their golf clubs.
Their H&B Driver-Host drove roughly six hours round-trip to fetch their golf clubs, and the trip carried on without a hitch. But the group had to play their first round with loaner sticks. What an introduction to links golf…
To be fair, the vast majority of the time, your golf clubs will be waiting on the luggage carousel for you.
But the best way to guarantee you’ll enjoy those bucket-list golf courses with your own clubs is to put them in the hands of a company whose one and only job is ensuring they arrive on time.
No Fees
With the exception of the airlines, no one likes baggage fees. Unless you have status with your airline of choice, chances are that dragging your golf bag onboard is going to cost you.
And while shipping golf clubs internationally may cost a little more than the airline baggage fees, the value derived from the convenience and premium service more than offsets the difference.
If your golf clubs are among the roughly 25 million bags lost by the airlines each year, rest assured…
The service will be anything but premium in the quest to reunite the two of you.
But if you’re still concerned about the cost difference, here’s an alternative strategy to consider…
Ship the golf clubs on the outward journey only. You’ll save a few dollars and can rest easy knowing you’ll have them on the trip. An on-time return to home, however, is a different story.
If you ship your golf clubs, you won’t find them just laying around in the middle of an airport in Ireland.
On the Tee on Time – Guaranteed
If your clubs fail to arrive at your destination on-time, unless they’re delayed by customs, most shipping companies provide reimbursement for additional expenses like rental clubs, shoes, and golf balls. Research the on-time guarantee with your company of choice before booking.
But regardless of what’s offered, it’s certain to be better than seeking compensation from the airline.
Getting one of them to reimburse you for rental golf clubs is about as likely as a sandie from the Road Hole Bunker.
As you can see, there are many compelling reasons to ship your golf clubs on your next trip across the pond. The convenience and peace of mind will ensure that your H&B Expedition begins and ends on a stress-free note.
For more insight on planning your golf trip across the pond, visit the pages below, read our reviews, or have a look through our Yardage Book, where you’ll find answers to many of our most frequently asked questions.
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