Early on a media trip, just a few years into my career as a travel golf journalist, I was hanging out with some veteran golf writers by one of the baggage claim carousels inside Missouri’s Springfield-Branson National Airport, waiting for everyone’s clubs to arrive. When the details of my clubs came up in conversation, I opened my travel bag to pull out an iron. That’s when one of the more experienced travel writers dropped some knowledge on me.
“Do you travel with your clubs like this?” he asked clearly surprised.
I had no idea what he was getting at. I had head coverings on driver, fairway wood AND HYBRIDand the bag fit well inside the travel bag. Everything seemed fine to me.
“You have to protect them more,” he said.
As I learned that afternoon, this particular writer always removes his driver heads and fairway woods, tucking them into the side pocket of his golf bag whenever he travels. As he told me, it’s more common than you might think for clubs to break, given how baggage handlers casually toss golf travel bags around. More specifically, those bags are routinely thrown headfirst into barricades, inside walls of baggage transport vehicles, and other hard surfaces. At that angle of impact, the force can cause lightweight graphite shafts to bend awkwardly and snap. Influencer Erik Anders Lang experienced this a few years ago, and he documented it in a vlog he posted in 2021.
The thought of removing the club heads every time I pack my golf bag for a trip didn’t sit well with me then, and it still doesn’t sit well with me today. Even though my driver, woods, and hybrids are all adjustable, I never bother with the settings. Once I’ve been professionally fitted with new equipment, I leave things alone – I’d rather fix my swing mechanics than loft angles and the lie of my club. Removing the club head completely and then reattaching it after a flight fills me with great anxiety. I’m afraid I won’t be able to get the club back to the exact specs that were originally calibrated for my swing.
Train Reaction System (TRS) Pro Traveler 2025 Golf Travel Bag
The Pro Traveler combines unmatched protection, superior durability and premium elegance. It is considered by many industry publications to be one of the best golf travel bags for those planning longer trips.
Fortunately, there is another solution for club protection. Products such as the Club Glove Rigid Arm, Backbone BagBoy, Club Shield from Tour Trek and Caddy Daddy’s North Pole Club Travel Protector all provide a needed buffer between your clubs and the top of the travel bag. These extended devices effectively act as a shock absorber, taking the brunt of any head-on impact, leaving your clubs unscathed.
I’ve been using them for over a decade and – knock on wood – I’ve never had any club damage. However, years ago, I opened my travel bag to find that the spine inside was broken. But you could argue that the device did its job – if carrying my bag broke my spine, you can imagine what it would have done to my driver. And I’d rather spend $40 to replace a travel accessory than $500 for a new club.
