Golf travel bags are designed for golfers who are taking their equipment with them on a trip. Nowadays more places are advertising holidays that are specially designed for people who play golf. Whether you stay in the United States when you are on vacation or whether you decide to go somewhere like Spain, an increasing number of travel agents offer golfing holiday packages. If you decide that you are going to have a golfing vacation this year, or if you have been chosen to play in an away game, then you might want to think about golf travel bags.

Just as with any other golfing bag, golf travel bags come in a variety of styles, shapes, colors and sizes so you should be able to find just what you need. A lot will depend on how far you are going to travel, how much use you are going to make of the bag, and what it will cost. You may find that there is a wide variation in the cost of these travel bags so it is well worth doing some research and shopping around before you buy. If you are travelling long distance and need to fly to your destination then you will need a good, strong bag that will protect your golf clubs.

When you go on an aeroplane then it is advisable to get yourself a golf travel bag that has hard sides. Hard travel cases have been designed to withstand any unusual impact and this is necessary if you want to protect your clubs from damage. However, a hard sided case is not going to be a cheap item so it is well worth looking around your local stores to see if they are offering discounts on old stock. Make sure, if you decide to go for a discounted bag that it is strong enough to protect your clubs when they are in the hold of a plane, or being thrown around by careless airport staff.

If you are only travelling a short distance than you will probably be ok with a soft sided travel case for your golfing equipment. Most of these have reinforced sides, waterproofing, padding and straps to protect and secure your clubs. These bags tend to look like a large but ordinary travel bag or a large duffle bag. Although a soft sided bag will be cheaper than one with hard sides, it is still not a cheap item so it is a good idea to shop around and compare prices before you go out and buy one.

A golf club travel bag is designed to protect your golf clubs, so that should be your first consideration. You can get a hard or a soft variety, the harder providing a greater degree of protection than the soft type, but also costing a good bit more. The softer bags tend to be lighter and easier to carry around.

Think of the Value of your Golf Clubs

You have to consider the cost of your golf clubs. Not just the cost if fact, but the value of them to you which could be beyond cost. If you are used to playing with a particular set it is sometimes a testing time for your whole golf game if you have to change them because of damage. They may also have some sentimental value, and these are all considerations you must take into account when deciding on how much you want to spend protecting them while traveling.

Another thing to take into account is the amount of travel you carry out. The more you travel the better the travel bag you should have. The type of travel is also a determining factor. Whereas a cheaper soft travel bag might be fine for you if you drive to your local course two or three times a week, you might need a top flight hard travel case if you are traveling on the pro golf circuit, or if you vacation abroad once or twice a year and take your clubs with you.

Some Soft Cases are Good for Air Travel

You can get soft travel bags that are quite good enough for air travel, and there are golfers who prefer this option due to the lightness and ease of moving them around terminals along with the rest of their luggage. Other prefer the extra protection the hard cases provide to customized clubs that could cost many thousands of dollars to replace, even though they are bulkier and not so easy to handle.

The hard travel cases usually strap the golf bag very securely into the case, and are provided with a good set of wheels that can take the weight without sticking. They are also more suitable for using as overnight cases, and you can pack all your clothing and other accoutrements that are required for a couple of days away from home. This can save you carrying an extra suitcase.

You can use many soft golf club cases as regular golf bags, and use them on the course. Many can be fixed to carts or buggies, allowing you to keep your golf bag protected inside them while playing. You can specify this option when you purchase, and you can also have your travel bag customized to your specifications in the same way that you can with a regular golf bag.

All the Big Makers provide Golf Club Travel Bags

All the big makers provide a range of travel bags and cases, and many are made specifically to fit their own golf bags. So if you have a Bag Boy golf bag, for instance, you can get a Bag Boy travel bag made to suit it. Not just for color, but exactly for size for maximum protection. Most manufacturers do this.

Decide what kind of golf travel bag you need to match your specific requirements, and make a decision from that. Don’t go just for the best looking, but get the most functional. That is one that gives you the best degree of protection in the price range you are looking for, and the size and weight that suits you.

Golf travel cases are an essential item for any traveling golfer these days. Traveling with golf clubs can be a truly unpleasant experience, and so manufacturers have leapt to the rescue by designing travel bags for golf clubs to take the headaches out of golf travel.

Golf clubs are an expensive item, and traveling with golf clubs can result in easy breakage of your clubs, or even loss of your clubs or the other contents of your bag by theft.

A regular golf bag is not secure and not made for anything other than for putting onto your golf buggy for a round, and a golf bag is not the ideal way to transport your clubs on, say, an international flight.

Baggage handlers these days can be extremely rough, if you’ve ever had a chance to see them in action you’ll be surprised at how careless they are handling your baggage. Bags are thrown around wantonly and if this is your golf bag then there’s good chance that the clubs can be scratched or damaged. They need to be packed better for air travel.

As any golf professional will tell you, you need a good golf travel case, otherwise called a golf travel bag. These are designed to withstand the rigours of travel and are also designed with security and protection for your golf clubs.

There are basically 2 types of golf travel cases. The soft travel case and the hard travel case. The soft travel cases are usually cheaper, and offer less protection, and are more useful for easy travel like a vacation in the car. They are, as the name suggests, made of a soft material but still should offer inner padding and much better protection for your golf clubs than just throwing your golf bag into the trunk.

Hard golf traveling cases are more expensive, but are designed to offer total protection and security for air travel, and are used exclusively by golf professionals. They are made of a solid material such as molded polyethylene and are virtually indestructible.

You put your golf bag inside and pack it all in well inside padding, and it is highly unlikely that your clubs are damaged even by the roughest handling.

Security would usually include locks to a high standard so light fingered handlers can’t help themselves to your driver.

So if you travel, and love golf, and love to try out some of those international courses that you find when you’re away overseas, invest in a good golf travel case. Your golf clubs will love you for it.

You should choose a golf bag travel cover according to your needs. Everybody’s needs are different, and you should check out the pros and cons of the hard travel covers and the soft. There are times when the hard cover is best and others when you would be easier with the soft one.

If you fly a lot, you would be well advised to get yourself a hard travel cover for your golf bag and clubs. These covers can be thrown about a bit by baggage handlers, no matter how many ‘fragile’ stickers you put on them. On the other hand if you only travel occasionally by car, you will find a soft golf travel cover provides sufficient protection, especially if packed properly, and is also lighter and easier to travel with.

Check out the Other Features

The common features that you should be looking out for include padding for your club heads, to prevent them hitting against each other and getting damaged, and decent strapping that secures your golf bag inside, so preventing it banging around inside and damaging the club shafts.

Other things that are of use are external strapping to hold a small carry case or laptop case, secure pockets for shoes and a good set of handles. Many people forget that they have to carry the travel cover to the car, load it into the boot and pull it out again. A good set of straps makes that easier. The wheels should also be fairly large and quite robust. You don’t want them buckling or sticking when you are walking through airport terminals

If you are Alone then too Much Luggage can be a Problem

You must keep in mind that unless you have others to help you, you will have a golf travel cover in one hand and a suitcase in the other. Any other baggage you have will be a problem. Your travel cover should have has much storage space as possible. If you can get one that takes a change of clothing plus a few toiletries for one or two nights, then that would be great. You could then dispense with at least one suitcase, and your golf case could be the only luggage you have with you.

All of these extras, and more, such as coolers with chill packs, are good but you must not take your mind off the whole reason for having a golf bag cover: it is for protection during travel. So assess the amount of traveling you expect to do and choose your bag from that. Lots of flying demands a hard cover and if you are mostly driving, or perhaps flying only once a year, you should find a les expensive soft cover is your best option.

Some Travel Covers will fit onto your Golf Buggy

There are cases to be made for each option, so once you have decided that, then check out all the other options that are available to you; the customization, the color and so on. If you opt for the soft cover, you may be able to use it out on the golf course without having to take your golf bag out. That saves a bit of work and also gives your clubs added protection. You can fit them to your cart or golf buggy, and you don’t even have to carry them around the golf course.

There is a lot of choice available to you when you are shopping for a golf bag travel cover, and lots of makers supply a range to suit their own range of golf bags. It’s best to match your cover with your golf bag which assures you of a perfect fit, than to try to fit a golf bag by one maker into a cover produced by another.

Make sure you know what you want then go and get it. You are going to have it for a long time so make the right choice.

Blackstone Country Club is a master planned community that features a rustic yet luxurious lifestyle. Located in Vistancia just north of Peoria, this 7,100 acre community is situated in the Sonoran desert and features a Jim Engh designed golf course and beautiful desert landscapes. Blackstone has over 1,700 acres reserved for environmental conservation.

The 18-hole championship golf course designed by Jim Engh is the crowning jewel of the Sonoran desert. Jim Engh has earned many awards including being named Architect of the Year by Golf Digest in 2003. The course features gorgeous mountain views and the Blackstone rock from which the community gets it’s name, make Blackstone Country Club golf course a worth admiring.

Located in the heart of the golf course, Hacienda is Blackstone Country Club’s Mediterranean themed clubhouse. Blackstone offers a choice of fine and casual dining establishments, a bar, wine cellar, and space to host private parties and other events. Memberships require an 80 percent equity position and a social membership requires a real estate purchase within the Blackstone Country Club.

Blackstone has 200 custom home sites ranging in size from 1/2 acre to 1 acre in size. Blackstone also features 350 luxury single-family homes by Camelot and T.W. Lewis. So whether you are looking to buy land to build on or a luxury home there are many options to fit your lifestyle.

Blackstone has won many awards including hole #1 named to the GolfCourseHome Dream 18 list in 2009, Residential Course of Distinction by Golfweek in 2007 and an appearance at No. 27 on the Best New Course list by Golfweek in 2007.

Final Remarks

It’s no wonder that Blackstone Country Club has become the luxury community many are seeking membership to in the Peoria, Arizona area. Find out why Blackstone has so much to offer in luxurious comfort.

Hubert Miles is the founder of Gated Communities USA, an online marketing service that provides information on Gated Communities in the USA and Internationally. Find information on Arizona Gated Communities Today.