You’ve done it. You’ve put together the ultimate golf getaway with a group of your friends and the day for your trip has finally arrived. You’ve been counting down the days for eight months from the day the first email started circulating amongst your crew, and after a slew of emails that were part trash talking, part locking in the details, you all finally decided on the location and dates and put together the ultimate itinerary.
You load up all your gear, lug it through the airport, check it on the plane and then poof…somehow your luggage disappears and now you’re stuck with rental clubs on a bucket list golf course and your trip starts off on the wrong foot.
Sound familiar? Unfortunately, this is an all-too-common reality these days as airline baggage teams are understaffed and more mistakes are happening than ever before. But the good news is, with the right planning, you can avoid this unsettling feeling and make your trek through the airport with confidence by using Ship Sticks.
How to use Ship Sticks
The first question that golfers tend to have when it comes to this service is “How does it work?” It’s actually a remarkably simple process:
- Step 1: Go to www.shipsticks.com and enter your pick-up and drop-off information for your shipment. Keep in mind, Ship Sticks services 180 countries and territories!
- Prices vary depending on how many days out you ship your bag. We’ve often found that golfers want to play or practice leading up to their trip, so be sure to pick an expedited option prior to your trip. Often times, you’re a bit “golfed out” after the trip, so sending them home using Ground shipping can save you a few bucks.
- Go entirely bag-free on your trip by shipping your luggage ahead, too.
- Step 2: print and attach the shipping label that is eMailed to you and securely attach it to your golf clubs.
- A side note here: your golf clubs must be packaged in a soft travel bag, hard case, or box.
- Step 3: either drop them off to be shipped or have them picked up from your house, office, pro shop, or any other location you outline.
- After your bags are collected, you’ll receive tracking updates via email. You can also track them online or on the Ship Sticks iOS app using your unique tracking ID.
- All shipments come with complimentary insurance and an on-time delivery guarantee so you can travel with peace of mind.
- Step 4: Tee it high and let it fly! Your clubs will be at the course and ready for your first round.
Let’s Give Credit Where Credit is Due
Even though these problems seem to be becoming more prevalent than ever before, we’d be remiss to not point out a couple of the airlines that we tend to hear, and have experienced, are doing it better than most. These typically include Delta Airlines, Southwest Airlines, and JetBlue Airways. Also included in these lists are low-cost airfare providers Frontier Airlines and Spirit Airlines, but the hard part about these two carriers is the high airline baggage fees that they charge you to check your clubs.
But the important thing to note here is the convenience factor. Especially if you are just traveling with a carry-on, not having to stop and search for your clubs can save you a ton of time and that can be the difference between playing 18 or 9 holes, and potentially no holes, on your arrival day. If you’re anything like us, you want to maximize every minute of your golf trip so removing that from the equation is well worth a little planning on the front-end of your trip.
Recommendation
If convenience and peace of mind are important to you, do yourself a favor and compare the costs of shipping your clubs versus lugging them with you through the airport. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how it can even be cheaper to ship your clubs than it is to fly with them.
The benefits of shipping ahead aren’t just limited to golf clubs and luggage. Once winter rolls around, you can ship your skis, snowboard, and snow boots, too, with Ship Skis!