Hauling golf clubs to WDW

[hillg1868]

Hi all,
What’s the best way to get golf clubs to WDW. We are flying down so there are options for FedEx/ups. Or roll the dice with airline luggage check. Anyone have experience golfing from out of state in WDW? Thank you!

 

[mindeola]

My husband always checks his as baggage. Never an issue - so far!

My nephew used a golf club shipping service last time he went. It is called shipsticks .

 

[hillg1868]

My husband always checks his as baggage. Never an issue - so far!

My nephew used a golf club shipping service last time he went. It is called shipsticks .

Shipsticks, what’s the difference between them and say overnighting FedEx?

 

[_19disnA]

Probably price is the only difference. Your clubs could get lost no matter what method you chose to ship them. We have flown before and had clubs as checked baggage with no issues. Unless you plan to golf several times while at Disney, it is probably more of a hassle then it is worth. I would imagine most people go to Disney for the parks vs. a golf vacation.

 

[hillg1868]

Probably price is the only difference. Your clubs could get lost no matter what method you chose to ship them. We have flown before and had clubs as checked baggage with no issues. Unless you plan to golf several times while at Disney, it is probably more of a hassle then it is worth. I would imagine most people go to Disney for the parks vs. a golf vacation.

Understand, but if they end up shipping FedEx anyway through ship sticks, what’s the advantage of one over the other? Insurance? Packing?

 

[Skip Coffee for Rope Drop]

Hi all,
What’s the best way to get golf clubs to WDW. We are flying down so there are options for FedEx/ups. Or roll the dice with airline luggage check. Anyone have experience golfing from out of state in WDW? Thank you!

In case you want to avoid the hassle and are willing not to use your clubs. This may be cheaper than FEDEX and less aggravation at the airports.

From: https://www.laughingplace.com/w/new...t-the-latest-taylormade-golf-club-technology/

• Players can rent the latest clubs for both men and women from TaylorMade at Walt Disney World golf courses.
• The Sim2 Max golf clubs are available for rental, in left or right-hand, with regular and stiff flex shaft options.
• Players can take advantage of the opportunity to test drive the latest golf equipment
• Rental rates are $49.00 for 18-holes and $29.00 for 9-holes. The 18-hole rate includes two sleeves (3 balls each) of TaylorMade golf balls, and the 9-hole rate includes a single sleeve of the same 3 balls.
• For details, you can call the Walt Disney World Golf Reservations Center at (407) WDW-GOLF (939-4653) or head to GolfWDW.com.

 

[hillg1868]

In case you want to avoid the hassle and are willing not to use your clubs. This may be cheaper than FEDEX and less aggravation at the airports.

From: https://www.laughingplace.com/w/new...t-the-latest-taylormade-golf-club-technology/

• Players can rent the latest clubs for both men and women from TaylorMade at Walt Disney World golf courses.
• The Sim2 Max golf clubs are available for rental, in left or right-hand, with regular and stiff flex shaft options.
• Players can take advantage of the opportunity to test drive the latest golf equipment
• Rental rates are $49.00 for 18-holes and $29.00 for 9-holes. The 18-hole rate includes two sleeves (3 balls each) of TaylorMade golf balls, and the 9-hole rate includes a single sleeve of the same 3 balls.
• For details, you can call the Walt Disney World Golf Reservations Center at (407) WDW-GOLF (939-4653) or head to GolfWDW.com.

Thanks friend!
I didn’t even know this site existed after looking on the “normal” WDW site.
Disclosure it’s not for me it’s for a family member, I couldn’t golf my way out of a paper bag. Much less 18 holes…

 

[_19disnA]

Any 3rd party company who will ship your golf clubs has to use one of the established shipping services (i.e. UPS, Fedex, DHL, etc.) so their fees will be in addition to the standard cost of shipping. There is also the issue of how you get your clubs to them both at home and at the end of your vacation. All of that just seems like more of a hassle to me then simply taking them as checked baggage.

If you plan to play some of the championship Disney courses, I don't know of any accomplished golfer who plays using rental clubs. If you are a novice golfer, a championship course is probably not your best option when golfing on vacation.

 

[Aimeedyan]

(before we moved to FL) my husband checked his clubs on the flight everytime. He bought a travel bag and never had a problem. You will definitely not be the only one on your flight to FL with golfclubs coming down the conveyer belt

If I recall, he stored them with the bellhop at the hotel and they loaded them in the Disney transportation to the course each time so we didn't have to store them in our room. I also have a vague recollection of the clubhouse storing them overnight since he played two days in a row. At least pre-COVID, Disney provided transportation to the courses.

While they do rent clubs, he was pretty against it

 

[Tyler's Dad]

We golf there quite a bit and have always just checked them. 3 bags and never had an issue.

If golfing more than once, Disney will store them and have them waiting for you at the next course.

As for the golfing, it’s gorgeous and none of us are championship golfers. Courses are top notch and they take good care of you while you are there.

 

[DISNEY FIX]

We golf there quite a bit and have always just checked them. 3 bags and never had an issue.

If golfing more than once, Disney will store them and have them waiting for you at the next course.

As for the golfing, it’s gorgeous and none of us are championship golfers. Courses are top notch and they take good care of you while you are there.

Please rank em.

 

[sponica]

Please rank em.

My husband like the Palm slightly more than Magnolia. The only real knock he had against LBV was the distance from the Poly.
He shipped them with ShipSticks because we had little people with us. If it was an adult trip, he would have just checked the clubs.

 

[maltdizzy]

Shipsticks, what’s the difference between them and say overnighting FedEx?

I've never used them, but businesses, like Shipsticks, get a corporate bulk discount from whichever carrier they use that isn't available to the average consumer. Plus, ShipSticks advertises they will handle the insurance and will serve as your advocate with the shipping company if a problem does arise.

I have always checked them, oversize luggage gets a lot better care than your suitcase. Either way, there is a lot of prep work you are supposed to do for golf clubs — removing heads when possible and/or wrapping each head in bubble-wrap, etc. — but I know many don't do it all. Most players frown on using rentals because they are often subpar (always seemed been good at WDW), they've been fitted for their clubs before they bought them, and (mostly) because they spent a lot of money on their kit and want to be seen with it, But, if it's golfing once or twice during a trip to WDW, I rent. If it's a golf trip for a week of golf, I bring my own.

 

[nolatravelgirl]

I think folks are overly paranoid about luggage issues. The issues were with a few key hub airports this summer and those seem to be handled. There is always a risk whether using your airline or a traditional service like UPS/FedEx. I would factor in how many connections your flights have and whether you are flying internationally. Most delayed luggage is reunited with the traveler in less than 24 hours, most times it is just on the next flight to your destination. I would factor in number of daily flights, connections and whether you need them ASAP upon landing. Regardless of service you use I would add an Apple AirTag to your bag so that you can track it all along its journey. I like knowing that I can log into the app and see exactly where my bag is on its journey. Especially nice to land in your destination and then can immediately see if your bags are in the same city as you.

 

[WDWLODGE]

We have always checked our clubs. If flying Southwest, your clubs count as a piece of checked luggage & there is no extra charge. We've probably flown about a dozen times with our clubs and only on our most recent trip did we have an issue. My clubs did not make it back to Pittsburgh from Sarasota. They were able to trace my clubs back to the Sarasota Airport and they were dropped off at my house the next day.

Personally I would rank the WDW courses;
1. Lake Buena Vista
2. Magnolia
3. Palm
4. Oak Trail

 

[Minniesgal]

We have flown all across the world with ours in checked luggage no problem

 

[buzzgirls&dad]

We use shipstick all over the US. They are sent directly to the first course so no need to schelp around either departure or arrival airport. WDW golf will open them right in front of you and you can make sure everything is ok with a witness. You can also pack your golf shoes and an extra dozen golf balls. You can keep them stored at the course for a nominal charge or bring them back to your resort. After your last round they get your box and pack and seal everything in front of you so you can see it's all protected. It's an excellent service. One time our clubs made it to Arizona for an event when we didn't due to weather, the course just returned them once the event was cancelled

 

[Boopuff]

My DH brings them with on the flight all the time. No issues. He just hauls it down to oversize luggage to wait for them (lots of theft of clubs at airports) He loves all the WDW courses.

 

[sponica]

We use shipstick all over the US. They are sent directly to the first course so no need to schelp around either departure or arrival airport. WDW golf will open them right in front of you and you can make sure everything is ok with a witness. You can also pack your golf shoes and an extra dozen golf balls. You can keep them stored at the course for a nominal charge or bring them back to your resort. After your last round they get your box and pack and seal everything in front of you so you can see it's all protected. It's an excellent service. One time our clubs made it to Arizona for an event when we didn't due to weather, the course just returned them once the event was cancelled

The only reason he didn't ship straight to WDW golf is that he had the first tee time and didn't want to deal with the hassle of unboxing everything then and there.

 

[Tyler's Dad]

Please rank em.

It's tough to rank them as I think they are all great. We typically go for longer trips now, so we have been trying to do all 3 of the full courses each time. For me, I would rank them:

1) LBV - It's kind of cool going through the resorts and the course is challenging, but not too bad. It's the shortest of the 3 full courses. The island greens are kind of nice and the large fountains in the course are as well. I also like that the club house is a little easier to get to while at the turn.

2) Palm - The Palm and Magnolia are very similar as far as club house and food, since they share them. I like the Palm better, since I felt that we went a little more into nature and saw more animals. The course is just a little longer than LBV and plays similar as far as difficulty. The sites of Poly and Contemporary in the background of some holes are amazing. The only downside is it's a little bit of a hike to the clubhouse at the turn, so you want to make sure you are all set for balls and tees and food, if possible.

3) Magnolia - This is the most famous and most difficult of the 3. It's very long, at almost 400 yards longer that the other 2 at the white tee boxes. This is the course they use the most holes for the PGA event from. (They actually mix holes from both the Magnolia and Palm for this) This is closer to the clubhouse at the turn and you do get a little bit of a view of the castle from one of the holes. One note on this, as I'm not sure when your trip is, but they are currently redoing holes 14-17 and the course is closed for while.

All in all, you can't go wrong on any of the courses. The staff is great and the courses are all beautiful. There is challenge to them all, but not overly so. A lot of water, but it tends to be in places that you can avoid. Good luck and have fun.