Flying with my clubs: an item-by-item packing list for my sticks and gear
I'm flying out to play some golf, here's what I'm bringing (and how)
Even though I’m currently staring a 9” of icy, sleety snow out my window, I’m thinking about golf. I’ve got a work trip next week which (if the weather gods and timing allows) will also afford me two to three rounds of golf in sunny-ish California. Here’s what I’m packing to take my clubs on the plane:
The Travel Bag
I have written about travel bags for Travel + Leisure, testing multiple brands and types for air, car and local travel. I personally like two the best: Ghost Golf AWOL Golf Travel Bag and the STITCH Multi Use Traveler Bag. This time, I’m taking the Ghost with me.
It fits a truly astonishing amount of stuff, especially for me with extra long clubs and size 15 shoes. I can fit a pair of spikes on the outside and line the gaps next to my clubs with jackets, towels, and non-golf shoes and not struggle with the zippers at all. And the padding is smartly placed without adding bulk.
The bag
My trusty Titleist Players 4 Carbon is still going strong (though I saw a TikTok of someone showing off the new hoofs/bases from the PGA Show which has me psyched). I’ll do a full WITB (Winter Edition) soon but for now, you can peek at some of the clubs too. If I was taking the STITCH MUT, I would swap to the STITCH bag too as it fits perfectly, but this is how I go 90% of the time.
The Shoes
I’m packing two pairs for this trip, just in case (and why not, when you have this much room in the AWOL). Like with bags, I’ve covered shoes extensively for Travel + Leisure, but I’m always testing new ones and have a little more freedom here. The first I’m packing are my favorite shoe of 2025, the G/FORE G.112s (which were the top pick on my T+L roundup until an edit not by me) and are so versatile and comfortable they work for any climate. The design is “a choice” for sure, but it pays off because the rest of the features are so great.
While I have the room, I stashed a pair of Adidas Samba spikeless I got sent last week as part of their latest Originals drop. How sick are these? Perfect for California golf.
The Accessories
You can see the Ghost Greenside golf towel on my bag above, and alongside that I’m also packing my new Cobalt Q-6SM Rangefinder, a Zero Restriction Stretch Traveler jacket (just in case) and plenty of tees, balls, rags and gloves.
One more thing I am throwing in the bag — something I got sent to test by their team and is a brand new to me — is the Mileseey GeneSonic Pro GPS Speaker. It’s the same size and shape as my BlueTees Player+ but from my reading and non-course testing two key differences: it doesn’t require any smartphone app connection to configure, and it has this detachable GPS separate from the speaker if you’re walking instead of riding. I love that flexibility (as a carrier) and am excited to test it out.
So that’s a pretty solid list. All fits nicely in the AWOL (as does the pants, shirts and hats for golf, plus three other pairs of shoes and a few bulky jackets for my week-long work trip this is tacked on to). Any questions? Would love to hear. Now let’s hope my plane gets out tomorrow after this big storm in the east.