Travel bags and rental cars

gmiller598

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What do you reserve when you travel? I currently drive a Nissan Rogue at home. I used to have a Kia Optima before that. I doubt my travel bag would ever fit in the trunk of that car and I'm not sure how well it would fit in the back seat if I'd ever tried it. I never had an issue of travel with my clubs alone in the car on road trips but with the extra bulk of a travel bag I'm just curious what people choose to rent when they fly and travel with their clubs.
 
Zipcar. Honda crv. 2 people, luggage, 2 bags
 
hard case or soft case? I have always found that I take my clubs out of the travel bag (soft case) and that makes it fit much better. Hard case is a different animal altogether.
 
hard case or soft case? I have always found that I take my clubs out of the travel bag (soft case) and that makes it fit much better. Hard case is a different animal altogether.

That's a valid point with a soft case. It would be easier to fold up the bag in that case.


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Now that I've got a kid in tow, I am always in a "full size" SUV, which handles golf clubs and people and luggage quite easily. I like the Mercedes GLS that Avis has, and they also have the big Infiniti/Nissan (can't remember the model names) which are both great cars in their own right.

I can't stand it when they say they've "upgraded" me and give me an Escalade XL. I didn't reserve a land yacht, and I don't intend to drive one! But I digress.


A lot of rental companies have X5s, and similar sized SUVs. They work perfectly. We've got one at home and it fits everything you can imagine without folding the seats down.
 
an Armadillo case will fit in an Accent hatch if you fold down one rear seat

I know this because that's what I have
 
I can take pics next month. It’s going to be 5 of us all with travel bags and luggage in a mid size suv.


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We got 4 people and luggage and golf bags in a Tahoe XL I think. @Pkorf @BrianMK24 or @so-illhacker can you verify that's what we had in Tampa?


I drive a Kia Forte and my golf bag, and Sun Mountain cart fit in the trunk. Soft bag will fit, barely. If you drop the rear seats I'm about 95% sure you could get enough for two people to golf and stay somewhere for a few days.
 
I had a Chevy Impala when I went to the Titleist Ultimate club test. Huge trunk. We did manage to cram 3 of us, clubs and luggage, for the ride back to the airport. It wasn't the optimal fit for 3 but it worked. Good luck and have fun.
 
I rent cars about 50 days each year and always get something different with the National Emeral Aisle program. I long ago ditched my hard case because the soft case is so much easier to store or fit in a rental car. Some of the rentals require that I take my bag out of the travel case to fit it easily in the trunk or hatch area.
 
I can fit 2 full sets of clubs and 2 suitcases in a mini cooper with the seats down. Any car that you can put the seat down should work.
 
At the Indianapolis Invitational a few years ago, I had 4 THPers, 4 soft case travel bags, and 4 personal bags in the back of a Nissan Xterra. It can be done, you may just have to get creative in your Tetris skills when loading up.
 
We got 4 people and luggage and golf bags in a Tahoe XL I think. @Pkorf @BrianMK24 or @so-illhacker can you verify that's what we had in Tampa?


I drive a Kia Forte and my golf bag, and Sun Mountain cart fit in the trunk. Soft bag will fit, barely. If you drop the rear seats I'm about 95% sure you could get enough for two people to golf and stay somewhere for a few days.
It was just a normal Tahoe

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Depends on how many are in the rental car. If it's me+1 then it's usually just a full size car or small SUV. 3+ then it's going to be the most economical between minivan and full size or large SUV. I prefer the full size SUV
 
I had my first experience with ship sticks to pinehurst since I was Traveling with the wife and a baby. Price wise it isn’t great but it was hassle free and I am glad I did it. It cost $60 each way to ship MA to NC. Much more expensive than the $25 each way on JetBlue. But with all the baby gear such as stroller and car seats it had to be used. If you can find a coupon code maybe it can be cheaper.


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It really depends on how many people are traveling. For my group when we do Myrtle Beach its 4 people to a vehicle with clubs and luggage so we rent mini vans or larger SUVs to be comfortable. With 2 people clubs and luggage I opt to save a few bucks and rent a mid or full size sedan.
 
I was surprised when my luggage and travel bag fit in the trunk of a Nissan Sentra last year in Hawaii.
 
I use the Club Glider (it’s awesome BTW). It seems to fit fine in Tahoe’s and even a rental Jeep we had recently.
 
Soft case is way easier to manage but a hard case will always fit if you fold down a seat. I prefer the hard case for airline travel but soft for road trips.
 
Soft case is way easier to manage but a hard case will always fit if you fold down a seat. I prefer the hard case for airline travel but soft for road trips.

Question if your on a road trip why do you need a travel bag at all?
 
Question if your on a road trip why do you need a travel bag at all?

Fair point - I was thinking about what I’ve done on other road trips when there is more luggage and it bounces from car to car with others. Protects the woods from someone jamming it somewhere. If it’s just me or my immediate family then no case.
 
Fair point - I was thinking about what I’ve done on other road trips when there is more luggage and it bounces from car to car with others. Protects the woods from someone jamming it somewhere. If it’s just me or my immediate family then no case.

Road trip and lot of transfer, I take the heads off but no travel bag
 
While one can't guarantee the model you will get, the rental company lists a model for the class on their site "or similar". If in doubt that the loaded golf travel bag will fit on the back seat, I look up the back seat hip width specs online.

Note to those renting SUV's : Only a couple of times have I ever got an SUV with the cover in back when offered an upgrade by the rental company, so I have turned them down. If that is the only option, like for a foursome's clubs, I'd ensure the windows were smoked and I'd bring a black drop sheet to cover them any time you aren't in the vehicle with the clubs.

If you are going to leave your clubs in view in the parking lot (and in an obvious rental) while you have lunch after a round at a resort golf course, or at Safeway buying groceries etc. on the way home, you might as well just leave them on the back seat as far as any theft deterrent IMO. So I'm talking transport/storage AFTER getting registered at the condo or hotel, but to me it's an important consideration.

To and from the airport, with two large travel cases (Gliders) for my wife and I, I usually rent a full-size vehicle (e,g. Impala) and just lie them on the top of each other on the back seat on the way to and from the airport. Then the travel case stays in the room till I pack to leave for the airport again. Clubs stay in the room unless I'm playing. The glider covers probably would still fit to store in the large trunk folded and allow transporting two sets of clubs too, but since we travel to warm climates, leaving them in there wouldn't be good for them.
 
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When we went to Injected speed, we put 4 good sized guys 4 bags and luggage in an Expedition , it was sweet
 
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