Airline broke my driver

Wholeinone

WholeinOne
Albatross 2024 Club
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Not sure where to post this but here goes. Returned from Myrtle Beach via American Airlines. Put the clubs in the basement and didn't open the travel cover for two weeks. Last Saturday opened it up and grabbed the driver to pull it out and out came the head only! UUUGH!

Anyone else have this experience? I've contacted the air line but haven't heard from them yet. I didn't save my baggage claim ticket or boarding pass so am wondering if they will do anything.
 
I've never had that happen though I worry about it every time I travel with my clubs. I hope they compensate you for the necessary repair...
 
Bummer. 'm sure it happens more than we think it does with the way those baggage guys handle the luggage sometimes. Since its been a few weeks and you don't have your baggage claim ticket not sure what they will do if anything. I always check my clubs as soon as I get home for that reason. When traveling I always remove my driver heads and put inside the headcovers then inside the bag. What kind of travel bag did you use?
 
Hopefully you can get the issue resolved. Good luck.
 
I had it happen on Delta about 15+ years ago and they don’t offer anything which makes sense since they make you sign a waiver. Ever since then I put one of my 50” ski poles in the bag when flying and that has solved the problem. Many will take their driver heads off the shaft when traveling.
 
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From what I understand, if you have a hard cover case, then you have grounds to seek a recovery claim. If it's a soft cover, you're out of luck I've seen. I prefer to take all heads possible off the shaft prior to loading them in my bag and into my case and pack the living crap out of it with towels, which is a more proactive approach.

Best of luck with this crappy situation.
 
That sux man! I don't know what's worse .... something breaking, "losing" the golf bag, or them stealing stuff from the bag.
 
I have heard that airlines will only cover damages if your clubs were in a hard case. I travel with a soft case and a Club Glove stiff arm.
 
I have not but wish you good luck with the claim. Last time I flew with clubs I had the heads in my carryon bag, and wrapped towels and clothes all around the shafts and heads of the clubs I couldn't take off (hybrid, irons and putter). No issues and had a soft top case. I hope they don't use the 2 week delay in reporting it against you, but I don't know the procedure on filing claims so I could be very wrong here.
 
From what I understand, if you have a hard cover case, then you have grounds to seek a recovery claim. If it's a soft cover, you're out of luck I've seen. I prefer to take all heads possible off the shaft prior to loading them in my bag and into my case and pack the living crap out of it with towels, which is a more proactive approach.

Best of luck with this crappy situation.

This is my understanding as well. Hope you can get the situation resolved.


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That stinks. Good luck getting a positive resolution to this incident.
 
I'm pretty sure you're going to be S-O-L. It's unfortunate but the airline has no way to know that it damaged your driver versus it being damaged in the subsequent 2 week period. I hope that isn't the case for you.
 
That's brutal. I'm traveling in 2 weeks ago will unscrew the driver head but my travel bag is soft cover as well.

Not a risk I particularly enjoy but I'll be sure to pad the top of the bag and clubs with shirts, pillows, towels, etc.

Hope you get good news in the end man.
 
Airline broke my driver

Hate to tell you this, but most likely the airline didn’t break your driver. A graphite shaft improperly stowed and under the continuous stress from an enclosed travel case will develop stress fractures and then crack. Assuming you have a newer driver, you should always remove the head.
 
I always remove my heads from the driver and FWs and have never had an issue. Unfortunately, the airlines T&Cs limit club reimbursement to lost clubs, not damaged clubs. They are not responsible for damaged clubs.
 
Pretty sure TPluff is right, soft cover you are SOL. The stiff arm saved me from this once and it made the $50 investment ($25 twice since it broke when it saved my driver) has been well worth it for me.
 
the elapsed time between your travel and discovering the broken club will not help your case any. Best of luck and keep us posted on the outcome.
 
From what I understand, if you have a hard cover case, then you have grounds to seek a recovery claim. If it's a soft cover, you're out of luck I've seen.

This is 1000% true but traveling with a hard case suuuuuuuuucks
 
Sorry, man. I'd completely unravel if an airline broke my new Mizuno. I hate to say it, but I do think you're S.O.L., especially with the 2-week delay.
 
Not to hijack the thread, but if you use a service like ShipSticks, do they charge additional for a hardcase vs soft case? Unless you are wheeling the bag through an airport, why not go with the added protection of a hard case?
 
As others have said, airlines generally don’t cover this. Even with a hard case and a couple of weeks later, you’d be hard pressed to see compensation.
On a positive note, time to go new driver shopping.
 
That's a big bummer i worry every time i travel of this happening, luckily it hasn't happened to me yet but do take precautions while packing them and remove heads if possible.
 
I had it happen on Delta about 15+ years ago and they don’t offer anything which makes sense since they make you sign a waiver. Ever since then I put on of my 50” ski poles in the bag when flying and that has solved the problem. Many will take their driver heads off the shaft when traveling.
+1 I use the Club Glove Stiff Arm and take off all the heads on my adjustable clubs and place them in towels in my carry on. Not worth the risk, now if you have a non-adjustable driver you just gotta wrap that baby with towels & pack it tight.
 
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