If you travel on airplanes to play golf, you need to get a golf travel bag. These are bags that you can check in as checked luggage on airplanes and will fit your regular golf bag (stand bag, etc.). They pretty much always come with a set of wheels so you can drag them.
There are 3 types of golf travel bags and each type has it’s pros and cons.
Soft – these are soft travel bags and usually include some cushioning to help protect your golf clubs and bag inside. They generally run around $100-$150 and the best are from bag companies such as Bag Boy, Caddy Daddy, etc. They will fit your golf bag pretty well and because the bag is soft, there is a little bit a maneuverability to fit the golf travel bag in your trunk, etc. However, since these are soft bags, your clubs can get damaged if the airline is especially rough with your bag. I would stay away from bags that are too cheap ($50) because the material used is generally inferior and more prone to tearing and there is almost no padding in these cheap travel bags. I wouldn’t want the bag to tear so that your golf clubs fall out and you end up with only a few of your golf clubs, etc. The weight of the bag itself tends to be fairly light so that’s good.
Hard – these are hard cases. Although they are made by various manufacturers, SKB is pretty much the gold standard for these bags. Since they are hard, they are not maneuverable at all so if the hard case does not fit in your trunk, you can’t put it into your trunk (you’ll need to put it into your back seat, etc.). It’s also hard to fit into a standard taxi so you may need to get a larger car or SUV or minivan or something like that. But these travel bags are the best to transport your golf clubs safely and securely as long as you are ok handling the extra weight and hassle that comes with these bags. These hard cases by SKB are also expensive and generally run $400+ but there are some cheaper options in the $200+ range.
Soft + Hard – these bags try to combine the best of both worlds…the lighter weight and maneuverability of a soft bag with the better protection of a hard case. The hard part is generally at the top where the club heads are most vulnerable and soft on the bottom where your golf bag inside is generally enough to protect the shafts, grips, etc. and generally run around $150-$200.
Packing.
I’ll write a little bit about how I pack my golf travel bag. In general, I recommend that if you use a soft bag you should remove any heads that can be removed (driver, woods, hybrids, etc.) and store the heads separately in their head covers in the pockets of your golf bag in the travel bag. I also recommend getting a support rod which is basically the size of a golf club with a plastic thing on top to absorb any impact so that your support rod will absorb impact and get damaged rather than your clubs. I also store the shafts upside down because the grip part is the strongest and thickest part of the shaft while the head end is weaker so I place the weaker side down where the golf bag inside can help protect that part of the shaft.
I also use some t-shirts or socks or any soft clothing and wrap them around the clubs to help reduce movement of the club heads and also absorb impact.
You should also get a bag scale so that you can always check how heavy your golf travel bag is when it’s fully packed. If you have weight to spare you can add your golf shoes as well as clothing to the bag to help with additional padding as well as potentially save money by reducing your checked luggage to only your golf travel bag!