Safe Travels: The Best Golf Travel Bags in 2024

Heading overseas for that long-awaited golf trip after finally organising flights, securing accommodation and locking in tee times?

Or are you thinking about venturing somewhere closer to home with the clubs in tow?

Yep, golfing holidays can be immense fun. But arriving at your destination to find an obliterated golf bag full of destroyed clubs isn’t how you’d want to begin, or end, your golfing break.

To guarantee the good times keep rolling be sure to protect your clubs while in transit.

Whether you’re driving or flying to your destination, investing in a quality travel case will keep your most treasured possessions safe from baggage “handlers” and help you breeze through crowded airports and check-in counters.

There’s a considerable range of travel bags to choose from. But are the cheaper ones just as effective as the more expensive ones? We take a deep dive into the travel cover category to see which models come out on top in 2024.

THE BEST GOLF TRAVEL BAGS IN 2024

Sun Mountain Clubglider Meridian

The  Sun Mountain Meridian is simple, functional and is one of the best travel bags in the game. There’s plenty of room to stow a stand or cart bag within its confines and two large outer pockets provide storage for golf shoes and clothing. But the most eye-catching feature is its foldable leg mechanism, which pops out from the rear and offers an extra pair of wheels to go with the ones on the base. It makes the Meridian effortless to roll and steer and the soft-sided Meridian will withstand nearly everything thrown at it — apart from the most brutal, crushing impacts. The Meridian’s nylon material and foam padding around the upper region is hardwearing and supportive and its retractable legs makes it one of the most mobile travel covers around.

Sun Mountain Kube

Sun Mountain’s Kube opens up to a full-sized, reinforced travel bag that’ll fit a regular-sized cart or stand bag with ease. But when it’s not in use, it clips together and packs up to the size of a small suitcase for compact storage. Rigid plastic shells on the top and bottom offer excellent protection against over-enthusiastic baggage handlers. And the shells feature in-built wheels that roll the Kube effortlessly through busy airports. Extra padding has been added opposite the hard shells to further protect club heads. The only missing piece of the puzzle? Sun Mountain’s club glider system. But a heavy duty handle on the top of the travel cover provides more than adequate control.

PING Rolling Travel Cover

There are few travel bags that roll as smoothly and transport and easily as  PING’s Rolling Travel Cover. The stand-up design features four wheels on the base that assist in transporting in the upright position. But it also rolls equally well when being dragged or pushed on two wheels. The PING Roller has plenty of padding inside and out but doesn’t offer as many storage options as other travel bags. A choice of six handles makes lifting the travel bag from any angle effortless while rugged rails on the bottom are designed to slide the bag over kerbs and steps with minimal effort. When not in use, the PING Rolling Travel Cover collapses down to almost briefcase size for compact storage.

Bag Boy T-10 Travel Cover

The  Bag Boy T-10 is a hybrid travel cover. It features a crush-resistant top half that provides maximum protection for club heads while the bottom half is made from high-density foam padding and an incredibly resilient polyester material. The bag’s exterior features a full length, wraparound zip that is lockable while a handle is integrated into the top of the bag. It’s a minimalist design and while space isn’t as generous as other travel covers, a pair of pockets inside and out will absorb a fair amount of associated golf material. Inline skate wheels provide easy manoeuvrability and the cover folds into its top when not in use for a neat storage solution.

OGIO Alpha

Featuring internal dimensions to carry a regular-sized cart or stand bag comfortably, the  OGIO Alpha is a soft-sided travel bag that is sufficiently strong enough to withstand a fair walloping. The bag’s D-shaped enclosure makes loading and unloading gear quick and easy while in the upright position and there’s enough spare room inside and out to store golf shoes and clothing. An independent front pocket is particularly handy for carrying items that need to be readily accessible, and it’s lockable too.

OGIO Alpha Mid

Bigger than the regular Alpha bag and offering more protection for your gear, the Mid model provides enough space to load up most of your equipment when you hit the road. The  OGIO Alpha Mid has many of the same features as the baseline Alpha travel bag, such as an easily accessible front pocket and lockable zippers. But inside the bag is an interior mesh pocket that is handy for holding shoes, clothes and a couple of cartons of golf balls.

Stonehaven Cart Bag Travel Cover

For the budget conscious traveller, the  Stonehaven Cart Bag travel cover provides a generous level of protection despite being the lightest bag in the category. There’s enough room internally to handle a stand bag comfortably and the inline wheels and easy-grab handles on the top and front will get you to your destination with minimal effort expended. The Stonehaven Stand Bag travel cover is more compact, for those golfers who prefer to carry their bag on their travels 

Stonehaven Ferrier

The  Stonehaven Ferrier is a tough-as-nails, travel-ready golf bag that eliminates the need for a separate travel bag. Simply remove the protective cover on the top and voila… your cart bag is ready to go. The bag features 14 club dividers, eight zippered pockets and a large insulated pocket. The padded hood is lockable, however, the outer zips are not. The Ferrier weighs just 3.5kg and its large and sturdy wheels on the base roll with ease.

Mizuno Travel Cover

Large it may be, but the  Mizuno Travel Cover doesn’t feel bulky for its considerable size. It’s big enough to stow a cart bag or squeeze in a pair of stand bags but its foldable design makes it compact to store. Made from heavy duty, impeccably-stitched synthetic fabric and featuring six wheels on the bottom (four of which are multidirectional), it can be moved in the upright position and will inspire confidence on the road. The cover features thick, wraparound padding around the top for an additional layer of club head protection while internal straps and clips hold equipment securely in transit. While compartmentalised storage isn’t quite as abundant as other models the huge internal dimensions of the Mizuno travel cover is the payoff.

Wilson Padded Travel Cover

Rugged external compression straps and a heavy duty padded nylon shell hint at the robust protection the  Wilson Padded travel cover offers. And it continues on the inside, which is big enough to hold a Wilson Pro Tour Staff bag securely (W: 48cm D: 40xcm H:132cm) with internal compression straps. The bag features four zippered pockets that can stash away small items and accessories while manoeuvrable wheels and multiple grip handles make it a cinch to navigate through airports and hotels.

Bag Boy ZTF

With an expandable body, the  Bag Boy ZTF travel cover ensures a tight, secure fit for golf bags of all sizes. Boasting an internal PVC diamond frame and twin-wheel skid bar system on the base, the ZTF is built tough. A thickly padded top section will protect all your clubs in transit while a couple of exterior pockets provide space for all the golf-related gear you might require for an stress-free trip.

Callaway Clubhouse

Generously sized (38 x 40 x 132cm), the  Callaway Clubhouse travel bag provides a snug and secure environment for any golf bag. The Clubhouse’s reinforced wheelbase can withstand a pounding within the confines of an aircraft baggage hold while quick release tie downs on the outside of the bag keep everything snugly secured. A shoe pocket offers additional internal storage while the main grip handle is covered in soft neoprene to keep your precious golfing hands unburdened.

TaylorMade Performance Travel Cover

Boasting robust protection and padding where you really need it, the  TaylorMade Performance travel cover is built for the road. Its sleek design (35.5 x 38 x 132 cm) and inline wheels make it easy to manoeuvre through busy airports while a durable PVC base provides rigidity and strength. Fitted with cavernous and easily accessible exterior pockets, the TaylorMade Performance travel cover features 360° side and top padding, aided by heavy duty securing straps both inside and out.

Bag Boy T-660

Designed to fit most stand and cart bags, the  Bag Boy T-660 travel cover is a highly reliable travelling companion. Manufactured from a durable polyester fabric, four-sided padding at the top and reinforcing on every corner creates excellent protection for golf clubs and a high level of durability. The T-660 features Bag Boy’s durable twin inline skate wheels and dual skid bars and a skid plate on the base offer excellent durability while in transit. A lockable all-round zipper makes packing a breeze and an internal compression strap keeps you golf bag tightly secured for the duration of your journey.

Bag Boy T-460

A smaller footprint makes the  Bag Boy T-460 both agile and easy to store. It features reinforced corners, a lockable, all-round zip, internal compression strap and has the capacity to handle anything up to a 10-inch cart bag. Its outer shell is constructed from a durable polyester fabric and while it lacks the padding of some other travel covers, smooth rolling twin wheels make it a dream to manoeuvre. One for the budget-conscious golfer.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A TRAVEL BAG

Solid wheels

A bag’s wheels are where the rubber hits the road. But if the rubber no longer meets the road when your bag comes off the bag carousel, it’s going to be a long and frustrating journey to arrive at your destination. The best travel bags feature urethane wheels that are well supported and protrude just enough to not get snapped off by a careless airport baggage handler. All travel bags will have at least one pair of wheels, while others will feature a second or third set for extra stability while in an upright position.

Hard or soft shell?

No, we’re not talking about tacos. The majority of travel covers are soft-sided, kind of like a regular bag just with much more cushioning. They are light and easy to manoeuvre but don’t quite offer the same level of protection as hard cases, which are constructed from tough, rigid plastic. Hard shell travel cases provide superior protection in severe impacts but are much heavier. Hybrid travel covers usually feature a hard case upper and a soft case lower portion. Each type of travel bag has advantages and disadvantages but all will protect equipment from getting damaged to a certain extent.

Support Arm

Adding a support arm, like the  Bag Boy Backbone, into a golf bag before it goes inside a travel cover is an excellent insurance policy. It protects clubs by stiffening the structure of the bag and you won’t need to remove heads off drivers and fairway woods when travelling.

Storage

Travel covers that feature multiple storage compartments and pockets are worth investing in. Internally they can be used to keep shoes and clothes secure while outer pockets are great for stashing those last-minute items that you need to access regularly. If there’s enough storage, you might even be able to pack all your gear into the travel bag and eliminate the need to cart an additional piece of luggage.

Handle

The best travel bags feature multiple handles that make it easy to manoeuvre and lift the bag from any direction. Some handles also pivot, to make steering the bag through airports effortlessly simple.

Stowage

When not in use, the best golf travel covers will fold up into themselves for compact storage. It'll save you space in the garage or storage room and they'll stay clean, free of dust and, most importantly, out of the way.