Travelling the world to play golf is very exciting. What better than mixing two of the most enjoyable things in a player’s life? Golf and holidays are a match made in heaven, and if you have the opportunity to go then it’s a no brainer. Every golfer should experience the thrill of playing on a course in a different country, whether that be in Ireland, the U.S. or somewhere in Europe. The one thing that can put a downer on your destination is an airline losing your prize possession golf luggage. So how do you get round this?

Seriously, @americanair is blowing customer service on this trip. Sent my golf clubs to Charlotte when I flew to Miami.

— rolandsmartin (@rolandsmartin) May 1, 2016

A few days ago a mildly famous journalist and reporter by the name of Roland Martin made waves when American Airlines failed to deliver his clubs to LA in time for a “very important” four ball with American Comedian George Lopez. There was an onslaught of Twitter mentions and customer service rants from the reporter that provided hilariously annoying commentary to seemingly the worst event in Roland’s flying history. He had completed over 800,000 air miles and slammed the disservice as “DEPLORABLE”, to say the least he was frustrated.

I have been a loyal @americanair customer for years. Flown nearly 800,000 miles. But their baggage issues last 2 weeks? DEPLORABLE.

— rolandsmartin (@rolandsmartin) May 2, 2016

Jokes aside, Martin was left disillusioned at the handling of his lost clubs. So, what would you do in his situation? Would you fire off a Twitter rant? Or would you just suck it up and rent clubs from the destination course?

Airlines lost golf luggage policies

There are varying policies for each airline you choose to fly with, so make sure you check before you fly. Interestingly, some US airlines have specific policies in place for the loss of golf luggage. You can always count on America to look after their golfers.

Southwest Airlines say “the airline will reimburse for rental clubs every day your clubs are missing, plus pay for two sleeves of balls, a glove and a new pair of golf shoes, provided the customer keeps the receipts.” This kind of policy would make any travelling golfer wish their luggage was lost, imagine getting new kit for free for your troubles. The limit for reimbursement checks at baggage services is $500, but for claims of more must be sent through the department and can take 30 days to process.

American Airlines also offer to reimburse the cost of rental clubs, balls, a glove and rental shoes. Even at prestigious clubs where prices are invariably higher, Kent Powell a spokesman for the airline said “we deny very few of them” talking about reimbursement requests of lost golf luggage. Powell says “nothing is more disappointing, you’ve got your tee times. They’re expensive. You’ve scheduled them months in advance. Your game is off (already) even if you have to rent a set.” recognising the importance of a golfer being with or without their clubs.

Ryanair do not have any specific golf luggage policies pertaining to reimbursement of golf specific replacement purchases. They use their standard policy for mishandled baggage claims which is limited to €1,131 per person. And claims are assessed by two forms of damage; damage caused by delay and damage by destruction to baggage. Damage costs are considered by airlines to be expenses incurred by passengers buying essential items while luggage is delayed or lost. EasyJet also do not have a specific golf luggage policy, having a similar approach to lost baggage as Ryanair.

The very nature of a golf trip abroad is that 1. It can be expensive. And not just financially, it takes a lot of time planning and booking ahead and 2. The success of the trip hinges on the ability to make it to the course on-time, with your golf equipment and with all your players present. So there is nothing worse than losing out in any way if it's not your fault. Here's how to avoid losing your golf luggage.

How do I avoid losing my golf luggage?

1. Book direct flights Try to make direct flights to your destination where possible. More often than not luggage goes astray while in transit, and the baggage handling systems are rarely to blame. Avoid tight connections that don’t allow much turnaround time. If your first flight is delayed, its likely your bag won’t make the connection.
2. Strip all luggage stickers It may seem obvious, but leaving old stickers from previous flights can be the cause of delay and confusion. The luggage systems are automated and if the other sticker is read it could end up delayed whilst processing or in the wrong destination altogether. 
3. Mark your final destination Match the location stated on your luggage tag with your itinerary before handing over your clubs to the airline to go in the hold. You’d be surprised how many times a luggage sticker is printed wrong.
4. Details, details, details Put your contact details, the ultimate destination of your golf bag and any other information you think the airline could need inside one of the pockets of your luggage. Many people add external tags, but few people think to put details inside. These bags go through swinging doors, rollers curves and all kinds of processing which can easily rip a tag off. These Titleist golf bags, like the one pictured above, all have conveniently placed zipper pockets just for this.
5. Golf travel insurance There are a huge range of golf travel insurance providers, with all the usual suspects and big brands offering policies, all covering the loss or damage of owned or rented golf equipment up to £1000 in most cases. They all tend to offer irrecoverable green fee cover up to a certain amount.

Golf insurance policy considerations

Some policies do not offer the kind of cover a golfer may need. For example, a number of travel insurance policies have an upper age limit of 65. But of course that excludes seniors who wish to partake in golf travel. Golfguard have an annual cover upper age limit of 79 years old and for single trip cover can be arranged with no upper age limit.

Another special feature to look out for is hole-in-one cover, which covers the lucky or in this case unlucky golfer who needs to fork out in the clubhouse after making a hole-in-one. Some policies will foot the bar bill up to £500.

There is one last consideration when searching for golf club insurance. There is either 'new for old' or 'indemnity' cover. New for old puts your clubs’ policy value at the original price you paid for your set, whereas indemnity cover assumes your clubs’ policy value is their current second hand market value at the time of a claim. Also check if and what the maximum single item limit of the policy you are considering is, and make sure it covers your most expensive club.

If you do suffer a delay of baggage you will need to write to the airline within seven days to claim compensation for damages. And if your baggage is lost, you must write within seven days of your luggage being declared lost. Here's a template as provided by which.co.uk for that letter you may need to write.

Feature image credit: muratart/Shutterstock