Can golf course rental club policies adapt to the times?

It’s not a friendly time to be a golf traveler who likes to bring their own clubs with them, now that most airlines charge either a mandatory checked bag fee of $15, or a $25 for a second checked bag.

Delta Airlines just announced yesterday they would begin charging $50 per second bag checked. To their credit, the first is still free.

That means it could cost each traveler up to $100 to bring your clubs on your golf trip these days. That doesn’t even guarantee your clubs will even show up on time. If you’re not playing three or four times, you may as well rent.

Frankly, like many other golfers, I can’t stand rental clubs. Even if it’s a newer, better set than my own. I have no feel and it takes 9 holes just to get used to them. I’d rather whack it around with a shovel - or bring a frisbee and “frolf” my way around the course.

So here’s my beef with golf courses in a lot of destinations: many only offer one fee for rental clubs, and it’s usually pretty steep, between $40-60. Sure, they offer a choice between say, Titleist or Callaway, but the fee is the same and for the middle class golfer, it’s steep.

To put things in perspective, to rent a car during my week in Las Vegas I paid $15 plus about $9 tax to rent a car every day. It was a tiny little Toyota Yaris you could barely fit two grown men and their clubs in, but it did the trick.

I passed on the upgrade to the shiny convertible. I don’t need to floss while I’m on the strip, I just want the basics.

And it’s the same with my rental set.

Not every golfer needs the brand new set of Titleists off the rack. Many of us just want some decent cavity backs and an oversized titanium driver. We don’t need the latest Nike Sumo. For a lot of people I know, at least my stingy friends, paying $50 for a round of golf is a little ludicrous, not to mention just for the rental clubs.

So what they should do is have the high-end $50-60 set for the corporate outings and swanky weekend getaways. Then they should have a beater set, maybe some Excaliburs or some knock-off Pings for $10-20. The club should promise they’ll all have the same shaft flex and that’s it. Most golfers I know have bad clubs anyways. They won’t tell the difference.

I think more tourists who just want to play one quick round on their trip would be far more willing to pay the $50-100 green fee if they new it wouldn’t cost the same just for the clubs.

Some courses in Las Vegas, like one I played last week, Aliante Golf Club, are running specials that will give you free rental clubs with your green fee if you can show them your flight receipt. They’re not alone. Whatever destination you’re headed to in the coming months, chances are you can find a package where the rentals are either steeply discounted or included. A lot of courses just want to fill their tee sheet while the economy is soft.

Airlines are adapting to the times, hopefully more golf courses revisit their rental club policies.