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Jan 01, 2024

Why I won't travel anywhere without the Sun Mountain ClubGlider

It has become the travel bag I cannot vacation without. Courtesy We all know

It has become the travel bag I cannot vacation without.

Courtesy

We all know how much of a hassle traveling with golf clubs is, and nothing is worse than a long walk with bags and golf clubs back to a car or wherever you need to go after a long flight.

Being based near a large and notoriously difficult-to-navigate airport (the infamous Philadelphia International), I know the drill. While I don't drive to the airport often, when I do, it always seems that I end up flying out of and parking at one terminal and coming back to another. At PHL that can mean a walk of more than a half-mile, which doesn't sound like much, but factor in everything from above and the bridges and escalators and elevators, you get the picture.

With my old golf bag travel cover, those walks meant not only spending energy pulling the bag along but also keeping it and it's no more than — but not much less than — 50 lbs. of contents at an angle that allowed the wheels to work.

However, since I switched to the Sun Mountain ClubGlider Meridian, those journeys back to the car or train platform got a lot easier.

(Full disclosure: I won my ClubGlider in an Instagram giveaway by Sun Mountain before I entered the golf industry, but I had no idea I knew I’d like it enough to still be using it today.)

Sun Mountain ClubGlider Meridian – $339.99

Unlike a traditional golf travel cover with just two wheels, the ClubGlider has an extendable set of legs with wheels that support the entire weight of the bag, allowing it to effortlessly — as the name implies — glide through the airport, parking lot, train station, wherever!

Here are the reasons why I won't travel without it anymore.

Walking to the check-in counter used to be a hassle with lugging my bags and getting my boarding pass and ID out at the same time. Now, I just gently push my ClubGlider ahead of me a few steps, freeing up my hand to grab my phone or wallet.

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I really can't describe how much better moving the ClubGlider along is than a traditional travel cover. The extra wheels almost make it feel weightless.

Pulling the leg assembly out is also a breeze and I simply lock them back in when I drop my bag off at check-in.

I only travel with a carry-on these days given how unreliable the airlines can be. That means my travel cover is usually the home for anything that doesn't fit in my rollaboard including toiletries, shoes, anything I buy while I’m away, etc. I thought the extra weight from the legs would be an issue, but I have yet to have my bag come in overweight because the legs are surprisingly both light and sturdy.

There's also plenty of room for stuffing in shoes, rain suits, extra balls and whatever else you could possibly need on your trip.

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The ClubGlider isn't a hardshell case, so you’ll still want to throw a stiff arm in your bag to keep your longer clubs safe, but it uses ballistic-style nylon so you can rest assured your 14 clubs will make it to your destination in 14 pieces. The padding at the top end is significantly thicker than my previous bag.

Even with the leg assembly, the ClubGlider folds about the same way as a traditional travel cover and can usually fit in the back of every rental car along with your clubs.

However, if you’re tight on space at home or like to travel as light as possible, you may also want to check out the Sun Mountain Kube.

The Kube features the same ballistic material as the ClubGlider used in conjunction with two plastic hard shell pieces at the top and bottom. When not using the bag, the bag folds between the two plastic shells and zips together to stow away. When in "Kube" form, the bag is 9″ x 13″ x 14.5″, smaller than the average carry-on, making it easy to store in a small apartment or small rental car.

SUN MOUNTAIN KUBE TRAVEL COVER – $269.99

Jack Hirsh is an assistant editor at GOLF. A Pennsylvania native, Jack is a 2020 graduate of Penn State University, earning degrees in broadcast journalism and political science. He was captain of his high school golf team and still *tries* to remain competitive in local amateurs. Before joining GOLF, Jack spent two years working at a TV station in Bend, Oregon, primarily as Multimedia Journalist/reporter, but also producing, anchoring and even presenting the weather. He can be reached at [email protected].