How to ship golf clubs in Canada

Packing golf clubs

1. Put head covers on the driver, woods and putter, and wrap the iron heads together in a towel or bubble wrap.
2. Stand a stiff support rod in the bag, a little taller than the longest club, so a knock lands on it and not on a shaft.
3. Fill the gaps with towels or clothing so the clubs can’t rattle.
4. Take out loose batteries, such as a rangefinder’s spare. Loose lithium batteries can’t go with a ProtonShip label.
5. Close the case, and put the label on its largest flat side.

Which carriers take a golf travel case

Club Glove’s Tour Traveler SB travel bag measures 52 × 13 × 13 in on the outside. With a full set inside, say it weighs 35 lb:

Carrier	Billed as	Fits
Canada PostRegular Parcel	52.9 lbSize sets it (÷ 166)	Fits
Canada PostOther services	63.2 lbSize sets it (÷ 139)	Fits
UniUni	Limits and divisor not published. A quote asks UniUni directly.
PurolatorGround	63.2 lbSize sets it (÷ 139)	Fits
PurolatorExpress	76.4 lbSize sets it (÷ 115)	Fits
UPSStandard	63.2 lbSize sets it (÷ 139)	Fits
UPSExpress	76.4 lbSize sets it (÷ 115)	Fits
FedExGround	63.2 lbSize sets it (÷ 139)	Fits
FedExExpress	63.2 lbSize sets it (÷ 139)	Fits

Every carrier with published limits takes it, and size sets the bill: about 53 lb at Canada Post Regular Parcel, 63 lb at most ground services and 76 lb at UPS air services or Purolator Express. Its length plus girth is 104 in, an inch under the 105 in line at UPS and FedEx. Its 52 in length is still over the 48 in line at UPS, FedEx and Purolator, and over 1 m (39.4 in) at Canada Post, so each adds a handling charge.

Sending clubs to a course or hotel

Courses and hotels are business addresses, so carriers deliver there on weekdays in business hours. Canada Post, for one, delivers to businesses Monday to Friday from 9 am to 5 pm. Ask the course or hotel whether it will hold a bag for a guest, and put your name and arrival date on the address so staff can match it to you.

Resorts off a carrier’s regular routes can carry an area surcharge at UPS, FedEx and Purolator, which a ProtonShip quote includes.

Keeping the cost down

• Pack around the clubs. The case already bills at its size, so shoes and clothing tucked in add nothing to the bill until the case weighs more than that. Stay under 50 lb, the weight where UPS and Purolator start extra handling.
• Ship only the clubs you’ll play. A half set weighs less. The case still has to be as long as your longest club, usually the driver.
• Pick ground if you have the days. Ground services count business days, from one nearby to a week or more across the country.

More long items: skis and snowboards and bikes.