Shipping golf clubs both domestically and internationally is big business. As this market has grown, we are no longer limited to the major shipping companies as several new players have started specializing in the shipping of golf clubs.
The 7 golf club shipping companies we have reviewed and compared in this piece will provide you with a good idea of what is available in the market and how much it will cost. To balance the comparison, we have included the 4 major shipping companies and 3 specialized services.
You want a company that will deliver your golf clubs safely and efficiently without hurting your wallet too much. You need to balance the price with the safety and quality of service. We will guide you so that you can make an informed decision.
Shipping clubs, particularly internationally, is a fair cost and it is essential that you understand the costs before making the decision.
The Best Golf Club Shipping Companies
1. FedEx
FedEx is one of the 4 major shipping companies that will transport almost all parcels domestically and internationally and has a well-established network and an excellent reputation.
They will deliver your golf clubs to more than 200 countries and territories around the world and you can ship your golf clubs from the East Coast to the West Coast for as little as $70.36 each way using the FedEx Ground service. This service will take approximately 4 days but may be completed in a shorter period depending on the location and whether the delivery is in a very remote area.
Shipping your golf clubs overnight increases the price dramatically by nearly 400% to $282.45. You will benefit financially by planning your shipment well ahead of time.
These are not the only shipping options available and their website is quite easy to navigate and to obtain quotes.
International deliveries have limited options and you can send your golf clubs from the East Coast of the USA to Hong Kong on the economy Package for $637.35 or priority shipping for $729.88.
2. UPS
UPS is another of the 4 top shipping companies that will ship your golf clubs locally and internationally to almost any staffed business addresses, including resorts, golf courses, and hotels.
Their prices are higher than FedEx and shipping your clubs from the East Coast of the USA to the West Coast of the USA using their Ground service will cost you $114.54 and on similar delivery times.
The overnight service rate is not as dramatically different from FedEx and Next Day Air will cost you $370.02 each way.
You will have easy access to their stores if you wish to deliver your clubs for shipment as they have more than 5000 stores across the USA and Canada.
Another benefit that UPS offers is that they will package your golf clubs for you saving you time and having to go through the whole packing process. This is a big advantage as this can be a tedious job and rather costly. It is important that it is done well and UPS makes this easy for you.
International shipment options are limited as well and shipping your golf clubs from the East Coast of the USA to Hong Kong on the Worldwide Expedited option will cost $245.81 and the Worldwide Saver $213.18.
Their website is easy to navigate and obtaining a quote is quick and effortless.
3. USPS
As the official mail company in the US, USPS covers all possible addresses and areas however remote. Delivering your clubs to the hotel or golf resort will be no problem.
USPS provides free Priority Mail Cardboard Mailing Tubes to ship your golf clubs or you can package your clubs. This will save you time, money, and hassle.
Domestic shipment from the East Coast to the West Coast using the Retail Ground service will set you back $82.80 and the Mail Express 1-Day $202.10.
International shipment options are limited. Shipping your golf clubs from the East Coast of the USA to Hong Kong on the Priority Mail Express International option will cost $186 and the Priority Mail International $162.50.
Navigating the USPS website to obtain a quote is not quite as easy as UPS and FedEx and you have to select one of their packaging options to get your quote.
4. DHL
The last of the 4 major shipping companies that we reviewed is DHL. Shipping domestically in the USA is extremely limited but the international options are easy to navigate.
International shipment options are limited as well and shipping your golf clubs from the East Coast of the USA to Hong Kong on their only option, Express Worldwide will cost you $513.53.
Their website is not as user friendly as UPS and FedEx but you should be able to find your way around without too much frustration.
Read also: Best Golf Club Shipping Boxes
Other Options: Third-Party Carriers
Looking at third party shipping companies that make use of some of the major courier companies to move your golf clubs between locations is rather interesting.
In some cases, they charge you less for the same service than the major players would charge you. This is due to bulk discounts that they have negotiated and thus passing the saving on to the consumer of the service. What a win.
The 3 companies that we reviewed are specialized in shipping golf clubs domestically and internationally and they have built up good reputations for on-time delivery at an extremely competitive rate.
Parcel Monkey is one example of a third-party carrier that offers reduced rates using a major form. Comparing their UPS Ground Pick Up service will cost you $102.03 and the UPS Ground option will set you back $114.54.
1. Parcelmonkey
Parcel Monkey collaborates with several delivery agents, postal operators, and shipping companies such as DHL, USPS, UPS.
In addition to the collaboration agreement, they offer their branded hybrid services including International Drop Off operated by FedEx. Packages collected from your location or you can drop it off at their offices. They do not package your golf clubs like UPS.
Domestic shipment from the East Coast to the West Coast using the Ground Drop Off will cost you $61.86 and the Standard Overnight Drop Off will set you back $147.78.
They offer more international shipment options than the 4 major shipping companies. Shipping your golf clubs from the East Coast of the USA to Hong Kong on the International Drop Off will set you back $136.29 and the International Priority Drop Off will set you back $151.03. Their options include drop-off to your location, or you can pick it up from their offices.
Navigating their website is a breeze and you get a quick response on your quotes.
2. Luggage Free shipping
Luggage Free shipping is another 3rd party shipping agent that provides specialized golf club shipping services. They guarantee their shipping service is guaranteed to provide you with peace of mind that your golf clubs will be ready and waiting for you upon arrival at your destination.
The number of option to select the size of your golf clubs are limited to 2 options, Standard Golf Bag of 42 pounds or XL not exceeding 56 pounds.
Domestic shipment from the East Coast to the West Coast using the Standard option will cost you $89.99 and the XL will set you back $94.99.
Similarly, their options on international shipping are limited to Standard Golf Bag of 42 pounds or XL not exceeding 56 pounds.
Shipping your golf clubs from the East Coast of the USA to Hong Kong on the Standard option will set you back $259.99 and the XL $329.99.
Navigating their website is user-friendly and golfers will find no difficulty in getting a quote.
3. Ship Sticks
The last 3rd party shipping agent that we reviewed is making waves in the golf club shipping market is Ship Sticks.
They are well known for shipping golf clubs, but you will be able to ship other sporting equipment through them as well.
Domestic shipment from the East Coast to the West Coast using the Ship Sticks Next-Day Express option will cost $164.99 and the Ground option will set you back $74.99.
4. Other notables
Other than the three third-party shipping agents that we reviewed there are some other companies that you can look at and will offer comparable services. These companies are:
How Much Will It Cost?
Shipping costs vary depending on the distance, size, volume, and weight of your parcel. The time plays a major role and you can realize a significant saving in the shipping costs when you plan your shipment well ahead of time you.
All of the reviewed websites will provide you with quotes for domestic and international shipments except for DHL that does not provide quotes for domestic shipping in the USA.
Getting the quote can be a little laborious on some of the websites as you have to capture all your information before you get the quote. Others will provide a quote based on the zip codes of the current location and the final destination.
Quotes are delivered in a few seconds and you will be provided with all the options that are available for you to choose from. This will make it easy to compare options based on price but be sure to check on service levels and safety issues.
The companies we have reviewed all take pride in their service and wish to maintain their reputation so you should have no concerns with these carriers.
In this piece, we only used the most common prices for a reasonable comparison and thus we have not shown all the options available.
Domestic Shipping
For domestic shipping, we based our research on the shipment of golf clubs between major cities in the USA and did not delve into the pricing for remote areas. Furthermore, we covered coast to coast as this is probably the farthest that you will ship your clubs domestically.
- Domestic shipping services from Brooklyn, New York, to Beverley Hills, California.
The packaging is based on a box of 50 inches in height as the average size of a driver is between 42 inches and 44 inches allowing for some space to add packaging chips for protection
- Package size: 50in x 12in x 10in; weight: 30lbs
| Carrier | Service | Price |
| UPS | Next Day Air | $370.02 |
| UPS | 2nd Day Air | $258.42 |
| UPS | Ground | $114.54 |
| UPS | Next Day Air Saver | $350.22 |
| FedEx | Standard Overnight | $282.45 |
| FedEx | 2Day | $211.30 |
| FedEx | Ground | $70.63 |
| FedEx | Express Saver | $160.01 |
| USPS | Mail Express 1-Day | $202.10 |
| USPS | Priority Mail 2-Day | $99.30 |
| USPS | Retail Ground | $82.80 |
| Luggage Free | Standard (42 pounds) | $89.99 |
| Luggage Free | XL (56 pounds) | $94.99 |
| Parcel Monkey | Ground Drop Off | $61.86 |
| Parcel Monkey | Standard Overnight Drop Off | $147.78 |
| Parcel Monkey | Standard Overnight Pickup | $152.34 |
| Parcel Monkey | Express Saver Drop Off | $161.85 |
| Parcel Monkey | Express Saver Pick Up | $169.58 |
| Parcel Monkey | UPS Ground Pick Up | $102.03 |
| Parcel Monkey | UPS Ground Drop Off | $97.21 |
| Ship Sticks | Next-Day Express | $164.99 |
| Ship Sticks | Second Day Express | $124.99 |
| Ship Sticks | Ground | $74.99 |
International shipping
For the shipping of golf clubs internationally we looked at some of the longest flights and determined that Hong Kong would be a very good location to provide the optimal pricing comparison point. The packaging remained the same as for domestic pricing.
- International shipping services from Brooklyn, New York, to Hong Kong.
- Package size: 50in x 12in x 10in; weight: 30lbs
| Carrier | Service | Price |
| UPS | Worldwide Expedited | $245.81 |
| UPS | Worldwide Saver | $213.18 |
| FedEx | International Economy | $637.35 |
| FedEx | International Priority | $729.88 |
| DHL | Express Worldwide | $513.53 |
| USPS | Priority Mail Express International | $186.90 |
| USPS | Priority Mail International | $162.50 |
| Luggage Free | Standard (42 pounds) | $259.99 |
| Luggage Free | XL (56 pounds) | $329.99 |
| Parcel Monkey | International Drop Off | $136.29 |
| Parcel Monkey | International Pickup | $141.02 |
| Parcel Monkey | International Priority Drop Off | $151.03 |
| Parcel Monkey | International Priority Pick Up | $155.77 |
| Ship Sticks | Outbound | $214.99 |
| Ship Sticks | Return | $224.99 |
Insurance
Most of the specialized services offer insurance as an optional extra for your golf clubs as they understand how the golfing industry works and what it involves replacing your golf clubs.
All prices quoted include insurance for $1000.
UPS and FedEx do not offer golf club-specific insurance, but they do allow you to add insurance for a declared value of your clubs. This is the maximum liability in case of loss or damage according to their terms and conditions.
USPS Priority Mail Express offers insurance up to $200, while Priority Mail has $100 protection.
If you do not declare the value of your golf clubs the default insured amount of $100 applies.
Comparison
On the domestic front, the 4 major companies are the most expensive with UPS being the most expensive while Parcel Monkey is the cheapest using their Ground Drop Off option. Interestingly, as mentioned earlier in this piece, the cost of using Parcel Monkey’s UPS Ground Pick Up option is $12.51 less expensive than using the service directly through UPS
On the international shipping, FedEx is by far the most expensive while Parcel Monkey comes in as the cheapest and the provide more price offerings.
These quotes were based on the information provided and is not the ultimate quotes. To get a realistic quote it is advisable to visit the different websites and get quotes for your specific requirements.
Final Thoughts
Shipping your golf clubs could save you the laborious work of lugging them along on your trip and having to get a bigger rental car or pay extra to the taxi to get to your final destination.
The cost of shipping your clubs has reduced significantly as the market has grown and it has become affordable to most golfers. You can realize savings by allowing for more shipping time and by steering away from speed services.
Nick is the founder of GolfSpan and an avid golfer. He's not quite a pro but has over 15 years of experience playing and coaching golfers worldwide. His mission is to bring the golfing community a better experience when it comes to choosing the right golf gear and finding the right setup for your game.
