Shipping golf clubs to Hawaii, or flying with them?
Golf bag fees on Hawaiian, Alaska and Southwest, inter-island bag charges, Luggage Forward prices to Maui, Kauai and the Big Island, and the USDA bag check.
The short answer: fly with them for one island, price shipping for two.
For a single-island trip from the US mainland, flying with your clubs is usually the cheaper choice. Hawaiian and Alaska carry a golf bag as a standard checked bag, so it costs US$45 as your first bag and US$55 as your second, and the oversize fee is waived. Luggage Forward prices golf bags from US$129 each way, so on cost alone shipping comes close only when your bag would be overweight (US$100 extra) or a third piece (US$200). The sums change once you add a second island. Every inter-island hop is another checked-bag fee, and on the way home the USDA inspects every passenger bag before a flight to the mainland. If you are splitting a week between Maui and Kauai, or playing Wailea and then Poipu Bay, price both routes before you decide.
Hawaiian and Alaska: what a golf bag costs from the mainland.
Hawaiian Airlines and Alaska Airlines now share one baggage policy. For tickets bought on or after 10 April 2026, a Main Cabin or Saver passenger flying between North America and Hawaii pays US$45 for the first checked bag and US$55 for the second, each up to 50 lb and 62 linear inches. Golf clubs are on the list of sports equipment that travels as a standard checked piece. The airline waives the oversize fee but still charges for weight. A bag of 51 to 70 lb costs another US$100, and one of 71 to 100 lb costs US$200. Pack only golf equipment in the case, because the airline says unrelated contents can bring extra fees. Holders of the airlines’ credit cards and Atmos Rewards elites may get free bags. Business and First Class include two bags at up to 70 lb. If you fly from the UK on a through ticket, check which airline sets the bag rule: Alaska and Hawaiian say flights operated by British Airways and other partners follow different baggage rules.
Southwest, and the inter-island hops.
Southwest charges US$45 for a first bag and US$55 for a second on its Basic, Choice and Choice Preferred fares for US mainland travel. Choice Extra includes two bags. It treats sports equipment as a standard checked bag, waives the oversize fee for cases of 63 to 115 inches and adds US$100 when the case weighs 51 to 70 lb. Between the islands, the fees are lower. On a Southwest flight that starts and ends within Hawaii, visitors who are not Hawaii residents pay US$30 for the first bag and US$40 for the second. Sports equipment over 50 lb pays US$35 extra up to 70 lb, and the oversize fee is again waived. Hawaiian charges the same US$30 and US$40 for flights wholly within the state, with a US$35 overweight fee. The free inter-island bags, through Hawaiian’s Huaka‘i programme or a Rapid Rewards number on Southwest, are for Hawaii residents. Some Southwest A-List members and cardholders also get a free bag. Otherwise, expect to pay on every hop.
Luggage Forward to Hawaii: prices, timing and delivery.
Luggage Forward’s Hawaii golf page covers Maui, Kauai and the Big Island, and names Poipu Bay on Kauai and Wailea Golf Club on Maui as delivery points. A small golf bag (up to 45 lb, 50 × 12 × 10 in) is priced from US$129. A large bag (up to 55 lb, 52 × 15 × 12 in) is priced from US$149. Faster delivery costs more, and a bag that exceeds its booked category is charged at the next category’s rate. Many domestic trips need as few as two business days, and the company advises timing pickup so the clubs land a day or two before your first tee time. You can book up to 180 days before pickup. The forwarding packet with your tags is mailed up to a week ahead. Clubs can be collected from your home or office and delivered to the course pro shop, the bag room or your hotel. On the way home, they can be collected from the hotel or course. Each bag carries Value Protection up to US$500. If a bag arrives late, you get back double the shipping cost.
Packing rules, and the USDA check on the way home.
From the mainland, Hawaii is a domestic shipment, so Luggage Forward requires the bag to be locked. An unlocked domestic bag voids any claim for lost or missing contents. International shipments, such as clubs sent from the UK, are the reverse: they must be unlocked so customs can open them, and the company prepares the customs paperwork. Hazardous goods are barred from every shipment. Its longer list for shipments between two countries adds food, including coffee beans, pressurised cans such as sunscreen, and lithium batteries, including those in rangefinders and trackers. The bigger difference in Hawaii is on departure. The USDA inspects all passenger bags leaving Hawaii for the mainland, Alaska and Guam, at the airport before you fly, so be ready to open the case. Soil, and any plants in soil, are on its list of items you cannot take. Knock the mud off your shoes and spikes before packing. Failing to declare fruit, plants or other farm products can bring civil penalties of US$100 to US$1,000 per violation. Arriving on a domestic flight, you fill in the state’s agriculture declaration, Akamai Arrival, online up to five days ahead or in flight.
Renting clubs instead.
For a short stay or a single round, rental sets are a reasonable alternative, and several Maui courses publish their prices. At Wailea, Callaway Quantum rental clubs cost US$105 on the Gold, Emerald and Blue for the November 2026 to October 2027 season. They come with six logo balls, and the course’s Wailea Package is US$975 for three days of unlimited golf, or US$1,125 with three days of rentals. Junior rentals are US$25 before 3pm, and are free under its Kids Play Free After 3 offer, where a junior plays with a paying adult. At Kaanapali, adult rental clubs cost US$32.50 for tee times after 3pm, junior sets US$25, and sharing a set is not permitted. Kapalua offers men’s and women’s Titleist and Callaway sets, though its FAQ gives no rental price. On Hawaii Island and Kauai, ask the pro shop for its rental price when you book the tee time. Four rentals at Wailea’s US$105 add up to US$420, against US$90 for a round trip with the golf bag as your first checked bag on Hawaiian or Alaska.
A checklist for a Hawaii golf trip.
Weigh the bag in its travel case at home. Under 50 lb keeps you clear of overweight fees on Hawaiian, Alaska and Southwest. Count the flights. A mainland round trip with one inter-island hop is three flights, so three checked-bag fees for the golf bag alone. If you ship, you can book up to 180 days before pickup, and the tags arrive by post up to a week ahead. Choose delivery to the hotel or course a day or two before your first round, and lock the case if it leaves from a US address. Sending it from the UK, leave it unlocked and keep the rangefinder, sunscreen and any coffee out of it. Fill in the Akamai Arrival declaration before landing. Before flying home, clean the shoes, spikes and club grooves, and allow time for the USDA bag check at the airport. Prefer to travel light? Book rental clubs with your tee time at Wailea, or with an after-3pm round at Kaanapali, where the price is published in advance.
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