Rental Clubs Come Into Their Own, Smoothing Shipping Hassles As Well

There used to be a time when the mere mention of rental golf clubs would initiate a collective sigh from serious golfers. But, following 9/11 and the resulting tighter airport security and bag allowances, traveling with golf clubs is not as easy as it used to be.

Further enhancing the appeal of rental clubs are the high-quality sets now available. The stereotypical rental set — a dusty collection of persimmon woods and banged-up irons in a well-worn vinyl golf bag — is about as archaic as a typewriter or 8-track tape player these days. The emphasis now is on pro-line equipment available on short notice.

Rental-club companies are springing up in major meeting destinations. In the Phoenix/Scottsdale area, Arizona Golf Xpress offers Ping, Tommy Armour, Wilson, Taylor Made and Lynx rental golf clubs. Maui Club Rentals on the island of Maui in Hawaii offers to groups pro-line golf clubs for rental. In San Diego, HRS Golf features full sets of Callaway Steelhead x-14 irons and Steelhead Plus Woods for rent. These companies and others specialize in accommodating group needs.

One of the more innovative new companies in the rental club market is ShipGolf.com, which offers rental clubs for pickup at designated airports or shipped directly to such specific sites as hotels and golf courses. The company also offers a service to ship a golfer's own set of clubs to a destination.

Founded in March 2001, the South Carolina-based company has flourished. The company has rental counters in the Myrtle Beach, S.C., and Jacksonville, Fla., airports, with three more counters planned in major golf areas in the coming months.

"I think many people just don't want the hassle of carrying their clubs and then facing the prospect of being delayed at an airport, or, even worse, losing their clubs," said Darryl Hunter, president of ShipGolf.com. "A major component of our success, though, is that we can provide high-quality, brand-name rental sets. Even with rental clubs, golfers are much more demanding about what they want to play with."

Hunter said ShipGolf.com offers Callaway, Ping, Cleveland, Titleist, Mizuno, Adams and other brand-name sets.

For meeting groups, Hunter said he can ship a minimum of 20 sets of clubs, for approximately $75 apiece, to almost any golf course in the United States. At last year's Super Bowl game in New Orleans, ShipGolf.com delivered 60 sets of rental clubs to a golf course where Motorola was staging a corporate golf tournament.

"We also can provide balls, gloves and high-quality rental shoes," said Hunter. "We can even arrange tee times."

Added Hunter, "You can rent a good, quality car anywhere, and we think the same can be true for golf clubs."

Contact Edward Schmidt Jr. at Metro2ed@aol.com