Hiring Golf Clubs in America with Clublender

Golfshake Ambassador Rob Treanor spent a month in the US on business. The opportunity to play new courses was too good to turn down so he decided to hire a set of clubs through Clublender rather than drag his own through the airport travel process. Find out more about how this experience affirmed an unexpected love for a new 3-wood and took the stress out of playing abroad.

Deciding To Play

The US receives a huge number of visitors from the UK each year for a variety of reasons. Many groups travel for shorter trips as part of stag/hen events to cities like Las Vegas and Miami, business travellers often frequent the big commerce hubs like New York and Boston, and destinations such as Florida and California are a popular draw for families.

I have always regarded travelling for work as a privilege, though most trips in the past have been just a few packed days, leaving little opportunity for leisure time. This trip was scheduled for around a month, so I wanted to make the most of the opportunity to experience new courses. Given the amount of top quality golf I found this will definitely be an experience I try to repeat on future trips!

Club Selection

Having decided to rent clubs rather than take my own (in addition to gear needed to see me through a month!) I reviewed what options were available on the Clublender website. They carry full sets of clubs from Titleist, Callaway and Taylormade as well as a more premium option in PXG. Though I play Titleist at home, I thought it would be a good chance to try something new and settled on a Taylormade setup which included the much-coveted Spider putter often seen on tour this year.

A dozen sets going out the door to make golfers happy. #clublender pic.twitter.com/VvaIU3rbm9

— Clublender (@clublender) September 11, 2018

Within each set there are various left/right/male/female/stiff/regular shaft options, allowing the golfer to tailor the selection to their game. The delivery options are vast meaning you can select any kind of address from residential, work, hotel or even have the clubs sent direct to the course! For UK golfers this is one of the key benefits as it eliminates the need to drag a heavy set of clubs to and from the airport oversize baggage area on top of the rest of your belongings.

Delivery

The clubs were helpfully delivered ahead of the first rental date, meaning I could arrange a nice early tee time on the first day! The shipment arrived well packed in a strong box which also serves as the return unit.

The package was thoughtfully sent with an excellent bag, plenty of tees, a towel and pitchmark repair/ball marking tool... aside from the bag everything was mine to keep! Other items such as gloves and balls can be selected during the checkout process and are included with the shipment. This means I had everything I needed to play golf without having to worry about weight limits, the only thing I needed to bring was my swing!

Playing

Arriving in the US, I was excited to try some different clubs. The weather was really hot when I got to the first course and like many in the states, it was a cart only setup. The Vessel bag that Clublender supply is the only part of the set that isn’t customisable. This was easily fixed to the back of the buggy but on later rounds when I could walk the course, I was extremely impressed with how comfortable this was to wear. I use a premium bag at home but I have to say this was even more comfortable than what I usually use. I hadn’t heard of this brand before so it was another unexpected benefit of trying something new.

Courses in the US play differently to the UK; there is little run on either the fairways or the greens, the topography is extremely varied and the views are generally more spectacular. Emphasis is placed on knowing your yardage and playing to carry the features in a more target style of game…the courses aren’t really set up for chip and run shots. Holes are cut in some extremely cheeky locations on the greens too meaning you can overshoot by just half a centimetre and find your ball rolls 20 yards off the green!

One of the things that I really liked about the experience was being able to play multiple rounds with this set of clubs, allowing me to really get to know how they performed with my game. The difficulty of a club fitting is that the spec is tailored and built to the way you swing the club on that day, but as we all know; golf is different every time you play! If you want to try something new or ensure what you were fitted for works long term, then this is a great option to really get to know the clubs in different playing conditions. Equally the option to match the set I play at home was there and for some golfers, who already know what works for them, this will be the most appealing choice.

I actually fell in love on this trip, with the Taylormade M4 3-wood and hybrid! I hadn’t hit these clubs before, but they consistently worked for my game both off the tee and from the fairway and rough. The launch and carry were both great and I found I was able to consistently hit fairways which gave me a lot of confidence on the tee and firing over hazards or onto the green as the course demanded. I was so impressed that the first thing I’m going to do when I get back home is add these two beauties to my bag permanently!

Customer Experience

One of the things which really set the Clublender experience apart is the five star customer service. It was so easy to book and collect the clubs where I wanted them delivered, meaning I could focus on the rest of my travel plans. There was great email communication throughout the process and I even got a message from the courier confirming the clubs had been delivered the day before the booking which gave me great peace of mind.

The Clublender team are also pretty active on social media, with regular helpful tips and interesting content. It is worth following the company even if you aren’t planning to use them any time soon just to see these handy updates!

Conclusion

Playing new courses is one of the reasons I love golf. Unfortunately there are far too many out there to squeeze them all in, but given that each course has a unique quirk, signature hole or a different style, it is great to experience something different. Taking a day out from a holiday or business trip to tick one new course off the bucket list is now even easier when you use a club rental service.

The Clublender experience is an impressive logistics operation; whizzing clubs around the States to exactly where they are needed. Backed up by first class customer support, this was definitely an easier option for me than the hassle of the oversize baggage queue at the airport! It is an experience which has changed my game for when I get back home as I have road tested a full set of clubs and know that two of them work really well with my game. Here’s to travel, trying something new and that constant drive to improve your game!

For more information, visit https://www.clublender.com/.