Golf Travel Is Booming And Sun Mountain Is Cashing In

Sun Mountain has released the newest edition of its groundbreaking ClubGlider line of golf travel bags amid record levels of golf-related tourism.

Sun Mountain

Sun Mountain helped redefine the golf travel game more than a decade ago with the introduction of a line (the brand’s ClubGlider) that helped take the hassle out of transporting golf clubs. In particular, lugging them through airports.

A stark departure from golf’s rigid ‘mini coffins’ of the past from other brands, the durable ClubGlider most notably has a patented retractable kickstand system with wheels that glide effortlessly. Golf travelers could wheel a fully loaded set of clubs in a lightweight, well-padded bag with one finger.

Now, as recreational golf enjoys record levels of travel and tourism, Sun Mountain has released the latest evolution of its ClubGlider franchise. The new ClubGlider3 promises to be even more durable, protective, convenient and secure than past iterations, whether that’s the weather- and rip-resistant shell, the molded interior shield casing, the industrial two-way zippers and heavy-duty clips, and integrated TSA lock and internal AirTag pocket.

“It’s capitalizing on this boom of golf travel and this product that does well for us,” said Sun Mountain Senior Director of Marketing and Brand Strategy Grant Lordan, who previously had professional stints at Nike, Stanley and Starbucks. “Golf has turned into even more of an experience. Business overall has been great for us, but our travel business is on fire.”

Sun Mountain, recognized as one of the Top 100 Businesses in Golf by the National Golf Foundation, has been an industry innovator for decades and is credited with creating both the lightweight golf bag and the modern stand bag.

In April, Sun Mountain’s ClubGlider Meridian was voted by MyGolfSpy as the best golf travel bag of 2026, a notable feather in the cap at a time when online search levels for travel bags has been reaching new heights.

More than 12 million Americans have traveled to play golf each year from 2022 to 2025, according to NGF research, record or near-record totals that are up 49% compared to pre-pandemic levels.

This surging interest and activity in the world of golf travel – driven by increasing consumer appetite for shared experiences at resorts and destination golf properties – is having a broader impact on the company.

“We’re a bag-first company, but travel is just something that we’ve done a lot of storytelling around,” said Lordan. “We’ve engaged influencers and athletes around trying to just have fun with this new boom of golf travel. It’s causing a halo effect for the rest of our brand as well. We’ve recently launched an apparel line and a ton of new bags.”

Sun Mountain has hundreds of professional golfers using its travel bags and even more among the millions of recreational players. Anecdotally speaking, a good number of the latter have been buying the pro model (the company’s staff bag version that’s only available online) to possibly fit two standard bags, or bring along more apparel, shoes and gear on their golf trips. Or perhaps it’s also having the space to bring more logoed merchandise back from their golf shop hauls.

Additionally, Sun Mountain has started to introduce new colors in its offerings to help the ClubGlider3 stand out on airport baggage carousels. More travel accessories are in the pipeline as well for fall of 2026.

“(Travel) has only picked up and I don’t see it slowing down at all. It’s just part of the evolution of golf that we’re seeing,” said Lordan. “They want to go with a group of gals or the group of guys and have this experience they can share on social or with their friends. It’s been super cool.”