Travelling with golf clubs: the influence of baggage on the trip decision-making process

Sports participation often requires the use of specialist equipment and for many sport tourists this is transported to the destination to aid convenience and enjoyment of participation. Yet, to date there has been little consideration of the influence that travelling with sporting equipment can have on the trip decisions making process. This paper focuses on golf tourism, said to be the largest sector of the sports tourism market and examines the influence that traveling with golf equipment has on aspects of the trip such as travel mode and opportunities for participation. Based on a longitudinal grounded theory study this paper concludes that packing sporting equipment can stimulate negotiations associated with participation. Furthermore the nature of the sporting equipment to be carried can determine the choices made regarding the travel modes used to reach and move around holiday destinations and thus directly influence the trip decision making process