Golfers can take a small stride towards reducing their carbon footprint by hiring their clubs on their next golfing trip abroad.
In a time when the environment is at the forefront of people’s minds, and airlines such as easyJet, British Airways and Air France are working hard to offset and decrease their carbon emissions, it is important to make small changes if people do decide to travel by air.
One small change that can be made is to limit the weight of luggage on the aircraft, leading to less fuel consumption and therefore making the plane more energy efficient and economical. And leading golf club rental agency Clubs to Hire is supporting this notion by encouraging golfers to hire their clubs when playing abroad.
The Dublin-based company rents sets of golf clubs in 25 popular golfing regions around the globe and hired out 58,000 sets in 2019, with plans to grow to 70,000 sets in 2020.
Aviation is now seen as one of the major polluters, responsible for around three per cent of the world’s CO2 output and 12 per cent of transport-related emissions. The average set of golf clubs weighs around 30lbs, making Clubs to Hire responsible for saving airlines approximately 1,740,000lbs of weight in 2019, which is nearly the equivalent of two Boeing 747 aircraft.
A few years ago, American Airlines obtained FAA approval to replace its large flight manuals with iPads. The flight manuals weighed 35lbs – similar to a set of golf clubs – with an iPad weighing less than two. This change was believed to have saved the airline $1.2 million and 400,000 gallons of fuel over the course of the year – giving an idea of the difference hiring a set of clubs could make.
Adding to the already attractive prospect of reducing their carbon footprint, Clubs to Hire also gives golfers the opportunity to play with some of the best clubs on the market, offering the latest clubs from some of golf’s leading brands, including TaylorMade, Callaway, Titleist, Ping, PXG, Mizuno and Wilson Staff.
Clubs to Hire founder Tony Judge said: “It is safe to say that more than three million people fly with their clubs annually – and travelling without them could help both people’s conscience and their wallet. At Clubs to Hire, we are removing the need for golfers to take their clubs abroad, giving them the chance to hire, in some cases, better clubs than they have at home from just €40 per week – often less than airlines will charge to take clubs on the plane.”