By car on a golf trip: luggage, tolls and ferries

Golf trips are not only trips by air. In the winter season flights are relied on more often because the golf destinations then lie in the south. In summer it is the other way round. Then the destinations that you can reach easily by car play a bigger role. In this guide I show you how you can stow your luggage properly and what the drive into the neighbouring countries costs. The guide is written from the point of view of golfers who set off from Germany.

When the car is worthwhile

The summer season lasts from June to August. The golf courses in Germany, Austria and the neighbouring countries then offer very good conditions. Added to that are the countries where golf is at home. In Scotland, England and Ireland it is noticeably cooler in summer than in Central Europe. That is exactly what makes a round there so pleasant.

• Your own golf bagYou play with your own clubs. That saves you the sports baggage and the rental fee.
• The trolley on boardYour own electric trolley comes along too, together with battery and charger.
• Several golf coursesYou are mobile on site and can play a different golf course in the region every day.
• Free timingYou decide on the departure and the return yourself and are not tied to a flight schedule.

How you can stow golf bags in the car

A golf bag with fourteen clubs is heavy and long. If it lies loose in the car, it becomes a projectile during an emergency stop. The German road traffic regulations therefore require in section 22 that the luggage does not shift even during an emergency stop or a sudden swerve.

1. Heavy things at the bottomYou lay the golf bags on the boot floor and close against the rear seat. The seat then acts as a partition between the luggage and the passengers.
2. Closing the gapsYou fill the spaces between the golf bags with holdalls and shoes so that nothing starts to slide.
3. Covering and lashing the loadIf your car has no load cover, you can lay a blanket over the load. You secure the blanket diagonally with lashing straps on the eyelets in the boot floor.
4. Keeping the parcel shelf clearBalls, rangefinders and umbrellas should not lie loose in the passenger compartment.

These amounts are given by the German motoring club ADAC. A second point is more important than the fine, though. According to the ADAC, the comprehensive insurance does not have to pay for damage caused by a shifting load.

How many golf bags fit into which car

There is no fixed rule for that, because boots and golf bags differ in size. The problem shows itself above all with rental cars. If you book the class of car only by the number of seats, you quickly find yourself standing with the golf bags in front of a boot that is too small.

According to the advice of the ADAC, particularly long and bulky items are better off in a van. For a group a rented minibus is therefore often the most comfortable solution. What else a group should clarify before the trip is explained in the guide Organising a golf trip as a group.

Tolls and vignettes in five countries

The costs for the route depend on the country in question. This overview applies to cars as of 2026.

In Austria further tunnels are added on the way south. The Felbertauern tunnel costs 13.50 euros, the Gleinalm tunnel 12 euros and the Karawanken tunnel 9 euros. For 2027 the prices of the vignette rise slightly. The vignette for ten days then costs 13 euros. In Italy the ADAC gives 20 euros per trip for the Timmelsjoch pass and around 56 euros for the Fréjus tunnel.

In Spain the toll stations do not accept prepaid credit cards or bank cards with the Maestro or V-Pay symbol. For the drive to the Costa del Sol or to Barcelona I would therefore take a credit card with me. As a rule the toll is only due there on the privately operated motorways. The state expressways alongside have so far mostly been free of charge.

Two things are easily overlooked with tolls. In Austria the digital vignette is tied to the number plate. From 2027 only this form will exist there. In addition there is no longer a barrier on individual routes in Italy and France. There your number plate is recorded and you pay afterwards online. In Italy you have 15 days for that, on the French sections by contrast only 72 hours.

By car to the islands

You can also get to Scotland, England and Ireland in your own car. For that you drive to the Channel coast and cross from there.

According to the operator, the car train through the tunnel costs from 59 pounds per car and leg if you travel there and back within two days (as of 13 November 2026). For a longer trip I would ask for the price for your travel dates. The price applies per vehicle and not per person. If four of you are sitting in the car, you therefore share it. All four golf bags travel along at no extra charge.

For Scotland the ferry from Amsterdam to Newcastle is a good option because it brings you straight to the north of England. It is also important to know that people drive on the left in Great Britain and Ireland.

In the south and in the north there are ferries to golf destinations as well. You can cross to Mallorca from Barcelona or Valencia. To Denmark you sail from Puttgarden to Rødby or from Rostock to Gedser. You reach Sweden from Kiel to Gothenburg or from Rostock to Trelleborg. You learn more about this in the guide By ship on a golf trip.

The rental car at the holiday destination

On a trip by air you often sit in a car as well. Rental cars are particularly popular in regions such as Mallorca or Portugal because the golf courses there are not all right outside the hotel door. When you book, it is important that the vehicle offers enough room for all your fellow travellers and their golf bags.

In countries such as Egypt or Turkey, by contrast, the traffic differs clearly from what you may know from home. There I would rather book an organised transfer to the golf course. To this day my own drive through Cairo is best summed up as “Drive to hell”.

These five mistakes happen particularly easily on a golf trip by car.

• You lay the golf bags loose on the folded rear seat.
• You book the rental car by the number of seats and not by the boot.
• You drive onto the Austrian motorway without a vignette.
• You forget to pay the toll afterwards on a route without a barrier.
• You only plan the ferry to Great Britain shortly before departure.

Checklist before setting off

• All the golf bags lie on the boot floor and are secured against shifting.
• The vignette or the toll account for every country on your route has been arranged.
• The ferry or the car train is booked.
• The tee times for the first days are confirmed.
• The battery and the charger of the trolley are packed.
• The membership card of your golf club is in the golf bag.