Golfers not wanted at United Airlines
 

According to a United Airlines response to my complaint, as of early May 2008 there is now a $100 (per direction, I believe) fee for checking golf-clubs. If weight exceeds 50 lbs., an additional $50 fee applies. Thus, a golfer must reckon with an additional cost of $200-$300 for taking clubs along. At least UA has gotten honest about its size restriction; it used to say "max. 62 linear inches (height+width+depth)." Of course, no set of golf clubs (except maybe for kiddies) would ever pass this restriction. Now UA is upfront -- Golfers not wanted.

Almost true
 

As of July, 2008, United Airlines's website states that it's free to check one set of golf clubs in place of one piece of luggage. It does not state what the cost of a second set of clubs would be, although I can't see why one passenger would want to check two sets of clubs.

http://www.united.com/page/article/0,6722,52745,00.html

Golfers still not wanted
 

You might want to be cautious before lugging your clubs to the airport. Earlier it took me a phone call to United to discover the extra fees for golf clubs; their website seemed fairly innocuous then (as it does now). Even if your info is the last word (at least for July), their unrealistic size/weight restriction will still keep most of us from taking clubs along. Let's keep watching.