I travel light when I have to haul the $#!+ around. Now you know why I said having wheels on the bag is a must. Plus you figure I put half the stuff in my carry on in fear that they will steal it, and the other half in my other checked bag in fear that if they steal my clubs they only cover $3000, and that stuff adds up quick. So I do manage to get in at around 35 pounds, even though my cart bag while at home may border on 100 pounds.
... and WBL, As far as a soft bag, I think they make more sense. As with the Club glove there is a strap that tightens the heads together, where with a hard case you would need to pack them in something to keep them from banging around. So as long as you have something to handle the impact like the stiff arm, they should be fine if not better. I also kinda like that I now use the iron covers for travel, plus the woods have headcovers. So everything is padded well.
I may pick up a stiff arm next time I am in a golf store, as the curtain rod can be kind of a pain. I really used the shower rod mainly because I could not find the Stiff arm in the store.