You can have no more than 14 clubs in your bag during competitions. Don’t worry because having this number of clubs in a bag, for a golfer, means having as many choices in making shots on the course.
Golf, clubs
You can also play with fewer irons or woods but you should think more about the strategy to use hole by hole considering the various lengths of shots to be made (and being able to make various types of shots for each club).
The 14-club rule is enforced by the two main bodies in the world of golf: R&A (The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews) and USGA (United States Golf Association). This rule must be respected when playing in any type of match (match-play, stroke-play, stableford etc…).
If, on the other hand, you go on the field out of competition, you can have any number of clubs you want inside your bag. Usually these 14 sticks are divided into 4 Woods, 9 Irons and 1 Putter even if each player is free to have any variety of sticks he wishes in his bag, the important thing is to respect the maximum number.
If you have fewer clubs in your bag than the authorized limit of 14 clubs, nothing will happen to you! Indeed, you could add the missing clubs during game play without incurring penalties (but never exceeding the maximum number).
If you realize you have more than 14 clubs in your bag during a match, you will incur a penalty. The variety of penalties may depend on the type of race you are running. If you are playing a match-play competition you will lose the hole where you noticed the mistake.
However, if you are playing a stroke competition, you will be given two penalty strokes for any holes where you used extra clubs. However, the maximum number of penalty strokes you can be given is 4 strokes! One of the mistakes that happened in the professional world was in 2001 during the British Open which was played at Royal Lytham and St.
Anne’s. Golfer Ian Woosnam was in contention to win the tournament when he realized on his last day that he had 15 clubs in his bag. He of course immediately took the extra stick out of the bag, but was still assessed a 2-stroke penalty.
Unfortunately he didn’t win the tournament, but he played so well that even with the penalty he got he managed to finish in 3rd place! Pro Tip: Always remember, before starting a match, to count the clubs you have in your bag several times so as to avoid any type of penalty.
Do it on the 1st tee or directly with the caddy master before starting the competition so that you can possibly leave him the extra club that you won’t be able to bring into the competition.
