Whether you have just started your game or you are an experienced golfer, it’s required for every golfer to know how many clubs are allowed in a golf bag during tournament or in a competition.
How many clubs are allowed in a golf bag?
How many clubs are allowed in a golf bag is no different. The official maximum number of clubs allowed in a golf bag is 14. Golf’s governing bodies, the USGA and the R&A, have strict regulations on just about everything you can think of when it comes to golf equipment.
This may include three woods (driver, 3-wood and 5-wood), eight irons, (3-9 iron and pitching wedge), and putter. These are the standard 12 clubs in many golf bags. If the golfer starts with a number of clubs in his bag less than 14, he can add to the number of clubs until he reaches 14.
In details carry three woods in your bag. The driver, the 3-wood and the 5-wood are the three standard woods that most golfers use. Some golfers prefer a 7-wood and 9-wood instead of long irons or hybrids.
Carry at least one hybrid in your bag. Even tour players now carry this versatile club. It typically replaced the long irons, such as the 3-iron or 4-iron.
Put six irons and three wedges in your bag. Most golfers have a 4-iron, 5-iron, 6-iron, 7-iron, 8-iron and a 9-iron in their bags, as well as pitching, gap and sand wedges.
Place a putter in your bag for your work on the greens.
Add a lob wedge by removing a club you don’t typically use.
This question is regulated by Rule No. 4 the Rules of Golf (The Players’ Equipment):
Rule 4 covers the equipment that players may use during a round. Based on the principle that golf is a challenging game in which success should depend on the player’s judgment, skills and abilities, the player:
• Must use conforming clubs and balls,
• Is limited to no more than 14 clubs and normally must not
replace damaged or lost clubs, and
• Is restricted in the use of other equipment that gives artificial
help to his or her play.”
So, in a nutshell, golfers are restricted to carrying a maximum of 14 golf clubs in their bag during a round.
Is there any penalty for carrying too many clubs?
The penalty for carrying too many clubs in your bag is two strokes for each hole where a breach of the rule happened. That means if you have 15 clubs in your bag but don’t realize until you’re playing the second hole, you will receive a four-stroke penalty. Fortunately, the maximum penalty for breaking this rules is four strokes, so it won’t get any worse than that.
In Match Play, the penalty is one hole, meaning that if you break the rule the total match score is changed, instead of you just losing the hole you’re playing.
If you realize the breach while playing a hole, the penalty is assessed at the end of the hole. If instead you notice the violation in between holes, the penalty is applied to the hole you just completed.
Extra Clubs
When choosing your 14 clubs, you can usually add two clubs to the normal allotment of 12 clubs in the bag. The last two clubs can be a hybrid driver for use on the fairway and a wedge for the golfer’s short game. Or you may choose to use two wedges, which can include a lob wedge or sand wedge. The lob wedge provides better lift, while the sand wedge may help with those tough bunker shots.
Borrowing Clubs
In 1988, the USGA altered a rule about club-borrowing that allowed a player to borrow a club from anyone. The borrowed club could be used throughout the remainder of the round. However, in 1992, the USGA changed the rule back to the pre-1988 interpretation that allows you to borrow a club only from a partner you’re teaming up with during a tournament.
Hybrids
The hybrid golf club is a combination of a wood and iron that can help condense the number of clubs in a bag. Some hybrids look like an iron and some more resemble a 3-wood. The hybrid is counted as one of the clubs in the golf bag but can serve multiple purposes on the course. A hybrid can be used off the tee, as a replacement for long irons and sometimes for chip shots around the green. By using a hybrid, you may be able to eliminate a fairway wood and 3-iron, allowing you to add another wedge in your bag.