Most golfers know that a maximum of 14 clubs are allowed in your bag. But even some of the best players in the world have made the mistake of starting a round with more than 14 clubs, leading to some unfortunate outcomes.
Think you know the rule? Let’s put your knowledge to the test.
The scenario
You borrowed your friend’s hybrid to see if you can hit it better than yours. He said to hold on to it so you left it in your golf bag.
You’re on the fourth hole a couple of days later when you reach for your hybrid. Whoops! You forgot to take his club out of your golf bag. You haven’t used it so far during your round, but you’ve got 15 clubs in your bag.
What’s the ruling?
- A) There’s no penalty if you haven’t used the extra club but you must take an action that clearly indicates that the club is out of play before making your next stroke.
- B) You get the general penalty of two strokes added to your score for every hole you started with more than 14 clubs—up to a maximum of four strokes. You must also immediately take the extra club out of play.
- C) You are automatically disqualified for carrying more than 14 clubs.
The correct ruling? Answer B.
Under Rule 4.1b(1), the penalty for carrying more than 14 clubs in stroke play is two penalty strokes for each hole where a breach occurred with a maximum of four total penalty strokes per round.
It does not matter whether you used the extra club. Simply having it in the bag puts you in breach of the rule as soon as you start playing your round.
Once you discover the violation, you must also immediately take the extra club out of play before making another stroke.
What if …?
What if you discover the extra club in your bag just before teeing off on the first hole?
If you catch the mistake before starting your round, you should try to leave the excess club or clubs behind. But as an option without penalty, you can keep the excess club(s) with you but you must take the excess club out of play. The breach occurs only when the round begins (i.e., once you play your first stroke from the teeing area) with more than 14 clubs.
What if the club was left in your bag by another player?
It’s the same situation. If it’s in your bag and you’ve started the round, you’re in breach. When I played college golf, our coach taught us to count our clubs before we teed off to ensure no one had inadvertently put their club in the wrong bag. I’m sure it saved a few penalty strokes somewhere along the way.
What if it’s match play?
In match play, the penalty for exceeding the 14-club limit is an adjustment to the match score. It is not the same as a loss-of-hole penalty.
- You must deduct one hole from your match score for each hole where the breach occurred with a maximum of two holes per round.
- As in stroke play, you must immediately take the extra club out of play once you realize you’ve exceeded 14 clubs.
For example:
You start the match with 15 clubs but don’t notice it until you are on the third hole. You won the first hole and tied the second hole so you are 1-up in the match. The maximum adjustment of two holes applies (loss of two holes maximum), resulting in you being 1-down in the match.
How do you declare a club out of play?
If you discover you have more than 14 clubs, you must show clear intent that the club is no longer in use. Under Rule 4.1c(1), you can:
- Verbally declare to an opponent or fellow competitor, “I’m taking this club out of play.”
- Physically separate the club from your normal set. Turn it upside down in your bag, place it on the floor of your cart or hand it to someone else who will not return it during the round.
Once a club is out of play, you must not make another stroke with it for the remainder of the round. Doing so results in disqualification.
Does this happen to the pros?
As simple as this rule is, this has happened in professional tournaments more than you think.
Johnny Miller got dinged four strokes at the 1976 World Series of Golf when he found his young son’s 23-inch putter stuffed into the bottom of his bag.
Ian Woosnam was tied for the lead in the 2001 Open Championship when his caddie told him on the second tee, “There’s too many clubs in the bag.” The enraged Woosnam grabbed the spare driver he had been trying out on the range prior to his round and hurled it into the bush. “God, I give you a job to do and you can’t do it,” he yelled at his caddie. He finished tied for third.
Joel Dahmen faced a four-stroke penalty during the first round of the 2024 Shriners Children’s Open in Las Vegas for carrying 15 clubs. Dahmen discovered the extra 4-iron on the fourth tee so it cost him four penalty strokes in total.
“I travel with 15, 16 clubs,” he said after. “I think most people out here do, depending on conditions and courses. I’d like to blame [caddie] Geno [Bonnalie]. That would be the easy thing to do. It’s not his fault, either.”
Final thoughts
Count your clubs before you tee off (especially if you have caddie!). Even if you haven’t used that extra hybrid, you’re still carrying it and the penalty applies
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