It’s essential to know the rules of how many clubs you can carry if you intend to play in an official USGA sanctioned tournament. Using too many clubs could result in penalties that hurt your score.
I’ll run through club limits and any other possible scenario you could run into on the course.
For most golfers, this rule will come into play during club tournaments or golf outings.
When you’re just golfing recreationally with friends… you can carry as many clubs as you can fit in your bag if you want. Unless you’re playing for money, it’s very doubtful that anyone would say something to you.
What is the official rule on how many clubs you can have in a golf bag?
Rule 4.1b in the USGA rulebook states that..
You must not start a round with more than 14 clubs or have more than 14 clubs during the round.
usga.org
So, simply stated you’re allowed up to 14 clubs for play and there is no restriction on the type of club you carry.
Of course there are more intricacies involving broken clubs, sharing clubs, too many clubs, repairing clubs, and adjusting clubs. I’ll run through those scenarios below.
First, let’s look at what clubs are in a typical bag.
What clubs do you typically carry in a bag?
It all depends. There are a number of factors to consider when figuring out what clubs you want to carry.
Each golfer is different and will play using clubs they prefer.
For instance, if you’re a higher handicap you may want to forgo lower irons in favor of another fairway wood or hybrid. Another example, if you don’t hit a driver well you may want to leave it entirely out of your bag and carry an extra wood, presumably a 3 wood for some more distance.
There’s also a case to be made that you will want to switch out clubs depending on what course you’re playing that day. A shorter course may not warrant two fairway woods and you may elect to add an additional wedge instead. Conversely, you may want longer clubs for a longer course.
Here’s a rundown of what a typical bag would be comprised of:
Driver
The average golfer will have one driver in their bag.
This club is primarily used off the tee on par 4 and par 5 holes. For most, this is the longest club in your bag and will have the lowest loft. Most drivers will range from an 8° up to 13° loft.
In some cases, golfers may elect not to carry a driver, but it is very uncommon for that to be the case.
Fairway Wood(s)
Typically, you’ll see golfers with at least one fairway wood.
Most bags include either labeled a 3-wood or 5-wood, however, there are 2-woods and 4-woods in many golfers bags. Depending on the wood, the loft can be anywhere from 13° up to 22°.
A fairway wood is used for long shots either off the tee, in the fairway or in the rough. There are other unconventional uses but I won’t get into those here.
Irons
All golf bags will have a set of numbered irons which go from 3 through 9, which is 7 total clubs. These are generally categorized as long, mid and short irons.
Higher lofted irons will have a lower number on the club, these are considered short irons. On the other end, lower lofted irons will have a higher number on the club and are considered long irons.
The actual loft is different on every set of clubs but typically you’ll see a 3 iron around 21° and a 9 iron around 42°. The remaining irons fall somewhere in between those lofts.
Irons can be used pretty much anywhere on the course, but rarely on the putting green. Since there is such a wide range of lofts, irons can be hit close range or long range.
Wedges
A pitching wedge, or sometimes referred to as a 10 iron, and a sand wedge are in most golf bags.
The pitching wedge is a high loft club, usually ranging from 45° to 47° loft. This is one of the most versatile clubs in your bag and can be used anywhere on the course but not typically on the putting green.
Sand wedges have an even higher loft and are often referred to as a 56°, although they can range from 54° to 58°. Similar to the pitching wedge these are used anywhere on the course except the green. A common use is when hitting a shot from the bunker or in thick rough.
Putter
The average golfer will have one putter in their bag. It is very rare that golfers don’t carry a putter unless they’re playing a round with special rules where they’re not allowed.
This club is used primarily on the putting green and is nearly flat faced at 3.5° to 4.5°.
It is also common for high handicap golfers to use a putter from the fringe or rough in an effort to get the ball on the green.
More Clubs
With 1 driver, 1 fairway wood, 7 irons, 2 wedges, and 1 putter you’re at 12 clubs. Again, these are the most common clubs found in a golfers bag.
Beyond that, players will add another two clubs. This will be a…
* Second fairway wood, often a 5 wood to go with your 3 wood.
* Longer iron, often a 2 iron.
* Hybrid, lofted for similar distance to a 5 wood.
* Additional wedge like a gap or lob wedge.
Again, it’s completely up to the golfer which clubs they want to play with. Just remember, you only can have 14 clubs in your bag at the start of the round!
What is the penalty for too many clubs?
A few different factors will determine how the penalty is enforced…
Starting from the first bullet, if you don’t immediately take the club out of your bag you will be disqualified. Rule 4.1b in the USGA rulebook states that..
When you become aware that you are in breach of this Rule by having more than 14 clubs, you must immediately take the excess club or clubs out of play, using the procedure in Rule 4.1c.
usga.org
And Rule 4.1c states…
When you become aware during a round that you have more than 14 clubs or made a stroke with another player’s club, you must immediately take an action that clearly indicates each club that you are taking out of play (such as by advising another player or turning the club upside down in your bag).
usga.org
If you don’t take immediate action to indicate each club that you are taking out of play then you will be disqualified.
Now, if you become aware that you have too many clubs while playing a hole then the penalty is applied at the end of the hole you are playing. In match play, you must complete the hole and apply the result of that hole to the match score and then apply a penalty to adjust the match score (Rule 4.1b).
When the breach is discovered between holes then the penalty is just applied as of the end of the previous hole completed.
For stroke play, the golfer will incur a 2 stroke penalty for each hole the extra club was used, up to a maximum of 4 strokes per round.
For match play, the golfer will deduct a hole he won for each breach, up to a maximum of 2 holes per round. As an example, if you started with 15 clubs and became aware of the breach while playing the 3rd hole and then won that hole to go three up in the match, the maximum adjustment of two holes applies and you would now be one up in the match.
What happens if you break a club during your round?
You must use the damaged club for the remainder of the round, or repair it to the same condition it was before the damage happened. You may not replace the club.
Not an ideal scenario, but replacing the broken club would be considered a net new club and result in a penalty. In the event that you break a driver, just use your longest fairway wood or hybrid for the rest of the round. If you break an iron or a wedge, you should attempt to use a similar lofted club and make due.
In cases where you break your putter, which would be extremely hard to do since you’re not swinging it very hard, then you may be stuck using your flattest club in your bag. That would be a fairway wood or driver in most scenarios.
Can you use someone else’s club or share with your partner?
No, you cannot legally use another player’s clubs during the round. If you breach this rule by making a stroke with another players club then you follow the procedure in Rule 4.1c.
Is there a minimum number of clubs?
There is not a minimum number of clubs in your bag needed to play a round of golf. That said, it is most advantageous to use all 14 clubs allowed during play, even if you don’t intend to use them all.
I play entire rounds without using some of my clubs. Not because I don’t want to, but sometimes I just don’t need a specific club to work my way up and down the course.
Can I add clubs to my bag during a round?
Technically the answer is yes, but that is only if you didn’t start the round with 14 clubs. The second part of Rule 4.1b states that…
If you start a round with fewer than 14 clubs, you may add clubs during the round up to the 14-club limit.
usga.org
So, as long as the club you’re adding doesn’t put you over 14 clubs, then you can add it into your bag in the middle of a round.
Does it matter what clubs are in my bag?
As long as the club is considered conforming, then it doesn’t matter which type of club is in your bag, as long as there are no more than 14 of them.
USGA puts out a list of conforming clubs on their website.
