Skip to content

Rule 4.1b

Limit of 14 clubs

Also searched as: 14 clubs, 15 clubs, too many clubs, 14-club rule, clubs in the bag

You must not start a round with more than 14 clubs or have more than 14 during the round.

If you start with fewer than 14 clubs, you may add clubs during the round up to 14, as long as you do not unreasonably delay play. You must not borrow a club from anyone playing on the course, even someone in another group.

If a club is damaged during the round, you may keep using it, repair it or replace it. If you damaged it through abuse, for example in anger, you may only keep using it, but neither repair nor replace it.

You must not deliberately change an adjustable club during the round, for example the loft of an adjustable driver. If you make a stroke with a club changed this way, you are disqualified, unless you restored it to its original setting first.

Step by step

  1. 1Take the club out of play. As soon as you discover the breach, declare the excess club out of play to your marker or opponent. If you do not do so immediately, you are disqualified.
  2. 2Add the penalty. In stroke play, two penalty strokes for each hole where you had too many clubs, with a maximum of four per round. In match play, the score of the match is adjusted by deducting one hole for each hole where the breach happened, with a maximum of two.