Does keeping a left club in your bag count towards your total?

The Rules of Golf Are Complicated! Thankfully, we have the teacher. our Rules Guy knows the book inside out. Have a question? He has all the answers.

During a local tournament, I walked onto a green and noticed a gaping wedge that had obviously been left by a group ahead. After we got it all out, I took the wedge and put it in the basket of my wagon, thinking I would leave it at the clubhouse on the turn, or give it to its owner if we caught it. After paring the next hole, another competitor said I had broken Rule 4 by having more than 14 clubs in my possession, which required a 4 stroke penalty. I argued that I never intended to use the club, nor did I put it in my bag, so it could not be a violation. What do you say? – Rick Itami, Liberty Lake, WA

We commend you for not telling this fool to go with the sand or taking even more drastic action.

Clearly, there can be quite a difference between referring to a Rule and knowing what it actually says. Rule 4 – 4.1, to be precise – specifically covers this courtesy, noting that it does not add to one’s club count, so long as the club is not used. Your competitor at best blundered and at worst tried to pull one (or four) on you.

For more guidance on club counting from our teacher, read on…

Can you keep sticks out of your bag and not count them towards the legal limit of 14? -Joseph Mills, Pinehurst, NC

Yes… but only if you balance them on your nose.

Come now, Joseph – 14 clubs at most means 14 clubs at most (per Rule 4.1b(1)), not 14 clubs and whatever else you can stash under your arm, in your opponent’s bag and behind the bushes.

Breach of this rule is a penalty of two strokes for each hole in stroke play, to a maximum of two holes, and as soon as you realize you are in breach you must call the extra clubs out of play immediately or be disqualified. Golf is a game of honor, not accumulation.

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Have a question about the Rules? Ask Guy Rules! Send your questions, confusion and comments to rulesguy@golf.com. We promise you won’t throw the book at you.