Most players 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 results.
Do you think you know the rule? Let’s put your knowledge to the test.
scenario
You borrowed your friend’s hybrid to see if you can hit it better than yours. He said to keep it, so you leave it in your golf bag.
You are in the fourth hole a few days later when you arrive for your hybrid. Do! You forgot to get his club out of your golf bag. You haven’t used it so far during your round, but you have 15 clubs in your bag.
What is the ruling?
- A) There is no penalty if you have not used the extra club, but you have to take an action that clearly shows that the club is out of play before making your next blow.
- B) You get the general penalty of two strokes added to your result for each hole you started with more than 14 clubs – up to a maximum of four strokes. You also need to get the extra club immediately from the game.
- C) You have been automatically disqualified to hold more than 14 clubs.
The correct decision? Answer B.
According to rule 4.1b (1)The punishment for holding more than 14 clubs in the hit game is two penalty kicks for each hole where a violation occurred with a maximum of four penalty kicks for the round.
It doesn’t matter if you used the extra club. Just having it in your bag puts you in opposition to the rule as soon as you start playing your round.
Once you detect the tread, you should immediately get the extra club from the game before making another blow.
What if…?
What if you discover the extra club in your bag just before you go to the first hole?
If you catch the mistake before you start your round, you should try to leave behind the excess club or clubs. But as a penalty option, you can keep the club (s) with you, but you have to get the club out of the game. The violation occurs only when the round begins (ie after playing your first blow from the Teeing area) with more than 14 clubs.
What if the club were left in your bag by another player?
The same situation. If it’s in your bag and you started round, you are trampling. When I played Golf College, our coach taught us to count our clubs before we went out to make sure that no one inadvertently put their club in the wrong bag. I am sure he saved some penalty kicks somewhere along the way.
What if you play the game?
In the game of the match, the punishment for exceeding the border of 14 clubs is an adjustment of the match result. It is not the same as a penalty of hole loss.
- You need to subtract a hole out of your match result for each hole where the violation occurred with a maximum of two holes per round.
- As in the hook game, you immediately need to get the extra club from the game after you realize that you have exceeded 14 clubs.
For example:
You start the match with 15 clubs, but don’t notice until you are in the third hole. You won the first hole and tied the second hole, so you are 1-up in the match. The maximum arrangement of the two holes is applies (loss of two maximum holes), resulting in 1-in match.
How do you declare a club without play?
If you find out that you have more than 14 clubs, you should show the clear goal that the club is no longer in use. According to Rule 4.1C (1), you can:
- Orally I declare to another opponent or competitor, “I’m taking this club out of the game.”
- Physically separate the club from your normal group. Turn it up in your bag, place it on the floor of your carriage or hand it over to someone else who will not return it during the round.
Once a club does not play, you should not make another blow with it for the remainder of the round. Doing this results in disqualification.
Did this happen to the good?
As simple as this rule is, this has happened in more professional tours than you think.
Johnny Miller took four blows to the 1976 world golf series when he found the 23 -inch bed of his young son filled at the bottom of his bag.
Ian Woosnam was linked to the lead in the 2001 open championship when his caddy told him in the second, “there are many clubs in the bag”. The angry woosnam grabbed the spare driver he had tried in the range before his round and threw him into the shrub. “Lord, I’m giving you a job to do and you can’t do it,” he shouted in his cada. He ended up tied to the third.
Joel Dahmen faced a four -stroke penalty during the first round of Shriners 2024 children in Las Vegas to transport 15 clubs. Dahmen discovered the extra 4-Kuri in the fourth tee, so he cost him a total of four penalty kicks.
“I travel with 15, 16 clubs,” he said after. “I think most people here do, depending on the conditions and courses. I would like to blame Geno (Bonnalie). That would be the easy thing to do. It is not his fault.”
Final thoughts
Count your clubs before you leave (especially if you have caddy!). Even if you haven’t used that extra hybrid, you are still holding it and the penalty is worth it
office Do you think you know the rule? More than 14 clubs in the bag first appeared in MygolfSSS.
