Rules Of Golf: Equipment Rules

Golf Monthly's Jeremy Ellwood discusses some of the essential golf equipment Rules governing the clubs

Rules Of Golf: Equipment Rules
(Image credit: Kevin Murray)

Golf Monthly's Jeremy Ellwood discusses some of the essential golf equipment Rules governing the clubs you use out on the course with The R&A's Shona McRae

Rules Of Golf: Equipment Rules - Clubs – Rule 4

Most golfers seem to know any Rules that include maximum numbers – for example, the three-minute ball search time, and 14 being the maximum number of clubs you can carry.

But what happens if you exceed 14, even inadvertently? Sadly, you will be penalised, but there is a cap on the number of strokes or holes it will cost you.

In stroke play, there is a two-shot penalty for each hole at which any breach occurred, but it is capped at four strokes in total, with two strokes added to each of the first two holes at which any breach occurred.

In match play, the score is adjusted by deducting one hole for each hole at which a breach occurred. Thankfully, again, there is a limit to the number of holes deducted, and that limit is two.

Related: 8 Rules Golfers Break Without Realising

You are only allowed to carry a maximum of 14 golf clubs (Kevin Murray)

If the breach is discovered between the play of two holes, any penalty would not apply on the next hole. So if you notice an extra putter in your bag between the 1st green and 2nd tee, you would only incur a two-stroke penalty in stroke play, or have the score adjusted by one hole in match play.

Once an excess club or excess clubs have been discovered, you must declare them out of play and not use them for the remainder of the round. Should you do so, you will be disqualified.

Related: 7 Simple Golf Rules Mistakes

Other points of note regarding the 14 clubs are...

  • It’s up to you how that number is made up – you are quite at liberty to carry two drivers, two putters, or whichever 14 clubs you think you most need
  • If you start with fewer than 14, you may add clubs up to 14, but only if you can do so without unduly delaying play, so perhaps if the 9th green comes back close to where your car is parked
  • And you may share clubs with a partner in a pairs event provided the total number of clubs carried between the two of you does not exceed 14.

As from 2019, you may now carry on using a damaged club even if this was the cause! (Tom Miles)

Another key equipment Rule, which changed a little from 2019, concerns damaged clubs. If a conforming club is damaged in any way during a round, you may now continue to use it for the remainder of the round even if the damage was the result of a fit of anger!

You may also repair it to its original condition or have it repaired as long as you don’t unduly delay play, so this will often not be practical at club level.

Related: 10 Golf Rules Myths

Unless you are tightening something loose, do not get the wrench out of the golf bag (Tom Miles)

Finally, there’s the matter of adjustability. Many clubs these days can be adjusted to perform differently in terms of loft, ball flight, spin and so on, but no such adjustments are permitted once a competition round has started as that would be a breach of the rules.

So, tempting though it may be to try to straighten out a wayward ball flight, or help you hit the ball lower, don’t do it.

That being said you can tighten clubs with adjustment mechanisms that have come loose during the round, provided you are not adjusting the club to a different setting.

For more rules content, check out the Golf Monthly website.

Jeremy Ellwood
Contributing Editor

Jeremy Ellwood has worked in the golf industry since 1993 and for Golf Monthly since 2002 when he started out as equipment editor. He is now a freelance journalist writing mainly for Golf Monthly. He is an expert on the Rules of Golf having qualified through an R&A course to become a golf referee. He is a senior panelist for Golf Monthly's Top 100 UK & Ireland Course Rankings and has played all of the Top 100 plus 91 of the Next 100, making him well-qualified when it comes to assessing and comparing our premier golf courses. He has now played 1,000 golf courses worldwide in 35 countries, from the humblest of nine-holers in the Scottish Highlands to the very grandest of international golf resorts. He reached the 1,000 mark on his 60th birthday in October 2023 on Vale do Lobo's Ocean course. Put him on a links course anywhere and he will be blissfully content.

Jezz can be contacted via Twitter - @JezzEllwoodGolf


Jeremy is currently playing...

Driver: Ping G425 LST 10.5˚ (draw setting), Mitsubishi Tensei AV Orange 55 S shaft

3 wood: Ping G425 Max 15˚ (set to flat +1), Mitsubishi Tensei AV Orange 65 S shaft

Hybrid: Ping G425 17˚, Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro Orange 80 S shaft

Irons 3-PW: Ping i525, True Temper Dynamic Gold 105 R300 shafts

Wedges: Ping Glide 4.0 50˚ and 54˚, 12˚ bounce, True Temper Dynamic Gold 105 R300 shafts

Putter: Ping Fetch 2021 model, 33in shaft (set flat 2)

Ball: Varies but mostly now TaylorMade Tour Response