Last Updated on April 11, 2024 by Britt Olizarowicz
Having the right clubs in your golf bag is essential regardless of your skill level. We know the United States Golf Association has a 14-club rule, but there is more to this discussion than that. As a former professional golfer and PGA teaching professional, I was always surprised to see golfers come to a lesson with 15 clubs and others who only had 9. If you want to know how many clubs in your golf bag and which clubs you should have, I’ll give you a full rundown. Keep in mind a lot of this will come down to handicap, goals, and even the type of golf bag you own.
How Many Clubs Can You Have In Your Golf Bag?
The rules of golf say that you can only have 14 golf clubs in play at any time. Interestingly, you can have 15 or 16 clubs in your bag if you declare that some are not in play. The 14-club limit is strictly enforced and results in a penalty if you do not follow it. Counting your clubs on the first hole is not a bad practice just to ensure you haven’t left an additional club in your golf bag.
Many golf bags have 15 slots, which can confuse an amateur player. The extra slot is for an umbrella, alignment stick, or even a ball retriever.
- GOLF ALIGNMENT STICKS: Master your swing with perfect alignment every time! Set includes 3 golf alignment sticks (48 in length) for improved training that will shave strokes off your score
How Many Clubs Should You Have In Your Golf Bag?
Now that we have covered the number of clubs you can have in your bag, how many should you have? I’ll give you a few of my best tips to determine how many clubs you should have in your bag and how it will impact your game.
Match Your Skill Level
A beginner golfer can use less than 14 golf clubs in their bag.
Why?
All of the different clubs are likely to go the same exact distance. Professional golfers know how far they hit each club within just a few feet. A beginner may swing a driver, 3 wood, 5 wood, and 7 wood, and hit them all the exact same distance.
As a new player, it’s fine to have about 10 clubs in the bag. A set that includes a driver, fairway wood, hybrid, a few irons, at least two wedges, and a putter is enough.
More experienced golfers should carry more clubs.
However, this doesn’t always mean you need fourteen. I currently play to a +1, and I have 13 clubs in the bag right now. I’d like to add a 3 wood at some point, but I have yet to find something I like. When I do, it will be a nice addition, but I’m not left with any distance gaps in the bag right now.
I’ve played for many years with the maximum number of clubs, which is helpful. However, it’s not mandatory to have this many clubs.
Wait And Do A Technology Upgrade
If your grandfather’s hybrid club is in your bag and the technology is no longer relevant, it can come out. Technology changes incredibly fast in golf.
Every 5 to 7 years, you will see a significant difference in the golf club selection available to you.
You don’t have to replace all of your clubs at once. Take a close look at the technology you have in your bag. The club can come out if it’s no longer helpful or improving your scoring.
Occasionally, go for a golf club fitting and see if new technology could help your game. I like to alternate my upgrades so that they don’t all happen simultaneously. This makes it much more affordable to always have some new equipment in your golf bag.
Most of the time, a new club can save you a shot or two, depending on the type of club.
However, it’s not a guarantee. If you have 12 clubs and are waiting to find the right fit or technology, it’s a smart move.
Distance Gaps Should Be Filled
Fill all distance gaps. A distance gap occurs when you have a large range of yardage you don’t have a club for. Most players consider 10 yards to be the perfect distance gap. For instance, a 7 iron would go 150 yards, and an 8 iron would go 140 yards.
If you hit your pitching wedge 100 yards and the next club in your bag is a sand wedge that only flies 70, that’s a very large distance gap.
Use a launch monitor to determine how far each of your clubs goes. If you have room in your bag and can fill in one of your distance gaps, go for it!
Look For Overlaps
I’ve seen this a lot with higher-handicap players. They have a 5 hybrid they love, their 5 iron is still in the bag, and then they also have a 9 wood. All of these clubs fly the same distance. Even though some may have better benefits based on the lie or condition, you can narrow this down to two clubs. Find the clubs you are most consistent with. Anything erratic or inconsistent can go.
Check The Course You Play
If you play the same golf course all the time, you can choose the correct number of golf clubs based on the course you play.
As I mentioned, I only have 13 clubs in the bag, which has a lot to do with the courses I play. It’s rare that I would even pull a 3 wood out of my bag. Most of the long shots are covered by my 5 wood and hybrid. This combination of clubs works well for the course I play.
If you play an executive course or something with short holes, focus heavily on the short irons and wedges you carry. For longer courses, make sure you have a few fairway woods, as you may need them for approach shots to the green.
What Is A Standard Golf Club Set Configuration?
Before custom golf equipment (and custom everything) became popular, the standard golf club set was as follows:
- Driver
- 3 Wood
- 5 Wood
- 3 Iron
- 4 Iron
- 5 Iron
- 6 Iron
- 7 Iron
- 8 Iron
- 9 Iron
- Pitching Wedge
- Sand Wedge
- Lob Wedge
- Putter
Things changed, and hybrids and utility clubs certainly made the process of narrowing a bag to 14 clubs a little more complicated. In addition, golfers stopped buying complete iron sets and started ordering custom clubs, combo sets, and unique configurations that suited the needs of their game.
Here are some of the more modern club configurations. You’ll notice the gap wedge has become incredibly popular, and long irons have lost their appeal.
| Set Example | Driver | Woods | Hybrids | Irons | Wedges | Putter |
| Set 1 | ✓ | 3, 5 | 4, 5 | 6-9, PW | GW, SW | ✓ |
| Set 2 | ✓ | 3, 5 | 4 | 5-9, PW | GW, SW, LW | ✓ |
| Set 3 | ✓ | 3 | 3, 4 | 5-9, PW | GW, SW, LW | ✓ |
| Set 4 | ✓ | 3, 5 | None | 4-9, PW | GW, SW, LW | ✓ |
| Set 5 | ✓ | 4 | 3, 5 | 6-9, PW | GW, SW, LW | ✓ |
FAQ
Here are a few of the most commonly asked questions about how many clubs in golf bag.
How Many Clubs Do Golf Bags Hold?
Most golf clubs will hold 14 clubs without any trouble. If you are using an old golf bag to store clubs in your garage, you can usually fit 18 or more clubs. Staff and cart bags often fit more clubs than stand or carry bags.
Does A Sunday Bag Hold 14 Clubs?
Most Sunday golf bags hold 7-10 golf clubs. The Sunday bag is to help you play a quick round with fewer clubs and is lightweight to carry. If you want to bring more clubs, a cart bag is a much better choice, as it will hold 14 clubs with ease.
Can I Play With 12 Golf Clubs?
You can play golf with 12 clubs and still shoot low. You may find that you don’t use your full set, and it is not worth carrying clubs around that you never pull out of the bag.
What’s The Penalty For Having Too Many Golf Clubs In Bag?
In stroke play, the penalty for carrying too many clubs is two strokes for each hole where the breach occurred, with a maximum penalty of four strokes. If the error is discovered during the play of the third hole or later, the maximum penalty of four strokes is applied.
In match play, the penalty for carrying too many clubs is a loss of hole, with a maximum penalty of loss of two holes.
How Many Golf Clubs Should Beginner Golfers Have?
Beginner golfers only need about 10 golf clubs in their bag. A set of irons with three or four clubs is enough to get started. Add in a wedge, hybrid, driver, putter, and fairway wood, and it’s enough to get started.
Is There A Minimum Number of Clubs Needed to Play Golf?
There is no minimum number of golf clubs to play. However, you will need a few different types of clubs to get the golf ball around the course successfully. To play a real round, you need the right set of clubs with a mix of short game, long game, tee shots, and putting options.
Final Thoughts
Go count the clubs in your golf bag and see whether or not you have room for another or if you owe your friends dozens of penalty strokes for playing with too many. The number of clubs in a bag is limited to 14, so no player has an unfair advantage. However, if 14 is more than you need, you can take out an extra club and lighten your load.
