Pack No More Than 14 Clubs for Jeju Golf: Club Limits and Penalties Under Rule 4

Rule 4 is the Rule about the equipment a player may use during a round. The title of Rule 4.1b begins 'Limit of 14 clubs', and it states that a player must not start a round with more than 14 clubs and must not have more than 14 clubs during the round.

When you pack for a trip and add one more wedge or wood, the count goes over quickly. Counting the clubs in your bag once at your accommodation before you leave and once before the tee shot on the first hole is a simple way to prevent it.

If a player starts a round with fewer than 14 clubs, they may add clubs during that round until they reach the limit of 14. But under Rule 4.1b(4), when adding or replacing a club the player must not unreasonably delay play.

So that you don't keep your group waiting while you fetch a club left in the car, decide which clubs to bring before you set out.

Under Rule 4.1b(2), the clubs a player may use are limited to those they had when starting the round or added as allowed. A player must not make a stroke with a club being used by anyone else playing on the course, even if that other player is playing in a different group or competition.

If lending each other a wedge or putter is normal in your group, go over this Rule together before the round. The least trouble is to put the clubs you need in your own bag from the start.

Rule 4.1c(1) sets out the procedure for taking clubs out of play. Before making the next stroke, the player must clearly indicate each club being taken out of play.

• Declare which club is being taken out of play to the opponent in match play, or to the marker or another player in the group in stroke play
• Or take some other clear action to show this — for example, turning the club upside down in the bag, placing it on the floor of a golf cart, or giving it to another person

If you find a club over the limit during the round, follow this procedure straight away, before the next stroke. If a player makes a stroke with a club they still have after taking it out of play, they are disqualified under Rule 4.1c(1).

For a breach of Rule 4.1b in stroke play, the player gets the general penalty (2 penalty strokes) for each hole where the breach happened, up to a maximum of 4 penalty strokes per round. It works by adding 2 penalty strokes at each of the first two holes where the breach happened.

In match play, up to two holes per round are deducted. Where scores are being compared, as in a club round, checking each other's club count before the first hole prevents a late dispute.

• Are there no more than 14 clubs in your bag?
• If you added a new or spare club, did you take another one out?
• Are you planning not to borrow a playing partner's club? — You also may not make a stroke with a club of a player in another group
• Did you pack conforming balls? — Rule 4.2a states that conforming balls must be used

This article is based on R&A Rule 4 and does not assume the Local Rules or competition terms of any particular Jeju golf course. Also check the information for the round you are playing.