The 14-Club Limit and Other Equipment Rules (Rule 4): Damaged Clubs, Adjustable Drivers and Penalties
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How we wrote this: A plain-English summary of Rule 4 of the Rules of Golf as published by The R&A (the same Rules the USGA publishes), checked October 29, 2026. Read the official Rule text for every exception.
The purpose of Rule 4
The R&A says success in golf should come from the player's own judgment, skill and abilities. So the player:
- must use conforming clubs and balls,
- may carry no more than 14 clubs, and
- is restricted in using other equipment that gives artificial help.
The 14-club limit (Rule 4.1b)
You must not start a round with more than 14 clubs or have more than 14 during the round. The limit counts every club carried by you or for you. Broken pieces you're carrying at the start (a loose head, shaft or grip) don't count.
- Started with fewer than 14? You can add clubs up to 14, as long as you don't unreasonably delay play, borrow from anyone playing on the course, or build a club from parts carried by any player on the course.
- No sharing: you can't hit a club being used by anyone else playing on the course, even in another group. (Partner formats have a narrow exception.)
- Lost a club? If you already had 14, you can't replace it.
The penalty
| Format | Penalty for too many clubs |
|---|---|
| Stroke play | 2 strokes for each hole where the breach happened, maximum 4 strokes per round |
| Match play | Match score adjusted by one hole per hole with the breach, maximum two holes |
The penalty applies at the end of the hole you're playing when you notice. Between holes, it applies to the hole just finished. You must then take the extra club out of play before your next stroke. Do it by telling your marker or opponent, or with a clear action such as turning the club upside down in the bag. Hitting a club after you've taken it out of play means disqualification.
Damaged clubs (Rule 4.1a(2))
If a club is damaged during the round (except through abuse), you may keep using it, repair it, or replace it. If you replace it, take the damaged club out of play first. A damaged club is treated as conforming for the rest of the round.
Adjustable clubs and substances (Rule 4.1a(3))
You can't make a stroke with a club whose playing characteristics you deliberately changed during the round, whether by turning an adjustable hosel or weight or by putting a substance on the clubhead (cleaning is fine). No penalty if you restore the adjustable feature as nearly as possible to its original position, or remove a non-permissible attachment such as a sticker on the face, before you hit. Making a stroke in breach means disqualification. Merely carrying such a club isn't a penalty, but it still counts toward 14.
Balls
You must play a conforming ball. If your ball breaks into pieces after a stroke, the stroke doesn't count and you replay it. If you reasonably believe your ball was cut or cracked during the hole, you may mark and lift it to look (don't clean it off the green). You can substitute another ball only if it is clearly cut or cracked, not merely scratched, scraped or discolored (Rule 4.2c).
Related: ball search rules, teeing area and wrong ball rules, the golf ball distance rule.