We've launched the new forums! Read more here

14 Club Rule

Fourputt said:
golf isn't about always having the right club, it's about knowing the clubs you do have and being able to make the right shot with them when needed.
Click to expand...
This EXACTLY! As you can see in my signature I carry Driver through 60°. This covers from 300 yards (on a good drive) down to about 2 yards and I the rest can be had with the putter. Any "gaps" can be handled by choking down, making a smaller swing, delofting, hitting a fade/draw or sometimes just hitting the p*ss out of it. Golf is a craft, an art, a way to express yourself on the course - not paint by numbers.
 
ArmyGolf said:
I get this in a general sense but then why follow any rules at all? Why count a penalty stroke? Why not be a lie fluffer? Why not set up bumpers on the green before you putt?

Many people choose to play golf by their own rules and all the power to them, but many of us want to play within a defined set of rules just like any game or sport.
Click to expand...

I've played a few rounds with some of THP's finest (#Cookie & Jman) and those boys carry more clubs than my local Golf Galaxy! If I ever want to demo a club, I just wait until we're on the curse together. Chances are they have it.

I have enough trouble deciding which club I want to mishit as it is, the 13 I carry are more than enough.
 
It's funny how some of the old guys I play with carry way too many clubs in their bags. I tell em why don't ya empty some of that shat out and the bag won't be so heavy. I mean geez it looks like they need a fork lift to get the bag out of their vehicles. :beat-up:
 
Wakit300 said:
This EXACTLY! As you can see in my signature I carry Driver through 60°. This covers from 300 yards (on a good drive) down to about 2 yards and I the rest can be had with the putter. Any "gaps" can be handled by choking down, making a smaller swing, delofting, hitting a fade/draw or sometimes just hitting the p*ss out of it. Golf is a craft, an art, a way to express yourself on the course - not paint by numbers.
Click to expand...

I agree and the "craft" of it is imo all part of the decision making and strategizing that also comes along with having a limited amount of clubs like i mentioned. The whole thing about limited clubs simply creates another element to the game besides just playing it and in a sense (to me) that adds something extra to the game other than just simply having a club for every shot.

Some have said more clubs makes it harder because its more confusing and more choices but i disagreed with that as i think that is only temporiaray till one figures the clubs out. Its always the lessor amount of clubs that will in the end cause more decisons to be made, more strategy, and as you say more craftiness. But its all elements of the game that i feel should be kept.

But you must remember and understand that you are a single didgit player. Most people cannot sniff that ability including me. But unlike me, a lot of those people would rather have the perfect club for every shot as they do not posess the same craftiness as you and probably never will. They cant make several types of shots with the same club/s. I wouldnt want to see it change and lose that extra element but I can certainly understand the wants for more clubs so the game can become easier for most amateurs, higher cappers, weekend hackers etc...

But just like any of the rules and until they would ever be changed, as long as one is not playing competitions and running an honest cap anyone can do whatever they want anyway. Most people do not do either of those things so just play how you want and with what you want. thats one of the beauities abput golf. No one is going to care how ever easy one wishes to make his golf experience. Knock yourself out and have fun doing it.
 
Hell. I don't even use 14. I could get by just fine with, driver, hybrid, 6iron, wedge and putter. I use those 5 more than anything else and most rounds there all I use anyway.
 
This is definitely interesting. I feel like the tee it forward initiative was created both for distance impaired players and with the mindset of 14 clubs in the bag. I haven't played a course yet where I felt I would need any extra clubs in my bag. And I typically only carry 12 to my home course. Then again, my home course is shorter. I actually just moved to the back tees so I can hit 2 or 3 iron off the tee on par 4s and still leave myself a full wedge in to the green.
 
I maybe use 7 clubs total when playing and have 12 in the bag. These clubs nowadays cover more distance on the course. I see no need for 14. I have two drivers with me now just in case I feel inconsistent with one I'll try the other. My irons and wedges are set. Might buy a back up putter one of these times for the same reason as my driver but probably won't need to. keeping things graphite also helps on the overall weight of the bag.
 
I think 14 is enough. If the number increased, what would the new number be, 15, 17, 20, no limit?

Pity the poor caddie, and imagine the size of the golf bags. Rounds could potentially take longer as golfers ponder which club to use. I can imagine some people carrying draw, fade and straight hitting woods and irons, a heavy putter, medium putter, light putter, chipping iron, etc... Golf manufacturers, especially those that produce golf bags, would have a field day.
 
To be fair, I don't have strong feelings either way. I could cut my bag down to 12 if I needed to--and sometimes do--and be just fine.

But I think what is so interested is exploring this issue. To me, the central question is, "is the choice of 14 clubs at the heart of golf, or not."

For example, some people say that the heart of golf is NOT having a club for everything--forcing choice. But in that argument 10 clubs would make for a game closer aligned with that heart. Someone could also argue that more clubs may offer more choices in TYPES of shots that can be made, thus increasing "strategy".

It happen to think that the NUMBER of clubs is not in any way associated with the heart of golf. I don't think many people put asterisks by Bobby Jones body of work simply because he carried more than 14 clubs. Or Hagen. Or Varden.

I think that the heart of golf is the challenge of a man or woman taking a small white ball and moving it great distances in competition with course designers, themselves, and their fellow competitors in a test of equanimity, skill, and grit.

To me, club numbers just don't really come into that. I think the number is arbitrary and we've just gotten used to it but it holds no particular value.

The debate behind it is interesting, however, and I've loved reading replies here about it because it almost accidentally forces a conversation about what golf is all about and exposes different priorities in our appraoch to the game. .
 
To me, I've never found myself saying "if only I had *insert club* I could hit this shot". So I guess either way, I wouldn't mind if they allowed more clubs in the bag or not, I still probably would only carry what I have now.

About the only thing I would consider adding to my bag would be a left-handed club for those times when I get myself into a situation where I can only get a left-handed swing on the ball, but even then I can just use one of my right handed clubs and flip it over, or hit from the cavity.
 
I'd be open to the idea. When not playing a tournament I carry 15 clubs. The extra club is a 64* or a 4 iron. I use the 4 iron at one course on one of the par 3s. I use the 64* when I get drunk on the course. Mostly just a screw around deal but I'm starting to hit it for 75 yard carries.
 
90% of golfers never use all 14 clubs in the bag or could they use them correctly. No need to carry more.
 
Lynchburg14 said:
90% of golfers never use all 14 clubs in the bag or could they use them correctly. No need to carry more.
Click to expand...

I'm not so sure about that. I've use every club in my bag. Many get much more use and some very little but they all get used. if i had 16 I believe they would all get used too. Never or practically never do all clubs get used in the same round. But they do all get used. I dont know if what you say would be true for "most" people or not.
 
I'd love 15 clubs - I'd absolutely drop a driving iron into the bag for tight par 4s and for keeping it under the wind in situations where my hybrid of the same loft might be too high and still use the hybrid on long approach shots. Or maybe a second driver with maximum fade inducing features so I could hit a fade when needed with less concern for the dreaded double-cross. :)
 
Penglynns said:
I'd love 15 clubs - I'd absolutely drop a driving iron into the bag for tight par 4s and for keeping it under the wind in situations where my hybrid of the same loft might be too high and still use the hybrid on long approach shots. Or maybe a second driver with maximum fade inducing features so I could hit a fade when needed with less concern for the dreaded double-cross. :)
Click to expand...

You need a driving iron? I know a guy...
 
Good.Shepherd said:
To be fair, I don't have strong feelings either way. I could cut my bag down to 12 if I needed to--and sometimes do--and be just fine.

But I think what is so interested is exploring this issue. To me, the central question is, "is the choice of 14 clubs at the heart of golf, or not."

For example, some people say that the heart of golf is NOT having a club for everything--forcing choice. But in that argument 10 clubs would make for a game closer aligned with that heart. Someone could also argue that more clubs may offer more choices in TYPES of shots that can be made, thus increasing "strategy".

It happen to think that the NUMBER of clubs is not in any way associated with the heart of golf. I don't think many people put asterisks by Bobby Jones body of work simply because he carried more than 14 clubs. Or Hagen. Or Varden.

I think that the heart of golf is the challenge of a man or woman taking a small white ball and moving it great distances in competition with course designers, themselves, and their fellow competitors in a test of equanimity, skill, and grit.

To me, club numbers just don't really come into that. I think the number is arbitrary and we've just gotten used to it but it holds no particular value.

The debate behind it is interesting, however, and I've loved reading replies here about it because it almost accidentally forces a conversation about what golf is all about and exposes different priorities in our appraoch to the game. .
Click to expand...

It is an interesting topic imo.
You must remember that those players didnt have that rule and niether did anyone else so that playing field was even in that regard. They played against thier piers with the same rules. So they do not get the asterisk.

For being at the heart? I dont think its at the heart of golf nor what drives it. But is simply just another part of golf. There must have been a time when the powers to be decided that club limits should be required. Just what drove that decision I dont know. perhaps someone here does?? But i can only assume they gave some thought to believeing they didint want everyone to have a club for every situation. Wanted to create another element to the game. Create a bit of a tougher and more competitive enviornment in doing so. Right or wrong, i dont know.

There has to eb a number somewhere no? You used 10 clubs in your post above to make a point. Lets go further both ways a bit on the rediculous side from the 14 to get a feel for what each club does and how it counts. Lets say only 4 clubs were allowed or 24 were allowed.

If we only had 4 clubs to chose from. Very little decision, less confusion, easy, simple, right? ... But also very little option. Nothing to work with and in the end not so easy after all is it? No, its actually harrder.

How about the 24 clubs. A lot of desicion, more confusion, harder, not so simple, right? But also a lot of option. A lot more to work with and in the end not so hard after all is it? No, its actually now easier

Pojnt is that every for club (even just 1 more or 1 less) makes a difference even if just a tad towards either side of that exaggerated scenario. Each club is a tiny percenatge that works towards those extremes. 2 clubs is closer and so on.

So it doesnt have to be at the very heart of golf but there needs to be a happy medium somewhere imo. And is probably why they put it where it is now. Its just one part of golf.
 
I think 15 or 16 would be great, but after that, it starts to become a bit ridiculous. For those who think that more clubs "takes away the art of a half-swing" or whatever, go play with a 3 wood, 6 iron, and 56* wedge. It adds more to the "craft" of golf in that you have even less options and therefore must exhibit more of your art form by choking up, lofting/delofting the club, and using partial swings. Now, as aforementioned, letting people run around with 100 clubs is not a good idea, but the extra one or two would be used for specialty shots (2i for punch situations, alternate-soled wedge, etc). As long as the number doesn't get too huge, I really see no downside to the rule change. Those who want to have situational clubs in their bag can go for it, and those who think they're arbitrary can stick to whatever they've got. Can you punch with a delofted 5i? Certainly, but a 2i might prove to be better in some scenarios.
 
Right now I'm only carrying 9. 4 - PW, Driver and putter. I could use a loft wedge for sure, beyond that I'm still a ways away from needing more clubs.
 
I would carry a few extra if I was allowed. I carry a 2 iron for punch shots or tee shots into wind and that means I have to stick with a 3 wedge (46, 52 & 58) setup but would go to a 46, 50, 54 58 if I was allowed an extra club. I would also have 2 identical drivers in bag with only difference being one at 7.5 and other at 10.5 for upwind and downwind drives.
 
loquaciouspanda said:
For those who think that more clubs "takes away the art of a half-swing" or whatever, go play with a 3 wood, 6 iron, and 56* wedge. It adds more to the "craft" of golf in that you have even less options and therefore must exhibit more of your art form by choking up, lofting/delofting the club, and using partial swings. .
Click to expand...

You are saying the same thing.
You are posing a challenge of debate to those who think that "more clubs lessens an element of the game" . But you are doing so by then telling them if they only had those 3 clubs they would be forced to get more creative further adding element.

Thats actually making the point for them and the very thing you wish to challenge. Perhaps you meant to write it another way? i dont know. Or you would agree and didnt realize it. :)
 
Philadelphia said:
Right now I'm only carrying 9. 4 - PW, Driver and putter. I could use a loft wedge for sure, beyond that I'm still a ways away from needing more clubs.
Click to expand...

If I were carrying less than 14 clubs, I would add a lefty 7 or 8 iron. Because you never know when you will need to hit one left handed.
 
Most amateurs can barely hit half the clubs in their bag. Adding more would just make your bag heavier.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top