14 clubs rule?

Question

just wondering, if you are playing in a tournament and you pick up someones club that they must have left near the greeen, and you put it in your bag to bring to the pro shop, is that considered having more than 14 clubs and breaking the rules?

Answer 1

No it is not if you do not use it and hand it in to the pro shop.

Answer 2

NO, so long as you announce it to the group and do not play with it during the rest of the round.  It is not a violation and is proper etiquette.  This was actually addressed to Golf Digest either last issue or the issue before.

Answer 3

Yes. Signal a marshall to take care of it.

Answer 4

Technically yes.  Perhaps announce to your opponents that you have found this club and plan to return it to the clubhouse.  Then put the club in/on the powercart rather than in your bag.  It's not likely your opponents would call you on this but if there are tournamant marshalls roving the course, they could call you on it

Answer 5

According to the USGA website,

4-4a/8  Retrieving Another Player’s Lost Club

"Q. A player carrying 14 clubs found another player’s club on the course. He picked up the lost club, put it in his bag but did not use it, and handed it in at the pro shop when the round was completed. Was the player in breach of Rule 4-4a for carrying 15 clubs?

A. No."

To see this answer, go to the USGA website listed below and go to rule 4. Then look in the lower right hand corner and scroll down to decision 4-4a/8.

Answer 6

mbm is 100% correct. Just give him the points and move on.

It always amazes me that people insist on giving  a thumbs down to someone when they quote directly from the USGA rule book!

Answer 7

yeah, it is.

if you're in a tournament, i highly recommend going to a nearby rules official and giving it to them.

if there are no rules officials, then it the tournament you're playing in isn't worth jack-squat, so it doesn't matter if you put it in or not.

Answer 8

If a club is picked up on the course and is carried in one's bag to the end of the round without its use, the 14 club rule has not been violated. If, as in the British Open, the caddie inadvertently left an additional driver in the bag of Ian Woosnam, he would get a 2 stroke penalty for carrying 15 clubs with a maximum of 4 strokes in stroke play.

Answer 9

No because the club is not "in play".  But if for some reason you decided to use that club before your round was over that would be a penalty.