How To Arrange Golf Clubs in a Bag

Just getting into golf? Are you still trying to figure out the basics? If so, you might be wondering how to arrange your golf clubs in your golf club bag.

While you can arrange your golf club bag any way you please, you might best benefit from using common practices. That's why we're going to review them below, helping you to find and retrieve your clubs as quickly as possible.

Here's how to arrange golf clubs in your bag.

How Many Golf Clubs Can You Have in Your Bag?

If you're playing an official game of golf, you can have no more than 14 clubs in your bag. You're allowed to have fewer clubs than this. However, you're never allowed to have more.

It doesn't matter which clubs you have in your bag, as long as the number of them doesn't exceed 14. So, if you wanted to, say, carry two lob wedges, you can do so as long as you don't go over the 14-club limit.

Of course, if you're just practicing, you can carry as many clubs as you want. No one is counting the number of clubs in your bag during a practice round.

In fact, it's during practice rounds that you should be experimenting with different clubs. So, don't be afraid to go over the 14-club limit when there's nothing competitive going on.

Organizing Your Golf Bag

Now that we've discussed how many clubs you're allowed to carry, let's talk about how to arrange golf clubs in a cart bag and a standing bag. We'll separate clubs into groups based on club type and club length and then designate the best pockets into which to push them.

The Woods

Let's start with the woods. These include the driver, the 3-wood, the 5-wood, and any other wood that you might be carrying.

Generally speaking, these are stored in the large pocket at the top of the golf bag's entryway. This pocket provides ample space and is really the only pocket in which all of your wood clubs can fit comfortably.

Storing your wood clubs in this pocket also ensures that their heads aren't being scratched or impacted by irons or putters. This is because there's nothing stored above them.

Note: it's generally advised to store them from left to right in ascending order. So, you would store the driver (1-wood) on the left, the 3-wood in the middle, and the 5-wood on the right.

The Putter

The storage of the putter depends on the layout of your golf bag. If your golf bag possesses a specific putter storage pocket, you should store it in that pocket. If it doesn't, you have a number of options to consider.

You could store your putter among your wood clubs. This will keep its head from being impacted by other clubs during transit.

On the other hand, some golfers like to store their putters in the bottom slot. This way, it can dangle over the edge of the bag and avoid contact with the clubs above it.

It's not common to store putters in the middle of bags. However, it's not unheard of, either.

Long Irons

Long irons include everything from 2-irons to 5-irons. Most golfers carry a 4-iron, 5-iron, and 6-iron. Some, however, like an iron with a little less loft, such as a 2-iron or 3-iron.

Generally speaking, these clubs are stored in the left middle slot of the golf bag. If you really want to be organized, you can store the clubs in ascending order, from 4 to 6, for instance.

Short Irons

The short irons include the 7-iron, 8-iron, and 9-iron. These are typically stored in the right middle slot. Again, they're best stored in ascending order from left to right.

Wedges

Odds are, you'll carry a few wedges as well. The most common wedges are the pitching wedge, the sand wedge, and the lob wedge. While these are sometimes stored in the same slot as the short irons, it's generally best to store them in the bottom slot of the golf bag, next to the putter, specifically.

See, the wedges and putter are both used around the green. Sometimes, they're even taken out of the bag simultaneously. So, by storing them in the same slot, you can remind yourself whether you've accidentally left one of the clubs behind.

Hybrids

You might use some hybrids instead of long irons. There are essentially long irons with wood-like heads. The question is: where do you store them in the golf bag?

Generally speaking, it's best to store them where their corresponding irons would be stored. Since hybrids are essentially replacements for long irons, you should store them in the right middle slot of the golf bag.

The Importance of Headcovers

When storing golf clubs, you want to do so in a way that minimizes impact damage. Unfortunately, with woods and hybrids, impact damage is bound to occur regardless of where they're stored. This is why you should cover these clubs with headcovers.

Headcovers provide protection and cushion to these clubs, thus minimizing the risk of damage throughout a round. Learn more about headcovers by reading this.

That's How to Arrange Golf Clubs in Your Bag

And there it is; that's how to arrange golf clubs in your bag. While you can certainly arrange your golf clubs in any way you see fit, generally speaking, this is the best way to go about it.

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