The Best Way To Organize Golf Clubs In Your Bag

Do you ever feel like your golf clubs are a mess in your bag? You’re not alone. A lot of people don’t know the best way to organize their clubs, which can lead to some frustrations on the course.

So, how to arrange your golf clubs in the bag? There are a variety of ways to arrange your golf clubs in your bag, but the most common is to organize them by type (driver, woods, hybrids, irons, and putter). You can also organize them by length or by how often you use them.

Some people also like to have a personal ball marker and divot repair tool in the pocket of their bag.

Organizing your stand bag can also help cut down on bag clatter and increase the enjoyment of your round! At the end of the day you can set you bag up however you want!

This post is meant for those who may want to reorganize their bag to help find clubs quicker or those who want to set up their clubs the same way pros do.

How To Organize Your Golf Clubs In Your Golf Bag

Consider The Type Of Bag You Have

Before you start putting your clubs in various slots – think about the type of bag you have. Do you have a golf stand bag or a cart bag?

All golf bags are designed differently and there is no ‘standard’ for how the tops are designed.

There are a few types of dividers:

1. 4 Way Divider: Four large slots – more common in stand bags and Sunday bags.
2. 5 Way Divider: Five large slots – more common in stand bags.
3. 6 Way Divider: Six medium sized slots – more common in stand bags.
4. 10 Way Divider: 10 smaller sized slots – more common in cart bags.
5. 14 Way Divider: 14 individual slots – this type of set up is more common in cart bags, however, this type of divider is offered in premium stand bags.
6. 15 Way Divider: 15 individual slots (one specific putter slot) – only featured in cart bags. 

How Many Clubs Can You Have In Your Golf Bag?

Now that you have identified the type of bag you have (or are purchasing) you may be wondering, “How many clubs am I allowed to carry per round”?

According to the USGA, each golfer is allowed 14 clubs in their bag. This may include a driver, fairway woods, hybrids, irons, wedges and a putter. How you set up the 14 clubs in your bag is entirely up to you. It also depends on how many clubs in a golf bag can fit, so it’s also up to your bag space.

In 2022 here is a common 14 club bag make up.

• Driver (x1)
• 3 Wood (x1)
• 2/3 Hybrid (x1)
• 4 Iron – Pitching Wedge (x7)
• Wedge Set (Lob wedge, Sand wedge, Gap wedge) (3x)
• Putter (1x) 

How to Organize a 14 Slot Golf Bag

Most golfers use stand bags that have a 4 way, 5 way, or 14 way slot setup. Organizing your clubs in your bag can really help benefit how the weight is dispersed and can help with fatigue later on in the round. 

If you’re wondering how to arrange golf clubs in a 14 divider cart bag, I’ve got you covered with the perfect golf bag setup.

When you are walking a round (or using a push cart), your bag is going to be put at an angle.

Think about how your bag is sitting when you have it on the ground with it’s legs propped out. The bag is angling in a way that causes the clubs to sit on top of one another.

Because of this there will be times where the clubs at the bottom of the bag are going to be harder to get out than the clubs at the top of the bag. 

With this in mind we will want to put the two clubs that are used most often in the round – your driver and putter.

This makes it easy to pull these two clubs out without having the grips catching on its way out.

It is also common to put your alignment sticks in the top and wrap a towel or two around those. If you are using a 6 way divider, you may also want to put your three wood up here.

In the middle slots you will want to put your mid to long irons and any hybrids/woods. So, here’s how to organize 5 way golf bag. In my bag (5 way divider), I have my 4 – 7 iron in one slot and my 3 hybrid (sometimes 3 iron or 5 wood – depending on the course) and 3 wood in the other slot.

Another way to set up these middle slots would be to put all of your irons in the middle slots, hybrids and woods in the top slot (with your driver). This is good for a 4-way divider bag.

In the bottom slot you will want to put your short irons and remaining wedges. I would avoid putting any putters without a head cover in the bottom. The bag clatter will scratch and chip up your putter!

How to Organize a 7 Slot Golf Bag?

If you happen to have golf bag dividers that make seven slots, you may have trouble figuring out how to arrange them. You should approach it in the following way:

• Take the driver, hybrids, and a 3 wood in the largest rear slot,
• Your medium and long irons should be placed in the two rows located in the center,
• There are two front slots that should be used to place your wedges, short irons, and putter.

To make everything easier, you should keep all the clubs in numerical order.

Avoid These Mistakes

If you’re not sure how to organize golf bag or how many golf clubs in a bag should be carried, here are some rules to help you avoid making mistakes and damaging the clubs. When it comes to organizing a golf bag, there are several mistakes that can be made which can not only negatively affect the game of golf but also one’s safety.

One of the most common mistakes is over-stuffing the bag, either by carrying too many clubs or carrying items that don’t fit in the bag itself. This can lead to problems with the clubs being damaged or even worse, potentially causing injury if a club is accidentally dropped. Additionally, it can lead to unnecessary strain on one’s back and shoulders while carrying the bag around the course. It is therefore important to make sure that all items fit properly into the golf bag before use.

Organizing Your Irons In a Cart Bag

Using a cart bag will make it easy to organize your clubs as most of these bags have a 14 way divider top. Golfers that have this type of bag are going to be riding in a cart most if not all of the time. 

Setting up a bag for riding in a cart revolves around one thing: grabbing your most important clubs easily. You will want to put your putter in the slot that is easiest to access. You may want to put your driver in the front along with your putter. Setting up cart bags are really more about preference than anything. 

Most players with a cart bag put their woods and drivers in the back of the bag, irons, hybrids and driving irons in the mid sections and your putter in the front.

This is just the typical set up – as we said above, this really is more about preference than anything.

Why You Should Organize Your Bag

You may not drop any shots by organizing your bag – but you also won’t gain any. You may think this could be a waste of time and you are entitled to that opinion.

I will say that I have personally never watched a professional golfer (or a successful amateur) that didn’t have their bag organized in some way.

You don’t have to follow our suggestion to a tee – however, we do recommend that you spend some time thinking about organizing your bag in some form.

If nothing else, maybe move your putter to the top of your bag to avoid any clatter.

Read more at bestgolfaccessories.net. Read more golf blogs such as, how to make a golf yardage book.