How Do You Organize a 14 Slot Golf Bag? A Complete Guide
Above all else, golf is a game of patience, concentration, and strategy. Because of that, optimum organization is key to perfecting your craft.
Nobody wants to find themselves out on a green in the middle of a game, rifling around in their golf bag for a putter that just won't turn up. Worst of all, disorganized players sometimes find themselves in the position of having to borrow clubs from their competitors to complete games.
Do yourself a favour and get a 14 slot golf bag to avoid mishaps like that. These golf bags don't come cheap, but they suit all seasons, all purposes, and you'll never struggle to find the right club again.
Here's a step-by-step guide on how to organize them:
Empty the Contents of Your Golf Bag
You can skip this step if you just purchased a brand new golf bag.
But if you've had your 14 slot golf bag for a while, make sure to empty it thoroughly. That means unzipping every pocket, unbuckling every buckle, and holding upside down for a good shaking.
You might be surprised by what comes out. Not just those extra tees or that ball retriever you thought you'd lent out. But towels, a favourite shirt you thought you'd lost, and even more. Golf bags are relatively small but riddled with pockets where valuables can disappear.
Research has shown that playing golf positively affects cardiovascular, metabolic, and mental health. But if you're toting around a stressful, cluttered bag, you certainly won't benefit from any of those effects.
Organize All Your Golf Gear
Combine everything you just emptied of your golf bag with everything you'd like with you while you play. Arrange all of those extra balls, tees, a raincoat, socks, a hat, extra shirts, towels, and of course, your clubs on a flat surface in front of you.
Now organize all your clubs from shortest to longest, like this: putter, irons, wedges, and finally woods and drivers. Place your hybrid clubs where they fit visually. Next, do the same thing with all your accessories.
You'll want to keep your tees and golf balls together and then your garments together.
Clean Your Golf Bag and Gear
Before you file away all your gear, give it a thorough cleaning.
Cleaning a golf bag is an art in itself. Over time, golf bags can rack up all sorts of stains and damage. Mud, grass, sand, and rain contribute to weathering of even the most durable golf bags.
Cleaning your bag depends on the material. Leather and non-leather bags need unique treatments to get back into tip-top shape.
For leather golf bags, follow these steps:
- Vacuum out all the pockets
- Dry-wipe each surface, inside and out, with a microfiber towel
- Use a leather-safe cleaner like rubbing alcohol to wipe away stains. Avoid anything that contains bleach!
- Wrap a spoon in a cotton towel to clean the hard-to-reach corners of pockets
- Let it dry, and then use a leather sealer to protect it
For all other golf bags, follow these steps:
- Vacuum out all the pockets
- Use water and regular cleaning agents to clean up the exterior and interior stains
- If you have a canvas bag, scrub hard to clean stains
- Let it fully dry before putting anything inside
As for your gear, you can wipe down all your tees, golf balls, ball retriever, and other equipment with the same microfiber towel.
Arrange Your Clubs by Length
With your clubs arranged in front of you by length, begin to sort them into your 14 slot golf bag. The best way to arrange these clubs, though people develop other methods for personal preference, is to set them by length.
Golfers often carry too many clubs in their bag. Conversely, if you don't take enough clubs in your bag, you can find yourself in the embarrassing position of having to rent clubs at the course or borrow them from friends and competitors.
A standard set up for a good bag is to have one driver, three wood clubs, a 4-iron, a 5-iron, a 6-iron, a 7-iron, an 8-iron, a 9-iron, a pitching wedge, a gap wedge, a sand wedge, a lob wedge, and a putter.
If you like using hybrids, 20º and 30º hybrids are the most popular choices.
Woods and Drivers
In the very back of your 14 slot golf bag goes your woods and drivers. These will be the longest clubs in your bag, so they should go in the very back slot, which is also the deepest.
When a golf bag sits on a cart, the clubs in the back section will support the weight of the whole bag. You don't want your putter in that place.
You also don't want your putter in the very back. The putter is the club that you'll want easy access to it when you need to finish up a particular link.
Even if you carry multiple wood clubs around, they should all fit in the back slot. Drivers should go to the back left, in the “starting position” of the whole set. This is because you start each game with your driver.
Arrange your woods next to your driver from 3 woods to 5 woods.
Irons
The next type of club to file into your bag are the second-longest - the irons. Like with your drivers, place the longest iron on the leftmost side. Place your irons in order of 6-iron, 7-iron, 8-iron, and so on as you move from left to right.
You can place your irons in any order you like, so long as it makes sense to you. What's important is your user experience when golfing.
Think about what makes the most intuitive sense to you so that when you're in the moment and need a club, you don't have to recall some obscure organizational strategy and then go hunting.
Wedges
Most people who play golf will have at the very least two and the very most four wedges.
The four wedge clubs you can have are:
- The Pitching Wedge (the closest to an iron, this wedge will hit your ball the furthest)
- The Sand Wedge (designed to get your ball out of sand traps)
- The Gap Wedge (so-called because it falls in the “gap” between the pitching and the sand wedge)
- The Lob Wedge (which creates the steepest angle of ascent).
Some people put wedges in before their irons. But it's better to place your wedges in after your irons. Not only because they're shorter clubs, but because you're going to reach for them more often.
Putter
Last but certainly not least is your putter. You're going to be using this club a lot, so its placement at the bottom right of your bag, where it's the easiest to grab, is essential.
Many 14 slot golf bags have a special pocket where the putter lives. Since you only need one, it's an easy club to find the perfect spot.
If you use a more oversized mallet putter, you may need to place it in an empty wedge slot instead. Then, if that putter slot is empty, you can put an umbrella or a swing weight trainer there.
Find Places for Accessories
The rest of the pockets in your 14 slot golf bag are now free for the taking. Devise an organizational scheme for all your accessories. You're going to be grabbing for tees, golf balls, and towels more often than, say, an extra pair of slacks or a visor, so organize accordingly.
Some 14 slot golf bags have pockets built into the flap zips over the main club compartment. Those pockets are a great place to keep a couple of golf balls and tees.
Purchase Club Headcovers
Even once your clubs are adequately sorted, there is a risk they will bump into each other. Driving around a cart and unloading provides moments when accidental damage can occur.
Club headcovers are a wise investment to keep your club heads from banging around and getting scuffed up. They come in both leather and fabric styles and the choice of material is up to your preference.
Test it Out
It's proven that clutter and lack of organization can negatively impact your mental health. Once you organize your golf bag, test it.
Don't take it for granted that your first go at an organized bag will be perfect. See what you look for and when, and how easy it is to find. You can always make minor tweaks to your organization based on your play style.
Perfect Your Game
An organized golfer is a happy golfer, and a happy golfer is a successful golfer. See how your game transforms when you invest in--and organize--a 14 slot golf bag.
Now that you have the skills, test them out today, and compare your scores to last week!
