Where did the max fourteen club rule come from?

Answer 1

The rule was adopted in 1938. I believe golfers were carrying all sorts of clubs for a variety of circumstances, and they wanted to create a limit somehow.

The standard clubs then were 1 through 4 Woods, 1 through 9 irons and a putter. That's 14. The two-wood and one-iron have faded out of general use, replaced by a wedge or two and/or a 5 wood. I used to have a putter with the number 10 iron. The sand wedge is relatively new -- invented by Gene Sarazen, I believe.