Course is Bone Dry - Temporarily Ban Smoking?

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

sad to say it is the majority of what I've seen as well, and we have bins on almost all of our tee boxes. Most of my playing partners are smart enough to use a bin at least

I don't recall any smokers I play with (they are very few) putting their fag ends in a bin.

In fact for some reason I am not sure of, we seem to have removed the bins at each tee. What this means of course is that a smoker has to take responsibility for their fag ends - indeed it means that they should keep fag ends on their person or in their bag. Now that shouldn't be too hard to do.

That said - given the rubbish that I find myself picking up (not that much but there shouldn't be ANY) many seem unable to take their banana skin, sweetie/biscuit wrappers with them and seem content to chuck them on the ground or into the rough.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

What next, ban alcohol?

Would you imbibe alcohol if you were playing with juniors. All about context and circumstances I suggest.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

agreed. a little off topic but only last week i was in Cyprus. there where multiple people on their loungers smoking away completely oblivious to those around them. in their eye's they're doing the right thing by smoking outside. when in fact their smoke is blowing straight though a line of children trying to eat with their family. i asked one couple to be aware that every time they blow smoke it goes into my face and the face of my 4 year old daughter. their answer was "move then"

these people are the type of people that would throw a fag end into the dry rough.

On holiday in Greece recently Mrs SILH and myself had to move table as a couple next to us were chain smoking...but hey ho - that's Greece and we could move.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Agreed but they are different issues. Alcohol can cause unpleasantness, no question, it does that in many aspects of life. People don't fight after 20 cigarettes but the unpleasant aspect of cigarettes does impact those around the smoker.

You are going into the social aspect negatives of smoking as opposed to the issues on a golf course where you are in the open air and you shouldn’t be affected the same way as you do in a closed area. All you need to do is ensure you are up wind - simple.

And dewswepper can you not resort to cheap little digs please

 

[FairwayDodger]

they have multiple fire break circles running down the cigarette. you can see if you open one up and hold to the light. the paper will only burn past these fire breaks when a smoker draws on it. if you leave it to burn to the next fire break it will smoulder very slowly but as its under old ash it doesn't catch alight. Thanks

fire deaths through smoking in bed where very common 20 year's ago. i genuinely cant remember the last cigarette related fire i have attended in around 4 years

Was just joking, but that’s actually quite interesting!

 

[hovis]

Was just joking, but that’s actually quite interesting!

really!!!! i almost sent myself to sleep writing it 😁

 

[Khamelion]

You are going into the social aspect negatives of smoking as opposed to the issues on a golf course where you are in the open air and you shouldn’t be affected the same way as you do in a closed area. All you need to do is ensure you are up wind - simple.

And dewswepper can you not resort to cheap little digs please

How many of those golfing fights that you see on social media are more than likely due to alcohol being involved? I'll caveat that by writing some will be down to a lack of a shout of 'fore' and someone being hit, or slow play or any of the other things that wind us up as golfers, but, many of those things that provoke are compounded under the influence of alcohol.

 

[garyinderry]

Much rather find a single fag butt than a big stinky banana peel.

 

[tsped83]

Shoot all smokers - issue resolved. (Tin hat)

 

[dewsweeper]

You are going into the social aspect negatives of smoking as opposed to the issues on a golf course where you are in the open air and you shouldn’t be affected the same way as you do in a closed area. All you need to do is ensure you are up wind - simple.

And dewswepper can you not resort to cheap little digs please

As someone who to quote you told me" to calm down dear" no I will not.
Your style of derailing threads irks me no end.
In the modern idiom I think you should grow a pair!

 

[FairwayDodger]

really!!!! i almost sent myself to sleep writing it 😁

I lead a very dull life

 

[MegaSteve]

Would you imbibe alcohol if you were playing with juniors. All about context and circumstances I suggest.

Not that I drink alcohol whilst on the course [aside from using a hip flask of a winter] I'd happily trade not drinking beer in return for the young un's not popping an energy drink...

 

[Reemul]

Played Wareham last night and there was a sign up saying no smoking on the course, there was no smoking only 2 of us on it late in the evening

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

And so - an Email from the club this evening - With the current hot weather creating a very dry environment on the course, we have taken the decision to ban smoking on the golf course until further notice.

 

[backwoodsman]

Putting aside the perceived rights & wrongs of smoking outdoors - and "fag butt" disposal - have to say that while l know it's been dry, l can't think of anywhere on our course that has any prospect of catching fire anyway? So l can't see it will be a decision we need to make.

(Ok, l dare say heathland and links courses may have more risk ...)

 

[bobmac]

And so - an Email from the club this evening - With the current hot weather creating a very dry environment on the course, we have taken the decision to ban smoking on the golf course until further notice.

You must be pleased you got your way

 

[Slab]

And so - an Email from the club this evening - With the current hot weather creating a very dry environment on the course, we have taken the decision to ban smoking on the golf course until further notice.

Wow that’s a bit mental when you think about it. I mean were any options discussed that fall short of a complete ban?

I’m thinking if players took selfie videos of them stubbing out and safely disposing of the butt for review by the committee or maybe the pro, would that have been acceptable?
Maybe collect a few of the 1,000’s of plastic bottles that I guarantee are lining the roads to every course in the country and put a little water into it (regular tap water will do) and put them by the first tee it would make a great way to dispose of fag ends as you go round and the bottle could be put in the bin at the end of the round?
What about just making sure on each tee bins are………. OMG! I just realised the amount of times I’ve seen sparks come off the bottom of drivers when I’ve been at the range! It’s happening guys its really happening, somewhere at your course there’s a golfer (probably cat 1) who’s smacking ball after ball in these bone dry tinder conditions (so it’s going at least 245 yards) and shedding sparks off the sole of his club. I’m thinking a fire warden course for assistant shop pro’s is called for and a ban on using these ‘firesticks’ until late September (got to have enough time for TM to tape over all their stock of ‘Burners’ with some kind of chilly sounding description like the TM Icicle and get them out this season)

Anyway what were we talking about…

 

[Doon frae Troon]

OOI the fire on my old course was quite interesting.

We noticed a small black patch in the middle of a fairway about a couple of sq ft and thought that someone had dropped a phag end.
No smoke, no smell of burning so we assumed that it was a has been fire.
A couple of weeks later a large area around this black patch started to discolour and the grass died back. The fire had obviously spread by smouldering underground for some time.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Wow that’s a bit mental when you think about it. I mean were any options discussed that fall short of a complete ban?

I’m thinking if players took selfie videos of them stubbing out and safely disposing of the butt for review by the committee or maybe the pro, would that have been acceptable?
Maybe collect a few of the 1,000’s of plastic bottles that I guarantee are lining the roads to every course in the country and put a little water into it (regular tap water will do) and put them by the first tee it would make a great way to dispose of fag ends as you go round and the bottle could be put in the bin at the end of the round?
What about just making sure on each tee bins are………. OMG! I just realised the amount of times I’ve seen sparks come off the bottom of drivers when I’ve been at the range! It’s happening guys its really happening, somewhere at your course there’s a golfer (probably cat 1) who’s smacking ball after ball in these bone dry tinder conditions (so it’s going at least 245 yards) and shedding sparks off the sole of his club. I’m thinking a fire warden course for assistant shop pro’s is called for and a ban on using these ‘firesticks’ until late September (got to have enough time for TM to tape over all their stock of ‘Burners’ with some kind of chilly sounding description like the TM Icicle and get them out this season)

Anyway what were we talking about…

I am sure that options were discussed. The fact is the course is absolutely tinder dry...

 

[Capella]

Instead of banning smoking (which really would not work, because serious smokers really can't go four hours without a fag and will be very difficult to convince to even try), just put a healthy fine on leaving your cigarette butts anywhere on the course (which is a complete no-go anyway, no matter what the weather is like, because those things just won't rot and are disgusting). Make sure to put up a sign in the pro-shop right next to a display of in-pocket ashtrays. Those things cost less than a packet of cigarettes usually, and there is really no reason in the world why anyone ever should leave cigarette butts behind.