Dress Codes - give us your views!

[Hooper]

On a lighter note who said a polo shirt, trousers and a baseball cap are smart. Chinos are just a fashion faux pas (I am not talking about the skinny ones). Clown trousers are just down right offensive.

 

[Deleted member 1147]

•are dress codes still relevant in this day and age
- Yes, you have to keep standards. However, they don't need to be draconian rules just let common sense prevail. No scruffy jeans, footie shirts etc on the course. I don't care how long someones socks or shorts are just so long as they don't take to michael. What I do hate to see is old men who pull 30 year old Pringle jumpers out their locker riddled with holes and proceed to wear it out on the course. Also, I'd rather see people wearing smart jeans than those terrible "Loudmouth" clothes GM were putting up as a prize.

•what's the policy at your club
- Standard rules, including something about sock & short length. Shirts must have collars, but after buying a turtle neck I asked if that was ok and the pro sid yes.

•have there been any recent changes to relax dress code at your club
- Yes, more casual clothing is now allowed in the bar. ie smart jeans and trainers - again so long as common sense is used.

•have you or any of your fiends/playing partners ever fallen foul of a dress code
- No.

•do you think dress codes put newcommers off the game
- I don't see why they should - most of us own a pair of trousers and short sleeve shirt.

•should jeans be allowed in the bar
- Yes - after all it is a bar not a michelin starred restaurant. It's somewhere to socialise before and after a game, hopefully with your mates. Obviously I wouldn't expect people to turn up to presentation evening in jeans, but once again that is a common sense issue.

•if you could write a dress code what would it include
- Common sense. Look smart, not scruffy. Where clothing appropriate to the situation and if you aren't sure about what's sensible ask a club official

•would you go down to your club more often for a drink/meal if you could wear more causal clothing
- No, casual is allowed but the food is terrible and I live too far away!

•should juniors be subject to the same dress codes as adults
- Yes, why should they be treated differently? They have to keep to all the other rules and ettiquete on the course and in the clubhouse. Or should we encourage them to wear spikes in the bar, play slowly and not let people through etc just because otherwise they might not like golf and not take it up?

 

[SAPCOR1]

Heaven forbid the young generation should have to adhere to rules. What are we thinking? Golf club dress codes are in the main not that strict. A pair of trousers and a polo shirt does it. Granted, you need some shoes but which sport at club level doesn't require the appropriate footwear?

Yes but every generation have their own rules. The rules of most golf clubs dress codes are based on 1950's standards.

There was a time that polo shirts were not acceptable, wasn't it that young upstart Arnold Palmer that caused such a fuss by wearing one?

Most people wouldn't wear a jacket and tie to go to a restaurant yet they are expected to do so in certain clubs just for pie and beans and half a pint of dodgy ale.

Some say they that anyone over 35 shouldn't wear jeans and others would never wear a blazer with a collar and tie. Live and let live?

However as I and others have said, you would know the rules before joining so either go elsewhere or try to change things from within.

 

[HawkeyeMS]

From a tennis club website...

Playing surfaces can be damaged by inappropriate footwear. Proper tennis shoes must be worn on all courts; these must be heel-less and any tread or pattern should be flat. Ridge-soled shoes are not acceptable. Appropriate tennis clothing must be worn by both senior and junior members. Lycra cycling shorts, rugby/football shirts and leggings are not permitted. If inappropriate footwear or clothing is being worn, you may be asked to leave the court.

From a cricket club website...

Dress Code

The club colours are maroon and gold and only club or plain shirts and jumpers are permitted. Club caps should be worn for matches and no other cap is acceptable on the field. Club tracksuits are the preferred attire on match days. Cricket shoes must be white. Please note that black or coloured footwear is not permitted at any activity.

Helmets
It is a club requirement that all players under the age of 18 shall wear a helmet when batting or keeping wicket standing up. There shall be no exception to this rule.

 

[Scadge]

Hi Mike

My view is that golf is a sport played on a sports field, so you where the appropriate sports kit. I have tended to find both here and in the US that anywhere I have played with no dress code the etiquette is similarly absent, bunkers not raked, pace of play desperate etc.

Our club relaxed the rules to allow members to wear shorts in the bar a few years ago. I tend to think that since most golf shoes now look like trainers anyway and people look daft in white socks and shoes that (clean) trainers and jeans for that matter should be permitted in the clubhouse up to a certain time but I would be concerned not to let standards slip.

Our club has the same code for Junior and I think this is a good thing. They learn that the club has standards which they need to help maintain, they get into their golf clothes and when first starting this made them feel special and now that they are about to go and play sport. This approach also endorses the equal status that Juniors enjoy at our club, once they are good enough, they are old enough both to go on the course when they like and on their own and to enter all the club competitions. There are as you know plenty of manufacturers targeting the kids with great gear even if I couldn't get away with a pair of Ricky Fowler orange trousers.

In terms of writing a dress code I have seen business casual and smart casual policies interpreted widely but my approach would be to follow a sports dress for the sports field, and "dress to impress for" the bar so smart blue jeans (no rips) acceptable and smart clean trainers acceptable with shorts before certain times (in the same way as you might have a more relaxed approach to what you might where popping out for lunch than if you went in the evening to a nice restaurant).

I want people to look as if they've fallen off a yacht not out of the gutter not for reasons of snobbery or tradition but just so that the golf club feels like a special sporting club and not like a pub but as I am writing I wonder if this makes me sound like I'm about to turn 103 - I'll ask the boys.

 

[Hobbit]

are dress codes still relevant in this day and age
Yes, but only because so many traditionalists would find it intrusive to be confronted by the trackie bottom/trainer mob. Its as much the game of the traditionalist as it is those who want to see radical change. In fairness to both parties, the middle of the road should be the way forward.

what's the policy at your club
Golf attire on the course. Smart casual, inc smart jeans in the clubhouse.

have there been any recent changes to relax dress code at your club
No.

have you or any of your fiends/playing partners ever fallen foul of a dress code
I've been spoken to several times by the traditionalists for what I wear in the clubhouse, even though it conforms... "harumph, bloody committee man should know better/should be setting an example. Harumph! And I've been questioned about the Street Golf shoes I wear.

do you think dress codes put newcommers off the game
No. People taking up the game are usually besotted with the game and rarely give a flying.... about changes to dress codes. Also, new starters usually want to conform, not stand out, hence they are more inclined to follow a code.

should jeans be allowed in the bar
They already are. And putting on jeans doesn't turn someone into a murderer.

if you could write a dress code what would it include
That non-golfing children can wear what they want when they come to the clubhouse.

would you go down to your club more often for a drink/meal if you could wear more causal clothing
If I wore anything more casual I'd run the risk of a Police raid

should juniors be subject to the same dress codes as adults
Yes, but I'd go as far as saying adults should be subject to the same standard as juniors. Juniors are usually better dressed than many adults.

I don't think dress codes are to blame for falling numbers in golf - £10 dunlop shirt 'v' £1k in fees...

 

[SAPCOR1]

From a tennis club website...

Playing surfaces can be damaged by inappropriate footwear. Proper tennis shoes must be worn on all courts; these must be heel-less and any tread or pattern should be flat. Ridge-soled shoes are not acceptable. Appropriate tennis clothing must be worn by both senior and junior members. Lycra cycling shorts, rugby/football shirts and leggings are not permitted. If inappropriate footwear or clothing is being worn, you may be asked to leave the court.

From a cricket club website...

Dress Code

The club colours are maroon and gold and only club or plain shirts and jumpers are permitted. Club caps should be worn for matches and no other cap is acceptable on the field. Club tracksuits are the preferred attire on match days. Cricket shoes must be white. Please note that black or coloured footwear is not permitted at any activity.

Helmets
It is a club requirement that all players under the age of 18 shall wear a helmet when batting or keeping wicket standing up. There shall be no exception to this rule.

So what's your point?

 

[GreiginFife]

For me it's not the dress code that's often at fault, it's the manner in which it is enforced. Golf is a game rich in tradition and as such carries dress codes that have evolved over the years but are still rooted within that tradition (to wear a jacket and tie because that was the done thing in the 30's to 60's - and most of the people enforcing this at the time were familiar with this as the "norm")
A dress code is still relevant as we have them in most walks of life. From School through to the work place.
I, personally, have seen attitudes to the dress codes relaxed in most places over the years. What I haven't seen is the attitude of the committees at most places where they see people that aren't making the grade, so to speak, this is what puts people off IMO.
I don't think that dress codes put people off as it's fairly easy to see that golf does come with rules and codes and if you are serious about playing then this won't put you off. But... Getting a rollicking from a club member because your shirt has become untucked or your trousers aren't pressed... Well that's the bit that will put people off in my book.

 

[Fish]

I, personally, have seen attitudes to the dress codes relaxed in most places over the years. What I haven't seen is the attitude of the committees at most places where they see people that aren't making the grade, so to speak, this is what puts people off IMO.
I don't think that dress codes put people off as it's fairly easy to see that golf does come with rules and codes and if you are serious about playing then this won't put you off. But... Getting a rollicking from a club member because your shirt has become untucked or your trousers aren't pressed... Well that's the bit that will put people off in my book.

+1

Seeing a "little Hitler" scurrying across the course or clubhouse because he has spotted something that he can confront someone over is what can drive people away more than the rules themselves. Rules are in place and we should all know what they are and accept them but, at times we may get our interpretation of them unknowingly wrong but that does not leave the door open for some power hungry individual to simply "have a go". These people are not necessarily committee members also, just argumentative serial moaners who do the club more an injustice IMO.

 

[mcbroon]

For me it's not the dress code that's often at fault, it's the manner in which it is enforced. Golf is a game rich in tradition and as such carries dress codes that have evolved over the years but are still rooted within that tradition (to wear a jacket and tie because that was the done thing in the 30's to 60's - and most of the people enforcing this at the time were familiar with this as the "norm")
A dress code is still relevant as we have them in most walks of life. From School through to the work place.
I, personally, have seen attitudes to the dress codes relaxed in most places over the years. What I haven't seen is the attitude of the committees at most places where they see people that aren't making the grade, so to speak, this is what puts people off IMO.
I don't think that dress codes put people off as it's fairly easy to see that golf does come with rules and codes and if you are serious about playing then this won't put you off. But... Getting a rollicking from a club member because your shirt has become untucked or your trousers aren't pressed... Well that's the bit that will put people off in my book.

Yeah, what he said :clap:

 

[MashieNiblick]

I actually like wearing proper golf gear when I play but have no desire to wear a sleeveless top, cropped trousers and liner socks. Can't see that as a good look for me!

We now allow smart jeans in the spike bar.

I do think that dress codes should be relaxed for juniors - say under 16 - as it would make the game a bit more welcoming. My son lives in jeans and tee shirts. He wouldn't be seen dead in chinos or a polo shirt so I really struggled to get him interested in coming down to the club and having a go. He probably would have hated it anyway. His idea of fun is slaying zombies on his PC.

It's a fine balance isn't it? I'll stick my neck out and say I think most golfers want to preserve something of the tradition that attire for golf is smart, neat, clean, and appropriate (i.e. specific to the game). It gives the game, and us as golfers, a shared identity. However at the same time we understand the game has to move with the times and not ossify or else we'd still all look like my avatar.

Dress codes had their roots in a different society which was more rigid in terms of what you wore and what it said about you. The people who played golf at certain clubs probably also dressed for dinner (white tie - not black!) and in some cases dress codes were probably intended to keep certain types (dare I say classes) of people off the course (exceptions for Artisan members of course).

We don't have that kind of society anymore and I guess most of us don't want the game to still have that image but it's question of getting rid of the bath water without losing the baby.

Part of me feels jeans and trainers on the Course are a no-no and part of me thinks why the hell not! It's none of my business what someone else wears, it does no one any harm.

Overall I just try to focus on myself and wearing what I feel happy in and not to get too bothered about what anyone else is wearing.

Actually what do you think? Could I get away with this? Where's Gok?

 

[williamalex1]

Last saturday at a Ibrox corporate day a pal of mine had to pay £15 for a [ rangers ] tie because he arrived without any
It did state on the ticket that a tie and jacket must be worn. thats the 3RD division for you. snobby.

its on ebay now.

 

[moogie]

are dress codes still relevant in this day and age

YES, I still believe there should be rules, or perhaps I should say GUIDELINES


what's the policy at your club

ON COURSE - Traditional Golf related attire, Tailored Shorts, NO jeans or Tracksuits or Camouflage style Trousers
OFF COURSE / BAR - As above, but JEANS ALLOWED, but NO training shoes

have there been any recent changes to relax dress code at your club

YES, couple of years ago, Blue Denims Jeans Allowed

have you or any of your fiends/playing partners ever fallen foul of a dress code

NO, Not at my home course, but a Friend was asked to 'tuck-in' his shirt at an away course once, the tail end had came out when swinging, and was pulled on course - RIDICULOUS

do you think dress codes put newcommers off the game

Possibly as golf still has stereotypes

should jeans be allowed in the bar

YES - and they ARE at My Home Course

if you could write a dress code what would it include

ON COURSE - Any form of trousers that WEREN'T Denim Jeans, Any type of shorts except Football or Swimming Shorts, NO tracksuits, ANY shirt with a (any form of) collar (however small), NO vests/Cap sleeve shirts
OFF COURSE/BAR - ANYTHING u would normally wear at your local Pub, except dirty work overalls, or Tracksuit/Jogging bottoms, or sleeveless tops

would you go down to your club more often for a drink/meal if you could wear more causal clothing

Well, it has been proven, at MY club, since allowing Jeans in Bar, that members DO :thup:

should juniors be subject to the same dress codes as adults

At MY club, juniors adhere to same dress code, except they ARE ALLOWED to wear Plain Black Trainers also, and THIS works
But I would go a step further and allow Juniors (real young uns) to wear any form of footwear

 

[HawkeyeMS]

So what's your point?

The point is, other sports have dress codes too. In my experience, if a person wants to play a sport, they will adhere to the dress code of that sport, if they don't, they won't.

 

[HawkeyeMS]

I think dres codes are still relevant, whilst I'm not a member the club I normally play at which is a municipal has a very lax dress code, they might object if you turned up in a vest and pe shorts but generally you can get away with a lot, I personally have always tried to adhere to what I believe is appropriate golfing attire although friends of mine have played in what could be called "scruffy", I think dress odes can give the perception that golf is formal/somewhat snobbish but I wouldn't say it puts that many people off. Jeans should be allowed in clubhouse/bar as its an informal setting and a place for relaxation. If I was designing a dress code I would say polo/collared shirt, tailored trousers and golf shoes/trainers (providing they are not brightly coloured). Finally I would say juniors under 11 should be allowed to wear what they want but from there one they should adhere to the same rules as the adults, as a junior I would expect to be treated with the same courtesy and respect an adult would, so I see no reason why we shouldn't adhere to their rules, plus it gets you n the habit of wearing proper golf attire for when we become adults

:thup:

 

[Hooper]

The point is, other sports have dress codes too. In my experience, if a person wants to play a sport, they will adhere to the dress code of that sport, if they don't, they won't.

I wish some of those middle aged cyclists wouldn't. It can ruin my Sunday run. ;-)

 

[HawkeyeMS]

I wish some of those middle aged cyclists wouldn't. It can ruin my Sunday run. ;-)

Now that's a very good point

 

[BoadieBroadus]

I consider abiding by the dress code rules as a mark of respect to other members, that i don't consider myself above the rules that they too respect. I like the fact that the rules on dress and other clubhouse rules provide a polite civil environment where I can rely on other club members not to be loud, offensive, yelling down mobiles etc which is hard to find anywhere else these days.

That said the nature of the rule itself is not important (i.e. no jeans or trainers), just that there are guidelines that everyone adheres to for the benefit of everyone else. I would probably nip in for a sandwich / coffee etc far more frequently if I could wear jeans in the clubhouse as I pass the club on my way to running errands in town which I'd generally do wearing jeans or trainers. My wife too complains if I suggest we go for lunch as she can't be bothered changing just for a quick bite. So the club would do better for relaxing the rules slightly.

That said we're quite casual, and I think I'd probably get away with smart jeans provided they weren't blue (i think our rules might just allow that now, but I've not checked as i'd never play in smart jeans.)

For juniors, one of the reasons i didn't take to golf until my 30's despite parental encouragement as a boy, was that I hated the stuffy, snobby rules-driven environment at the golf club. No where else told me what to wear at the time, so I was happy to give the place a wide berth. I think that was the attitude with which rules were enforced rather than the rules themselves. My current club in London is far more welcoming to juniors that my Glasgow club I was a member of as a boy.

 

[SAPCOR1]

The point is, other sports have dress codes too. In my experience, if a person wants to play a sport, they will adhere to the dress code of that sport, if they don't, they won't.

Cricket is a team sport and they have moved away from all whites for the more exciting formats of the sport. Don't England pay in blue gear with three white stripes now? A helmet I would have thought was a must and common sense!

As for tennis that too has modernised and you really only see all whites at Wimblimdinnnnn.

Totally agree with footwear as the wrong type can damage the paying surface. However I don't get the resistance in some clubs to "trainer type" shoes.

 

[HawkeyeMS]

Cricket is a team sport and they have moved away from all whites for the more exciting formats of the sport. Don't England pay in blue gear with three white stripes now? A helmet I would have thought was a must and common sense!

As for tennis that too has modernised and you really only see all whites at Wimblimdinnnnn.

Totally agree with footwear as the wrong type can damage the paying surface. However I don't get the resistance in some clubs to "trainer type" shoes.

They may no longer be white but there is still a dress code, just like golf. I'm sure if someone turned up at a tennis club and tried to play in denim shorts\skirt they wouldn't be allowed, so why should they be allowed to wear jeans on a golf course?