It's not about being drunk, it's about being impaired whilst driving, your reactions being slower, judgement dodgy.
Drink Driving - is it a golf problem?
- Thread starter howbow88
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HeftyHacker
Well-known member
I wasn't driving but I did once get breathalysed after 4 pints in about 2 hours (the last one being about 30 mins before I did the test) and blew under the legal limit so it is possible.
rudebhoy
Q-School Graduate
Why did you get breathalysed if you weren't driving?
A long time ago (back in my teenage years) I had a mate who had a works van and would pick everyone up to go to the pub, have 6 or 7 pints, then drop everyone off. I was with him one night when he got stopped. I thought "bloody hell, he's going to lose his job", they tested him, and he was below the limit. I was amazed.
Back to the OP, I play with a large group and the most anyone has is one pint. However it's different in team matches where we play in pairs, and the custom is the hosts buy you two drinks. It's not unusual for guys to have 2 pints, before having to drive an unfamiliar and / or longer route home, to me that is dangerous.
SwingsitlikeHogan
Major Champion
The breathalyser test just measures alcohol level not cognitive impairment, but for the vast majority and in most circumstances, the former equally determines the latter…and that is why the level is set as it is.
The lower the threshold the more likely for the vast majority it will be that having breath alcohol level under that threshold they will have an ‘acceptable‘ level of impairment. It’s a simple test for a simple requirement on drivers in respect of drinking alcohol.
HeftyHacker
Well-known member
The local town occasionally used to have the police set up in the main car park late on weekend nights and they were offering breathalyser tests for those planning on driving home. My dad was picking me up but just got a test out of curiosity really.
Jamesbrown
Head Pro
Driving after a drink? Yes it’s pretty common in golf clubs. But drunk driving? More common than most sports but not a massive issue.
Can only remember one person who drank maybe more than he should but I don’t know how well he metabolises alchohol.
Can only remember one person who drank maybe more than he should but I don’t know how well he metabolises alchohol.
ExRabbit
Club Champion
At my club I see the opposite.
A lot of 20-30+ year-olds seem to think it is fine to have 3 pints or more if they are spending an hour or two afterwards. I might have two pints under the same time-frame, but make sure it is the lowest alcohol rating.
Last year one of the young guys was about to drive home after having 5 pints of Stella over maybe 3 hours or so and he thought he would be fine. I asked him how many units he thought a pint of Stella was and he said 2 max.
We older guys persuaded him to leave his car and get a lift home with one of us...
ExRabbit
Club Champion
You would be probably be over the limit on 3 pints there unless you stayed for quite a while.
As far as I remember, a 3.4% bitter (or any other pint) is 2 units.
So a 5% strong lager or cider for instance, is 3 units.
Carlsberg /Fosters is somewhere between that - maybe 4%?
It really matters what the pint is that you are drinking.
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Orikoru
Tour Winner
Must admit the 'units' thing does my head in. Can never work that out properly. I just think of it as roughly one and a half pints maximum to drive so I stick to shandies, hence two of them is around one pint equivalent. I never used to like shandies before I drove but now I've got used to them I find it quite refreshing after a round.
There are countless people who'll have two pints and drive though. Judging by earlier posts I think it's possible to be under the limit on that but it would be a fine line.
There are countless people who'll have two pints and drive though. Judging by earlier posts I think it's possible to be under the limit on that but it would be a fine line.
nickjdavis
Head Pro
In strict terms a UNIT of alcohol is defined (in the UK) as being 10mL of alcohol in any given drink (or 8g by mass as the density of alcohol is about 0.8g/mL).
So you can drink 10mL of pure alcohol or put 10mL into a litre of water and you would have drunk 1 unit in either case.
Other countries have a different definition....the UK standard unit is one of the smallest in the world...most countries are 12.7mL (10g) but there are others that are much higher.
So 1 pint (568mL) of a 4.4% beer would have 568*0.044 = 24.99mL of alcohol in it...or 2.499 units
Robster59
Tour Rookie
3 pints of 4% alcohol will put you well over the limit. Watch any Police TV programme and you will see. And you will also see their reaction to anyone who drink drives, as they have seen the aftermath.
mariwin
New member
Uhmm, as a law student, I know that drinking pure alcohol is more dangerous than drinking diluted alcohol because it is absorbed into the bloodstream more quickly, leading to a rapid increase in blood alcohol concentration (BAC). This can impair judgment and coordination and increase the risk of accidents and injuries. I am doing my assignments with assistance from https://essays.edubirdie.com/law-coursework-help because these writing experts are the best. And I am sure in most countries, it is illegal to sell or consume pure alcohol. When I was getting professional law coursework help, I found a few exceptions, but strict regulations are in place to prevent misuse. It is essential to be aware of the laws and regulations in your area. In some countries, there are limits on the amount of alcohol that can be sold or consumed in public places.
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rudebhoy
Q-School Graduate
That doesn't make any sense.
It's not the amount of liquid that determines how intoxicated you are, it's the amount of alcohol you consume. A pint of 4.4% beer contains 25 ml of alcohol, a 25 ml shot of 40% proof vodka contains 10ml of alcohol. if you drunk a 2.2% pint of beer, you would have consumed a lot more liquid, but the same amount of alcohol. I strongly doubt you would be any more intoxicated than if you had just drunk the vodka.
GB72
Money List Winner
This has always been an concern of mine. When I was a member, the clubhouse was full, plenty of beer and normally red wine flowing, car park was full but those cars were always gone by early evening.
I will also add that there is a generational thing. Not having a deliberate go at anyone but the people I know who are now mainly in their mid to late 70s have never really had any concern or consideration for drinking and driving. I know that is a massive generalisation but that is how I have found it.
With the stronger beers you find on the pumps now (how many people have I heard say that there is no flavour in ales under 5%) even the single pint can be enough and 3 licks of a wine gum can put you over the limit in Scotland.
My other concern is the morning after. This tended to be the younger members but there were plenty who were out heavily the night before then in their car and on the first tee at 8.00 the next morning. I have a home breathalyser, the most accurate but I have had to cancel rounds on a saturday morning if I have blown positive after a big night on a Friday.
My opinion. clubs need to, for a start, have more lockers and storage so as everybody has the chance to leave their clubs and trolley there. That at least opens up public transport, cabs and even walking to the course as options.
I will also add that there is a generational thing. Not having a deliberate go at anyone but the people I know who are now mainly in their mid to late 70s have never really had any concern or consideration for drinking and driving. I know that is a massive generalisation but that is how I have found it.
With the stronger beers you find on the pumps now (how many people have I heard say that there is no flavour in ales under 5%) even the single pint can be enough and 3 licks of a wine gum can put you over the limit in Scotland.
My other concern is the morning after. This tended to be the younger members but there were plenty who were out heavily the night before then in their car and on the first tee at 8.00 the next morning. I have a home breathalyser, the most accurate but I have had to cancel rounds on a saturday morning if I have blown positive after a big night on a Friday.
My opinion. clubs need to, for a start, have more lockers and storage so as everybody has the chance to leave their clubs and trolley there. That at least opens up public transport, cabs and even walking to the course as options.
RichA
Well-known member
Not true. Alcohol is absorbed more quickly when it is diluted.
10ml of pure alcohol will just sit in your stomach, hardly reaching your bloodstream. Add a litre of water and your stomach will flush into your small intestine where the real action takes place.
Drink several shots on a empty stomach and you'll think you're impervious to alcohol for an hour. Follow that with a pint of beer, or even water, and you will be
faced in 10 minutes.
Mandofred
Well-known member
People who are drunk.....don't think they are drunk.
People who are slow players.....don't think they are slow players.
I'm trying to link a connection..........
People who are slow players.....don't think they are slow players.
I'm trying to link a connection..........
IanM
Journeyman Pro
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I think if you start rationalising the speed of alcohol absorption, the impact of volume of liquid, the time it takes to leave the bloodstream, your body weight etc etc....
...you're probably on a sticky wicket.
Are you really that much in need of additional beer(s) ?
...you're probably on a sticky wicket.
Are you really that much in need of additional beer(s) ?
nickjdavis
Head Pro
But I didn't say that, did I? I said that you would still have drank one unit of alcohol. I made no reference to how it would affect one's body....I was just defining what a unit of alcohol was.
Fabia999
Active member
Its a massive problem. I overheard two guys talking about how they couldn't even see straight when driving home after a good drink in the club bar a while back.
Is golf the problem? No. The golfer is the problem.
Is golf the problem? No. The golfer is the problem.
backwoodsman
Tour Winner
I don't think it's a 'golf problem' - simply a problem anywhere there's a bar and a car park.
At ours, most folks I know have tea/soft drink/shandy if they're driving (and most are). Me, I go on the bus, so can do what I like. (I often go mad and have two...)
And being close to central London, there's a lot of the electric bike rentals available. They are proving v. popular at the club. But doubt getting on one of those after a few pints is a good idea. Except it's only oneself that gets hurt (but pity the poor sod under whose wheels they fall under).
At ours, most folks I know have tea/soft drink/shandy if they're driving (and most are). Me, I go on the bus, so can do what I like. (I often go mad and have two...)
And being close to central London, there's a lot of the electric bike rentals available. They are proving v. popular at the club. But doubt getting on one of those after a few pints is a good idea. Except it's only oneself that gets hurt (but pity the poor sod under whose wheels they fall under).
