Golf snobs

[bobmac]

Time was Bob, when as a pro, you wouldn't be allowed on here to talk to us.

I know. In the old days, the pro wasn't even allowed to use the front door of the clubhouse.
My old boss told me a story of his past.
It was Sunday afternoon and The Open was coming down the back 9.
My boss was the young assistant on duty in the shop at the time and was deserted. Everyone was watching the golf on the clubs new "COLOUR" tele. This was a monster 26 inches.
He shut up the shop and went round to watch the golf through the lounge window.
All was well until a member spotted him and shooed him away.

He now owns his own golf club.

 

[Sam]

1900-1925

Towards the end of the 19th century, the hems of men’s trousers travelled inexorably downwards, until long trousers had become the most popular item of clothing in all sectors of society. Rather than embrace this change, golfers decided to mask it by tucking their trousers into long socks.

It was, therefore, not unusual to see early twentieth century golfers take to the links wearing a full morning suit, bar the hat, with their trouser bottoms stuffed into long socks. How the golfers coped with hot conditions is unknown, as few would have dared to discard their heavy jackets and ties, even under the muggiest of conditions.

 

[USER1999]

Wouldn't it have been cheaper to buy his own telly?

 

[bobmac]

Wouldn't it have been cheaper to buy his own telly?

lol Good point.
He just bought some land and built it from scratch

http://www.sudbrookmoor.co.uk/

 

[drawboy]

Sorry - there's working class people on this forum???

Good God - what is the world coming to!!!

That's it, I'm off!!! The Horse and Hounds forum has a better class of person.........

Ah,there are working class people and there are working class people.I'm certainly working class, I'm a bricklayer but I would never show myself up in public effing and blinding, spitting and dressing like a scruff..one has to maintain one's standards after all what.

 

[haplesshacker]

A rather spiffing debate old bean. I say. Keep the oiks away from my special reserve brandy at the clubhouse and we'll get along just fine. Guffaw, guffaw.

 

[Fyldewhite]

For what it is worth, having a dress code isn't snobbery. Snobbery is treating someone different to yourself in a demeaning way.

Who wants to play a course with people wearing cut off jeans, flip flops and wife beaters? Most of us join a private club to get away from that

How do you square those two statements?

Murph, you go on to say that Jacket and Ties are "nonsense". There will be many who disagree with that and say that removing the jacket rule will just lower standards. 30 years ago you would have been in quite a small minority with that "radical" view.

We relaxed the dress code and encouraged non members use of our function room and have seen bar income rise 43% this year. We are attached to a municipal but are still a traditional club (85 years) with over 450 members. As you can imagine the "jeans rule" as it became known split the membership, largely along age lines. I'm looking forward to the AGM and defending it with the line "subs are staying the same this year - do you get it now?"

According to the EGU 72% of golfers in this country are not members of golf clubs yet 90% of clubs "welcome" visitors with a notice saying "NO jeans, NO shorts, NO mobiles, NO coloured socks, NO this that and the other". You may as well put a notice up saying "NO UNDER 50's" because that's the impression it gives.

Clubs have to change, putting fees up and up is not the long term answer. We can all still wear jacket and tie for functions, for prize givings etc but for the rest of the time clubs need to chill out and move with the times or slowly die over the next 20 years.

 

[StrangelyBrown]

Some common sense there Fyldewhite, it's what I've been saying to anyone that'll listen.

 

[viscount17]

Sorry - there's working class people on this forum???

Good God - what is the world coming to!!!

That's it, I'm off!!! The Horse and Hounds forum has a better class of person.........

Ah,there are working class people and there are working class people.I'm certainly working class, I'm a bricklayer but I would never show myself up in public effing and blinding, spitting and dressing like a scruff..one has to maintain one's standards after all what.

ah, but there is effing and blinding and effing and blinding (one would not expectorate would one!), and dressing as a scruff in twenty year old tweed suiting hand made by one's Bond Street tailor is hardly of the same standard as a (god forbid) shell suit. class will out.

 

[USER1999]

I didn't mean dropping the jacket and tie for functions, but golf clubs used to have a rule about jacket and tie after 6pm. That was daft, as you came in work clothes, changed into golf clothes, and then changed again into a suit. It was daft, and discouraged people from staying and putting money across the bar.

The jeans rule is fine as is. I can't see why people have to wear jeans. They are no more comfortable than dockers, which are similar, and meet the dress code. Both are machine washable, and don't need ironing.

And snobbery is about class, wealth, upbringing, not dress codes.

We have a full junior section, who don't feel the need to wear jeans to play, we have a 3 year waiting list to join too. We have very mixed age membership, except, like most clubs, we tend to lose people between the ages of 22 and 30, when they have young families, and other interests and expenses (golf subs or car insurance, you have a grand, you choose). Unless fees are free, most in this age group will stop playing. It isn't the dress code driving them away.

 

[Herbie]

Sounds a bit far fetched to me.

How would tucking your trousers into your socks keep your feet dry when paddling in a river?

Nope, I am going to go with the old favourite of eliminating people who couldn't afford plus fours, and who pretended they could, by tucking their trousers in. They needed to be exposed before their peers, and taken down a notch. Cheating low life scum.

If you are unfortunate to be striding through the wet rough in search of your ball on a regular basis I can see a sensible point to the tucking in method, likewise on a course that is clay based and is a splattery mess when striking the ball. Other than these occasions I dont see much call for it, but one should never poo poo something of this nature as you never know what secret organisation you may be offending, so before condemnation a good check on their activity such as hand shakes, one leg sock lowering when meeting another tucker, or you may find your Tax bill through the roof, or your bank account going haywire....you just never know?

 

[Fyldewhite]

If that's the position at your club Murph then I totally understand your view. A 3 year waiting list is unheard of round here and has been for many a year. Even Fairhaven and St Annes Old Links are advertising memberships with no joining fee or proposer.

I think it's a heart v head situation. None of us really want the big changes but the extra £50,000 over the bar makes pretty sound business sense. Horses for courses though, it isn't right everywhere.