DCB
Well-known member
I don't believe that dress code puts anyone off taking up golf. By the time they even think about joining a club they will have tried the game and decided if it's for them or not.
Is probably closest to the truth in most cases
I don't believe that dress code puts anyone off taking up golf. By the time they even think about joining a club they will have tried the game and decided if it's for them or not.
Work ?
does anybody still wear a shirt and tie any more? (except perhaps at weddings, and funerals?).
I don't believe that dress code puts anyone off taking up golf. By the time they even think about joining a club they will have tried the game and decided if it's for them or not.
Would like to believe you are absolutely correct, but if you read the Golf Mags and people like Denis Pugh on Twitter it is this and slow play that are apparently the biggest barriers to people taking up Golf!
Me too, just not what a lot of media portray!I'd say cost and slow play / time it takes to play opposed to dress code. Surely?
Would like to believe you are absolutely correct, but if you read the Golf Mags and people like Denis Pugh on Twitter it is this and slow play that are apparently the biggest barriers to people taking up Golf!
Can't think of anywhere in Northumberland that insists on jacket and tie although happy to be proved wrong. If only to make a mental note never to go there. I don't have to wear a tie for work, funerals only now. Most work places I go to are happy with a smart short sleeved shirt or work branded polo shirt. This type of dress code does not stop people playing the game but it may stop people playing particular clubs that enforce it. I personally don't even see the merit for them at awards nights etc. Jackets and ties are old hat now, move on.
The problem is we're all golfers and golfers are the wrong people to ask the question "What puts you off playing golf?"
Only non-golfers can answer that question.
When I've asked friends or colleagues if they'd like to try golf with me they generally say they don't want to because "Golf is a stupid game for old men." Golf has a bad image and it's not just dress code, the entire principal of the game has been badly represented for a long time.
Us golfers need to stop trying to solve the problem internally and look at what's wrong from the perspective of those on the other side.
That's why a lot of golf participation surveys don't hold much credibility for me because the people surveyed are usually already golfers!
many moons ago my mate and I were playing Lindrick. After we played we decided to have a sandwich and a pint in the clubhouse. But we had to eat in their formal dining room - and back then it was a vast ballroom type place (may still be) - I guess to be able to accommodate the Ryder Cup gatherings. And we had to put our jackets and ties on. I can remember with some amusement the two of us sat at the end of a huge long tablecloth covered table. In comes a waitress in her uniform and sandwiches on a silver salver! Lovely - but quite curious - even then and I'm going back 25yrs,
Its crap like that which repels people from the sport.
The only one that springs to mind for a tie at lunchtime is The Berkshire.
Add Rye to that.
Walton Heath now has a very sensible (in my opinion) policy of a jacket over golf clothing for lunchtime. Seems to appease both sides of the argument. Not sure what it is in the evening as the society I visit with has a policy of jacket & tie of their own for the evening bit regardless of the club rules.
At my own club it's pretty much golf gear anywhere except the dining room which is jacket & tie. some functions are still black tie (Summer Ball, Men's Annual Dinner) but most socials are lounge suit or smart casual, dependant on the do. No jeans and trainers which I fully support, although is sometimes a pain if I'm out & think I might pop in for lunch off the cuff.
Rye is jacket and tie after 1000, but you can get served drinks and snacks via spike bar arrangements easy enough. If you want lunch in the restaurant (and you would be mad not to!) it's a fixed price 5 course buffet and jackets and ties are required. You can only play 2 balls etc etc and pretty much have to be invited to play so it hardly fits with any issue about 'choosing not to play'!
Wentworth has never been a problem; it's a business first and foremost. Some areas have requirements from time to time but you will always be able to eat and drink dressed as you feel comfortable...
Overall I still find these threads bizarre - as long as any dress code is clearly stated you have a choice. Getting worried about the possible impact on a clubs financial position isn't an issue for visitors; if no one visits because of a dress code (and they need visitors) they will change it.
We have had people leave to join clubs with what they perceive as more appropriate dress codes (to them) and we have had people join because we now permit smart jeans in the clubhouse - there are no fixed requirements for jackets anywhere at any time; they may be in place for some match catering arrangements and events.
Last one I was in was Luffness New.
Can't imagine why you need to wear a jacket whilst eating.
As for a tie, glorified bib