New Scottish Drink Driving laws and golf clubs

[Hacker Khan]

Interesting article here on how the new restriction on how much you can legally drink and drive is effecting Scottish golf clubs. http://www.golf-monthly.co.uk/news/notice-board/drink-drive-law-pushes-scottish-clubs-to-brink-66772

Any of our Scottish cousins have any first hand experiencing of this? Do you no longer bother going for a pint (or more) afterwards if you are driving?

 

[StrangelyBrown]

Bar takings are down, significantly, at my place.

Not helped by a reluctance to offer any alternative, such as a decent cup of coffee.

 

[Keeno]

I'm not sure how much it has affected our place directly , but most of my drinking involved a pint after a round and I won't be doing that going forward which is a pity.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

My club does a wonderful pint of Black Sheep and also San Miguel. Unfortunately for me I can only have them if I am getting a lift as frankly I can't take my drink and even if I am under the legal limit I am not actually safe to drive. You just learn to adapt and either have a soft drink or a cup of tea. People need to change their mindest and clubs need to encourage this by expanding the drinks on offer. Get a fancy coffee machine, become like a Costa. There is no point moaning about these changes. They are coming so you have to move with the times.

 

[Khamelion]

But do you have to have a pint of something alcoholic after a round? Rather than not go into the bar afterwards, have a soft drink that way you're still supporting your club and you're helping the bar keep the takings up.

Okay I understand many people want to have a pint after around but if having a pint is a must is it not indicative of a different problem?

 

[KhalJimbo]

Get a fancy coffee machine, become like a Costa. There is no point moaning about these changes. They are coming so you have to move with the times.

Wonder if its a good idea for Golf Clubs to be speaking to people like Costa etc for having franchised coffee shops in the clubhouses. Could be onto something there. I'd happily sit down to a good coffee rather than a pint after playing (when I join a club that is)

 

[turkish]

I think it's doing clubs out of money- our clubhouse is always dead- no point risking having a pint after a round.

Also personally I won't have much to drink the night before now if I want to play the next day. Id imagine a lot of people will be in this book so the actual course will probably be quieter too as a result

 

[SugarPenguin]

Golf is a social game. you get to chat with your playing partners and have a good laugh throughout the round so having a pint afterwards makes sense.

however the law is the law so people will just have to get over it I suppose. Hopefully England dont implement it too soon !

 

[stevek1969]

Not sure how it affects mine, as they have a number of local lads who use the club as the local drinking hole. All it means for me is i can't have a pint after the golf, which is no big deal to be honest

 

[FairwayDodger]

I used to enjoy a beer after a round but have stopped that due to not being 100% sure I'd be under the limit. Have switched to having a coffee or an irn bru instead.

 

[Hacker Khan]

But do you have to have a pint of something alcoholic after a round? Rather than not go into the bar afterwards, have a soft drink that way you're still supporting your club and you're helping the bar keep the takings up.

Okay I understand many people want to have a pint after around but if having a pint is a must is it not indicative of a different problem?

Difficult one as the vast majority of people I ever see in golf clubs bars are middle aged to elderly blokes. Who, as I have, have mostly grown up with the culture of having a pint after golf/sport or whatever.

Actually at yesterdays forum meet (in England I hasten to add) I had one pint but did turn down a second pint as I was driving, and had a soft drink. But to be brutally honest I'm not sure how many golfers like me would want to sit around just drinking just orange juice/coffee. Perhaps I do have a problem, but I think a lot of it is cultural and it could well tip the balance between staying for one or going straight home to do other things after, let's face it, a relatively long time playing the game itself.

 

[patricks148]

I would imagine there has been some effect on Bar taking, pint £4 Vs can of Coke or Coffee £1.

TBH though, its not effected me, always have to drive to the club so don't have any alcohol anyway.


But, its the morning after a night out that is going to catch a few out, you know had a few the night before, then have to make an early morning off. We have already had Police checks In Inverness first thing

 

[GB72]

I am interested in how this develops. These days I will not even have 1 anyway as many of the drinks available now can put you over the limit even after only 1 (I drink cider normall). I do, however, think that golf clubs have always had an issue with a minority of drink drivers that needed to be addressed.
Decent coffee would be a great start and I would buy into that. Near me, it would also be ideal if the club could provide more locker room or a safe room for overnight club storage. Many I know would be tempted to leave their car overnight and get a cab back (the clubs is near residential areas) but having nowhere to store their gear overnight ends that thought for most.

 

[BrizoH71]

I always used to have a pint after a round, and would follow it up with a couple of soft drinks before heading home.

Not having a pint afterwards doesn't really bother me, and I don't take the chance now and stick to the soft drinks instead. The bar is empty though compared to how it used to be before the change in the law.

My place isn't the most accessible on foot, so cars are something of a necessity to get there. I'd say it is definitely having an effect on bar takings.

 

[Lambchops]

Over here the drink drive limit is 0 anyway so I don't have a choice unless I get the train or the wife picks me up. I always liked a beer after football or golf as well. The other option here is the alcohol free beer which is very good actually

 

[CMAC]

the same was muted when the smoking ban came into place- people and clubs adapted and I think golf clubs will as well.

It's definitely an age/upbringing/way of life scenario. When I was in my 20's we would drink at the bar before the round as well as after never 'during' though unlike some.

Takings will go down but the clubs need to adapt and change to accomodate, make it more family friendly so people go to the club with family and not just for cheap 'drink' disguised as socialising.

It's the 21st Century and I for one am delighted at the reduced limits (and I like a good drink believe me).

If you must have an alcoholic drink get a taxi or walk or have a designated driver.

 

[Val]

Firstly although my post may suggest other wise I don't advocate drink driving. In reality although the law has changed in reality the risk is no greater now than it was previously. I've discussed this at length with many people including a few who have posted on this thread, the likelihood of being over the limit is now greater but the likelihood of getting stopped and done doesn't change, all that has happened now is people are more careful the morning after and when having a beer after golf. I have been driving for almost 25 years and have been breathalised once and that was because someone run into me, I have friends and colleagues who have been driving longer than me who have never been breathalised.

Will it stop DD fatalities or accidents? I don't think so because those who cause these are generally full of booze and not just a bit over because they had a pint after golf or had too much the night before.

For me, the Scottish Exec got this all wrong.

To answer the question directly, yes it will long term have an effect on golf clubs, back in December I played at Craigielaw with Fairway Dodger and Lanark Golfer, all three of us would normally have had a beer afterwards, what the bar got in takings was the value of 2 cans of juice and a coffee, probably less than the cost of 1 beer.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Wonder if its a good idea for Golf Clubs to be speaking to people like Costa etc for having franchised coffee shops in the clubhouses. Could be onto something there. I'd happily sit down to a good coffee rather than a pint after playing (when I join a club that is)

That is a really interesting one. They are in book shops and other places now so maybe that could be a way forward.

People are commentating about the cost of a pint compared to a soft drink or a coffee but you really should be looking at profit, not the end price. Having a high turnover does not necessarily equate to good profit. The profit level on soft drinks is huge, the same with hot drinks. Less outlay for clubs, better margins.

A less beer driven bar may also attract more women into clubs as they tend to be less intimidating and male.

 

[Ethan]

There was a time when people used to tell stories about a member who drove home from the club so plastered that he crashed into a ditch/bus shelter/something else. How we laughed.

But that idiot was a potential killer, and we now know that even the current English legal limit causes an impairment of driving response times, and hence is a risk to public safety. And the idea that people could be persuaded to be responsible without legislation is naive, so we now have legislation. The old 80mg limit was the highest in Europe and most countries are now at 50mg and quite a few even lower.

So, in my opinion, it is unfortunate if pubs and clubs suffer a drop in revenue as a result. That wasn't the intention of the legislation but a price worth paying. They will need to find ways of selling more soft drinks, on which there are bigger margins anyway.

I am equally unconcerned about the effect of smoking legislation on tobacconists and pubs.

 

[turkish]

the same was muted when the smoking ban came into place- people and clubs adapted and I think golf clubs will as well.

It's definitely an age/upbringing/way of life scenario. When I was in my 20's we would drink at the bar before the round as well as after never 'during' though unlike some.

Takings will go down but the clubs need to adapt and change to accomodate, make it more family friendly so people go to the club with family and not just for cheap 'drink' disguised as socialising.

It's the 21st Century and I for one am delighted at the reduced limits (and I like a good drink believe me).

If you must have an alcoholic drink get a taxi or walk or have a designated driver.

I agree with this part but also need to point if they want to do this I think clubs need to be more relaxed with regards to clothing- been times we've been driving by the club and I've said to wife about popping in for lunch (as the food at ours is actually very good) but then realise one of us has jeans or trainers on so can't!

I understand the traditions and why they don't want that but can't have it both ways. A lot of golf gear nowadays is so much more sporty looking anyway- including a lot of spikeless shoes which are like trainers anyway