PGA Tour smoking ban?

[Dodger]

Completely agree with Dodger. I actually get really worried about where the world is headed when I hear opinions like some of the ones in this thread...

To all those people who think that smoking on tour shoud be banned due to the influence on our younger generations, what is your view on Darren celebrating with a pint of Guinness in the press conference afterwards and talking about the fact that he was going to go on an "all night drinking session"?

Well, by that logic, would it be ok for him to say that smoking is great and that he was going to sit up and smoke all night? That would have played well with the sponsors wouldn't it?

You have to draw lines somewhere in regard to what is and isn't acceptable don't you? Society is currently re-drawing the lines regarding smoking and it's becoming less and less acceptable.

Is sitting up smoking and drinking all night if he so wishes not acceptable?

I thought it would be perfectly legal and he was free to do it if he wanted?

Would not bother me in the slightest if he had said this...not one little bit.It is all becoming less and less acceptable to more and more jumped up little hitlers and there are more and more of those around these days sadly.

 

[SteveF]

Completely agree with Dodger. I actually get really worried about where the world is headed when I hear opinions like some of the ones in this thread...

To all those people who think that smoking on tour shoud be banned due to the influence on our younger generations, what is your view on Darren celebrating with a pint of Guinness in the press conference afterwards and talking about the fact that he was going to go on an "all night drinking session"?

Well, by that logic, would it be ok for him to say that smoking is great and that he was going to sit up and smoke all night? That would have played well with the sponsors wouldn't it?

You have to draw lines somewhere in regard to what is and isn't acceptable don't you? Society is currently re-drawing the lines regarding smoking and it's becoming less and less acceptable.

Is sitting up smoking and drinking all night if he so wishes not acceptable?

I thought it would be perfectly legal and he was free to do it if he wanted?

Would not bother me in the slightest if he had said this...not one little bit.It is all becoming less and less acceptable to more and more jumped up little hitlers and there are more and more of those around these days sadly.

It is legal and he didn't say it. The point is that if he had then would his sponsors dump him? There was a reference earlier to his 'masking technique' so he's kinda hiding the fact that he smokes himself.

It's just becoming less acceptable.

 

[JustOne]

It should be banned on the TV but not from the course. The broadcasters should make a greater effort not to show Jimminezzzz puffing away on his Cuban tree truck.

 

[Ethan]

Completely agree with Dodger. I actually get really worried about where the world is headed when I hear opinions like some of the ones in this thread...

To all those people who think that smoking on tour shoud be banned due to the influence on our younger generations, what is your view on Darren celebrating with a pint of Guinness in the press conference afterwards and talking about the fact that he was going to go on an "all night drinking session"?

Well, by that logic, would it be ok for him to say that smoking is great and that he was going to sit up and smoke all night? That would have played well with the sponsors wouldn't it?

You have to draw lines somewhere in regard to what is and isn't acceptable don't you? Society is currently re-drawing the lines regarding smoking and it's becoming less and less acceptable.

Is sitting up smoking and drinking all night if he so wishes not acceptable?

I thought it would be perfectly legal and he was free to do it if he wanted?

Would not bother me in the slightest if he had said this...not one little bit.It is all becoming less and less acceptable to more and more jumped up little hitlers and there are more and more of those around these days sadly.

I didn't see Darren drinking Guinness on the golf course. Did you?

No, then that is obviously irrelevant. I didn't see anywhere where they planned to ban what he did off the course.

The Tour already bans stuff. Wearing jeans in a Tour event. Wearing shorts in hot weather. No doubt they would ban or fine him is he wore a T-shirt with something a bit rude on it etc etc etc. Smoking is still legal, for now. True. So is taking a dump, but I doubt the Tour would be impressed if someone did so on the 18th green.

The Tour has every right, a responsibility in fact, to improve and protect its image. To decry that as the act of a little Hitler is rather immature response and shows little understanding of the issues.

The comparison between smoking and drinking is also false. Plenty of drinks companies still sponsor golf, and the relationship between drinking and health is very different. Drinking modestly is healthier than not drinking at all. Smoking is unhealthy at any dose both for the smoker and those nearby.

 

[Smiffy]

Smoking is unhealthy at any dose both for the smoker and those nearby.

Have you ever tried chasing your last Rizla down the fairway on a windy day?

 

[CMAC]

Well said Ethan

 

[Crazyface]

Smoke away my friends. You keep the tax on other things down. If anyone thinks that the odd glimpse, and that's all you get, of a golfer smoking or holding a fag will make some kids smoke, you're off your rocker!

Also, to rebuff the poster furthur back, smoking hasn't affected the licence trade. Not much mate. At least 10 pubs have shut in my area and every where I go I see pubs boarded up. It's very very sad, and all down to banning smoking in pubs. I myself gave up because of it, as did another drinking / smoking mate. Now we have both almost given up on going to the pub in the week. Execpt FRIDAY, which as everyone knows is PUB night !!!!!

 

[Dodger]

No I did not see Clarke drinking on the course but saw umpteen spectators supping away on the Pilsner.

If the Tour were wishing to protect their image why do they allow sponsorship from a company that sells a product that can lead to addiction and illness?

Surely promoting such a product opens up the avenue for addiction as much as seeing a golfer puffing away on a fag?

 

[john0]

I think if all smokers were drowned at birth then it would solve the problem!

 

[Shaunmg]

I think the cig smoke is clouding a lot of views here.

Many of you are completely missing the point. The issue is not about golfers smoking during a game. I have never smoked in my life and I too have no problem playing alongside someone smoking. The issue raised was televised games and the influencing young impressionable children watching their hero’s.

So when did protecting children become a political correct issue or nanny state intervention

 

[One Planer]

The issue raised was televised games and the influencing young impressionable children watching their hero’s.

So when did protecting children become a political correct issue or nanny state intervention

Going off topic slightly, I remember not so long ago the government were saying that violent computer games/films make children violent, should these also be banned?

I'm a firm believer that there are bigger factors that will influence if a person takes up smoking. Lifestyle, up bringing, Parents/family smokers, peer pressure, being in the "IN crowd" etc and seeing a tour player smoking would have very little impact around these factors.

 

[chris661]

The thing is until smoking is seen as not cool by kids then they will continue to start to light up. The reason I started smoking was I suppose peer pressure nothing to do with advertising or seeing my favourite snooker player puffing away.

 

[One Planer]

The thing is until smoking is seen as not cool by kids then they will continue to start to light up

That's partly my point Chris.

Look at other sports, take football as an example. Young children idolize there favorite players from a young age yet FIFA haven't stopped players constantly spitting every 5 seconds, blowing their nose out onto the playing surface or arguing/surrounding the officials after every decision they dont agree with.

My point is there is good and bad in all sports be it "the chat" in cricket, the punch up in ice hockey or rugby, the list goes on.

If someone decides to smoke, surely there are bigger influences (that I state in a previous post) out there than a television clip 20 seconds long of a tour pro smoking?

 

[DaveM]

When tobacco companies backed sports evens. Like B&H when I was young(ok not so old). It never crossed my mind to think of ciggies. It was just the name of the event.

 

[Shaunmg]

I would expect the vast majority of smokers would be unable to point at one single aspect that started them smoking. Almost all would say advertising had no influence, but not true, the tobacco industry did not spend billions advertising without being absolutely sure of its influence. Tobacco company spent millions advertising brands in competition with their own brands, not to get people to change, but to gain new smokers to replace those they lost.

A kid seeing a hero smoking has a subliminal effect; it may one of a number of influences that result in him taking up the habit. The Marlboro cowboy was not and old decrepit bum, he was good looking hero. To dismiss subliminal influences is naive. Seeing a hero smoke is not the sole cause of kids smoking but it is certainly an influence. So it is a bad influence that can be removed. But no one could claim it would be the only influence

 

[SteveF]

Smoke away my friends. You keep the tax on other things down. If anyone thinks that the odd glimpse, and that's all you get, of a golfer smoking or holding a fag will make some kids smoke, you're off your rocker!

Also, to rebuff the poster furthur back, smoking hasn't affected the licence trade. Not much mate. At least 10 pubs have shut in my area and every where I go I see pubs boarded up. It's very very sad, and all down to banning smoking in pubs. I myself gave up because of it, as did another drinking / smoking mate. Now we have both almost given up on going to the pub in the week. Execpt FRIDAY, which as everyone knows is PUB night !!!!!

Wrong place to discuss this really but anyone who believes that hoary old nonsense about smoking killing pubs is reading the wrong newspapers.

There is far, far more to pub closures than people not being able to smoke in them. Pubs are going out of business because they don't stack up as a business, for a variety of reasons, but the biggest by far is the fact that more than a quarter of the pubs in this country are owned by two very big and very greedy pub companies burdened with enough debt to bring a bank down and run by people who don't actually care about pubs. I will run the numbers for you if you like?

The smoking ban is a factor for sure, but pubs are not going out of business because of the smoking ban.

 

[G1BB0]

Logan's run anyone? lets just ban everything remotely bad for us, endorse euthanasia (hell we will just be a drain on resources and finances)

I smoke, I drink, I fund it myself, I enjoy it so feck off EU/PGA etc etc

as for JohnO's comment, tongue in cheek or not... get a grip eh!!!!

 

[Smiffy]

Logan's run anyone? lets just ban everything remotely bad for us....
I smoke, I drink, I fund it myself, I enjoy it so feck off EU/PGA etc etc

G1BBO for prime minister!!
Couldn't have said it better myself

 

[SteveF]

Got to say.

I played downwind of a bloke smoking a pipe this evening, I'd forgotten just how pleasant they can smell