PGA Tour smoking ban?

[slugger]

I was slated on another forum (skiing one) for suggesting at the time that smoking should be banned in any top class sporting competition (including the golf).

Apart from sweet wrappers, the 2nd biggest discarded rubbish I see on golf courses has something to do with smoking.

Banning it from regular club comps etc is a non starter though, for obvious reasons. shame.

 

[Alex1975]

I am a smoker and somewhat of an anarchist(I use this very loosely but I don't like rules much) but I would actually understand if a ban was introduced. I am a huge F1 fan and some years back F1 banned tobacco advertising, this was a loss in that it was a massive income dent for the teams and I rather liked the £3-4 hundred million pound budgets. The reality is of course that advertising is one thing but there is not many images that can sell cigarettes better than a professional athlete pulling on a fag on TV. That can not be a good image for the young to see.

 

[Mattyboy]

Why stop at smoking?
Chippers limit golfers ability to use other clubs fit for purpose. BAN THEM!
Long putters alledgedly are an advantage. BAN THEM.
Ping clubs - ban them - no reason offerred however (dunno why!)

 

[slugger]

lol... ban golf!!!!

mind you, that was already tried

1457 - Golf, along with football, is banned by the Scots Parliament of James II to preserve the skills of Archery by prohibiting gowf on Sundays because it has interfered with military training for the wars against the English.

 

[Mattyboy]

Why stop at smoking?
Chippers limit golfers ability to use other clubs fit for purpose. BAN THEM!
Long putters alledgedly are an advantage. BAN THEM.
Ping clubs - ban them - no reason offerred however (dunno why!)

Just realised the irony of what I said there. The USGA did ban ping!!!!

 

[Chrimbo]

The issue is related to WADA monitoring the effects of nicotine on performance when taken in oral products such as snuff. If WADA finds that it is performance enhancing then various sports will have to access if it should be added to the ban list ergo ban snuff, chewing tobacco, smoking etc.

Golf Week Report

 

[sev112]

Sick fed up with the Nanny State and the bloody PC Brigade.

And all their dress codes eh ???

 

[SteveF]

The trouble is that people are influenced by what they see celebrities and sports people doing on TV, that's precisely the reason why sponsors sponsor and companies spend vast sums of money on advertising isn't it?

We really can't say that seeing Darren Clarke smoking on TV doesn't influence kids to copy him, and also these guys have a social responsibility so should play their part I think.

I'm in the licensed trade and it's been interesting over the last couple of years to see just what an impact the smoking ban actually had. It was supposed to be the death of the trade and it hasn't been.

If you look back over the last 20 years at what people used to see as normal, smoking on buses and aircraft, in theatres and restaurants, it's not hard to see how far removed it has become from what is acceptable behaviour in public places.

My belief is that the next few years will see the end of smoking in all but private homes and even that will be pushed to the margins of acceptability.

There are very, very big numbers in play here for insurance companies, who are scanning the horizon for the next vibration white finger, and for employers who are more and more nervous of what their employees are exposed to.

 

[Ethan]

Hardly a recent observation. Jack Nicklaus saw himself smoking on TV in 1962 and never smoked on the course again, and later gave up completely.

Every little helps is alright as a tagline for Tescos, but does not apply to smoking. Eating a Mars Bar or having a drink are completely different, so I agree that the Tour should be concerned about its image as a sport and smoking does not fit that image at all.

Nothing to do with a nanny state. Everything to do with a free market corporation protecting its image.

 

[CMAC]

agreed Gareth, but every little helps, if it stops just one kid starting because 'Darren does' then its a good thing.

Personally I take a full pack on the course and have 1 a hole,

So if every little helps why do you smoke?

Surely in your day to day life people/kids see you smoke?

you've misinterpreted the comment Chris
it's not kids seeing ME, it's kids seeing their Idol on TV (thousands at a time around the world).
P.S in my day to day life Kids dont ever see me smoke

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I can see the PGA wanting to ban it but I can't see it happening. Once they (the players who smoke) protest about civil liberties and it all goes to court it'll be another decade before anything remotely close to a decision is made

 

[Del]

I'm a none smoker and have to say it doesn't worry me either way, but the only thing I will say is in the UK you are not aloud to smoke at your place of work, so is it not a pro's place of work on the course ??

 

[SteveF]

I can see the PGA wanting to ban it but I can't see it happening. Once they (the players who smoke) protest about civil liberties and it all goes to court it'll be another decade before anything remotely close to a decision is made

If that was feasible then we wouldn't have a smoking ban at all. There is plenty of precedent already in America, California particularly, where smoking is banned in all public places.

There are people currently in prison who stood up for what they thought was right and would not accept a smoking ban in their pubs; civil liberties have got nothing to do with it.

If the PGA want to ban smoking they could do it in a heartbeat.

 

[Iaing]

I'm a none smoker and have to say it doesn't worry me either way, but the only thing I will say is in the UK you are not aloud to smoke at your place of work, so is it not a pro's place of work on the course ??

I think the law states it's if the workplace is " wholly or substantially enclosed".

Which I'd say rules out a golf course.

 

[EZprophet]

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"?

 

[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"?

Disgraceful...I said at the time he will have unwillingly produced a new generation of children who will suffer from black turds for the rest of their lives.

 

[DaveM]

Funny how something that is legal, causes so much fuss!

 

[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.

 

[SteveF]

Disgraceful...I said at the time he will have unwillingly produced a new generation of children who will suffer from black turds for the rest of their lives.

Bugger - wish I'd said that instead...

 

[sawtooth]

18 holes, 18 ciggies, i'm the same - 20 B&H are my most important accessory on the course - extremely sad i know but true.

Tried the electronic ciggies recently - just don't cut it i'm afraid.

These rechargeable ones are pretty good www.cigair.co.uk, equivalent to £1 for a pack of twenty. Pricey start up cost but I used a discount code SLB101 to save a bit.

Not smoked a real ciggie for about a month now.