Sock gate (again)

[Foxholer]

This is a wind up right?

Wearing socks that aren't white is not far different from the likes of kicking your ball out of the rough, telling your marker a lower score etc.???

Perhaps we just need a new RoG to clarify things? "A player incurs the general penalty for failing to comply with stupid club guidelines on sock length, colour, material etc."

You seem to have (deliberately?) mis-read my post! Go back ant read it again!

 

[PJ87]

What a to do eh, but where to start;

It’s not so much what the dress code is that really matters, it’s how any breach is handled. Surely there’s no need for causing embarrassment to a paying guest, but… we don’t really know how it was handled because when I saw the guy works in the media (and maybe smelt an opportunity) I looked at his tweet:

His 1st tweet has him saying; “we’re new players supporting our local club” (this doubtless garnered some empathy from readers) but in his reply tweet to the club he says “haven't encountered the 'sock code' in 25 years playing the game”. (where readers might expect more from him)
Well which is it Andy, are you a new player or have you been playing 25 years?
(I’m sure he’d say he meant ‘new to the area’ or some other spin but his credibility re how this situation was handled has to be taken with a pinch of salt)

So we just don’t know, was he “summoned to the pro shop to be embarrassed” as he says, or was he politely informed ‘where white socks were available’ Who knows because he’s already identified to be a person that twists his statements

The club don’t come out well either because they have chosen to have some pretty lofty dress standards (4 page word doc, 5 page pdf) for a facility that charges £25 a round at weekends, and can a visitor really be blamed for not going to the nth degree in researching the dress code knowing they’re visiting an entry level establishment. (Sure fine dining might have a J&T rule that people would do well to check in advance but dinners wont expect it when having pub grub!)

The dress code doesn’t even appear as regular text on their webpage but a separate pdf or word doc that needs to be downloaded first (ironically as per the club dress code, if the offending striped socks had been ‘hose’ style (knee length) they’d be fine to wear with his shorts, regardless of the stripes) it’s only when they become shorter in length that the club mandate they must be white!
Also (as is often the case) this club have decided that as per their Ladies dress code a women dressed in shorts is not required to only wear white socks and is free to wear any “sports socks” of any colour

Both parties are wrong in my opinion & both need to take a look at themselves in future

Should have claimed he identifies as gender neutral so this situation is against his/her human rights

Club would have to risk a discrimination case on their hands for the sake of some socks

Saw a few people yest with baseball caps on back to front to protect their necks in sun.. clearly would fail the code but then the Member with towel on back of neck whilst hat on normally whilst looking more of a tit would be fine

 

[KenL]

You seem to have (deliberately?) mis-read my post! Go back ant read it again!

Not sure I have!

 

[Minty]

There doesn't have to be any sense in it. It's just the way it is.

A man in a suit and a bowler hat can put a safety pin through their nose and they're instantly a punk. It's symbolic tribalism.

Why white socks on? It's just the way it is, because somewhere lost in history the tribe's alpha decided it's the way it was going to be and if you didn't like it you're kicked out.

Tribalism is natural. We're natural beings. If you don't like it, find another tribe. There's no other reason. No reason to even find a reason. It's just the way it was, is and always will be.

This is silly logic. Trying to brush things off as, ‘just the way it is’ is never a good enough reason to resist change. It’s no reason at all.

If enough golfers wanted the remove to the dress code for socks, the clubs would be forced to change.

With regards to tribalism, no one should be forced to ‘find another tribe’ over arbitrary rules about sock colour, which are nothing but a waste of time and energy.

 

[robinthehood]

Doesn't matter! Though white is a reasonable 'standard', whereas 'free rein' can allow hideous gaudiness - not that I give 2 hoots anyway!

But complaining about being 'pulled' for not complying with clearly displayed standards is not far different from deliberately breaking Rules of Golf imo. You either play 'according to the rules' or you 'are not playing to the rules'!

Can allow hideous gaudiness...have you been on a course lately . You can dress like a clown and stay well within the dress guidelines but woe betide the man who pairs his clown outfit with non white socks 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

 

[PJ87]

This is silly logic. Trying to brush things off as, ‘just the way it is’ is never a good enough reason to resist change. It’s no reason at all.

If enough golfers wanted the remove to the dress code for socks, the clubs would be forced to change.

With regards to tribalism, no one should be forced to ‘find another tribe’ over arbitrary rules about sock colour, which are nothing but a waste of time and energy.

Weren’t clubs in similar situations when tiger used to rock his collarless shirt on tour and people would see it, buy it then be refused to play at some places

Took ages for trainer style shoes to become accepted Aswell

 

[Minty]

Weren’t clubs in similar situations when tiger used to rock his collarless shirt on tour and people would see it, buy it then be refused to play at some places

Took ages for trainer style shoes to become accepted Aswell

Personally I couldn’t tell you as I’m new to the sport. One of the reasons I’m new to the sport as I had the wrong impression of golf for years, due to things such as silly dress codes.

 

[robinthehood]

Weren’t clubs in similar situations when tiger used to rock his collarless shirt on tour and people would see it, buy it then be refused to play at some places

Took ages for trainer style shoes to become accepted Aswell

Still plenty about whod love to ban trainer style shoes.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Personally I think black socks with shorts is wrong but this attitude from clubs is a bit ott. However, what I find really strange about this story, the guy in the picture changing his socks clearly has his shirt untucked. And the tucked in shirt is a rule at just about every course

Interestingly an untucked shirt is not against the rules at my place. I heard the manager being quizzed over this and his reply was that 90% of the female members don't tuck in so he wasn't going to enforce it for the men. "We are a club that promotes equality" he stated with a big grin 😁.

 

[Deleted Member 1156]

I've been with you on most of this debate right up til your last line there, white socks and black shoes must be the worlds biggest fashion faux pas, so bad I'd call the fashion police on anyone doing so.

My take on the debate, if it's a club rule, it's a club rule but white socks and black shoes, oh my word.

I agree, just as bad as black socks with white shoes.

 

[Orikoru]

Personally I think black socks with shorts is wrong but this attitude from clubs is a bit ott. However, what I find really strange about this story, the guy in the picture changing his socks clearly has his shirt untucked. And the tucked in shirt is a rule at just about every course

It really isn't. I must have played a good 30 courses in and around where I live and never once been asked to tuck my shirt in. Which is just as well as I probably would have laughed in their face and been asked to leave.

 

[Deleted Member 1156]

Personally I don't really give two hoots either way about sock dress codes. But you can love a sport but still think some aspects could be improved or changed for the better.
Is there nothing whatsoever about any aspect of golf that you think couldn't be improved on?

Yes, pace of play. Shall we start a thread about that?

 

[IanM]

Converse view, for illustrative purposes, golf is a business. If you want to exclude potential customers, that's bad business....but if you offend your core customer base, that's equally bad,

Sunningdale for example, will enforce its dress code, charge high prices, and we are all queuing up to play there! I expect to take a jacket when I go there. (so why did you leave it back at the hotel you numpty? )

Caerleon (Pay and play) near Newport, has a very liberal dress code and doesn't charge much at all. That's busy most of the time, but not many Sunningdale Members will have heard of it!

They are in very different markets, but both golf.....

Lesson: Be appropriate for your customer base. There's a place for both. Golf is more diverse than TV Progs and Newspapers like to pretend.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Golf is more diverse than TV Progs and Newspapers like to pretend.

Not all football fans are beer swilling thugs, not all tennis fans at Wimbledon are middle class women, not all darts fans drink 15 pints a night (actually I may be wrong there ). The point is the media love a stereotype and will hone in on it. That is why they love a male only golf club story, a woman can't play on a Saturday at 10am story, a dress code story etc. Giving the media more ammunition for those stories doesn't help.

Sad to say, the working class golf clubs, the pay and play council golf clubs etc will never get a mention, they don't fit the stereotype.

(I should add, I agree with your post)

 

[Deleted member 21258]

Personally I couldn’t tell you as I’m new to the sport. One of the reasons I’m new to the sport as I had the wrong impression of golf for years, due to things such as silly dress codes.

Agree completely.

Like you, that is what I thought and never realised that they are clubs out there, that don't give a hoot. (however back in the mid 90s, a lot more clubs fitted the stereotype golf portrayed, thankfully a massive increase in new courses being built, is still solving it, along with moving with the times )

Just didn't move in the circles to know any different, as golf was very elitist and silly rule based, as far as I knew and I think that is what the people 'within' golf just don't see...

 

[sunshine]

It really isn't. I must have played a good 30 courses in and around where I live and never once been asked to tuck my shirt in. Which is just as well as I probably would have laughed in their face and been asked to leave.

You've probably mainly just played the public courses, where nobody cares. It's the private clubs where some members (generally a minority) like to feel superior and therefore enforce their silly rules.

 

[sunshine]

Doesn't matter! Though white is a reasonable 'standard', whereas 'free rein' can allow hideous gaudiness - not that I give 2 hoots anyway!

But complaining about being 'pulled' for not complying with clearly displayed standards is not far different from deliberately breaking Rules of Golf imo. You either play 'according to the rules' or you 'are not playing to the rules'!

Just for clarity: are you saying that wearing the wrong colour socks amounts to the same as cheating (deliberately breaking the rules of golf)?

 

[howbow88]

I find the US the most interesting when it comes to this stuff. They generally charge much, much more than we do over here for green fees but especially membership. So much so, that in some ways it is more 'exclusive' than the UK. Local 'munis' aren't particularly common over there any more.

At the same time, barring one or two very high profile clubs, the US doesn't have the same kind of silly rules that we have over here regarding dress code. You could wear a sombrero and flip flops whilst playing on the fairways of some incredible courses out there, and no one would give a ***.

So financially they are very exclusive, but socially not so much.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

I've been with you on most of this debate right up til your last line there, white socks and black shoes must be the worlds biggest fashion faux pas, so bad I'd call the fashion police on anyone doing so.

My take on the debate, if it's a club rule, it's a club rule but white socks and black shoes, oh my word.

I don’t have and never will a pair of black golf shoes and if i did I certainly wouldn’t wear them with shorts - just such an awful look 😖

White or grey shoes with white ankle socks all day long 😆

 

[PJ87]

I find the US the most interesting when it comes to this stuff. They generally charge much, much more than we do over here for green fees but especially membership. So much so, that in some ways it is more 'exclusive' than the UK. Local 'munis' aren't particularly common over there any more.

At the same time, barring one or two very high profile clubs, the US doesn't have the same kind of silly rules that we have over here regarding dress code. You could wear a sombrero and flip flops whilst playing on the fairways of some incredible courses out there, and no one would give a ***.

So financially they are very exclusive, but socially not so much.

My good friend and I played golf yesterday

He has just started some new meds and has piled on the pounds because of it.. none of his clothes fit. He had some that would be ok but he was so scared they weren’t golf clothes that he called me night before To borrow some of mine. Looked baggy on him because he is still a size smaller than me.. if anything he looked worse

But fitted the dress code