Taking the game forward

[golfdub]

So I hear a lot of talk how the game is declining in popularity in youngsters taking up the game and now they have come up with Hack golf to find out why.

I'm shore someone will take offence to my point and if you do then I think you will just be proving me right. So I think with many others that the game is stuck in the old times when young men would ware a suit as every day clobber but times change and now the young men of today don't want to be suited and booted and doesn't listen to the rat pack but instead ware baseball caps and listen to eminen and if the older community who 99% of the time run clubs of today who don't like to listen to people like me or whoever speaks up.
I find its near on impossible to get any youngster into the game unless they have close family who pushes them into it like father and son because let's face it what youngster wants to go and spend their paper round money on more school trousers and some old man shirts ?

My answer to help the situation ? Let people use phones around the club as social networking is what communicating is about now, let people ware jogging bottoms and a QPR top if they want but then in the monthly medal have a required dress code, invite youngsters down for an open day every so often and let them ware what they want to ware but just explain what the traditions are but let them know they can ware what they want and then have a member take them around the course and let them just hack away with some cheap clubs owned by the club and just have a laugh as that's what this game is about, having Fun


Sorry if some of my spelling is appalling but I left school at 15 with sod all

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I agree with a lot of your points. It has to be more accessible and sometimes clubs make life hard from themselves.

 

[palindromicbob]

Clubs need to open up a gate in the barriers not tear them down completely.

 

[RobertB]

In cities and elsewhere with 'private' clubs the restrictions can be claustrophobic.. if you go off the beaten track you'll find small local courses where things are less restrictive.... people enjoy their golf and the world hasn't stopped.... there is a certain male mentality about rules & regulations and officious application..... that said... caddyshack'esque behaviour would / can-be be a PIA.

 

[1948griff]

Fair enough re using mobile phones (as long as its not taking a call), but jogging bottoms and a football top on the course? No thanks! You wouldn't play football, rugby or cricket in a pair of jeans!! (BTW I'm 31 so cant be accused of being an old fart!)

 

[standrew]

Jack Nicklaus was talking about this, he reckoned the game needs to be made easier for amateurs (mmmm), and they need to speed golf up, as kids dont do activities for half an hour, let alone 3 hours.

I think simulators will take off in the coming years, esp in countries with pish weather. I can get through a sim round in about 25 minutes. The whole clothes thing is interesting, as some golf shoes you get now are so chavvy, but you still cant wear a t shirt without a collar or smart jeans etc.

 

[London mike 61]

I know exactly what you mean, even to a golfer like myself who just plays for pleasure the dress codes can be restrictive. I work shifts and if I am on a early shift and finish early afternoon , I would like just to leave work as I am dressed ( usually in smart jeans and a polo top ) and go and have a round of golf before going home. To me it does not matter too much what I am dressed like as long as its smart casual , I still respect the people that I meet and still do my best to take care of the course . Because my dress code would be frowned upon and they would be reluctant to let me play, the course loses out on my custom and I lose the opportunity to play . Every one loses because the mentality of th game has failed to move forward.

 

[Deleted member 1147]

So I hear a lot of talk how the game is declining in popularity in youngsters taking up the game and now they have come up with Hack golf to find out why.

I'm shore someone will take offence to my point and if you do then I think you will just be proving me right. So I think with many others that the game is stuck in the old times when young men would ware a suit as every day clobber but times change and now the young men of today don't want to be suited and booted and doesn't listen to the rat pack but instead ware baseball caps and listen to eminen and if the older community who 99% of the time run clubs of today who don't like to listen to people like me or whoever speaks up.
I find its near on impossible to get any youngster into the game unless they have close family who pushes them into it like father and son because let's face it what youngster wants to go and spend their paper round money on more school trousers and some old man shirts ?

My answer to help the situation ? Let people use phones around the club as social networking is what communicating is about now, let people ware jogging bottoms and a QPR top if they want but then in the monthly medal have a required dress code, invite youngsters down for an open day every so often and let them ware what they want to ware but just explain what the traditions are but let them know they can ware what they want and then have a member take them around the course and let them just hack away with some cheap clubs owned by the club and just have a laugh as that's what this game is about, having Fun


Sorry if some of my spelling is appalling but I left school at 15 with sod all

Some interesting points.
I agree that most youngsters who play have a parent who plays, but I wasn't one of them.

As for letting people play in joggers & football shirts, I disagree, at most clubs I go to it is the juniors who look smartest, in the most fashionable golfing attire. After all, they aren't paying for it from their pocket money or paper round, the Bank of Mum & Dad has paid.

...and yes we should have more open days.

 

[Slab]

So I hear a lot of talk how the game is declining in popularity in youngsters taking up the game and now they have come up with Hack golf to find out why.

I'm shore someone will take offence to my point and if you do then I think you will just be proving me right....

So if we agree with you we prove you right and if we disagree with you we prove you right, mmmm not much room to offer differing opinions really

 

[cookelad]

I really don't get the dress code problems, I was 11/12 when I started playing and a few mates did too, and wearing a pair of trousers and a polo shirt was the equivalent of wearing your footie kit to go and have a kickabout.

But, I think clubhouses should be more relaxed, especially of an evening, why shouldn't anybody driving past be able to just pop in for a drink and a sandwich or a meal without having to worry that they're wearing jeans and trainers? (People with cash in their pocket should always be welcome!)

 

[Deleted member 1147]

I really don't get the dress code problems, I was 11/12 when I started playing and a few mates did too, and wearing a pair of trousers and a polo shirt was the equivalent of wearing your footie kit to go and have a kickabout.

But, I think clubhouses should be more relaxed, especially of an evening, why shouldn't anybody driving past be able to just pop in for a drink and a sandwich or a meal without having to worry that they're wearing jeans and trainers? (People with cash in their pocket should always be welcome!)

:thup:

 

[Duckster]

There has to be a way to get young people interested and some parts of certain clubs dress codes can be relaxed a little (ours still makes you wear socks with sandals and no ankle socks allowed.....) but joggy bottoms and a football top is, IMO, too extreme.

As for mobiles, I have no problem with people carrying them in case they require to be contacted, but do you see a football player stopping mid game to send off a tweet or post a picture on facebook? Fair game in the clubhouse, but not on the course. Some people may not be bothered about distractions but others may be put off by someone chatting loudly about if they are going out round town that night. There should be more of a meeting in the middle.

Like palindromicbob said

Clubs need to open up a gate in the barriers not tear them down completely.

 

[Birchy]

I really don't get the dress code problems, I was 11/12 when I started playing and a few mates did too, and wearing a pair of trousers and a polo shirt was the equivalent of wearing your footie kit to go and have a kickabout.

But, I think clubhouses should be more relaxed, especially of an evening, why shouldn't anybody driving past be able to just pop in for a drink and a sandwich or a meal without having to worry that they're wearing jeans and trainers? (People with cash in their pocket should always be welcome!)

This is the main thing for me. Fair enough a dress code for on the course but in the clubhouse should be anything within reason imo. I will never ever go in the club when im not golfing as I don't go out wearing pants and shoes all the time.

Children should also be catered for in the clubhouse and be allowed in until whatever time they want. Maybe a "tap room" for the blokes where they can have a game of snooker and a swear if they wish

 

[Duckster]

This is the main thing for me. Fair enough a dress code for on the course but in the clubhouse should be anything within reason imo. I will never ever go in the club when im not golfing as I don't go out wearing pants and shoes all the time.

Children should also be catered for in the clubhouse and be allowed in until whatever time they want. Maybe a "tap room" for the blokes where they can have a game of snooker and a swear if they wish

Ours relaxed the clubhouse rules last year to allow jeans (non ripped) etc... It now allows me to actually drop in for a swift one on my way home from work which I wouldn't have been able to do otherwise.

 

[bluewolf]

My club has also relaxed the Clubhouse dress code to allow jeans. I can walk off the course, have a shower and put on my more usual attire of jeans and shirt/polo shirt and pop to the bar for a coffee. I can also use the Clubhouse to watch the football with my boy at the weekend (especially now my Missus has cancelled the Sky package!!!)...

The more time my boy spends at the Club, the more likely he is to think that Golf isn't a boring old man's game, and is actually something worth doing.. It's a Win/Win for the club. They get more money over the bar, and a way to introduce possible future generations to the Sport...

 

[Wildrover]

Don't have a problem with smart jeans and phones in the clubhouse, my club already allows these. I think jogging bottoms and football tops is a bit far though, it's not Wetherspoons. I definitely wouldn't relax on course dress though, as someone else said you don't play football in jeans, you don't wear trousers and collared shirt for tennis, dress appropriately for the sport you're playing. I personally don't think on course dress puts many juniors off, most of ours all want to look like Rory or Rickie Fowler etc anyway.

 

[cleanstrike]

You might not play football in jeans when you're playing in a proper game but loads of kids play in jeans when they're kicking a ball around for fun. Perhaps the same general scenario should be adopted at golf clubs. If you're taking part in a formal competition, follow the established dress code, but if you're just having an informal game with friends then perhaps more informal attire applies.

The course I have been playing lately is a pay & play attached to a local hotel. I do like the fact that they couldn't really care less what their golfers wear so long as it's reasonably clean and tidy. I can play in jeans and a T-shirt if I feel like it and no-one bats an eyelid.

 

[London mike 61]

I really don't get the dress code problems, I was 11/12 when I started playing and a few mates did too, and wearing a pair of trousers and a polo shirt was the equivalent of wearing your footie kit to go and have a kickabout.

But, I think clubhouses should be more relaxed, especially of an evening, why shouldn't anybody driving past be able to just pop in for a drink and a sandwich or a meal without having to worry that they're wearing jeans and trainers? (People with cash in their pocket should always be welcome!)

:thup:

 

[Wildrover]

You might not play football in jeans when you're playing in a proper game but loads of kids play in jeans when they're kicking a ball around for fun. Perhaps the same general scenario should be adopted at golf clubs. If you're taking part in a formal competition, follow the established dress code, but if you're just having an informal game with friends then perhaps more informal attire applies.

The course I have been playing lately is a pay & play attached to a local hotel. I do like the fact that they couldn't really care less what their golfers wear so long as it's reasonably clean and tidy. I can play in jeans and a T-shirt if I feel like it and no-one bats an eyelid.

So if you're having a kickabout you can wear what you like fair enough, but if you're playing on a proper marked out pitch with nets and corner flags you wear football kit. To me the golf equivalent is if you're hitting a few balls on a local field or on a proper range, wear what you like, but if you're going on the course, wear the right kit.

What course is it, Elfordleigh? (Used to live down there, played at China Fleet).

 

[Hacker Khan]

You might not play football in jeans when you're playing in a proper game but loads of kids play in jeans when they're kicking a ball around for fun. Perhaps the same general scenario should be adopted at golf clubs. If you're taking part in a formal competition, follow the established dress code, but if you're just having an informal game with friends then perhaps more informal attire applies.

Really good point there, I am fed up with the comparison of attire between sports and the way people compare between clothes that are worn as it aids performance and clothes that are worn as there is a code saying what you can and can't wear.

As you very correctly point out you can play football in whatever you want, I used to play in jeans on the street for years, and if someone wanted to turn out on a Sunday morning to play football in jeans and a collarless tee shirt I am sure they could do. But you generally can't do that in golf as there is a mandated dress code based around something other than what you are best wearing to aid performance.

I can play golf in a tee shirt with no collar, flip flops and jeans and a lot of the time it would make chuff all difference to my ability to play the game. If I played football in the same attire in any sort of competitive game it would. And that is what a lot of people have an issue with.