What's your worst experience as a guest?

[Deleted member 15344]

Really - what a surprise.

Excellent insightful input :thup:

 

[richy]

I have to agree with you. I've been victim of the fashion gestapo and even been told I couldn't wear my FJ myjoys as the colours were too "bizarre". Went back to the pro shop, asked for a full refund of my nearly three figure green fee and left. Won't be back. How can wearing golf shoes contradict a code? Apparently they don't like anything more exotic of white, brown or black.

Got told by two members in the locker room and then by another on the way to the car to get my clubs. Having already paid my green fee I went back and got a refund and left. Wasn't prepared to stay and play in a place where I was constantly going to be inspected and commented on.

Fortunately have been back several times since without a repeat but left a very sour taste. In hindsight I should have discussed it in greater detail with the pro or the secretary but just felt so unwelcome as a visitor I wanted no part of it nor for them to have my hard earned. It was a fair while back and times and fashion have changed

Someone's pants are on fire

 

[Foxholer]

Didnt say that at all

So if they were conforming to the 'relaxed' dress code, what was your issue?

roll your eyes all day long

The was about the taste - Loudmouth gear included!

...
i like dressing smart - i think it gives someone a sense of pride in themselves and i like that golf clubs have a sense of standards and a dress code.

I like the fact that golf itself has tradition and standards and people take pride in that .

But if a particular club has a 'relaxed' dress code and players are conforming to it, then it would certainly seem 'snobby/snooty' to criticise them for it! You may like dressing smart, but if others want to 'dress down' and the code allows it, then it really is 'snobby/snooty' to impose your 'likes' on others imo!

...
My thinking will always be the same - if you dont want to wear the standard of dress that some courses require then go and play on another course but if you wish to play at the courses that require a dress standard dont cry and bleat when someone pulls you up on your dress if someone has failed to wear the attire in the correct manner for that course.
...

That's quite different - and I agree btw - to complying with a 'relaxed' dress code, but being 'looked down at by some 'snobby/snooty' guy who likes to dress smartly and thinks everyone else should too - even when the club deliberately has a 'relaxed dress code'!

 

[Deleted member 15344]

So if they were conforming to the 'relaxed' dress code, what was your issue?


The was about the taste - Loudmouth gear included!



But if a particular club has a 'relaxed' dress code and players are conforming to it, then it would certainly seem 'snobby/snooty' to criticise them for it! You may like dressing smart, but if others want to 'dress down' and the code allows it, then it really is 'snobby/snooty' to impose your 'likes' on others imo!



That's quite different - and I agree btw - to complying with a 'relaxed' dress code, but being 'looked down at by some 'snobby/snooty' guy who likes to dress smartly and thinks everyone else should too - even when the club deliberately has a 'relaxed dress code'!

I think your posts just blur into nonsense and assumptions - i havent suggested anything you are saying in those posts - if you want to make stuff up to allow you the belief to look down on others then away you go - its starting to bore me now.

 

[Foxholer]

...if you want to make stuff up to allow you the belief to look down on others then away you go - its starting to bore me now.

You are the one that seems to be looking down on others!

But hey-ho, much easier to 'be bored' than admit error/failure!

Anyway, lack of compliance with Dress Code must surely not be the worst experience as a guest!

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I'm confused. You say the course in question has a "relaxed" dress code and people take advantage of that which implies you'd prefer them to be dressed in something that adheres to a stricter dress code. If the place has a relaxed dress code and no-one either deems it necessary to enforce anything different or polices it on the course then I can't see the issue and it certainly has no resemblance on their ability as a golfer. I've seen plenty of players dressed in proper attire that struggle to make contact and take divots and dig the course as you call it. I've also seen players in cargo pants and trainers play some good golf

 

[Deleted member 15344]

I'm confused. You say the course in question has a "relaxed" dress code and people take advantage of that which implies you'd prefer them to be dressed in something that adheres to a stricter dress code. If the place has a relaxed dress code and no-one either deems it necessary to enforce anything different or polices it on the course then I can't see the issue and it certainly has no resemblance on their ability as a golfer. I've seen plenty of players dressed in proper attire that struggle to make contact and take divots and dig the course as you call it. I've also seen players in cargo pants and trainers play some good golf

You being confused isnt really a new thing - believe two people have highlighted an inconsistency in your posts on this thead - in regards your apparent never going back to New Zealand Golf club yet going back loads of times ( they story that cheered everyone up )

As for the golf club in question - it has a relaxed set of rules - it allows shirts to be untucked , it allows cargo pants and its not monitored though so despite there being a dress code they allow people to go on to course with jeans and tracksuits and football tops and when being there i have witnessed them treat the golf course like a football pitch - digging up the fairways whilst trying happy gilmores , seen people take divots out of greens, hack the hell out of bunker whilst not even bothering to look for a rake - basically failing to show any sort of care towards the golf club and failing to show any sort of etiquette and its not a one off. if being snobby is not wanting those sort of people on a golf course then call me a snob .

 

[Crawfy]

Go raibh Maith agat. ( It means thank you to all those wondering)

 

[c1973]

That's a great story, a real heart warmer.

Yeah, I must admit it does put a smile on my face whenever I recall it. I used to wonder what happened to the old fella, now I tend to wonder if he had a good round. I really hope he had his PB that day. It's strange how some things stick in your mind.

I think it's one of the reasons why I'm tolerant of youngsters that haven't quite worked out the rules yet.


Another thing is, I played with that ball for ages before I lost it. If only that were the case with the ones I use now! :fore:

 

[Foxholer]

when being there i have witnessed them treat the golf course like a football pitch - digging up the fairways whilst trying happy gilmores , seen people take divots out of greens, hack the hell out of bunker whilst not even bothering to look for a rake - basically failing to show any sort of care towards the golf club and failing to show any sort of etiquette and its not a one off. if being snobby is not wanting those sort of people on a golf course then call me a snob .

Now that's a reason to to be 'unhappy with their conduct'!

But if they'd acted the same while wearing 'proper' golf gear would it have been ok?

Or would you have assumed they knew how to behave if they were wearing proper golf gear!

If the answer to either is 'Yes', the 'snob' could well be appropriate!

Boring I know, but hey-ho!

Btw. Dress 'snobbery' seems quite prevalent with ex-military folk - probably from years of getting shouted at about it. I've known a few who think it's ok to be a complete prat as long as your shoes shine and your trousers are pressed!

 

[DanFST]

As for the golf club in question - it has a relaxed set of rules - it allows shirts to be untucked , it allows cargo pants and its not monitored though so despite there being a dress code they allow people to go on to course with jeans and tracksuits and football tops and when being there I have witnessed them treat the golf course like a football pitch.

And thus lies the problem with some golfers. You are lumping people together because of their dress? Which breaks no rules, creating an us vs them mentality. If i'm playing my clubs 9 hole on a hot afternoon I will normally play it in football shorts and a vest. I can also do that at the local muni (par 60 jobbie)

I get a fair few comments from people with the same opinion/snobbery as you when I play as a visitor somewhere. Despite breaking no rules. I'm 23, I am covered in tattoo's, I have a big beard and I love a smoke around the course . People such as yourself make assumptions and treat you differently, I won't bore you with individual instances. But i've even been moved into a sub room of the clubhouse bar at one club.

However at my club i'm well liked (I hope!), one of the few people that actually helps the groundsmen when it's needed. And i've made some great friends, some of whom are over 3 times my age.

Rant over.

 

[Smiffy]

To quote the MD of the Centurian Golf Club in this months Todays' Golfer " We are more concerned with running a business than the length of someones socks. Telling people off for their dress shouldn't have a place when you are trying to create an inviting ambiance which encourages people to spend money".

I think that the MD of the Centurion Club is batting from a fairly safe wicket with that comment.
With all due respect, the price of joining and annual membership costs alone are going to deter the "great unwashed" so I hardly see flip flops/cargo pants/string vests being an issue.
Just pointing out the obvious

 

[Deleted member 15344]

And thus lies the problem with some golfers. You are lumping people together because of their dress? Which breaks no rules, creating an us vs them mentality. If i'm playing my clubs 9 hole on a hot afternoon I will normally play it in football shorts and a vest. I can also do that at the local muni (par 60 jobbie)

I get a fair few comments from people with the same opinion/snobbery as you when I play as a visitor somewhere. Despite breaking no rules. I'm 23, I am covered in tattoo's, I have a big beard and I love a smoke around the course . People such as yourself make assumptions and treat you differently, I won't bore you with individual instances. But i've even been moved into a sub room of the clubhouse bar at one club.

However at my club i'm well liked (I hope!), one of the few people that actually helps the groundsmen when it's needed. And i've made some great friends, some of whom are over 3 times my age.

Rant over.

I was judging the people i witnessed on their ability to treat the golf course as a football pitch and show zero appreciation and etiquette towards other golfers and the golf course themselves.

But as i said in the other posts - if people go to a golf course with a dress code and get pulled up when they dont meet the standards required by someone then they have no grounds to complain if it is done in a polite manner.

 

[Hacker Khan]

i like dressing smart - i think it gives someone a sense of pride in themselves and i like that golf clubs have a sense of standards and a dress code.

I like the fact that golf itself has tradition and standards and people take pride in that .

And no one will stop you dressing smart. You can still dress in what you perceive to be smart/traditional which is the golfers uniform. As will the vast majority of fellow golfers. Including me. I may untuck my shirt a bit and not have white socks with shorts, but that's about it. It's called personal freedom and being treated as an adult. Which is what should happen to everyone.

I have no intention to wear a football shirt or jeans, but I'd like to think if I did see someone in that kind of dress I would not care a jot. I'd much rather follow a 4 ball in untucked tee shirts with no collar or cargo type trousers who are considerate than a 2 ball dressed in traditional golfers uniform playing inconsiderately. And the days where you could judge how people play by how they dress are long gone and attitudes like that seem stuck in the 1970s. You can tell a whole lot more about someone by playing 9 holes with someone then what they are wearing.

I also agree that golf has some traditions that should be maintained, along side some archaic attitudes that need to be got rid of, to help the game modernise and adapt to current societal norms to help it attract people in today. I do actually agree that some of the sense of tradition is a plus point for golf. But confusing tradition with a refusal to modernise in any way, and dress codes, like it or not, is one of the main and easy ways to do this, is in my opinion is not helping the future of the game.

 

[Hacker Khan]

I think that the MD of the Centurion Club is batting from a fairly safe wicket with that comment.
With all due respect, the price of joining and annual membership costs alone are going to deter the "great unwashed" so I hardly see flip flops/cargo pants/string vests being an issue.
Just pointing out the obvious

Fair point. Although in my experience sometimes there is not a direct correlation between having shed loads of cash and dressing in a classy smart way. But acknowledge string vests is probably not their outfit of choice at those kind of establishments.

 

[drdel]

I happen to prefer to dress smart casual and it complies with Golf Club 'Rules' - I don't care how you want to dress that's up to you and if you happen to play golf so be it.

I simply can't be bothered to police the behaviour of others; a Club will have a 'character' of its own and will, over time, attract like minded people and others with different standards wont become members. If the odd visitor should turn up 'inappropriately' dressed so what - it won't spoil my enjoyment of my golf - I feel sorry for those who are so insecure they want everyone to comply with their view of the world.

Golf clubs and their members need to realise that a visitor is a potential member/customer!

 

[Deleted member 15344]

And no one will stop you dressing smart. You can still dress in what you perceive to be smart/traditional which is the golfers uniform. As will the vast majority of fellow golfers. Including me. I may untuck my shirt a bit and not have white socks with shorts, but that's about it. It's called personal freedom and being treated as an adult. Which is what should happen to everyone.

I have no intention to wear a football shirt or jeans, but I'd like to think if I did see someone in that kind of dress I would not care a jot. I'd much rather follow a 4 ball in untucked tee shirts with no collar or cargo type trousers who are considerate than a 2 ball dressed in traditional golfers uniform playing inconsiderately. And the days where you could judge how people play by how they dress are long gone and attitudes like that seem stuck in the 1970s. You can tell a whole lot more about someone by playing 9 holes with someone then what they are wearing.

I also agree that golf has some traditions that should be maintained, along side some archaic attitudes that need to be got rid of, to help the game modernise and adapt to current societal norms to help it attract people in today. I do actually agree that some of the sense of tradition is a plus point for golf. But confusing tradition with a refusal to modernise in any way, and dress codes, like it or not, is one of the main and easy ways to do this, is in my opinion is not helping the future of the game.

If the dress code of the course States that you must keep your shirt tucked in and wear the appropiate colour socks then you must abide by the club members desicion and respect that - regardless of what your opinion is or how you feel you should be treated

It's their golf club and its up to them to make their choices on dress

So if you are not abiding by the rules of the club then regardless of your opinion you will have no griunds to complain if someone tells you to tuck your shirt or wear the appropriate socks

 

[bluewolf]

I'm enjoying the fact that you 2 haven't realized that you're arguing 2 different points yet...

Carry on..

Ooh, and I've just realized that for the first time ever, I'm wearing golf attire to do something other than golf.. Except I'm wearing jeans obviously. I mean, who wears golf trousers socially?

 

[pendodave]

If the odd visitor should turn up 'inappropriately' dressed so what - it won't spoil my enjoyment of my golf - I feel sorry for those who are so insecure they want everyone to comply with their view of the world.

Golf clubs and their members need to realise that a visitor is a potential member/customer!

This x lots.

What people choose to wear is a function of age, class, culture and race. Golf's 'traditions' were started when it was a game for the white upper/middle classes. Its dress codes reflect this. I suspect that some clubs/members, either consciously of not, are using dress codes as a couture equivalent of sticking a 'no blacks or Irish' sign above the door.

 

[Hacker Khan]

I'm enjoying the fact that you 2 haven't realized that you're arguing 2 different points yet...

Carry on..

Ooh, and I've just realized that for the first time ever, I'm wearing golf attire to do something other than golf.. Except I'm wearing jeans obviously. I mean, who wears golf trousers socially?

Fair point well made. I'll shut up now, you never know, there is a very slight possibility that this subject may be discussed again in the future, so I'll wait on the off chance this happens.