Dress Codes: Good or Bad for the Game?

[Fat Slice]

One of the problems with this discussion is that everyone here at TST is pretty serious about golf. There are good golfers, bad golfers, jeans wearers, and guys in triple-mercerized Marbas polos. All of us, however, are serious about golf to some degree (or we wouldn't be posting on a golf forum).

The people who favor the dress codes have plenty of empirical/anecdotal evidence that golfers in jeans, tank tops, cutoffs, hip-hop saggin' bball shorts, etc., don't display the best course etiquette (pace, green/divot repair, decorum).

However...those people are not on TST - I guarantee it. They don't take golf seriously and just go there to have something to do (usually drink and kill time with their buddies).

Are there people who dress up in 'proper' golf attire who are just as obnoxious on the course. Certainly, but you will find a fewer percentage of them. Why? Because dressing in proper golf attire is a sign of taking the game seriously.

It's not a guarantee, and of course there are people (like fourputt, for example) who wear jeans are are very conscious about course maintenance and etiquette. There are no absolutes, just tendencies.

I don't think that a dress code will force a jerk to change his ways just because he is wearing a polo shirt, but it might keep that jerk off that particular golf course.

[enduro]

This is another of those pseudo-arguments that keeps showing back up here. The example was not presented as a logical dichotomy. The point is simply (to try) to point out that dress is less important than other aspects of golf traditions. Of course someone can both dress per your tastes and play with etiquette.

This and the fact that traditional golf attire is a Western thing. And golf isn't restricted to people enamored with Western culture, so it is unreasonable to expect people of other cultures to adopt the Western preference for purely aesthetic purposes.

Although, the counter to this could be that since jeans and t-shirts are Western so therefore if one chooses to adopt a Western clothing line there are certain requirements as to what kind of clothing they may adopt. All in all I'd agree with you that clothing is of little to no importance when the game of golf is being played.

[sacm3bill]

But there is nothing about properly fitted jeans that is less comfortable than any other type of slacks. Those who don't agree either don't wear the right size or style, or it's all in your head.

I don't agree, and with all due respect I don't think I fall into any of your criteria. For me, jeans are simply more scratchy and hot than khakis, for example.

I just wanted to reiterate that there are some of us who are encouraging folks to wear something other than jeans and t-shirts because there are more comfortable options. I never would have imagined a polyester, collared shirt to be more comfortable than a t-shirt, until I tried my first Nike Dri-Fit polo. It's amazing what they're doing with fabric nowadays (and you don't have to spend the ridiculous amount I did on my Nike shirts to get the benefit.) - Bill

[shades9323]

I don't agree, and with all due respect I don't think I fall into any of your criteria. For me, jeans are simply more scratchy and hot than khakis, for example.

Maybe more comfortable to YOU...

None of my jeans are "scratchy" I have a Nike drifit that is no less and no more comfy than my t-shirts.

[Chas]

It's a false dichotomy as stated, but never mind.

One other thing. If a public course is going to have an unusual restriction like the one I referred to earlier, they need to make it abundantly clear to golfers - long before they get to the starter. Better to avoid unpleasant scenes. I also made this point at the time which may have helped me to get through the censor. It's a relatively pricey public course mind you (but under $100), so now I wouldn't be as surprised.

Noone is forcing anyone to play at a course with a dress code they consider to be unreasonable. Golfers just need to know ahead of time.

[sacm3bill]

Maybe more comfortable to YOU...

That's exactly my point, which I obviously did not make clearly enough. It is subjective, yet fourputt was saying either A) I wasn't buying the right jeans or B) It was all in my head. That's what I was responding to.

[Gioguy21]

I chose good for the game for the same reasons others have chosen above. I feel like it makes people take it more seriously and get 'in' the game as well...probably enjoy it more too (don't ask me how, just my opinion)

[JCoop]

I rebel against some of the dress codes, but I also agree with the majority of the requirements and the reasons for those requirements.

All sports have requirements. A dress code happens to be one of golf's requirements. If you don't like those requirements, you can always play some other sport, such as basketball. And in fact, I suggest that you will find that the basketball court on some city street corner has a much , much more restricted dress code than golf does. Wearing the wrong colors on a golf course can garner you derision. Do the same on a city basketball court and you could experience an untimely demise.

And besides, it all really boils down to the customs and traditions of the sport. Take, for example, the current thread titled "Hey Old Guys", which attempts to discriminate against an age group. Not really politically correct, I'd say. But the intent of that thread is indicative of our society. Pretend to be Politically Correct but slander whoever you can and get away with it.

Proper attire breeds proper conduct. As a tried and true rebel with and without a cause, I say keep proper attire. In fact, I will endeavor to enhance my golfiing wardrobe henceforth. I respect tradition.

[tristanhilton85]

I just think it looks better when people where golf clothes to go golfing...  I wouldn't wear a polo and pants to play basketball and I'd like it if people didn't wear gym shorts and a tank top to play golf.  For the most part, I know that when somebody shows up to play golf in golf clothes that they at least have some idea of what they are doing, usually when they show up in gym clothes or jeans it's a different story; however there are always exceptions... sometimes the guy looks like he's arriving to a tour event and has no course etiquette while the guy looking like he just finished playing basketball is repairing all of their ball marks and is keeping up pace.

I mostly just like it because it looks better to me.

[Inebriated]

It's good and bad.

It definitely keeps the game mature and it keeps up with the "classy" image. It shows a form of control, which I think carries over to the player controlling themselves in a sportsmanlike manner. Also, you can't charge $90 for 18 if everyone is shirtless. It's also a game played by many businessmen, and that would be a lot of lost revenue if courses started allowing gym shorts down to the knees and football jerseys. No one wants to bring a client from Japan to, essentially, a high school gym class.

On the other hand, I think it gives off a vibe to others that golf is pretentious, or cocky. I've heard several friends say it, and while I don't care, I can see that it hurts the game a little. It's also a big turn-off to newer players. I think seeing a sign that says "tucked collared shirts and khaki's only" can drive away the less confident player, or the one who doesn't want to buy a new wardrobe along with his clubs.

I personally do not wear collared shirts outside of golf, and much prefer a T-shirt, but I don't mind getting a little more presentable for a round of 18. Overall, I do not mind the dress codes and I do think they do more good than harm.

[jetsknicks1]

The dress code is one of the things I love about golf. I like going through the closet and picking out the clothes I'll wear that day.

[MiniBlueDragon]

I think generally dressing appropriately is good for the game. There are certain courses however who take the attire to extremes, e.g. "all players must wear a pillar is red upper garment. If the player does not have on, one can be rented from the pro shop" as an example. There needs to be a balance whereby everyone playing is comfortable and non-offensive. The example above is as ridiculous as seeing a player walking around in a pair of speedos or a pair of ripped, paint-splattered work jeans and a string vest. ;)

[Drew Chung]

i vote yes and no!

not everyone's gonna be satisfied. i find two things funny about clothing on the golf course.

1) people who are decked out in golf gear...you look at them and they look like they can play well and really well, then on the 1st tee they duck hook it or slice or duff it about 50 yrds on the ground. can't play worth a dime but they look good doing it?

2) i have a friend who wears basketball shoes, shorts and a armor shirt that keeps you cool under the sun and he's a 1 handicapper. can play with the best of them out there. doesn't look like a golfer but is a golfer thru and thru.

so yea, you shouldn't look like trash out there but at the same time, overkill + no game = tone it down and play the game for what it's worth. we're usually all playing in public courses...dress comfortably and have fun with the game, not what you're wearing

[tx_basser]

I can see it either way...  I grew up playing and learning golf in the blue jeans & t-shirt crowd, so that is what I am comfortable with.  I feel more at home at the local muni's, than I do at the upper tier courses that have strict dress codes.  As long as they post their dress code on their website, I can live with either and don't think it has much impact on the game itself.

[HAVOC]

Originally Posted by bruce

Its good for the game,i saw a guy playing in a wife beater shirt once.Its not hard to put on a collared shirt e.t.c

thats if you own one

play in jeans in az no way youll melt

shorts and collard shirts only

[WUTiger]

Just thought I would find out if the rules against cargo pants and shorts are going away.

When I was in the Marines, I always thought the field camouflage trousers with the multiple pouches were very handy for outdoor activities.

When the civilian-version cargo pants arrived on the scene, I was down in Texas. The CPs were most popular among the Rasta-grunge crowd, mostly guys sporting dreadlocks and wearing flannel shirts over their camouflage or civilian CPs. The pants were usually pretty beat up, or stone washed, and CPs got associated with radical politics and motivation problems.

I suspect this became a reason/excuse for banning cargo pants and shorts at country clubs, and some golf courses.

Anyway, what's the latest? Any rules in St. Louis area tend to target torn clothes and sometimes collarless tee shirts rather than cargo attire. I sometimes wear cargo shorts, and have never been accosted any starters.

How's it going elsewhere in golfdom? Are the cargo bans staying the same, increasing, decreasing? Let us know.

[Laws of Woo]

None of the public courses around me ban cargo shorts/pants. I can't speak for all the private courses as I've only played 2. In fact, even on my travels, I don't think I've played a course that prohibits them, just jeans, sleeveless shirts for men, and cut off pants. And one course that prohibits spikes of any kind, only sneakers or golf shoes like those eccos or Trues are OK.

[meenman]

Originally Posted by BWChuck

Fair enough, but I will add that a guy with 1200 dollar clubs and the attire to match that can't get the ball off the ground, will be judged much more than the guy in jeans that can play good golf.

wrong again - the guy in jeans can play his $10/round course in a cow pasture all day long - he doesnt belong with the normal public