Dress Codes: Good or Bad for the Game?

[Fourputt]

Originally Posted by iacas

No. Posts were moved here because they were off topic in the other thread.

Sorry... pretty hard to tell when it's been moved.

On topic:  I have a good friend who sometimes shows up for special events in his Montgomery clan tartan kilts.  I suppose he'd be denied service at most of those snobby clubs, yet his outfit is as traditionally Scottish as it gets.  He's a single digit golfer and long time Colorado Golf Association rules official.  He's played golf all over the world.  He certainly understands and adheres to dress codes wherever he plays.  With all of the that, his regular group at our home course wears jeans almost exclusively in the winter - wear jeans, cargos, slacks, polos, t-shirts, an eclectic mix in the summer, and yet they all manage to have a great time, play fast, take care of the course, and show respect for other players.

If you ignore that last phrase that I accented, then I don't care if you wear a tuxedo, you'll never play a second time with me.  If you do all of those things, then I don't care how you're dressed, you're okay in my book.  If you think that simply putting on slacks and polo somehow makes you special, then I don't want anything to do with you.

[Moxie Dawn]

"Costly thy habit as thy purse can buy,

But not expressed in fancy—rich, not gaudy,

For the apparel oft proclaims the man."

This discussion is good and probably keeps coming back up since it can apply to so many situations beyond a golf course. So...what did Polonius mean there? You should wear good clothes but not given to the whims of fashion. Good, neat clothes that fit well will make a good impression on anyone, but take care you aren't just trying to impress people with how cool they are or how expensive. But sports fashion changes. Look at tennis. In the 20s women played tennis in a proper hat and skirts down to their ankles. Now they wear stuff that looks more like swimwear (and I doubt most of you fellas complain about it). Men used to wear long pants and sweaters. All you could wear was white. And it all changed because first, it's easier to play tennis (or other sports) in clothes that aren't cumbersome, and also because why the heck does it have to be this way just because "it's always been this way"? I have no idea what I'll wear when I play golf with Zip. I'm too old and chunky for those cute little golf skirts, but not yet quite old enough for the matching capri outfit favored by the granny set. I can only hope that if it is "wrong" I won't get run off the course.

[Topper]

I voted yes but I wasn't even worried about your shorts and tank top scenario that you describe since I assume that they were wearing shorts around their waist and not around their knees.  I drive home each day and see......people....with their pants around their knees waddling down the sidewalk.  I guess it's cool but I have no interest in looking at underwear while I'm golfing.  So I support a "dress code" that requires everyone to wear pants or shorts that go around their waist.

Originally Posted by NM Golf

As I drove into the golf course today I saw some jackass with a tank top and basketball shorts on walking into the proshop and I thought to myself I wish we had some type of dress code.

[mdl]

IMO, desire for a dress code can pretty much only derive from prejudice or straight uptight lameness.  Get over it.  Where I play at least, the stoned guy with headphones on in cargo shorts, the drunk guy in jeans, and the uber straight laced guy who looks like he's going to a job interview after the round are all equally likely to keep pace, fix their ball marks, not make noise during my swing, and stay out of my putting line.  Those should be the only benchmarks of acceptable players.

In fact, among the players I've seen, it's the old guys who seem like they wouldn't put on an outfit that wouldn't pass muster at a course with a strict dress code on any morning even with a gun to their head who are more likely to never fix their divots and not keep pace.

[stoverny]

I don't know, I can see both sides of the argument but I still feel that there should be some sort of reasonable dress code.

Golf is supposed to be a last bastion of etiquette/sportsmanship.  Of course you can still be a good sportsman in cut-off denim jeans and a tank top, but I think it takes something away from the gentlemanly-ness (if that's a word) and tradition of the game.

I just don't think it's simply being uptight to want to preserve that tradition and atmosphere.

[Dave2512]

IMO it's good for everything. The courses I frequent that don't enforce the dress code are without fail in the worst condition, beat tee boxes and ball marks all over the greens. Slow play is usually a problem as well. I'm not a golf elitist but I do think courses enforcing the dress code would be to the benefit of all involved. The respect gained by those that abuse it may lead to respecting the grounds as well as others on it.

[WUTiger]

Played in a scramble this month at one of the old, classic courses in my area. I called ahead and asked about dress code. Turns out cargo shorts are on the bad list. (I had bought three pair of cargos before the season started). The old-line country clubs are fairly strict, so it's best to call ahead.

I played in a Senior Olympics tournament today at a public course, and probably one-third of us seniors work cargo shorts (including a couple of guys in their 70s). Go figure...

[Jefferey13]

One of the reasons I love golf is because it holda on to old values.  I'm only 26 by the way. I never ever wear jeans to my course and always wear a collared shirt even though my course has no dress code whatsoever. For me it's just about respect. Someone said the guy in cutoffs and a tank top is as likely to fix divots and keep pace- 1. I don't think that's true at all and 2. That's besides the point. A guy wearing cutoffs and a tank top is just as likely to be quiet a funeral, but it's still not respectful.

I love baseball because of the old time feel and respect for the game (still wish it had more like it used to). I watch clips from 50 years ago and see the crowd full of people in white shirts and ties. They really understood how special the game was and respected it. I also wish people still took time to care of themselves before stepping on an airplane. Society has let go and I think it has directly affected our values. Give golf the respect it deserves, fix your divots, be courteous, keep pace, and dress accordingly. It's not hard.

[jetsknicks1]

Originally Posted by Jefferey13

One of the reasons I love golf is because it holda on to old values.  I'm only 26 by the way. I never ever wear jeans to my course and always wear a collared shirt even though my course has no dress code whatsoever. For me it's just about respect. Someone said the guy in cutoffs and a tank top is as likely to fix divots and keep pace- 1. I don't think that's true at all and 2. That's besides the point. A guy wearing cutoffs and a tank top is just as likely to be quiet a funeral, but it's still not respectful.

I love baseball because of the old time feel and respect for the game (still wish it had more like it used to). I watch clips from 50 years ago and see the crowd full of people in white shirts and ties. They really understood how special the game was and respected it. I also wish people still took time to care of themselves before stepping on an airplane. Society has let go and I think it has directly affected our values. Give golf the respect it deserves, fix your divots, be courteous, keep pace, and dress accordingly. It's not hard.

Very well said.

[newtogolf]

Well said.  I remember when riding on a plane was a big deal (I'm 46) and my parents would make my brother and I get dressed up for just for the plane ride.  These days I see people walking up for early flights obviously right out of bed, no shower, hair barely combed or brushed, still wearing their pajamas.  Casual Fridays at work used to mean that you didn't wear a tie to work that day, then it transformed to jeans, then shorts and now every day business attire looks worse than casual Fridays of the early days.

People seem to have lost the concept that how you dress is how you're perceived by strangers and those around you.  When you dress nicely it's not to impress others it's to show respect for yourself and those around you.  Don't get me wrong, I love to throw on a pair of basketball shorts and a t-shirt when it's appropriate to do so and I don't wear a suit to work, but it just seems we've gone too far down the casual dress road that now any facility or occasion that requires we dress appropriately (like golf) is now consider snobbish or inconvenient.  Thanks for making me sound like my father.

Originally Posted by Jefferey13

One of the reasons I love golf is because it holda on to old values.  I'm only 26 by the way. I never ever wear jeans to my course and always wear a collared shirt even though my course has no dress code whatsoever. For me it's just about respect. Someone said the guy in cutoffs and a tank top is as likely to fix divots and keep pace- 1. I don't think that's true at all and 2. That's besides the point. A guy wearing cutoffs and a tank top is just as likely to be quiet a funeral, but it's still not respectful.

I love baseball because of the old time feel and respect for the game (still wish it had more like it used to). I watch clips from 50 years ago and see the crowd full of people in white shirts and ties. They really understood how special the game was and respected it. I also wish people still took time to care of themselves before stepping on an airplane. Society has let go and I think it has directly affected our values. Give golf the respect it deserves, fix your divots, be courteous, keep pace, and dress accordingly. It's not hard.

[zeg]

Originally Posted by Jefferey13

For me it's just about respect. Someone said the guy in cutoffs and a tank top is as likely to fix divots and keep pace- 1. I don't think that's true at all and 2. That's besides the point. A guy wearing cutoffs and a tank top is just as likely to be quiet a funeral, but it's still not respectful.

Ah yes, because your values and opinions are the "correct" ones. Anyone who doesn't play to your idea of appropriate is being disrespectful.

Tastes and styles change. It's not any more respectful to stick to old traditions than to adopt new ones. I bet you'd have the audacity to show up at a court hearing without your powdered wig, you hooligan!

[pculotta4]

I voted yes, but as mentioned, there are differing opinions as to what is "acceptable."

I usually wear a Polo tucked into cargo shorts with a belt.  The course I play at is a municipal.

However, it was mentioned earlier in the thread that "anyone who can afford to play the game of golf should be able to afford nice clothes to wear."  I disagree on this point.  I am literally pinching pennies on every front to make it to the course once a week, and it would be tough for me to drop $50 for a couple pairs of khaki shorts because my cargo's are "irreverant."

[Topper]

Originally Posted by zeg

Ah yes, because your values and opinions are the "correct" ones. Anyone who doesn't play to your idea of appropriate is being disrespectful.

Tastes and styles change. It's not any more respectful to stick to old traditions than to adopt new ones. I bet you'd have the audacity to show up at a court hearing without your powdered wig, you hooligan!

You're right damn-it.  I'll withdraw my suggestion that everyone where pants around their waist.  Just wear clean underwear.

[teamroper60]

Originally Posted by Jefferey13

One of the reasons I love golf is because it holda on to old values.  I'm only 26 by the way. I never ever wear jeans to my course and always wear a collared shirt even though my course has no dress code whatsoever. For me it's just about respect. Someone said the guy in cutoffs and a tank top is as likely to fix divots and keep pace- 1. I don't think that's true at all and 2. That's besides the point. A guy wearing cutoffs and a tank top is just as likely to be quiet a funeral, but it's still not respectful.

I love baseball because of the old time feel and respect for the game (still wish it had more like it used to). I watch clips from 50 years ago and see the crowd full of people in white shirts and ties. They really understood how special the game was and respected it. I also wish people still took time to care of themselves before stepping on an airplane. Society has let go and I think it has directly affected our values. Give golf the respect it deserves, fix your divots, be courteous, keep pace, and dress accordingly. It's not hard.

If a private course has a dress code, that code should be adhered to.    Just as we have the right to set the rules for our homes, they have the right to set the rules for their course.   IMHO, municipal courses don't have that same right.   They are primarily funded with public tax dollars and should be open to anyone whose attire is not violating a law.

That said, when I read this post, it reminded me of the old adage, "Never judge a book by its cover."   The same applies to respect.   Respect is something that should be earned and given based on a person's actions, not on whether their taste in clothing matches yours.

[stoverny]

Originally Posted by teamroper60

If a private course has a dress code, that code should be adhered to.    Just as we have the right to set the rules for our homes, they have the right to set the rules for their course.   IMHO, municipal courses don't have that same right.   They are primarily funded with public tax dollars and should be open to anyone whose attire is not violating a law.

That said, when I read this post, it reminded me of the old adage, "Never judge a book by its cover."   The same applies to respect.   Respect is something that should be earned and given based on a person's actions, not on whether their taste in clothing matches yours.

I think one of the ways you earn respect from your fellow golfers is to show respect for the traditions and customs of the game itself.  The way you choose to dress IS an action.

And I don't think just because it is a public course, that means they have no right to enforce any codes of conduct or attire. It's not anything goes.

If a course chooses to not have any dress code, that is also their right of course... many courses make the decision based on what they feel is best for their business.  Many of their customers prefer a dress code, and so they choose to lose the business of the minority who want to wear jeans and t-shirts, rather than lose the majority of their customers who want a nicer atmosphere when they pay money to spend a day on the golf course.

[newtogolf]

Court houses are funded by public tax dollars as well but they enforce a dress code on those that serve on a jury or appear before the judge.  Someone might be dressed offensively but not breaking the law, the purpose of dress codes is to provide guidance to those that might not know any better.

Originally Posted by teamroper60

If a private course has a dress code, that code should be adhered to.    Just as we have the right to set the rules for our homes, they have the right to set the rules for their course.   IMHO, municipal courses don't have that same right.   They are primarily funded with public tax dollars and should be open to anyone whose attire is not violating a law.

[The Tin Man]

How do we know the Judge isn't wearing basketball shorts under that robe?

[Motley01]

Originally Posted by The Tin Man

How do we know the Judge isn't wearing basketball shorts under that robe?

I don't want to know or see anything under that robe for Judge Judy...ooooh.

But Marilyn Milan, now that I would see.