Dress Codes: Good or Bad for the Game?

[Piz]

On the plus side:  Gentlemen no longer have to wear ties and are allowed to remove their jackets.

[onkey]

I don't mind wearing clothes that meet the standard dress codes as they also tend to be the best performing/most comfortable clothes for golf.

Funny thing I noticed while golfing in many different places over the globe.  Most golf courses in first world countries tend to have similar dress codes for golf.  England may have been the place where I saw it most stringently enforced.  However, just across the northern border, Scotland was by far the most lax. 

From what I saw in Scotland, golf is far less formal and far more like a visit to the local park. I saw that a large percentage of villages had their local course where there is no formal clubhouse.  You simply put some money in a box on the first hole and get going.  You see families grabbing some clubs, walking up to the golf course, throwing a few pounds in the honor box and starting out according to whoever got there first.  What they wore was irrelevant and there was no showmanship to it.  It was just a standard family outing that often included taking a dog for a walk.

The birthplace of golf doesn't let silly things interfere with their pastime.

 

[Ccred1992]

In warm weather i always wear nice shorts and collared shirts.  When its cold i typically wear jeans and collared shirt with a light weight wind jacket.  Just added a few pair of pants to the rotation in cold weather but really don't understand peoples problem with jeans.  Most people in south Texas wear jeans even in the nicest of places.

[Double Mocha Man]

15 minutes ago, Ccred1992 said:

In warm weather i always wear nice shorts and collared shirts.  When its cold i typically wear jeans and collared shirt with a light weight wind jacket.  Just added a few pair of pants to the rotation in cold weather but really don't understand peoples problem with jeans.  Most people in south Texas wear jeans even in the nicest of places.

Jeans are for rustling cattle. Just kidding.  The problem with jeans on the golf course is they get hot and clingy when the temperature ramps up.  I wear jeans with a dress shirt or with a jacket over a golf shirt.  I will sometimes wear jeans when I go to the golf range at the course but I never wear jeans on the course.  I think most golf committees feel jeans are a bit of a disheveled look.

[StuM]

I've not read the 70+ pages of prior posts so I apologize if this is redundant in any way.

My personal preference is that a reasonable dress code is good.  It does not need to be all decked out but my fear is as things get relaxed it may eventually go too far and I really do not feel I want to see ripped jeans, etc.  on the course and thus prefer to have some limits placed.  Golf has traditionally been a game of honor and I just feel that getting too casual is wrong.

I do not think a reasonable dress code will deter people form playing.  The difficulty is how to define "Reasonable".  

 

[Darkfrog]

I voted bad for the game, but I'm more neutral with a lean toward bad. My opinion is bifurcated between recreational (don't like it) and professional (prefer it) golf though.

Personally, I want to play in comfortable clothing. For me this happens to be golf specific pants, made from modern, fast-drying, stretchy fabric, with enough pocket real estate for my stuff. I don't wear shorts because there is too much poison oak in the environmental areas around the courses I play, and I'm extremely allergic (not deadly, just severe discomfort for weeks). I couldn't stand playing in jeans. I tuck in my shirt because I prefer the way that feels, and wear a belt to keep it in place. Usually I'll wear a T-shirt, unless the course happens to require a collared shirt. I don't care enough about dress codes to protest, so I have some golf polos for these occasions. I wear a vest when it's cold because I don't like the unrestricted feeling.

I haven't delved through all the historical posts in this thread, but in my experience, dress codes (not just golf) are associated with presenting an image, that maybe gets associated with the character/behavior of the human in the clothing. I've played with assholes who look like pros, and wonderful people in cutoff jeans and flip flops, so personally, I don't care. I'm not big on tradition in sports. I really don't care about ceremonial first pitches, calling fans patrons, national anthems, old guys teeing off to start The Masters, handshake lines after competition, etc. So because of that, I don't think tradition should have any bearing on what we should wear when we play. If tradition really mattered, why not hold those standards to all elements of the game. Why should equipment evolve and modernize, but not dress? But that's just my opinion, and like I said, I don't care enough to protest, or avoid courses that have dress codes.

For professional golf, as a TV consumer, I like the look of the product with the dress code, so I am okay with it there. I guess it's a bit hypocritical, and maybe I've been conditioned to a certain pro golf look, but to me, watching golf on TV is a better experience when the players look like I expect pros to look.

[BeCu]

I voted good for the game, but I would rather say good for the game with caveats..... The climate or type golf course drives my evolving attitude on this subject. IF its a high traffic municipal course than I really don't have a problem with cutoff jeans and t-shirts. What I have a problem with is speed cart golfers that attempt to merge Nascar and golf together. NO problem with Nascar -- keep it on the tv or road, play golf with a little class. Now on to the topic at hand. IF its a country club or private club, well it comes with the territory-dress a little more formal or by the rules-period. IF you're on vacation at the beach and its a public-semi private course, I still prefer shirt with collar and khaki's but on the driving range I don't really care. IF its in a geographical region where the clientele that play a particular course are farmers/rural or blue collar/factory or doctors/nurses wearing scrubs or whatever -- thats awesome please adjust the dress code accordingly for everyone. Not anything to do with how $ a person earns, the person might like to get off work and play golf without having to change clothes. No problem there. Guess I said a lot to say -- it just depends on the climate 🙂 

[Sandy Lie]

I would agree with many posters that a reasonable dress code should be in place.  Public and Private courses alike should have something in place that would want to attract patrons and members.  I would also say that age has something to do with how people dress. If you’ve been playing for 20 years or more for example, you’ve probably seen the gradual changes in golf attire.  I think for the better.  Overall, the course is responsible to enforce the dress code if they have one. If they fail to do so then it’s on them.  

[NM Golf]

On 5/20/2020 at 9:44 AM, Ccred1992 said:

In warm weather i always wear nice shorts and collared shirts.  When its cold i typically wear jeans and collared shirt with a light weight wind jacket.  Just added a few pair of pants to the rotation in cold weather but really don't understand peoples problem with jeans.  Most people in south Texas wear jeans even in the nicest of places.

I can't think of a material less conducive to playing golf in comfort than denim. I started this thread some 12 years ago, and something I have never understood is why people wouldn't want to dress in golf attire as it's made for golf. You look good and the clothing you are wearing is specifically designed for the activity you are partaking in. It's a win-win. 

[jmanbooyaa]

I will say as much as I am in favor of a polo on the course, recently as I have been playing 9 before I start my at home work day I have been wearing a tee shirt under a sweatshirt. 

[dagolfer18]

I believe that dress codes are good for the game, although I’m fine with with seeing people with jeans/sweatpants and a T-shirt on the course. In the cold months, I’ll often wear a hoodie over my golf shirt.

[colin007]

[StuM]

I'm not meaning to be stuffy and not sure how I can relate my rationale but I feel that dressing appropriately in golf attire shows respect for the game and for others that play the game.  Kind of like I would not wear jeans to a wedding.

It does not need to be expensive clothing.

[David in FL]

On 5/20/2020 at 3:03 PM, Darkfrog said:

 I'm not big on tradition in sports. I really don't care about ceremonial first pitches, calling fans patrons, national anthems, old guys teeing off to start The Masters, handshake lines after competition, etc. 

I’m sorry, but that makes me a little sad...

[boogielicious]

21 hours ago, Sandy Lie said:

I would agree with many posters that a reasonable dress code should be in place.  Public and Private courses alike should have something in place that would want to attract patrons and members.  I would also say that age has something to do with how people dress. If you’ve been playing for 20 years or more for example, you’ve probably seen the gradual changes in golf attire.  I think for the better.  Overall, the course is responsible to enforce the dress code if they have one. If they fail to do so then it’s on them.  

Agree. I have noticed how much better golf attire has become and you can get it for less money now. My son is 25 and he doesn’t mind wearing a polo.

[Double Mocha Man]

Some people wear a suit to work. Some people wear a suit to a wedding. Some people wear a suit to a funeral. For those folks it's easy to "move down" to golf attire: slacks, tailored shorts and a nice polo shirt.  Some people wear a t-shirt to work. Some people wear a t-shirt to a wedding. Some people wear a t-shirt to a funeral. It is difficult for those folks to "move up" to golf attire.

[BC-to-MI]

21 hours ago, NM Golf said:

I can't think of a material less conducive to playing golf in comfort than denim. I started this thread some 12 years ago, and something I have never understood is why people wouldn't want to dress in golf attire as it's made for golf. You look good and the clothing you are wearing is specifically designed for the activity you are partaking in. It's a win-win. 

^ This. I think golf attire looks good on the course and it's by far the most comfortable thing to be wearing while playing, in my opinion. When it's hot and humid during the summer, a moisture wicking pair of shorts and a dri-fit polo would be my preference regardless of any dress code, and if it's a bit cooler, a pair of golf pants is way more conducive to walking 9/18 holes and making athletic (though maybe not in my case) movements during the golf swing than a pair of jeans would be.

[Billy Z]

I wore a pair of these loud mouth shorts comboed with a real nice collared golf shirt that matched to a private club the other day. No one seemed to have any problems with them, but I wouldn't wear them to the dining room or something like that.