Tobacco products on golf course

[Fourputt]

Quote:

Originally Posted by boogielicious

And Hogan died from cancer.  Go figure.

If you could have Hogan's career and legacy, would you smoke?

No, of course not - that's a ridiculous question.  It wasn't smoking that made him a great golfer.  And it was a different era with much less certain links to tobacco and various debilitating and deadly illnesses.  With the information that's available today, using tobacco products of any kind is really not showing good sense.

[boogielicious]

If you could have Hogan's career and legacy, would you smoke?

No.  I have my own career and legacy and I am happy with that.  My father died from smoking and was miserable for the last 10 years of his life.  He suffered everyday.  I hope Hogan didn't but I think it was otherwise.  I also don't think smoking helped his golf one tiny bit.

[tomvk77]

I can see where this is coming from.

First off all i am a smoker and i smoke on the course as well.

I think it's not good to leave the waste on the course. I have a small

place on my bag where i leave the ends. at the end off the round i will empty it

into a waste bin.

Sometimes during summer we get a non smoking policy just because off danger off burning the course.

Than i don't smoke at all.

[Jake Goodman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by skydog

For those actually, aginst all logic, concerned about second hand smoke on a golf course- I hate to break it to you but while on the course you are constantly breathing in harmful chemicals from the fertilizers, pestcides, herbicides, and fungicides that are much worse for you than catching the scent of someone's cigarette. None of us are going to get out of this life alive so please just try and relax a bit while you're here.

+1. We also have had air quality alert due to ground level ozone here in Charlotte during past days. Playing golf will kill you in the end :)

I would vote against banning smoking outdoors.

[mcanadiens]

I'm a smoker and I get as mad as any of you when I see butts on the floor. I'll actually pick em up when I see them as distasteful as that can be.

However, if a course outlawed smoking, I wouldn't play there unless there was some sort of business reason why I had to. If the state had a blanket ban on smoking in public (even outdoors), I'm really not sure what I'd do. I may play less golf in general. Perhaps I'd play more 9-hole rounds. I think it is safe to say that my patience would take a sizable hit in general.

[Moppy]

And Hogan died from cancer.  Go figure.

My dad died from smoking too. But it is still a great picture.

[FooFader]

The number of smokers on the course is definitely in decline. All the people i see smoking are over the age of 60. I can't speak for young people everywhere but in my area smoking is highly unusual amongst people under 25, give it 20 years and smoking will have pretty much died out on the course do due the current smoking no longer playing. Also definitely a conversation for another thread but government control of tobacco will only grow.

Eventually i see a point where no one will smoke because of a combination of increasing price of tobacco, increasing social pressure and intolerance of smoking and restrictions on where and when you can smoke. Personally i don't think this can come soon enough, i think that our society has failed any young people who begin smoking now. It is so bad for your health, difficult to quit and people judge you for it; nobody i know would wish that upon anyone.

[Fourputt]

The number of smokers on the course is definitely in decline. All the people i see smoking are over the age of 60. I can't speak for young people everywhere but in my area smoking is highly unusual amongst people under 25, give it 20 years and smoking will have pretty much died out on the course do due the current smoking no longer playing. Also definitely a conversation for another thread but government control of tobacco will only grow.

Eventually i see a point where no one will smoke because of a combination of increasing price of tobacco, increasing social pressure and intolerance of smoking and restrictions on where and when you can smoke. Personally i don't think this can come soon enough, i think that our society has failed any young people who begin smoking now. It is so bad for your health, difficult to quit and people judge you for it; nobody i know would wish that upon anyone.

Just the opposite here.  Way more kids smoke than seniors... Why?  I have no idea.

[14ledo81]

Quote:

Originally Posted by skiballs

If you could have Hogan's career and legacy, would you smoke?

No.  I have my own career and legacy and I am happy with that.  My father died from smoking and was miserable for the last 10 years of his life.  He suffered everyday.  I hope Hogan didn't but I think it was otherwise.  I also don't think smoking helped his golf one tiny bit.

Plus I doubt Hogan was ever a supporter/forum leader on TST.....

[dbuck]

The number of smokers on the course is definitely in decline. All the people i see smoking are over the age of 60. I can't speak for young people everywhere but in my area smoking is highly unusual amongst people under 25, give it 20 years and smoking will have pretty much died out on the course do due the current smoking no longer playing. Also definitely a conversation for another thread but government control of tobacco will only grow.

Eventually i see a point where no one will smoke because of a combination of increasing price of tobacco, increasing social pressure and intolerance of smoking and restrictions on where and when you can smoke. Personally i don't think this can come soon enough, i think that our society has failed any young people who begin smoking now. It is so bad for your health, difficult to quit and people judge you for it; nobody i know would wish that upon anyone.

Unfortunately in the US, I think smoking is actually increasing in the under 25-30 age group.

Ha, I don't know if my usual course has a smoking ban or not; it is likely as it is a college course. I haven't used any type of tobacco in over 25 years.

I can't add a lot to the comments I have read. I haven't read every single one. I don't have a problem with any course regardless of public or private allowing or not allowing smoking on the course, as long as that decision is made by the people operating the course. I would have a problem with government imposing such rules on private clubs or on courses open to the public but owned/operated privately or by companies. Like many others I don't like the waste products, but that is a problem of etiquette rather than rules. Many non-smokers litter with food wrappers etc.

As to its effect on golf, I am sure their would be some who would play elsewhere or quit. Personally, my addiction to golf was always stronger than my addiction to tobacco.

I am about to get preachy, but I mean it in the best possible way. First off, I understand smoking. I am not offended by someone smoking. I was not seriously addicted, I just liked it. I would still like it. About once a year, I will walk in a cigar store and take a whiff of the air, but I don't let myself buy a cigar and smoke it. A cigar once a week probably doesn't hurt anyone, maybe.  But to all you who have written in this thread that you would have trouble playing 18 without a smoke/chew, you need to quit. It is bad for your health, it is expensive, and it is robbling you of some of the other smells and tastes of life.Something optional that you can't go 3 or 4 hours without is your master, and you are the slave.  Sermon over.

[jackieMoon]

I don't think they should ban it. People just have to be more responsible butts in garbage, chew in bottles and so on

[Lihu]

My dad died from smoking too. But it is still a great picture.

My father in law also died from smoking. Miserable death.

It is pretty bad stuff. I have mixed feelings about a complete ban, but I would discourage anyone I know from doing it.

[CarlSpackler]

My father in law also died from smoking. Miserable death.

It is pretty bad stuff. I have mixed feelings about a complete ban, but I would discourage anyone I know from doing it.

Yep. They just keep passing more and more laws about everything. Not good.

My dad had to have part of his lung removed a year ago in Feb. He finally quit smoking after that scared the crap out of him.

[FooFader]

Yep. They just keep passing more and more laws about everything. Not good.

My dad had to have part of his lung removed a year ago in Feb. He finally quit smoking after that scared the crap out of him.

I agree with this and the whole "nanny state" idea (i assume this is a term used commonly in the US media too) and that a lot of things are regulated for the sake of it rather than for any ones benefit.

However, with regards to smoking and also drinking i think all the laws are for the good of the population. However polite smokers are, they will from time to time have their smoke travel in the vicinity of other non-smokers and if they smoke at home, in cars etc then any children in the house will be inhaling smoke too. Further more, although OT a little, the increases laws on drinking are welcome in my eyes. The numbers of innocent people killed by drink drivers or parents harming children (99.9% of the time completely accidentally) whilst drunk is decreasing year on year and that is thanks to the laws which change social opinions and attitudes.

[Tenerife]

Here in the uk the number of people that smoke has declined dramatically . I hardly see anyone smoking out on the courses I play, and you can count on your hand the number of people who leave the bar to go outside to smoke. I have never seen anyone chew tobacco it just does not happen here.

[tefunk]

Let's ban airplanes and cars too... They emit harmful gases. People just need to be considerate... Whether they're a smoker, drinker, dipper, seed spitter, eat snacks, fart, talk... On a golf course. No need to ban any of it... Just be considerate and ask others around you to be considerate. I smoke cigars on occasion while golfing, and it's normally not an issue because I walk the majority of the time, and I'm considerate of others. On the rare occasion I get paired up in a cart with someone, on a day a brought a cigar, I let them know I brought a cigar and I can get a separate cart if it will bother them. No one is going to get cancer from getting an occasional whiff of a cigar on a golf course... That is the dumbest thing I've ever heard. Educate yourself. And yes, I've had family members die from cancer as well (both lung cancer, and both were big time smokers)... But that doesn't mean everyone is going to die from catching a whiff here and there. From a business perspective... A ban would be a terrible business decision. Let's just ban everything that annoys anybody... And not have golf anymore

[GolfLug]

I agree with this and the whole "nanny state" idea (i assume this is a term used commonly in the US media too) and that a lot of things are regulated for the sake of it rather than for any ones benefit.

However, with regards to smoking and also drinking i think all the laws are for the good of the population. However polite smokers are, they will from time to time have their smoke travel in the vicinity of other non-smokers and if they smoke at home, in cars etc then any children in the house will be inhaling smoke too. Further more, although OT a little, the increases laws on drinking are welcome in my eyes. The numbers of innocent people killed by drink drivers or parents harming children (99.9% of the time completely accidentally) whilst drunk is decreasing year on year and that is thanks to the laws which change social opinions and attitudes.

+1. Well said. Couldn't agree more. BTW, for discussion's sake how about drinking laws in Japan. My colleague who was carting me around town during my visit there last year wouldn't drink a single beer! Can result in definite jail time and up to job loss. 'Designated driver' is a legit career. That, is truly OTT, but I guess they are trying really hard to keep up their population.

[Lihu]

The anti-smoking campaigns have been largely successful, and people are volunteering to stop . There are very few smokers on all 8 courses I frequent. It just does not appear to be that much of an issue that a ban would be required on golf courses. I also don't mind whiffing cigar smoke on occasion.