BUNKER-TO-BUNKER… Inside Golf writers have their say!
By Peter Owen
THERE’S a good reason people still consider some golf clubs to be the domain of elitist snobs, happy to enforce their morals upon the rest of us. It’s often the truth.
Fortunately, though, the number is decreasing, and most contemporary clubs are content to accept that standards – particularly in dress – are changing and that they must change with them.
That’s not to say we should abandon our values and invite members and visitors to turn up in anything they like. We’re entitled to expect patrons to be neat, tidy and wear clothing that neither offends nor upsets the rest of us.
But we should not impose standards upon others that uphold a conservativeness that reflects a minority, bigoted view.
Many of us don’t like tattoos, cannot understand why young men and women would deface their bodies so needlessly and wonder how they’ll feel about their tattoos in later years. Others believe it’s body art and beautiful.
It’s not for us to judge. And, as long as there is no law against tattoos, it is not for golf clubs to ban their wearers from their courses.
Nor should we ban golfers who prefer to wear a neat t-shirt rather than a collared polo variety. Or make such a fuss when a visitor unknowingly enters a clubhouse wearing a cap.
The way we behave, the respect we show to each other and the pride we take in the integrity of the game is vastly more important than the way we choose to look.
By Larry Canning
I AM going to go out on a limb and speak on behalf of all golf pros who might have started the back nine of their careers and who’ve worked behind a counter and say this topic has been one nasty nightmare.
The people who make these rules never get to see the responses from their own customers. I once had a captain of a golf club storm into the pro shop complaining of one bloke’s socks.
“Can you chat to them, please,” he ordered. “Gee, I’m a little busy here,” I said. “No, that’s your job, Larry,” he barked back.
I also had someone actually take a swing at me! Fortunately, his reach was as short as his socks. So what should be allowed? Ultimately, the dress rules are the club’s choice, but who among the clubs are making these decisions?
In my opinion, even the private clubs with no cash flow issues have some kind of responsibility to maintain and grow our game.
For this reason, PLEASE golf club committees, talk to a cross section of your members before banning someone with a lovely shirt that has a modern collar, a $300 pair of duds with an external pocket or someone with tattoos.
I looked back at an old episode “Shells Wonderful World of Golf” with Hogan and Snead the other day and other than Sam’s pants needing a chest measurement they were dressed exactly the same as today!
Yeah, I get the “no track suits” and “footy shorts” but please keep it sensible!
By Michael Court
WE are probably too late with this: Regrettably the cat is already out of the bag and the horse has bolted.
And it’s our own fault.
I invited a friend to play golf at my club only to see him turn up with black socks (with the Cat In The Hat logoed on the side), cargo pants and a shirt flapping in the breeze.
I looked at him in absolute disgust and politely pointed out: “You do know this is a private golf club?”
And the sad part about this is that nobody said anything; I didn’t receive a letter of rebuke from the club and he was allowed to play 18 holes – although I did make him tuck in his shirt.
So, that’s where we’ve got to now: Just about anything goes on a golf course these days.
Okay, don’t write and tell me I’m a dinosaur and I should move with the times: This is golf we’re playing – not touch footy.
Clubs have begun to relax their laws and we’ve come a long way since I played at an elite Sydney club and was told plain white socks were compulsory, or you would be escorted from the golf course. And the secretary-manager warned he would be driving around to check on every group.
I have a regular golf partner who would gladly dress like our friend mentioned above and it has taken me almost 20 years to finally get him to conform and actually look the part of a golfer.
Now it seems all my hard work was for nothing.
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