OK, my more serious response to my own thread...
I too like golfers to look smart, although I don't actually mind players in jeans (I get MUCH more upset by slow play, or by players behind me hitting their tee shots before we're actually out of range).
I guess my, fairly minor league, point was that dressing smart for the conditions I was playing in (a partially rainy day + on a course with poor drainage + after a few days of rain = mud!) was absurd. I had mud marks and splashes on my trousers after just a couple of shots - and that's NEVER a good look. So, under those circumstances I don't think it unreasonable, at least for public courses like the one I was playing on, to relax their dress code. Not all of us have, or can afford, wet weather gear.
Heck I only started playing this year (just 15 rounds so far, only two of which were 18 holes).
Just to confirm: Yeah, I'm hooked!