gpickin wrote:

The hot chicks always distract me, they should cover up

It's tough to golf when there is a scantily clad woman in my vicinity. I'll be honest about that.

Bryan K wrote:

It's kind of funny. In another thread, a couple of blokes were complaining about people standing behind them when they shoot. That doesn't bother me. In fact, I don't understand why it's a big deal. Now when people don't dress nice when they go golfing...for some reason that does bother me. No I don't expect perfect formal attire for every golfer, but I do find excess skin or grungy clothing to be distracting. It's probably not a big deal on a kid, but on adults it is extremely distracting.

Bothers me too. I guess I have always thought of golf as being a bit more of a privileged activity. Maybe a little classier than most sports. With the perfectly manicured playing grounds, surrounded by beautiful nature and tranquility---at least at the nicer courses and clubs. I personally feel t-shirts, jeans, soiled cloths, inappropriate dress in general, loud mouths, drunks and bad manners have no business on a golf course and show a complete lack of respect for the game.

Maybe it's because I started caddying at an exclusive country club when I was 13, where I learned general etiquette before I learned to play. Of course, that was 40 years ago, before bad manners and foul language was such an accepted part of our society.

I'm ranting. Sorry. I guess I would just like everyone who plays the game to do so with respect and appreciation for the tradition of the game.

I find the whole dress code thing very arbitrary - I don't think people should wear Cutt-offs and tank tops at the course - but when we are arguing about the type of collar a shirt has - it is kind of ridiculus. 20 years ago you had to have a collar at most courses - now because the golf companies are making them (and selling them for big $$$) and pros are wearing them - it is OK to wear a collarless shirt - that to me is arbitrary. It's not about the shirt - but about how much it cost and who wears it - an expensive shirt with no collar is OK??? It's OK now because Sergio wears them. that makes perfect sense.

25 years ago I was not allowed to play at a public course one day because I had turf shoes on - with plastic nubs instead of metal cleats - today you can't play with metal cleats and they make golf shoes exactly like the ones I was wearing. So why was that such a problem???

Its called: The New Normal

just saying "privileged activity" makes me cringes. I love golf and I wear a collar usually and I understand that you can't let any piece of trash golf out there, but "privileged activity" that's the kind of WASPY talk that makes everyone hate the sport.

terpsno1 wrote:

I find the whole dress code thing very arbitrary - I don't think people should wear Cutt-offs and tank tops at the course - but when we are arguing about the type of collar a shirt has - it is kind of ridiculus. 20 years ago you had to have a collar at most courses - now because the golf companies are making them (and selling them for big $$$) and pros are wearing them - it is OK to wear a collarless shirt - that to me is arbitrary. It's not about the shirt - but about how much it cost and who wears it - an expensive shirt with no collar is OK??? It's OK now because Sergio wears them. that makes perfect sense. 25 years ago I was not allowed to play at a public course one day because I had turf shoes on - with plastic nubs instead of metal cleats - today you can't play with metal cleats and they make golf shoes exactly like the ones I was wearing. So why was that such a problem???

At a lot of courses I wear Nike Dry-Fit /Under Armour that has no collar (even when the code says collar) with my khaki shorts and no one says a thing. It looks clean and athletic. I don't see the problem.

A number of years ago I was fortunate enough to go on a golf trip to Ireland. The pre-trip advice was that if one wore shorts, they had to be "Bermuda" shorts worn with knee socks. I decided there was no way I was going to walk around in knee socks so I left the shorts at home. Turned out that many of the locals wore regular shorts without knee socks and none of the courses played seemed to have a problem with that.

Similarly, most public courses in the USA typically won't have an issue with one's dress unless you go out of your way to be a non-conformist. Private clubs, very high-end daily fee and resort courses are where one will run into trouble so rather than take a chance, either call ahead or wear slacks and a collared shirt until you know what the dress code requirements (and enforcement) are.

I guess I'm just saying that it pisses me off that those country clubs and High end fee resorts are so stuffy.

dougbenefield66 wrote:

I guess I'm just saying that it pisses me off that those country clubs and High end fee resorts are so stuffy.

I hear you. As a private club or business, however, they are entitled to post as many silly rules as they want, as long as they don't unfairly discriminate. Frankly, I am not interested in giving any of my money to an organization that wants to go to great lengths to dictate what I must or must not wear (other than August National ). Don't get mad, get even - by not frequenting places that intrude on your rights to wear tee shirts.

bkuehn1952 wrote:

dougbenefield66 wrote: I guess I'm just saying that it pisses me off that those country clubs and High end fee resorts are so stuffy. I hear you. As a private club or business, however, they are entitled to post as many silly rules as they want, as long as they don't unfairly discriminate. Frankly, I am not interested in giving any of my money to an organization that wants to go to great lengths to dictate what I must or must not wear (other than August National ). Don't get mad, get even - by not frequenting places that intrude on your rights to wear tee shirts.

LOL.....most of the time I wear collars...dont' even know why I'm making this argument....but I do feel that athletic wear type shirts (with or without collars) like tight fitting Under Armour should be allowed. i usually wear it under my loose collar shirt.
And , for the record, the PGA SHOULD ALLOW SHORTS!!

your missing my point - Most courses do allow the Collarless shirts now - So what's different from 20 years ago - The rules are so arbitrary - It's BS.

A tee shirt is a collarless shirt. A t-neck or mock-t technically has a collar and is allowed pretty much everywhere that I have played in the last 10 years. If you look back at pictures from the 50s and 60s, you will see Arnie and Jack have both worn turtle necks at various events. What private clubs and most public courses are striving to do is to keep people from wearing t-shirts and jeans on the course to maintain a certain level of appropriateness relative to the tradition of the game. It's not asking that much, and my guess is that MOST who play the game can appreciate that effort.

I can appreciate that, but the only thing I think they should allow is athletic type lycra (tight fitting under armour etc. WITHOUT mock turtle neck or collar) to be allowed. I'm not talking about t-shirts but the kind of shirts like football players wear under their pads or track folks wear.

But personally I have seen people playing in work shirts and jeans and it doesn't bother me one iota. Rich folks can't stand it because they want to feel more important out there on the course....like it means more to them if everyone is dressed great.

Bryan K wrote:

Now when people don't dress nice when they go golfing...for some reason that does bother me. No I don't expect perfect formal attire for every golfer, but I do find excess skin or grungy clothing to be distracting. It's probably not a big deal on a kid, but on adults it is extremely distracting.

I'm the same way. In fact, I might have to say something to a good friend of mine that I play golf with sometimes. Last time we went out, I picked him up and he was wearing jeans. The course we were playing is not the most formal in the world, but I feel like golf slacks/shorts and a collared shirt are part of the equipment of the game ... just the same as a nine iron. I didn't say anything this time, and fortunately (for him) the people at the course didn't give him a hard time.

With that last sentence said ... I don't see a problem with a mock turtleneck instead of a collared polo-type shirt.

SteveMM wrote:

Bryan K wrote: Now when people don't dress nice when they go golfing...for some reason that does bother me. No I don't expect perfect formal attire for every golfer, but I do find excess skin or grungy clothing to be distracting. It's probably not a big deal on a kid, but on adults it is extremely distracting. I'm the same way. In fact, I might have to say something to a good friend of mine that I play golf with sometimes. Last time we went out, I picked him up and he was wearing jeans. The course we were playing is not the most formal in the world, but I feel like golf slacks/shorts and a collared shirt are part of the equipment of the game ... just the same as a nine iron. I didn't say anything this time, and fortunately (for him) the people at the course didn't give him a hard time. With that last sentence said ... I don't see a problem with a mock turtleneck instead of a collared polo-type shirt.

I can understand that from a "respect for the game" angle, but I don't really understand how it could distract you.