Do Dress Codes Bother You?

It’s not a big deal for you guys in the US when the only options are wear ‘golf attire’ or there’s no dress code at all. Believe me, in the UK when you need to get changed out of your golf gear and put on a shirt and tie to go in the clubhouse after a round it’s a big deal.

Your exactly right. I would rather pass on the clubhouse experience at that point, and head home or to another establishment to quench my thirst.
 
I over dress for everything so no, bring it on. White Tuxedos only? I'm down.
 
I don’t mind them. I’m not a fan of clubhouse dress codes where you must wear a shirt with a collar to dinner etc., but to be honest I probably wouldn’t join a club like that anyway. On the course, I’m fully in support of dress codes as long as they’re reasonable. Hoodies without large branding and leggings should be allowed on a golf course
 
Dave: That does seem excessive. I am surprised that the members still put up with that and have not voted in a change. At least allowing you to go in the grill room without a shirt and tie. Is it a case of 200 years of tradition unimpeded by progress?
Very much the case, yes! The centenary clubs over here are particularly bad for it, protecting ‘traditions of the club’ at all costs. I genuinely believe that certain members of certain clubs here would rather see a club/course fail over making what they would see as concessions. I love playing golf in the States, it’s so laid back, accessible, inclusive and welcoming. That’s how our great game should be played! I’d be ashamed to take a visiting American golfer to some of our clubs over here.
 
I don’t mind them. I’m not a fan of clubhouse dress codes where you must wear a shirt with a collar to dinner etc., but to be honest I probably wouldn’t join a club like that anyway. On the course, I’m fully in support of dress codes as long as they’re reasonable. Hoodies without large branding and leggings should be allowed on a golf course
My club requires a collared shirt in the dining room - no big deal to me as I usually eat there after golf when I'm in a polo anyway, but if we go there for dinner I don't mind putting a polo on. They used to not allow denim pants after 5:00 pm, but relaxed that rule a few years ago.

Funny thing is, my club's dining room has the strictest dress code of any restaurant in town - there's nowhere else in town that you can't go into wearing a tank top or t-shirt, shorts and flip-flops.
 
Nope, not at all. Just as Ive said in various threads about hoodies or Jordans for golf: every sport has a certain uniform that you wear and for golf thats polos, non-denim pants or shorts and not basketball shoes. Dont like it? Go play something else.
Unfortunately, nowdays some people dont understand what respect and tradition is and they simply want to do what they want to do and its all about me, me, me. It is what it is. 🤷‍♂️

This made me giggle as multiple PGA touring members play in “basketball” shoes with spikes added.
 
Dress codes are dated and biased. Aim is to identify and project an image of what they view as social class. Old white guys gonna do old white guy stuff.
Isn’t it a biased assumption that only old white guys wear collared shirts?

And isn’t it monolithic and stereotyping to think that all old white guys dress the same? An old white surfer in San Diego, an old white cowboy in Texas, an old white farmer in Wisconsin and an old white stockbroker in New York City all wear the same “old white guy stuff”?
 
Don’t over think it, not here for a debate that can get sideways quickly. But you don’t think golfs history is tied to mainly white people with money those being the people who wrote the dress code rules?
 
Dress codes are dated and biased. Aim is to identify and project an image of what they view as social class. Old white guys gonna do old white guy stuff.
Don’t over think it, not here for a debate that can get sideways quickly. But you don’t think golfs history is tied to mainly white people with money those being the people who wrote the dress code rules?
I want to take a quick moment to simply ask you and everyone to avoid making this a race specific discussion. While I appreciate all perspectives, it is a slippery slope and I think the depths of the dress code discussion can be had without isolating to particular races of people. Unfortunately when this occurs, nothing good comes from it.
 
I love a strict dress code
 
Dress codes are dated and biased. Aim is to identify and project an image of what they view as social class. Old guys gonna do old guy stuff.
This is an interesting quote (I removed racial notations to keep the idea flowing)..

I say that because what I wear, or what some of the younger generations wear, is absolutely visually polarizing and in many cases off-putting for the older generations enjoying the game. You won't see my Dad in joggers, or a blade collar, or etc etc etc..

What I struggle with, is the idea that collared shirts and non-jean style bottoms are somehow dated or biased. If you go buy a TV from Best Buy, don't the guys working there wear that exact style of apparel? Is Best Buy somehow dated and/or biased?

It all circles back to the same question: Why is asking people to dress in a respectable manner such an unreasonable thing?
 
Dress codes don't bother me at all as I even wish dress codes in the work environment should never have been relaxed. Casual Friday became casual attire all the time and Friday's became grunge day, leading to a casualness in the workplace that is unwarranted. The CEO became "Bob" instead of Mr. Brown, etc.

As for golf dress codes, though they don't bother me, I think they should be relaxed in certain circumstances using common sense. Among others, in the dead of winter allow denim, certainly in more rural locations and at public/daily-fee/municipal courses.
 
I just don't understand what the beef is, like a collared shirt and decent shorts is something to be dissatisfied with? It was cool yesterday in Michigan, and I wore denim pants, but only because it was cool temps. I find it so simple, easy, and comfortable to wear a collared shirt and nice shorts that it doesn't seem significant to even debate.
 
Very much the case, yes! The centenary clubs over here are particularly bad for it, protecting ‘traditions of the club’ at all costs. I genuinely believe that certain members of certain clubs here would rather see a club/course fail over making what they would see as concessions. I love playing golf in the States, it’s so laid back, accessible, inclusive and welcoming. That’s how our great game should be played! I’d be ashamed to take a visiting American golfer to some of our clubs over here.

I wear a shirt and tie for work, but would not be very keen on the idea of having to wear a shirt and tie just to walk into the clubhouse to change into what I was going to wear to play.

Most places here recognize that in order to remain relevant some flexibility is required. Case in point would be Pinehurst, where up until 10 or 15 years ago (guessing on how long ago), a jacket and tie were required for dinner, now just a collared shirt is needed.
 
I just don't understand what the beef is, like a collared shirt and decent shorts is something to be dissatisfied with? It was cool yesterday in Michigan, and I wore denim pants, but only because it was cool temps. I find it so simple, easy, and comfortable to wear a collared shirt and nice shorts that it doesn't seem significant to even debate.


That's where I'm at with it. I have way too many other things going on to be outraged over having to wear a collared shirt.
 
I would say they don't bother me as long as they're not overly stringent. Admittedly I just skimmed through, and it looks like there are some crazy ones. For the most part the courses I frequent basically say no beachwear, tank tops, or cut-offs. I don't find that unreasonable.
 
I wear a shirt and tie for work, but would not be very keen on the idea of having to wear a shirt and tie just to walk into the clubhouse to change into what I was going to wear to play.

Most places here recognize that in order to remain relevant some flexibility is required. Case in point would be Pinehurst, where up until 10 or 15 years ago (guessing on how long ago), a jacket and tie were required for dinner, now just a collared shirt is needed.
For some reason, your post reminded me of the resort we went to in Mexico for our honeymoon. There was one restaurant that required pants. I don't think this was usually an issue for the adults, but they had a bunch of pants at the host's stand for kids to wear. Sure enough, we saw a probably 8 year old come in with shorts. They were given pants to wear for dinner.
 
My club requires a collared shirt in the dining room - no big deal to me as I usually eat there after golf when I'm in a polo anyway, but if we go there for dinner I don't mind putting a polo on. They used to not allow denim pants after 5:00 pm, but relaxed that rule a few years ago.

Funny thing is, my club's dining room has the strictest dress code of any restaurant in town - there's nowhere else in town that you can't go into wearing a tank top or t-shirt, shorts and flip-flops.
By collared shirt I meant like a button up. Totally forgot about golf shirts having a collar😂. I don’t mind allowing jeans as long as they’re not ripped or stained
 
What about when you have to wear a collared shirt and tie before stepping foot in the clubhouse like many places here in the UK? Could you write that off as ‘their course their rules’?
I'd never continually play a course like that, even if steller and I could afford it. That's the part of the golf game that I find stuffy and exclusive and almost elitist. I completely understand respecting the course and the game, but some of it just seems to far.
 
I'd never continually play a course like that, even if steller and I could afford it. That's the part of the golf game that I find stuffy and exclusive and almost elitist. I completely understand respecting the course and the game, but some of it just seems to far.
The weird thing here in the UK is that things like this happen at otherwise ‘accessible’ and affordable golf clubs. I’m not talking country clubs that are hundreds of thousands of $ a year. I’m talking the kind of place you can join for less than $1k a year.
 
The weird thing here in the UK is that things like this happen at otherwise ‘accessible’ and affordable golf clubs. I’m not talking country clubs that are hundreds of thousands of $ a year. I’m talking the kind of place you can join for less than $1k a year.
That's interesting. It must be a cultural thing.
 
it depends to a degree, there were crappy public courses around here that were giving players crap about the no collar TW shirts & joggers for awhile until they really caught on
 
The weird thing here in the UK is that things like this happen at otherwise ‘accessible’ and affordable golf clubs. I’m not talking country clubs that are hundreds of thousands of $ a year. I’m talking the kind of place you can join for less than $1k a year.
I can honestly say I haven't been to a club where this has been an issue in over 20 years (and the last time it happened was at a hotel course in Scotland where you previously had to wear a jacket and tie in the dining room)
 
I don't have a problem with a dress code at a golf course.




Having said that, I'd like to play a round of golf in a t-shirt... or at least a shirt that doesn't have a collar. I wear polos at work. I don't want to wear them outside of work. I'd rather wear a t-shirt... or football jersey or hoodie... or whatever. If the course I want to play disallows that, I'll wear a polo. It's no big deal to me. And if I see someone not dressed appropriately at a golf course? I'll get over it.
 
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